AIBU to spend £700 on either of these teeny tiny sofas

[cluelessaboutinteriors]

Posting here for traffic! I had no luck in home decoration...

I'd really appreciate any thoughts you have on these sofa choices. As per the name I am fairly useless when it comes to interior decoration and in fact this is the first sofa I'm buying! I can't say I have a specific, defined style but generally I prefer a minimalist look but I also live in a Victorian (terrace style) home so I feel I should also nod to that.

I'm looking to buy a sofa for our bay window. It's a fairly narrow one, so the sofa needs to have a fairly small footprint. Ideally I'd be looking to spend around £400 but I'm worried that this is too cheap and it won't be a solid long-lasting piece. These are the ones I've shortlisted - considerably over the target budget but worth it for quality?

Oliver Bonas luna love seat
I've not managed to view this in person and sit on it which is putting me off. I'm not sure there is enough of a seat back to be able to sit comfortable and have sufficient back support. Delivery time is 2-4 weeks which is ok. I'm fairly boring so was thinking of the light blue which will match the mid-blue curtains behind it. On the other hand I'm tempted to be a bit bolder and get the dusty pink, which sounds lovely. I do have young children but they're generally ok with not getting furnishings mucky (I may live to regret saying this).

Sofa Workshop 2-seater
Delivery time is 18 weeks!! Not really happy about waiting that long but otherwise I've managed to see it in person and it feels comfortable and satisfies our requirements. The original price seems very high? Not sure if this is indicative of quality or just over-pricing.

Any thoughts?? Or other suggestions?

I had a Swoon one which was shit. Don't buy from there!

More recently I have had this one which looked lovely. My children mostly used it as a gaming chair.

I've now got an empty bay window - I prefer a more minimalist look at the moment and am re-thinking the furniture.

Have you looked at Littlewoods they have some really nice sofa beds that would do the trick randomly. Or maybe two nice big high backed chairs with a nice little wee table between them.

Made.com sofa’s are sooo comfy in my experience

I spent about £1200 on my 'love seat' (really deep and wide armchair basically) from Loaf and it is uber comfy. Better to spend more on something you will actually use!

Woah I've just looked up the love seat I bought and it's £1600!!!! I don't remember it costing that much. Not a small footprint though tbf because it is super comfy

The Oliver bonas one looks like a large dog bed. Seriously, what is the point of a sofa with such a ridiculously low back?

I’ve just bought this and it is very comfy (used as an occasional chair rather than every day use) and you click it together, it’s much comfier than I expected.

It also comes in blush, and the sea glass is also very nice

swyfthome.com/products/model-05-love-seat?colour=turquoise

Do you have a house of fraser nearby ?

Just that in mine there is a sofa concession with returns / cancelled orders where I recently picked up a bargain small sofa ( Holly ? ) for the amazing sum of £230

Very similar style to your 2nd option and very comfy.

HOF don’t offer delivery though, had to sort that myself

And Swyft is next day delivery with 100 day returns (keep the boxes!)

I'd wait 18 weeks for one I found comfortable rather than risking one I hadn't sat on.

I really don't like the OB one. I have 3 Sofa Workshop sofas, 1 is over 13 years old and the other 2 are 6 years old. They're all in excellent condition, are hand built (hence the wait), you can choose from thousands of fabrics and they have a long guarantee. That said, the company has been sold in the last few years so no idea what it's like now.

Thanks for all the recommendations! Really helpful. I’m trying to get some work done now but will take a closer look later on

Lots on Dunelm's website
Example

https://www.dunelm.com/product/beatrice-velvet-2-seater-sofa-1000183569

Also here

https://furniture123.co.uk/seating/sofas/seats-2/velvet?tref=twoseatersofass

https://www.therange.co.uk/furniture/sofas-and-chairs/sofas/bella-occasional-sofa/#234994

@cluelessaboutinteriors

Thanks for the JL suggestion! I'm not in love with the way it looks but it does look good for its actual purpose - sitting.

We bought this JL sofa and it was so uncomfortable that we replaced it in less than a year!

Neither of them looks particular comfortable or functional. For £700 you can do much better, unless it's essentially for show, and that's a lot to spend.

If it is mostly for show, get a chaise loungue? Would suit the age of the property.

I've just ordered the Aldi chaise longue for a grand total of £160 delivered. When it arrives I shall report back

@BabyInTheJungle

I've just ordered the Aldi chaise longue for a grand total of £160 delivered. When it arrives I shall report back

^ has very good reviews. Are they for sitting, I think I’d roll off

Definitely the first one it's beautiful 😍

@Googleplexian

Family member had Sofaworkshop sofas. They've lasted amazingly well and she even had them recovered rather than throwing them out (this was about 15 years in, it has now been about 22 years). For the same price, I would go for option 2. OB one already looks a bit wrinkled where the fabric has pulled.

We've had SW sofas for years too (nearly 20 years for one leather one). They last really well. I have 2 others and they are v comfy and are doing well (though only 3 years old). Wool, but look like new.

I’d get a love seat too. Nice and deep, perfect in a bay window. Look at loaf they are SO comfy.

I’m actually now veering towards two armchairs angled towards each other with a small coffee table in between 🤔

Definitely can’t afford a Loaf love seat, they’re so expensive!

No.

They're both ugly, and look incredibly uncomfortable. Sorry @cluelessaboutinteriors I wouldn't pay £70, let alone £700.