To buy an posh sofa even though I dislike the fabric

[Brimup]

I am moving to a new house soon. It’s a georgian listed building. I have only ever lived in new houses before. My plan is to make the decor a mix of new and old. Some antiques and some mid century modern stuff.

I have spotted a sofa at a second hand shop near me for a bargain (£500) and in great condition. It’s a very ‘traditional’ sofa. Great for lots of old houses but not so much my style. The fabric is very good quality, but not really my style. It would clash with the wall paper, but I guess could be pulled off as “supposed to” do that. New these sofas are about £8,000. Similar to this have sold for £1000+

Would I be mad to buy it even though I don’t love it. I only ever really buy furniture that will last a life time, and hate the idea of throw away stuff. I figure that in a few years I could get it recovered in a different fabric.

Buy it, paint to a plain dark colour with chalk paint and then recover when you can afford. Lots of tutorials online.

Our sofa set cost £60 from eBay and is the best bargain I ever found. I am similar to you and will keep it for life.

Agree with PP, can you post a photo?
Also, are you positive it is George Smith not "George Smith style" like, for example, this listing.

Anyway, this is exactly the sort of thing I would do - trying to be optimistic I would think well, it's not my style but it goes with the house, and well, it's not my taste (the fabric) but I will get it recovered in the end. I also moved into an 1850's house and did this sort of thing. Now, 6 years later, I'm gradually getting rid of that stuff and getting stuff I really like at the point of buying it.

One more question -- how many rooms/sofas for chilling out on will you have? If you have to look at and sit on this one every day, I'd only get it if I could recover it immediately. Everyone saying "put a throw on it" "it's quite easy to recover a sofa" I say hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah.

Congrats on your new place!!!

If it’s authentic George smith, then definitely buy it. Cover it with throws.

Or tell me where you saw it so I can buy it 😂

Now that really is a useful link. Thank you so much!!

Buy it. Sell it for what it's actually worth. Use the money to buy something you like.

If it doesn't sell quickly, use it in the meantime.

BTW @Brimup , if you do buy it and want to reupholster it, do ask around. I've just had a sofa reupholstered by someone who was recommended by someone in the antiques trade. It cost a quarter of the highest price I was given. It's someone local who doesn't advertise at all.

I honestly do not know why you are even thinking about buying a sofa you don’t like. Find one you do like surely.

Yes, I would go for it. Presumably in a Georgian house it is a large room? The print won't be as overbearing as it would be in a small room and as others have said, an eclectic mix will look great.

In saying that, I haven't seen a George Smith sofa in a bad print, so maybe I'm underestimating just how bad it is? What colour / design is it?

Either way, worst case scenario you're getting a large, quality, comfortable sofa for a bargain price. Even cheap crap would cost more than £500.

Are you curating a museum or furnishing your home to live in?

My priorities for a sofa are:

1. how comfy is it?
2. Do I like the style and colour?

I had a friend that insisted on buying uncomfortable leather chesterfield sofas because she thought they looked posh. I realised soon after that we have too little in common to stay friends. 😂

I really wish I hadn't opened this thread! Just looked at the George Smith outdoor furniture and want some now!

I dread to think of the cost, you have to fill in an enquiry form.

I expect it will be £1000s.

Does it have scroll arms? They’re the only feature shape wise I’d find hard to get used to.
My mum’s friend said she didn’t regret any of things she had bought but had big regrets about certain things she hadn’t bought. For £500 and with resale opportunity if you can’t live with it I’d be buying as soon as possible. Imagine how you’d feel if someone else buys it whilst you’re thinking about it!

I wouldn't get a sofa I didn't like just because it is a bargain. But if yu could budget in reupholstering it (so e.g. it was £500 + £1.5k) then you might end up qitha great quality sofa you love for still a bargain, albeit a bit more expensive.

If you think you can get used to the fabric then possibly, otherwise it would end up cheaper to buy a new sofa in a classic style.

Wow those are vile.

This was going to be my suggestion too!

Or buy it, live with it for a while while you work out whether it's a "good clash" or that you want to save up to reupholster. Then you can always sell it on in the future. At that price, I'd be hoping for so comfortable that you fall in love!

As long as you get it reupholstered. I spent ten years hating my very good quality, comfortable sofa, but the fabric was hideous. It was the result of a compromise between me and DH. the compromise seemed to be that we chose a fabric that neither of us liked.

Sounds like an easy resale of you get it home and decide you hate it but it could go the other way

Why would you buy something you don't like?

The fact that it's "posh" (htf can a sofa be posh?) Is irrelevant except in your mind.

Doesn't matter what it looks like - is it comfortable?

That's the only thing that matters.

Throws on sofas always look crap. Don't have something you don't like " because it's a blah blah sofa"

George Smith is a great brand. But don't buy it for the sake of it. Factor in the cost of recovering. I have lots of 2nd hand reupholstered and it's not cheap. But you end up with something better in the end.

You could re sell but are you a furniture trader or trying to actual make a nice home to your taste?

On 2nd thoughts.

Become the furniture trader. Buy the £500 sofa - sell it on for a bargain £3,000 and buy something you love.

The key is in the word 'love,' which I see you emphasised.

I'd keep looking for something you love, that gives you joy and even if it means paying more.

For £500 I’d definitely buy it. You can get it reupholstered down the line.

We have the same issue here - we bought a new sofa that had been used as a display item in a very high end sofa shop. It was £1500 instead of £3,500. The fabric is a fairly neutral herringbone wool. It’s not what I’d have picked, but to have a large three seater sofa that should last a lifetime was worth it.

If we have the money in years to come I’ll aim to have it reupholstered.

I have just looked at the range of sofa's and they are lovely. Expensive but lovely. I would probably buy it and get it re-covered. However, just a suggestion I too have an old house and wanted an old fashioned sofa. I have just gone for the bluebell sofa range from sofa.com, they look very similar in style to the george smith ones (depends I guess on the one you have seen). They do a range of fabrics and seem really good quality for a fairly reasonable price.