Not to buy a new sofa?

[WhatsGoingOnEh]

Our sitting room furniture is pretty bad. We have a small, two-seater sofa in a lovely red velvet, that's ripped across the seats so it's covered with a throw.

We have a matching chair for that which is DH's favourite spot. And we have a shabby other armchair that the cat has wrecked.

There are 4 of us here - me, DH, a teen and an almost-teen.

I got it into my head that a corner sofa would transform our lives, and when all of us were at Ikea, we showed the DC a cheap corner sofa and they fell in love with it.

DH and I have since been sofa-shopping and the stuff I like is either too big, too expensive or impractical (cream, etc). When the salesman yesterday was talking to me and wanting a decision, I got quite stressed because it's a LOT of money (£1800+) and we'd have to buy it on 0% finance over several years.

We could afford the Ikea one but it's a dark grey and feels a bit cheap.

I dream of family nights with us all snuggled up, but:

1. I feel if we don't have the money to hand right now, we can't afford it;
2. I think we're a scruffy bunch who'd wreck a posh sofa;
3. I'm scared of choosing the wrong one;
4. I think we have other priorities.

Am I being U to wait/save up/delay buying one? I'd be happy to find one on eBay or something.

As long as you teach DC to behave properly on furniture, there's a lot to be said for keeping the old stuff so that any accidents are not too much of a big deal. There are so many things that you have to pull DC up on that it seems crazy to add to them with furniture that you have to be really careful about.

In my experience, teenagers regard sofas as being one per person. Even if you and DH shared, you'd still need three separate sofas.

Red velvet sofa sounds lovely.

Thank you! I'm sure it's not the right time for us to buy new stuff, but I just wanted confirnation! DH is so easy-going that I sometimes feel I'm arguing with myself. 🤣

Red velvet is lovely. I think I might try to repair the rip and get it cleaned. Love the one you're with, and all that.

Teens thinking sofas are one each 🤣 That really made me laugh.

Corner sofas are awful . Everyone has to sit on top of each other and the seat in the middle (between the 2 sides) is pointless because you have to sit at a daft angle.

Just keep what you've got. Assuming you still have cats, they will surely just wreck the new one.

Start searching on gumtree and Facebook etc locally to you. It's amazing how many brilliant sofas are on at a fraction of the price. No harm in going to look either and if not right no commitment. We got a fantastic leather sofa for hardly anything, I was scared to buy new as dogs scratch it but it's lovely and has lasted so well.

@StillNoClue we don't have a corner sofa it wouldn't work with our layout, but friends do and say I'm the only person who happily sits in the corner usually it's sofa wars to avoid it. I love it, I sit cross legged like a child at storytime and feel nice and cosy.

OP gumtree or FB selling sites are worth a look

If the structure of the sofa is fine, could you get it recovered? Much cheaper than a new one.

I hate corner sofas. But if theure terns wait and buy one when theyve left home!
Although i have cream-with throws-and its totally fine

Look for makes like Duresta/Tetrad/Wesley Barrell etc or any others that use hardwood frames on second hand selling sites. These makes are such solid build quality that the fabric and cushions are the only thing that will ever wear. Ikea stuff is literally made from MDF and cardboard. How else could it be that cheap? Same for DFS and similar.

We have a corner sofa in our den and it only really works for three. In our sitting room we have three sofas in a U shape which is much more practical

We spent a fortune on a corner sofa and after 4 months sold it - it was quite large and fitted the space perfectly but 2 adults and 2 teens on it it felt like we where constantly on top of each of other and we avoided movie nights. We now have a Laura Ashley 3&2 seater ex display for £400 and it's perfect for us. We found a shop on Facebook that sells ex displays of different brands if your in the midlands or Leeds I know of two places that do them.

We have three dc 5 and under and we have a leather corner with a chaise so there is enough room for us all on it easily without being in a pile, however we do have a matching two seater as well. I find that leather is good with kids and pets (not sure about a cat if it scratches though), but we had a dog throughout the life of our old one and it lasted 8 years before it looked tired. This one is just over a year old and it's bearing up great, considering the dc use it like a soft play! We shopped around and dfs were the cheapest by far. I know not everyone likes dfs but the last one was from there too and no complaints.

