Crazy to spend so little on sofas?

[TheGirlOnTheLanding]

We've been looking for new sofas for months with very little success. Our budget is pretty limited (£1000-1200 max for 2 seater and a 3 seater) and we like the mid century style that's everywhere (John Lewis Barbican would be the ideal if budget wasn't an issue). So far though, every sofa we've tried in real-life hasn't been very comfortable despite looking great on the websites - seats too wide leaving my feet dangling; back too soft and slouchy, etc - which has put us off risking an online-only bargain purchase though I've seen several. Today I was in The Range looking for something else entirely and spotted grey, mid century sofas, both under £300, and tried them out - and they were really comfy. I've always heard mixed reviews of places like DFS and Sofology and that they're consumer credit operations rather than sofa retailers, so I'm under no illusions that slightly more expensive sofas will last forever. But I'm now wondering if something this price can possibly be worth the gamble - surely if they're that cheap they'll fall apart very quickly? Has anyone bought furniture from the Range and tell me their experience (positive or negative)?

We decided to buy a cheap sofa rather than splashing out on a John Lewis one and I’ve never regretted it. My theory was that you can never guarantee the quality of a sofa so if it ended up not lasting, at least I wouldn’t mind replacing a £300 sofa.

I did notice that the cheaper sofas didn’t have reversible cushions and tended to be foam rather than fibre, but I was happy with that.

You can buy Barbican cheaper by the way at outlet places. Have a look on eBay

But I experience of the Range though!

No!!

Our first DFS sofa lasted 14 years & we’ve just bought a new one. I’m a big fan.

I'd check out Gumtree/FB Marketplace in your shoes.

Our sofas are from IKEA and I love them.

Not the range but small independent furniture store. Ex catalogue type place. I bought a three seater and 2 seater matching sofas about 10 years ago. Paid about £300 the pair and they are still going strong and survived a house move 7 years ago.

Best and longest lasting sofa we have had is the cheap £300 one from a shop on ebay

Our Ikea leather sofas have lasted 10 years with 3 kids, so milk vomit, toilet training, weaning , rice cakes.

The one we've had for 12 years prob needs replacing soon but still think it worked out great value for money and would prob buy another one

The longest we have ever had sofas is 5 years. Only because I get bored.

We've had sofas from Next (twice), M&S, Habitat and Loaf.

The M&S ones were the most expensive, but looked very saggy after a short time. The Next ones lasted really well and we have passed on both lots to family and they're still going strong.

I have had terrible sofas from John Lewis and Ikea in the past. My DFS sofa that's currently in my living room is my favourite. 5 years and it is still as comfortable and as fresh looking as it ever was. Plenty more life left in it. My John Lewis sofa (now in a bedroom) looked knackered after about 8 years and was relegated upstairs in favour of the DFS.

I bought my latest sofa from wayfair. Cheap and matches my existing one by chance!

I have bought household items from the range before but not a sofa

My John Lewis sofa was rubbish, the cushions split at the seams and the legs buckled, the cushions were floppy, would never get feather ones again. It was £800.

Homebase sale, sofa for £100, comfortable, foam cushions, nothing split or frayed, nothing bent or broke. It lasted many years and I miss it. Only replaced it because someone threw themself down once too often and broke it.

I replaced it with one for about £20 on Ebay which also came with a comfy armchair.

I bought two cheap sofas from Argos 20 years ago. Still going strong although had seats recovered about a year ago.

Before that I bought two really expensive sofas. Looked scruffy within a year.

Years ago we took a gamble and bought a sofa from Oakridge Direct - years later it’s still going strong, it was in our conservatory. I have just bought a new throw to go over it beçaùse it’s doesn’t go with our new colour scheme but it’s still comfy.

In the past we’ve bought Durista sofas, expensive as we always buy 2, but good quality. They last donkeys years, but cost a huge amount to recover.
When they’re covering wore through, we decided to buy cheap DFS ones that we could change if we wanted a different style to our room. They’re every bit as comfortable, the covering is spotless and look as good as new after 3 years wear.
I’d definitely go for DFS again.

I have 2 John Lewis Barbican sofas. They are OK but not great and in many ways I regret paying so much for them as i am already starting to go off them. As someone else said you can buy them more cheaply on E Bay.

The best sofa we ever had was a cheap one. I can't remember the name of the manufacturer but it was one of those that advertise in the Sunday papers and make them in South Wales. It was brilliant, strong and SO comfy - far better than the JL ones. I think it was only a couple of hundred quid.

Just seen another post. The comfy sofa I referred to was also Oakridge direct.

We are just about to get rid of our cheap sofas. They did the job they were needed for, but the things I hate about them are: the arms arent properly padded, so you can feel the frame through them if you lie on the sofa, and the nylon mesh stuff on the bottom of the cushions means the seat cushion and backs all slip around.

Why not buy something old and good quality off eBay and have it covered in really contemporary fabric

Quick derail:
Has anybody bought a sofa from Maisons du Monde?maisonsdumonde.com/UK
They seem too cheap to be true!
I’ve visited their nearest store to me but they didn’t have the models I was interested in. The quality seemed very acceptable for something that’s going to be used for 6 years max and I’m thinking of taking a risk.

The nicest sofas I've had are one I got from freecycle (cost nothing, obviously) and one I inherited from my parents, which was made by a craftsman relative probably before I was born and is still going strong (the sofa, that is, not the relative). I've had both of them reupholstered, so they have cost me that much, but can't complain.

This is my freecycle find...

Spent £550 on 2 sofas on eBay.

Built to order in 2 weeks
Quick delivery within a week after they were built
Comfy
Sturdy
Wash well
Look lovely
Haven't worn at all in 2 years - still looks new
Stable
Big sized
Good fabric
Really good quality cushions - thick and squashy
Seams are perfect and really well done

Every guest I've had compliments either the look or comfort of them.

This is from Maisons du Monde and looks a bit like the JL Barbican.

Expensive isn't necessarily best. We've current got a sofa from Boconcept and it looks beautiful (and it should for £3K+) but it doesn't beat our previous one by made.com. Check out furniture outlets- there are so many about. John Lewis also has their own outlet in Swindon. I've never been but they might have the Barbican in for a lot less than in store.

I have the one Sgtmajormummy posted and it's absolutely fab, everyone compliments it. We have two other MDM sofas that are also lovely and they were so affordable compared to what you can spend on sofas. (Although I can't tell you how bad Maisons du Monde's customer service was when we bought them! But since they've been in they're great.)