AIBU to think you get what you pay for with sofas?

[bbcessex]

Not a very controversial AIBU, granted, but I need to choose new sofas, and I am worried about style over substance.

Our current sofas are 15 years old. They are hand made, cost a fortune, still really fabulous overall but the covers have almost past it and it would cost as much to re-cover each sofa as it would to buy new ones from mid-range retailers.

Can you share your experience of your sofa purchases if you've had them a while? I've seen some sofas in Next that I like the look of, and they are a great price but I'm worried about paying out and finding them shabby in a year or so.

I haven't even been to DFS etc. yet.. is it worth going? I know all sofas look great when they're new, but has anyone had their sofas for a few years and are still delighted with them?

If you're used to good quality you'll notice the difference with next and DFS. My DFS sofa lasted a year before it broke. I've found cargo to be the best among mid price options

Why not check out the second hand shops such as salvation army or British heart foundation first? There are some lovely pieces of furniture and three piece suites in there for a fraction of the cost.

As above. Get them recovered by a professional upholsterer otherwise you'll probably be spending the same again in a lot less than 15 years...

DFS, SCS and the like all tend to be crap IMO.

My Mum and also my Uncle have purchased from Sofa Sofa, and they are really good quality, at fantastic prices. Only downfall is you can't see them in showrooms, but they will send out fabric swatches for you to look at.

We bought our IKEA Ektorp sofas 12 years ago. They were pretty cheap, around £1000 for a 3, 2, 1 and are still going strong with no sagging. We have changed the covers twice for about £300 a time but only for redecoration reasons, they were fine despite being washed every couple of months.

and you have soo much choice of fabric when you re-upholster, we did it and had a whole wall of books of fabric to choose from.
And the sofa lasted another 9-10 years time to re-upholster again, but with a 4 year old waiting a while.

I just had my 15 year old multiyork sofas recovered. They look amazing and I am hoping for another 15 years as the sofas themselves are good as new!

I love Multiyork, they have so many fabrics at a wide range of prices. Of course, the fabric we liked was one of the most expensive... But we could've had the covers made for half what we paid, so it can be pretty cost effective.

I bought my L-shaped corner sofa from DFS nearly 4 years ago. I've just moved house and sold it on looking as good as new. It really does look immaculate.

It probably helps that I turned and plumped the cushions regularly, hoovered under the cushions to keep it clean and didn't let my (or anyone else's) children jump all over it.

My Next sofa is 10 years old and still in great condition. Way better than DFS sofas which I have found to look crap within a year or two. I will be buying another Next sofa this year when I redecorate my lounge.

Mine are Laura Ashley, and were given to me last year by my sister - she bought them in 2009, and they are still in great condition. We have 3 children each, so they have survived that - plus pets! They have removable, machine washable covers and I have a spare set. I think they were quite expensive at the time - so I'm in the "you get what you pay for" camp at the moment!

I also have good quality sofas, made to order by a small firm. It seems strange to pay the same price to reupholster/refill cushions as to buy new but I am happy with the sofas I have and, instead, renew materials from time to time. Mine have lasted 30 years and will probably last until we are too infirm to get in/out of them!

The leather sofa I am sitting on was bought by my husband 10 years ago in Harvey's of all places. I was sceptical at the time but they still look good. No sagging and the leather has, for the most part, held up great given the lack of care we have shown it. My parents have bought and binned John Lewis leather sofas in the time we have had these.

Ours is from a charity shop! Who knows how old it is but it's still perfectly comfortable. It needs re-covering but it wouldn't cost much - I'm just lazy

I've had an SCS sofa for coming up to 11 years and it's still immaculate, I also just got rid of another SCS one which was 8 years old and also perfect. I plump the cushions and turn them daily and never ever let anyone jump on them. Currently have a 1 year old DFS leather sofa and it's showing no signs at all of wear and tear

My sofa is from Sofa Works. It was 1300 (about 500 more than I'd planned on paying) but the quality is far better than the others I looked at.

Granted, I've only had it a year but as it's seen about 5 years worth of stains in that time (16mo DD), I can safely say that paying extra for good materials is well worth it. Still looks brand spanking new. Stains come away very easily.

We have bought a leather corner sofa from Furniture village 5 years ago, cost £1650 in the sale, £2000 new. It's huge- comfortably fits 5 on so is the equivalent of a 3 and a 2 I'd say. It has lasted, but I don't think it was cheap. The leather hasn't discoloured or worn unevenly, or really worn at all!

My grandparents bought a sofa and an armchair from DFS or cousins, can't remember which at around the same time as us, The leather had worn and discoloured and the brown under leather has shown through, all after a year or two.

We have this in fabric - we're really impressed by the quality www.dfs.co.uk/gower-leather/grand-sofa-gower-leather#kDQGXrbhh8o6zqx2.97

For a bit of comparison, a friend of mine bought a really cheap sofa off Amazon and it's God awful though she won't admit it

The cussions slide off when you sit on it because it's poorly designed and they're all too squishy. The seats aren't deep enough. The materials stain really easily and the frame is already showing signs of damage 6 months later.

cussions???? *Cushions!

We got ours from furniture village 6 years ago and they've had it now. We have a 3 seater a 2 seater and a 2 in a different style.
I think they were 4K so mid priced and I think they have been excellent value considering we haven't really looked after them well. 3dc, food and drink spillages, cushion castles, the works. Actually, only the 2 seater has really had it (rip down the side), the others are still alright but we will replace next year.
We didn't pay top money for them, we are happy with how long they've lasted.

M&S. Can choose options to order. Amazingly comfy.

Look out for deals which are surprisingly good but not sofa company stupid not actually a deal, deal.

My parents have sofas like these and my mum gets them re-covered every 5-ish years. Worth the money I reckon, it's just the fabric that's worn, not the structure etc.

For certain sofas i.e. Tetrad you can get replacement covers.

We have 2 DFS Leather Sofas, they are over ten years old now and have served us well through kids and dogs and are very comfy. I'm not planning on swapping them for a while yet.