The whole world seems to have corner sofas except us. I don't want one as I like to rearrange the furniture every now and then. It probably wouldn't cost much to have the seat of your current sofa reupholstered, OP. Definitely a lot less than £1800!

Thank you all for your brilliant input!

Maybe another sofa would be the best option. We could arrange that and the existing sofa in an L shape, DH could keep his chair of isolation 🙄🤣 and we could find a matching footstool to shove in to create a cosy sprawling area?

I really thought I wanted a sofa but I've felt nothing but relief since we've called off the search. It's just such a lot of money.

DH found a great local charity/outlet warehouse nearby and I'm now following them on FB so I'll wait and see.

The recovering idea is great, except the original sofa is pretty small and I don't see us having a long-term future together. I bought that from eBay about 6 years ago - it was BEAUTIFUL but the DC as toddlers (and me, with my sloppy housekeeping; this was long before DH came along) wrecked it.

Thank you all. Some great idea and a lot of reassurance that I've done the right thing. Xxx

I'm in the camp of if you can't afford it without credit, you can't afford it. Especially when the children are so small, you don't want to be putting yourself in a financial pickle for a sofa you'll be too scared to use and enjoy in case it gets wrecked.

There are 5 of us here, 2 adults, 2 older teens (adult sized!) and one 7 year old. We have 3, 2 seater sofas in a U shape, with a big padded foot stool in the middle - DH and I share the middle sofa, teens have one each and little one squeezes in or sits on the footstool!

We used to have a corner sofa, but this arrangement is better - no one is stuck in the corner, and we've got side tables in the corners for coffee cups/ wine glasses etc

I'm in the camp of if you can't afford it without credit, you can't afford it.

I agree. DH didn't seem too worried, as the payments would be around £40/month. But I'd rather save up.

Good point about worrying about wrecking it! It's not the kids, it's me - I'm forever flopping round covered in fake tan, eating spag bol and drinking Ribena. I don't know why I thought I was compatible with silver-grey linen or any of the other ones I was oohing about in Sofology.

We used to have a corner sofa, but this arrangement is better - no one is stuck in the corner, and we've got side tables in the corners for coffee cups/ wine glasses etc

This is a good point about drinks, etc!

Just to say that 0% deals aren't about affordability for us. We always take them if they're on offer despite having the cash in the bank to pay outright. Although interest rates are pathetic, the money's still better in our bank account than theirs.

We bought our sofas from DFS on 4 year interest free. It was the longest 4 years of our lives!!! I'd never do it again, much rather save and buy used or ex showroom.

For lolling about and comfort factor with added usefulness though I recommend one (or more) of those storage pouffes. They're great for customising wants and stretching out on and easily moveable if you fancy a re-arrange. I keep our clean throws in ours too.

Gumtree. If you can collect, even by hiring a van, you can get great furniture for next to nothing - and then replace if you don't like it.

I didn't have new furniture when my children were at home, then I had a dog and a messy husband, now I have grandchildren and a new dog, I can't see a time when it will ever be worth spending a lot of money on furniture, I have lots of lovely throws, and can think of better things to spend money on

Gumtree is a great shout -- I've just seen the exact sofa we were looking at on our local Gumtree for £250! It's £800 in the shop. Have messaged seller.

We'd need to buy a matching footstool for £209 to create the length I wanted, and hire a van. But we could get it all in for £500. Bloody marvellous.

Seller hasn't replied. But looking round on Gumtree, it's sofa paradise!

Thanks so much, all of you.

We bought our sofas from DFS on 4 year interest free. It was the longest 4 years of our lives!!! I'd never do it again, much rather save and buy used or ex showroom.

Did it just drag on and on?? That's what I don't fancy. Yet another monthly outgoing.

For lolling about and comfort factor with added usefulness though I recommend one (or more) of those storage pouffes. They're great for customising wants and stretching out on and easily moveable if you fancy a re-arrange. I keep our clean throws in ours too.

I'm so with you on this! I only discovered the joys of the storage footstool in our recent furniture-shop forays but I'm a devotee now! Good idea to keep throws in there too.