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Is this an insane price for a leather sofa bench

99 replies

onlychildhamster · 08/01/2022 23:29

I am fantasy shopping a little, I only own cheap furniture (ikea/muji/made- maybe not mega cheap but definitely not ££££) so I probably could not bring myself to spend this!

www.curiosityinteriors.co.uk/dining-furniture-c3/dining-chairs-benches-c23/bianco-leather-harris-tweed-dining-bench-p3769

My set up in my reception room is that we never had a sofa, we have a sofa dining bench and a Muji Dining table and chairs. We currently have this. My DH likes leather sofas but not the really bulky ones (which is why we opted for sofa benches which are slimmer). We think we have space for the 160cm 3 seater and the existing sofa bench would just be on the other side. We only have two extra chairs and those are usually tucked in on the left and right side of the table.

www.made.com/ppc/flynn-dining-bench-graphite-grey?utm_content=shopping-prospecting&madelp=gshopping&gclid=Cj0KCQiAieWOBhCYARIsANcOw0wG4wnUuFcYPYDqlGbaHPIrdxK3xIyBX6YIdtzr1s3h4uxqHglj75kaAhZVEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

It seems crazy expensive to me, but then it is full leather... I hate PU leather! I don't need everything to be matchy matchy so it doesn't bother me having two different benches.

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onlychildhamster · 12/01/2022 11:24

@titchy If it is to lie down, it would have to be at least 1.8 m long, or perhaps 2 m. Most people are not tiny like me lol! Why do they sell so many love seats or slim sofas if people only want the big sofas. People like me would get the dining benches or actually most of the alternative living room people go for something completely different like bean bags or armchairs or floor cushions....

my initial crazy unfiltered idea was this: www.boredpanda.com/kotatsu-japanese-heating-bed-table/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

But I thought it would be quite hard to import and sadly DH has longer legs than most japanese people. Same problem with bean bags. So I went for the combined living dining area idea which is more suited to western physique...

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MrsKDB · 12/01/2022 13:51

I wouldn’t class that loaf link as a sofa really. It’s a bench - far too upright for relaxing / watching movies.

I personally hate tvs in the bedroom as they interfere with healthy sleep patterns.

This is the most comfortable sofa we’ve ever owned loaf.com/products/dixie-sofa

Skinnytailedsquirrel · 12/01/2022 15:10

I think it's lovely. It's going to last you for years and years. Buy it if you like it. It's only about 6 meals out worth. Don't go out for a few dinners :)

onlychildhamster · 12/01/2022 16:47

@Skinnytailedsquirre thank you. but the 3 seater is well over £1000

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sunshinesupermum · 12/01/2022 17:05

OTOH I love the Aubusson sofa/bench and would buy that like a shot if I needed one 😊

Skinnytailedsquirrel · 12/01/2022 17:38

@onlychildhamster oh sorry, didn't see the different sizes.

If you like it and can afford it then buy it. Go and see it first though and sit on it. I wouldn't spend that amount without checking it.

onlychildhamster · 18/01/2022 00:57

@titchy centerforspineandortho.com/news/how-your-comfy-sofa-may-be-causing-you-back-pain/#:~:text=By%20sitting%20for%20too%20long,on%2Dgoing%20aches%20and%20pains

tbh maybe the sofa is the problem, though I don't know much about sciata or back pain. 'Although softer furniture might feel more comfortable, it could lead to discomfort in the long-run. Comfier sofas encourage people to slouch rather than sit in a more supportive position to boost good posture.'

Dh and I both went to religious schools, we constantly had people (and our parents) telling us to not slouch!

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MrsBaublesDylan · 18/01/2022 15:23

Op, I can't believe how many times you have been forced to explain that you want a sofa bench - who knew what people choose to sit on could be so emotive Grin

I think the leather sofa bench would be a great investment buy. Leather is so much better at resisting stains and it improves the more it gets used.

Go for the leather. I had cheap furniture for years but now I invest in mid century pieces which will hold their value. I learnt upholstery especially so I could have the sofa and armchairs exactly as I want them.

Just as an aside, I like a daybed rather than a sofa to relax on. I also have a bed of my own when dh is snoring and the dogs/youngest dc, have pushed me out.

We should all put more effort into making our houses suit the way we live imo.

onlychildhamster · 18/01/2022 16:48

@MrsBaublesDylan Its definitely been an interesting read. I have actually thought much of sofas before but this thread has prompted me to read into this history of it. It turns out that DH and I favour the original sofa- the Victorian sofa/original Chesterfield/louis xv french style sofa bench (look quite similar). Which was why when I was initially looking at petite sofas; they all looked like benches anyway so I decided to combine the living/dining area!

