Sofas - how often do you buy new ones?

[Letsskidaddle]

Scrolling through FaceBook marketplace and I'm amazed by all the nearly new sofas that are for sale or free....

Some (most I've realised ) are in better condition than mine (cats have ruined mine from scratching), but mine were second-hand to start with.

Just got me thinking how often other people buy new ones. I'm admittedly a bit of a skinflint but they're not a cheap purchase and seem a huge, expensive luxury to me. Not sure I'd ever have the spare £££s to indulge, much as I'd love to.

Now feeling a bit fed up that so many people seem to have such beautiful homes...mine is very nice and kept well, but nothing is new or fancy and there's a lot we don't have - never had a dressing table or a chest of drawers for instance. For context I live alone now DC have moved out and before that struggled as a single parent, 'new' new was always just out of reach.

This is about more than sofas I guess, I've realised lately that the sum total of my life and possessions is very little and that makes me a bit sad.

But! On a lighter note, how often do you splash out? On sofas or other 'big' purchases.

I am in the process of replacing ours. They’ve been sat on daily, and experiences the rough and tumble and toilet training etc of two young boys. They’re 18 years old! Definitely seen better days, but only now replacing. Not because I couldn’t afford to before now, they just weren’t a priority and were passable. It definitely helped that I could turn the cushions over and I did pop them in the machine (against manufacturer guidance).

We got ours from SofaWorks (Sofology) 7 years ago. It looks awful now even though we’ve really looked after it (plus we don’t have pets/DC) and it still looks terrible.

It’s a fibre filled one and honestly, if you want a sofa to last do NOT get fibre. No matter how much you plump them they just sink and go so misshapen over time. Ours doesn’t just look shit, it’s also incredibly uncomfortable to sit on.

We’ll be getting a new one later in the year. We did look into getting it refilled but honestly, I’d rather just have something new. We’ve moved house since buying it and it doesn’t fit in very well in our new living room anyway.

I bought a sofa when I bought my first house. Then I bought a new one when I moved 12 years later, as the first sofa was way too big. It was still in pretty good nick though, so I gave it to a charity that provides furniture to people who really need it.

Generally speaking I buy furniture with the idea of holding on to it for life, or at least until it falls to pieces. There’s so much waste in the world. I don’t really want to add to that by following the latest furniture trends.

I don't think cats, sofas and 'a beautiful home' are generally found within the same property to be honest .

I've had three sofas/suites during my period as a homeowner (25 years).

We have had our present one for 7 years
The one before that for 10 years
the one before that for 8 years.

I'm looking for a small 2- seater for a conservatory so thanks to your tip I'm off to FB Market Place to see if I can get a cheap second hand one.

I inherited my sofa and arm chairs from my grandma when she died. They're not stylish but they feel like home.

46 years old and still going strong!

First sofa still going strong 14 years and three kids later. Will get it refurbished this year ( the company offer a full restoration and recovery service). It’s ass very expensive but very good quality.

Kitchen sofa is 8 years old. Only IKEA but again has done very well. We got new covers for it from Bemz last year which has given it a new lease of life. Can’t see it being replaced for another 5 years or so unless something drastic happens.

We are on our third set in 14 years
So that's an average of 4 years per sofa...

In our defence the first sofa we ever bought was the cheapest in store and was in an off white!! We then got a cat! Ruined with muddy paw prints in no time!

Second set was fine but we moved from a very small flat to a bigger house and the sofa was just two small.

Our third and current set is not holding up well. Bought it a few months before DD was born and has been puked and peed on more times then I can count! And you can't turn the seats over. 🤦🏻‍♀️ we won't replace them just yet, but it's definitely on the list for the future .

Just when they need to be. Got 10 years out of our last ones. I must admit I don’t love our current ones but they are comfy and only 4 years old so will keep them going until they collapse.

Had mine for 18 years in June. It is an M&S Abbey in leather. The cushions have been saggy for about 4 years but structurally is sound. I may get the cushions restuffed as I am very fussy with sofa design!

Ours is 16 years old. It was from multiyork, quite expensive and is still in good but not perfect condition. It’s very comfortable. I have considered replacing it recently but decided I didn’t want to spend that much ££ and will stick with it for the foreseeable!

I've noticed lots of newish sofas for sale near me too. I wonder if people like to change things round frequently. There are also lots of items that get sold, such as bedding or curtains, because the seller has 'changed colour scheme'. One advert that made me curious recently was someone selling a 3-month-old kitchen for £3,000...

Ours is second hand - think in total 18 years old. I love it though. We’re just about to get it reupholstered though as it’s looking a bit tatty - I want to keep it as long as possible!

We got the ones in our main living room about three years ago, the others were done in ans about 15 years old. In the other living room the two in there are 15/20 years old, squishy Matt leather things, and they will be there for a good few years more. To be fair they are as uncomfy as fuck, as they are so low, but they will do.

* Lots of people waste money on things they don't need to impress people they don't like. *

How do you know?

9 years here. Still going strong
For the last few years I have had it professionally cleaned once a year.

Going to treat myself to a new one in a couple of years as seen some beauties

We've got 15 year old Ektorps from IKEA. They were £250 each when we bought them, with a 10 year guarantee and washable covers. I bought a new set of covers last year.

Also, I bought a second hand sofa for £50 from a friend around 3 years ago. She'd had it two years. It's a Made.com one, and much more stylish, but it's showing signs of age much more than the ancient IKEA ones.

We always think very carefully about big purchases. We're not rolling in it - particularly after last year - so if I can buy at auction or second hand I will.

Without sounding like an old woman, many people nowadays change their decor as often as they’re changing underwear as Instagram is full of ideas for them.

Mine is 10 yrs old and starting to breakdown. Very disappointed with it as I paid £1800 for the suite.

Im changing it next year for a corner sofa and completely changing my colour scheme.

Ours is 12 years old, but we bought quality that was built to last. Don't intend to replace until it's on it's last legs but as it still looks amazing that probably won't be for years to come hopefully! I hate waste, replacing items frequently, it's just not me.

I’m on my 5th set of sofas. First was MFI and lasted 5 years but didn’t really fit in my flat when I moved. Second set from IKEA fitted the flat nicely, but not my new house. Still lasted 7 or 8 years. Then had kids so hard wearing leather sofas which lasted another 7 or 8 years. Got new leather ones when we redecorated. Next set lasted 10 years but looked very worn. Now have leather ones with a sofa bed. Only Argos but they are great, better than my old ones. Only issue is the seat cushions are fixed. Stops them sliding out but you can’t rotate them.

Bought ours 12 years ago. Hard wood frame and feather stuffed. Had it recovered 2 years ago but structurally it’s still perfect. Fully expecting it to see me out ( only half joking) .

Ours is 6 years old and we will get rid of it at the end of the month when our new one arrives. It's not in bad condition, it's just not big enough for our growing family!

Ours are at least 40 years old. They belonged to my parents. They've been reupholstered a couple of times and are in excellent condition.

I've lived in this house 33 years and am on the 3rd set of sofas.
In theory the idea of a sofa or any furniture or carpets lasting forever is good. However I have got fed up of them long before they wore out.
My current sofa was quite expensive, deep red leather and is as good as new after ten years but I am fed up with it and lookingfor replacement. How on earth do you get rid of such a thing though? It's a huge corner thing, easily seats 6

We bought ours 5 years ago but it was cheap (all we could afford) and has been wrecked by the cat and small kids. Now the kids and cat
are older and marginally less destructive we have just ordered a new one that's three times the price our current one cost. It's big and cosy and hopefully will last 10+ years easily.