Sofas - you get what you pay for?

[Notcontent]

I wanted a sofa that was not going to be too expensive (had to buy other furniture too). I ended up buying one from Made and it’s ok but slightly disappointing - not super comfortable and looks ok but looked much more impressive in the photos. I need an armchair too, in the future, once I save up! Where would you recommend? John Lewis? Loaf?

You do but read reviews. Hard wood frames are more robust but yiu end up paying a lot for them. Stuffing make a difference, too, though foam often wears better than feather.

We have had two sofas in the conservatory from Ikea for years. Were quite cheap but look good. Dogs, kids jumping all over them for years and they have been fantastic. Says on their website how much they can withstand.

We bought a Parker Knoll on offer day at DFS or one of those big chains, wasn't massively expensive with the discount but is very well made and super comfy. Had it 5 years and still looks like new.

We got our most recent sofas from here about 2 years ago

www.arloandjacob.com/sofas/?merchname=espot_hp7_sofa/

So far so good.

G-Plan

I would recommend G-Plan sofas, not cheap, but good quality.

@Notcontent
Do you mind saying which sofa? I'm just about to order one from Made and would be interested to see if it's the same one

Not Loaf. They're uncomfortable and need so much plumping up all the time.

Sofa.com sofas are really good quality.

I second IKEA sofas. Ours was £250 and 3 years later still looks new! Can’t fathom paying 10x more for the same thing. Plus if you decide to redecorate you can buy new covers rather than having to get a new sofa.

@WaltzingBetty it’s a small orson. It’s not a bad sofa - it’s quite nice - it’s just that I can see myself having to replace it in a few years.

Never gone wrong with DFS, upgrade to the foam cushions and they've lasted 10+ years, plus actually comfortable (if pick the right style, have to balance looks with comfort!)

Quality is correlated with price to an extent. Certainly the very best quality is expensive, and the very cheapest sofa will be of poor quality. But there are bargains and overpriced rip-offs out there.

We bought two cheap sofas from sofasofa twelve years ago, which still look great. My SIL bought a suite from a big name retail park store for four times the price, had no end of trouble with the delivery, and the frame broke after two years. She's replaced it twice since then.

SIL has spent much more, probably well over ten times what we did in total, but didn't "get what she paid for".

Loaf sofas look absolutely gorgeous and soft but I tried one once and it was so uncomfortable!

Ours is from Next and we are happy with it

I have had expensive sofas and cheap sofas, and my conclusion has been you can’t beat IKEA for robustness.

Our foam John Lewis sofas have looked 20 years old from the first year. I wouldn't recommend them at all.

I think you get what you pay for
Look up upholstery factories around long Eaton and the Nottingham/Derby area - it's a big upholstery area in the country. You can buy direct from them or through their outlets you can have your settee and chairs made to your own specifications too. Ours is over 30 years old and has been re-upholstered and is still a good comfortable settee.
Look up duresta - they're sold in John Lewis among other outlets
Bridgecraft is good too.

We have 2 sofas and 2 armchairs... All mid century and reupholstered. They made things properly then. The ones we have had 9 years still look brilliant... No sagging and no need to plump up

I wouldn't buy one from anywhere I couldn't sit on it first, as they seem to vary wildly as to how comfy they are, regardless of price point. Our JL ones are eight years old and look great. Well, they did until our new cat starting shredding one of them, but that's clearly a cat-quality issue rather than a sofa-quality one.

[quote Notcontent]@WaltzingBetty it’s a small orson. It’s not a bad sofa - it’s quite nice - it’s just that I can see myself having to replace it in a few years.[/quote]
Thank you - that was one of the ones I was considering

Sofasofa are brilliant. No saggy cushions and durability is second to none

Our John Lewis is a bit of a disappointment
It's ok but nowhere as nice as our multiyork one (gutted they went bust) and although smart shape not as comfy as our IKEA one and the cushions loose their shape terribly. Gutting because it was quite expensive.

Our sofa.com has held up really well for 5 years and is very comfortable

@wonkylegs

Our John Lewis is a bit of a disappointment It's ok but nowhere as nice as our multiyork one (gutted they went bust) and although smart shape not as comfy as our IKEA one and the cushions loose their shape terribly. Gutting because it was quite expensive.

Ha, interesting. I was just coming on to say our Multiyork is dreadful and I can seen why they went bust. Maybe they were already cutting corners when we got it. The springs on one side of the sofa have broken so you sink in at the end. The seams of material over the arms never quite lined up to the frame. Should have sent it back really, they were that off but we needed to sit on something. And is actually just uncomfortable but we may have picked the wrong fillings.

@SwedishEdith ours must be 18yrs old (although it looks brand new every time I give it a wash - it's cream) so maybe they got worse towards the end.