Its actually been quite useful because now I know the correct search terms for what I like! I have been looking at this too: www.frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk/versailles-green-damask-gold-sofa
I emailed them and its apparently the correct height for my dining table! I need a bigger dining table for the 3 seater though...

I think we all have different lives though; I was watching this country the other day and watched Kerry collapse into the sofa after work and balance her dinner tray on her cushion- Yep you can only do that with a big squashy sofa!

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Ipadflowers · 18/01/2022 17:00

That’s so unusual the whole sofas are only for guests twice a week thing you had growing up, and personally would prefer not to have to go to my bed if I wanted to watch tv in comfort, or sit at a dining table and then watch on a small lap top screen.

Were you never allowed fo sit on the sofa growing up? Have you never visited someone where you sat on the sofa?

The important thing is if you’re comfy and happy then it doesn’t matter what everyone else does. And so on that note the bench is reasonably priced for what it is. You don’t need to buy cheap furniture if you’d prefer not to and can afford otherwise.

onlychildhamster · 18/01/2022 17:21

@Ipadflowers haha i have sat on sofas lol. We had two living rooms growing up, ground floor living room for guests. first floor living room was a big room with an old sofa and two computer desks and a piano and an electric organ. We also had a third living room on the second floor but that was used as my dad's home office (he had a shared study with my mum on the first floor, but kept his business files on the second floor). but thats why the ground floor living room was for guests, my family had many other living spaces to use.

We were a multi-generational household of 6 so had lots of separate spaces. It was a tropical country with 30 degree celsius heat so the offical rule was to come home after school, eat and then shower immediately before homework and play. Once we were showered, we weren't allowed on the sofas, just allowed on beds and to do homework at the desk. My parents had no maid, my dad had his own business, my mum worked till 11 pm every night, my grandparents were elderly (and only really did childcare) so my parents were very strict about trying to keep the house clean and not bringing the dirt in.

And of course when I was older, we would pick my mum at her office before going to a restaurant or eatery for dinner and by the time we got home, it was 10 pm (and so I would wash). Weekends were spent going to church, sunday school, tuition classes and visiting family. Not much time for slouching on the sofa lol, I am fascinated by the stories here. I grew up with a mum who was always working until 11 pm, that was the norm! Has she ever slouched in her life, I wonder...

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JaninaDuszejko · 18/01/2022 17:35

I think the sofa bench is gorgeous and I'm not thinking of getting one for our dining room. Perfect for long meals. Personally I hate big squashy sofas, because I'm short my legs end up dangling uncomfortably off them. Our sofas are all of the more traditional upholstery type.

JaninaDuszejko · 18/01/2022 17:36

I'm now thinking Blush

Ricksteinsfishwife · 18/01/2022 17:51

the offical rule was to come home after school, eat and then shower immediately before homework and play. Once we were showered, we weren't allowed on the sofas, just allowed on beds and to do homework at the desk

And it’s how you continue to live as an adult? You either sit at a table or on a bed.

Was your husband the same? Was he not allowed to sit on sofas growing up?

onlychildhamster · 18/01/2022 18:20

@Ricksteinsfishwife well his family didn't have a sofa, they had a sofa bed and they spent all their time in the dining room.

Why not. I moved to london at 18 and went to university here. Lived in halls, so I had my own room. Had a flatshare for a year but like most uni students- the reception got converted into a bedroom so that we could split the £2k rent 3 ways. I had a small studio in Berlin for 6 months after I married and my DH was doing his masters. there wasn't really space for a sofa and we were quite minimalist with furniture because we knew we weren't going to stay very long there. I think we only had a double bed, a breakfast table and a shelf and underbed storage. Was dead poor then anyway!

We lived with his mum for 3 years while saving to buy our flat and then we bought this flat 2 years ago when I was 27 years old!

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onlychildhamster · 18/01/2022 18:43

@Ricksteinsfishwife and isn't slouching on a sofa bad for the back anyway? I looked at sofas when I was trying to furnish our flat.but I only liked the petite ones like this www.made.com/ritchie-3-seater-sofa-anthracite-grey-with-rainbow-buttons and they looked a lot like benches anyway. i thought, why not combine the living and dining area and then you can have more floor space? if i had to get a sofa, i would still get the bench type ones and then whats the difference between sitting on that in front of a table and sitting without a table? At least when you have the table, you have somewhere to put your drink and laptop

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MrsBaublesDylan · 18/01/2022 18:59

@onlychildhamster I am recently obsessed with 'Minimal Mom' on YouTube.

