Loaf, MADE etc sofas

[cheesenpickles]

So, after having a gifted secondhand leather monstrosity of a sofa for 10 years DH and I are about to embark on purchasing our first actual sofa that we've chosen.

We're currently redecorating our living room and I'm loving the design aesthetic of the sofas from places like MADE, Loaf etc and would be happy to up to a slightly higher bracket of these for the right one.

DH however thinks we should just go to DFS because it's closer and get something with the 0% finance and 20-year warranty.

The other places have showrooms but he said "what's the point of going all that way when there's perfectly good sofas at scs, dfs etc".

I have been open minded but I really haven't found a style or colour that I like.

We'll have the sofa for a long time (he said he won't ever buy another one ) and I'm just getting pulled in by Instagram-style stuff.

Can anybody comment on the quality and comfort of the aforementioned loaf, made etc?

He will fold to me but I need to make a damned good case to get him to the further away showrooms in the first instance.

If you were to visit a UK sofa factory, you might be surprised at what they look like under the cover - lots of mdf, plastic webbing, even cardboard, all banged together with glue and a staple gun. Modern mass market furniture is not made to last and partly the consumer is to blame, wanting to change every few years just because.

If you can afford a well-made sofa, using proper wooden frames, natural fillings like wool, cotton, and natural cover fabrics, too, then the extra cost is well worth it.

In addition, unfortunately, the cheaper the sofa materials used then the more flame retardant chemicals are used to pass the UK's tough flammability laws. Flame retardants are toxic and nearly always end up being banned. Better made furniture using natural materials does not require so much flame retardants, none is some cases.

OP did you manage to squeeze in a sofa visit this weekend?
Daedric Agreed - reviews for crappy seat cushions and poor onward customer service is definitely a thing. Can't believe the frequency of negative incidents across the board - everywhere you look there are lots of examples of lovely people having a miserable time.
We went to Next and viewed two sofas, both leather, one at £1990 and other £2400. We didn't love either.
So back online I found a company called Willow&Hall with their only depot in Chiswick (400 miles away). Their cushion fill description was the best I'd seen anywhere but the fab reviews weren't as amazing once I drilled into them. Factoring in a visit it's going to be £2750 all told even with a 10% discount.
A bit despondent we went to Sofology and saw a pretty decent sofa that was better than what we viewed at Next. Linara A four seater and storage ottoman plus delivery in thick nubuck is £1908. But the Sofology reviews were horrendous. About 1 out of 5.
Now got no idea how to proceed.

We replaced a Sofa workshop "Harry" with a Loaf "Bumpster" about 6 months ago. "Harry" was 15 years old and still going strong but had survived 15 years of kids, pets, 3 house moves and looked rather ragged.

I would have got another Sofa Workshop sofa this time but they were comparably very expensive. I like the Bumpster but it's very squidgy and the cushions need to be pumped and turned every couple of days. This is because the cushions are feather wrapped foam which makes them very comfy but they don't retain their structure very well.

I'd also suggest John Lewis OP which are about the same price point as Loaf.

Cross posted Flame. I guess that's the bottom line - the 'gap' between a bespoke sofa and a mass produced is going to be around £800 for us.

@Fortysix

True but in the long run it's worth it. I've worked in this industry for a long time and have seen just how many corners are now cut quality wise for the majority of sofas. Oh, and if anything goes wrong with yours, don't bother paying the Furniture Ombudman to check it out - they're run by the industry's trade association! Out of 30,000 or so complaints in a year, the FO found in the consumers' favour in just 43 cases!

Unfortunately, as said, cost becomes a factor where our health is concerned too. Cheaper sofas have more toxic chemicals in them, in short. Once again, the rich thrive!

Crikey 30,000 complaints a year - I think I've seen many of them this weekend.
So Flame where would be a good starting point to look? Are all well-made sofa manufacturers listed somewhere in a trade body?

Radio 4 reported on furniture complaints a few years ago, and the uselessness of the Furniture Ombudsman. Apparently complaints about furniture where 4th in the list of UK product complaints that year.

I wouldn't trust any of the furniture trade bodies, for reasons which would take a long time to go into. What you can do is Google 'organic' or 'natural' furniture. On the whole, you'll find well-made products. However, you need to be careful about their claims to be flame retardant free (unless you're not bothered about such chemicals), because quite a few organic manufacturers cheat in this respect.

One company that doesn't cheat and will provide all the information you need is Cottonsafe: www.cottonsafenaturalmattress.co.uk. I don't work for them but bought my sofa and mattresses from them. Had them both for a year (and a sofabed) and they're still as good as new. The couple who run the business have campaigned tirelessly to warn the public about the dangers of flame retardant chemicals. Give them a ring; ask to speak to Mark.

