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.

@IrisVersicolor @whatfuckinghobbyisit
Can’t please ‘em all!

OP, realistically you will be having this re-upholstered in the near future and this can work out as very expensive. Have a look at Graham and Greene, Cox and Cox or even Loaf who do very similar- looking sofas in a range of fabrics. Yes they will be a few thousand, but so will this £500 one, once you've had it reupholstered. Also you never know what has happened on old sofas.

Also you never know what has happened on old sofas.

Most of my furniture was bought 2nd hand 🫣

Ooh I really like the Victorian Glasshouse range and Arts & Crafts range.

Buy it. If you can't end up loving it then sell it on.

I;ve changed my mind! Although I think George Smith's signature rolled arm/cabriolet (?) leg shape is the best possible repro sofa for a spacious Georgian room, and it goes very well with midcentury pieces, it's acutally the chair that works best. And I don't like any of his other shapes.

OP, you could get a cheapy Citerrio rip-off Soderhamn 4 seater from IKea (ie 3 seat units in a standard sofa layout, no chaise longue bit), perhaps one open end?) while you save for something really good. It's one of the four or five IKEA products that really do compete with good Northern European design. If you get the loose covers taut enough it is very elegant for the money and looks well in a mixed scheme. Dog-friendly, etc. Get a dense fabric, open weave fabircs can't be got taut enough. We've had ours as a stopgap for 10 years! It sits with an original red Extrem chair, an original Togo sofa, a Faye Toogood Roly Poly chair, a good but threadbare rug and a teak midcentury shelving system.

@anotheronenow that is gorgeous and only slightly more expensive than the OP's sofa!

If I needed a new sofa and my kids weren't dirty fu*&^%s I would buy this one.

I may have over-invested in this thread.

Oh dear, I think the OP's sofa IS the one @anotheronenow linked to. The bastard's have clearly hoped that we will read 'Standard Style' as a GS model name rather than 'a bit like a GS'.

I'm afraid I disagree quite vehemently with @roses2 - it's hidge-yus (Sorry Roses!} The shape is so lumpen and badly proportioned and I don't think any GS sofa ever came in cream damask... Don't do it OP!

Why do you care so much about keeping up appearances? Who's going to be judging your sofa?

Life is too short to not do or have things you love.

I only ever really buy furniture that will last a life time, and hate the idea of throw away stuff.
Have you looked on Freecycle? It's awash with sofas. Get a stop-gap off there until you find the nice / quality sofa that fulfils all your criteria. Then put the original sofa back on freecycle. Job done.

😂I emailed the seller and he/she replied straight away. You're right - this one is George Smith style and not actual George Smith.

So OP if this is the sofa then I wouldn't pay £500 for a dupe.

I've just spotted the link to the ebay sofa - sorry OP but it's not nice at all. Even re covered it wouldn't be nice. It looks a totally odd shape. And it's not actually a george smith by the sounds of it (if it is the same one you are looking at).

The eBay sofa is not OP’s sofa.