She concentrates on our life's 'inventory' - furniture, clothes, food, toys, books, bedding etc and how stressful it is.

She doesn't have tables either side of the sofa or much storage because she wants to keep the inventory to a minimum.

I have got rid of so much of everything, but it is the furniture which has been the most freeing. I think the footstools had become a mating pair and had a series of baby footstools and I cant explain why a family of five who never entertain had 10 dining chairs. Wtaf?!

I have got rid of my bedside cabinets and a chair in the bedroom so we actually have to put our shit away.

I love Minimal Mom she is my new bff.

onlychildhamster · 18/01/2022 19:37

@MrsBaublesDylan Would love to be a minimalist! Don't think I would be a very good one though. DH says we are functionalists! i try to make sure every piece of furniture is multi-functional. small dressing table is also a side table. Platform beds have underbed storage. Sofa bench and dining table is the combined living/dining space. Our desks have a lot of drawers for storage; DH's PC is also a telly and we use a projector which can be easily stowed away.

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Rosebuud · 18/01/2022 20:01

isn't slouching on a sofa bad for the back anyway

You can sit on a sofa without slouching? It’s like any other chair, you can just as easily slouch on a bench or any other seat, unless you’re strapped in and held firm.

Do you think if you lived somewhere bigger and had more disposable income you’d have a tv and a sofa or would you still not have one?

Is the total furniture in your living room the three dining chairs and table you showed?

onlychildhamster · 19/01/2022 00:28

@Rosebuud the flat I am aiming to buy is either a muswell hill flat for £675k or a flat between west hampstead/hampstead village for £750k and for those layouts, I would have the same set up- book shelves, piano in corner, DH's desk & pedestal and the living/dining set up. I mean, those properties are a big step up from my £400k flat and no I don't really want to move outside London (and neither does DH).Moving outside London would involve paying £800 in season ticket costs and I would rather live in a smaller space than commute!

If we had more disposable income.. well DH is a higher rate tax payer so I guess that already makes us luckier than most! I suspect if we earned more, whatever extra we would earn would go to childcare/education; and DH has plans for investing our money by buying more shares (we currently only buy shares in DH's employer). Whatever disposable income we have now go to overpaying the mortgage by £1k every month and I suspect it would be the same whatever bigger flat we have!

If you saw the layouts for the micro flats the Tories felt would be the answer to city living/coffin homes in Hong Kong/overall rise in all regions bar london in house prices, i think maybe you would think the way I live isn't too bad Maybe one day you will tell your DC- those were the days when a 27 year old and 29 year old could save up 70k in 3 years just by living at home with parents in London and buy a 2 bed flat in zone 3 london & the only thing she didn't have was a sofa; it is impossible today, you would end up with a broom cupboard without actual money from mum and dad! At least I think thats the way its going; not because london property is getting more expensive, but because property overall would be many multiples of people's incomes (in London or in Market Harborough!). I mean london is fairly cheap by global standards for a home... it can get much worse.

Is this an insane price for a leather sofa bench
Is this an insane price for a leather sofa bench
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onlychildhamster · 19/01/2022 00:31

@Rosebuud centerforspineandortho.com/news/how-your-comfy-sofa-may-be-causing-you-back-pain/

I quite like an upright version for support!

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onlychildhamster · 19/01/2022 00:35

@Rosebuud I don't think I would ever have a tv, why would i have one? Its completely outdated...I purchased a tv license to show support for the BBC, I don't really need one!

And like in the floor plans I shared earlier, I don't think I would like a sofa in any of them? Unless of course I am fantasizing about a £1.5 million house and honestly for that money, i would rather be living in a Kensington mansion flat than in suburban north london.

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LittleBearPad · 19/01/2022 08:25

There’s plenty of space on both flats for a table, sofa and desk. If you don’t want one don’t get one though.

onlychildhamster · 19/01/2022 09:10

@LittleBearPad my current flat has the same width and is only 1.53 m shorter than the first flat I shared (the one on fortis green rd). so perhaps based on that I would have a lot of space for a sofa too!

I definitely want space for a piano in the next flat and space for the baby to play and my DH's desk is 1.8 m long (including pedestal)- it is actually nicer than his desk at work! He spends far more hours working than watching stuff on the projector...

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