How long should a sofa last? How often do you replace?

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Bought my sofas 3.5 years ago, they were middle range, not the cheapest but not really expensive, leather 2 and a 3 seater. One has broken where I tend to sit in the same place every day (I am not overweight but springs have gone). The other sofa is as new due to it not getting much use other than my dog lying on it. I’m not sure if I can contemplate buying a new one to replace the old one after only 3.5 years, if I did I would probably have to replace the other one too or I would have odd sofas?

How long should a sofa last? How often to you replace?

We got a new one a year ago, to replace one we'd had for 13 years. The last one was cream fabric, so pretty done.

Our 2 piece suite (fabric) cost us £499 in 1999. I thought it was extravagant at the time as our previous ones had been given us 2nd hand, , though that wasn't expensive for the time either.
It is still in perfectly good condition and very comfortable despite living with 3 bouncy active dc all that time.

My parents suite (bought in 1960) lasted them 40 years (was recovered once).

What kind of decor do you have?

I've seen different styles mixed to good effect. Try Pinterest 'mixed sofas living room'. Leather (even red leather) is quite versatile. Your complemetary sofa could be a neutral fabric (pale/ greige) or something quite striking or patterned
I like the velvet and midcentury looks.

Equally do you need two sofas? You could replace one with a chair or snuggler/cuddler chair-sofa if your room feels cramped. Ebay could be a good bet for a new/nearly new bargain.

I bought a new Duresta sofa and chairs in 1987, cost was £2,000 reduced from £5,500. I gave the sofas to my Mum in 1999, they still looks fabulous. I bought two Duresta sofas in 2009 they were £3,000 secondhand, pristine condition, hardly been used and they still look like new. Unless I downsize I doubt we will need new sofas again.

We've had two in 16 years.

The first one was a black leather from DFS (3 seat, 2 seat) and it was quite expensive back in 2003, about £1400. We only got rid of it in 2014 because we wanted a bigger L-shaped sofa and we gave it away to a young lass who was furnishing her first home, I'm not sure if she still has it.

The current one was bought in 2014 and is still going strong - that was from Harveys and was again around £1400. One of the zips on the seat cushions has bust and is held together with safety pins but that's all that's wrong with it. I'm overweight and sit in the same place every day and there's not so much as an arse dent in the cushion.

I meant £1400 was expensive for us at the time.

Gareth, yes, I do need 2 sofas (the dog has a sofa to herself), my living rooms quite large and the sofa that’s not broken is only a 2 seater, I have 2 teenagers who often have friend over. My decor is quite neutral with a touch of colour so I guess a different sofa could fit.

We splashed out on a fancy pants sofa from Fishpools, it cost £1500 and broke a week after the three year guarantee ran out. Same as you, all the springs fell out of one of the seats. It's put me off finding another as we thought this one would do us for years and years

Our new one is broken after 6 months. Gutted

You need to buy sofas made with beech frames and mesh top spring units if you want it to last.

Zig zag springs are the work of the devil.... all of your body weight is reliant on a plastic clip holding the spring to the frame, so little wonder they don't last more than a few years. It's better to buy a decent 2nd hand sofa than a made in china cheap one - will last you years.

It depends on the quality of the sofa. I would expect an Argos sofa to last only a couple of years but a high quality one should last for many decades, albeit with occasional reupholstering.

We have Multiyork Imogen sofas that we bought about 15 years ago for just over £3000 I think.
Still in great condition except where the cat scratches . Sadly they have now ceased trading as I would definitely have bought from them again.
Problem with them lasting so long is that they are now fairly dated in appearance but I couldn't justify replacing. I think we may change the fabric one day, though I think that costs somewhere around £2k.

Our multiyork sofa and chairs are still going strong after 20 years. The springs are virtually the same as new although the covers are a bit tatty now. The M and S ones we also have are knackered, springs have gone and they aren't a patch on the quality of the other ones. I am soo sad Multiyork has gone.

Had my sofa and armchair 12 years (and they’ve survived 3 children bouncing on them in that time too) they were expensive - probably £4K - but still in good nick. Sofa cushions a bit floppy and could do with a clean but as they are a dark brown cord fabric with a red fleck they are awesome at hiding the dirt!

I’d like to get them recovered at some point in lovely navy linen but will wait until the kids are past bouncy stages (have a 3 yo so some time yet!)
Mi also have an ikea corner sofa in the kitchen which gets absolutely abused everyday as it’s the kids play area and my house is full of kids all the time. Still going strong in terms of the frame; the covers are starting to tear a little at the seams but they have been machine washed 3-4 times a year for the past 6 years as well so doing pretty well

First IKEA Ektorp was second hand when we got it, we finally got rid of it after we had it for about 10 years because we were fed up looking at it. Cost well under £100.
Second IKEA Ektorp is nearly 6 years old, covers have been through the was a few times but mostly like new after daily heavy family abuse. Cost about £500.

Just about to have our 24 year old sofa workshop sofas reupholstered. They are pretty distressed (holes in the fabric, cushions a bit thin) but are still very comfortable.

8 years still in good condition, cheap dfs ones. We have contrasting ones, that could work for you.

My sofa is frommthe 1920s so I win 😀 It does need reupholstering which is going to set us back £1500 but it will be worth it because it’s so incredibly solid and well made - and because it was made for smaller people it fits me perfectly. At 5’2” my legs don’t reach the floor on a modern sofa.

I must have had mine 10 years but it was second hand when I bought it so not sure how much older. No plans to change it any time soon. I'd be extremely unimpressed to get 3.5 years for £900 tbh.

5 years! Not sure where I got 10 from

my parents' sofa was bought in 1980 and reupholstered (leather) in the 90's and looks fab, it's a 1960s classic design. I got a Klippan in 2003 and it's still pretty good although I've had to replace the cover twice cos I keep spilling red wine on it I would not be happy at all if a sofa lasted 3.5 years, I'd expect at least 12 years from it!

Mine are still fine after 14 years and 4 cats!