Glad that you are sorted and happy flame and thanks for the valuable insight.
Sadly those won't work for me so my search goes on.
Looking forward to hear how cheesenpickles is faring.

So we went along to Sofas and Stuff's HQ on Saturday to have a nose around. It's in a very naice area and we were really impressed. Loads of sofas to try out, all made to order with proper handmade wooden frames. They had a little section for the kids to sit and watch a film in, toys etc and they played with one of the staff member's dog.

Found the sofas we were after and tried them out. I took into consideration what was said by po about fillings etc. The one I think we will go for does have fibre filled seat cushions but I've said to dh that for longevity we can ask about getting a foam/fibre mix or just get them refilled if they need it. The back of the sofa is fixed and sprung so won't have the same issue. Fabric-wise they had EVERYTHING. I sat down with one of the staff and went through fabrics I liked and then they went and pulled out the manufacturer books with hundreds of slightly different tones and colours and said that we could have whatever we wanted. I'm a dressmaker as well so knew all the awkward questions to ask and they were all answered brilliantly. They didn't try and push more expensive fabrics either and showed "entry level" ones that had the same properties but slightly different feel etc.

They gave me a load of samples to take away and she suggested I have a little go at roughing them up to see what they will put up with and looking into it they seem as if they're commercial grade quality (so hotels, restaurant etc that get high usage) which is excellent.

They offer a lifetime guarantee on the frames as well and their Trust pilot reviews are brilliant.

Dh is pretty convinced and would have bought then and there had I let him. I want to scope out a couple more mainstream sofa places but I was really impressed. And they had exactly what I was after as well which is brilliant. We even found a real unusual footstool that's going to be perfect for our set up as well.

Also all the covers are washable at 30 as well.

Which sofa did you choose cheesenpickles

I have been going round and round in circles for the last four months trying to choose a sofa for my empty new house and have visited every showroom within 50 miles. I went to SofasandStuff but the showroom here was small and the selection limited.

I suspect that I am just jaded now and am struggling with any decisions.

Apparently a lot of the S&S Sofas are made by Tetrad.

Cheesenpickles -

Did you ask what chemicals the fabrics are backcoated with or what happens to them when washed?

I think we will probably go for the doodle but I quite like the Stockbridge as well though more cushions to deal with).

No, I didn't ask about the flame retardants though I definitely will before we decide.

This is on the fabric manufacturer's site.

We're opting for polyester rather than cotton as we have very small kids.

We currently have a large corner sofa from made.com - it was bought by my sister, they had it several years then passed it on to us when we moved into a house.

It is the comfiest sofa ever, seriously. It’s heaven. The covers wash really well and stains come out so easily.

They replaced it with another sofa from the same place but sadly it’s nowhere near as comfortable. Theirs is a modular thing, ours is sprung with very deep cushions and it’s comfier than most beds!

I’m another victim of MADE’s “customer service”. There is no way I’d invite the hassle of buying a sofa from them.

Cotton is naturally flame resistant which means a sofa with a cotton cover will not require flame retardants in the cover. Instead, a lining sheet is used between the cover and the filling. Unfortunately, this almost always contains organophosphate flame retardants that are now known to be pretty toxic.

There are several types of polyester, e.g. recycled, chemically treated and pure. Pure polyester will get through the fire tests for non-domestic furniture but it won't pass the test for domestic sofas. This means that if a manufacturer claims your domestic sofa is covered with 'naturally flame resistant polyester' they are either using the wrong fire test or secretly treating it with an FR like DecaBDE.

Sounds like you are well on your way cheese. Great progress. I’m going to patrol Gumtree searching for a relatively unused UK manufactured sofa built prior to 2016

I appreciate this is not a subject anyone wants to think about too much. But the fact is that most UK sofas are full of toxic flame retardants that cause all kinds of illnesses, children especially vulnerable. If you need convincing check out some of the papers submitted to the current government inquiry into "toxic chemicals in everyday life": www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environmental-audit-committee/inquiries/parliament-2017/toxic-chemicals-in-everyday-life-17-19/publications/, particularly those from Breast Cancer UK; Fidra; University of Central Lancashire; Green Science Policy Institute; Cancer Prevention and Education Society; EFIC; Mark Dowen; and CHEM Trust. Note how all these groups/people state that the UK's Furniture Flammability Regulations, which give rise to so many flame retardants in our furniture, are not fit for purpose.

Glad you got on so well, OP