New sofa arrived. Massive buyers remorse. Can anyone relate?

[sellotape12]

Hi, I’m literally 6 days postpartum and very fragile so I could be irrational. Our new sofa arrived yesterday after a 10 week wait. It’s in a bespoke fabric which I chose and supplied. I feel quite shocked at how much I don’t like it. Firstly, it is so much harder than the one that we tried in the shop over three visits. I assume this is just because it’s new? It has foam cushions with a light feather layer. And the colour is so much more shocking now that I’ve seen it in our living room. I pored over fabric samples but now it’s on a bigger surface area it just looks bright and shocking. It also no longer goes with any of the other accessories in our living room and just doesn’t look very holistic because it’s such an opinionated colour.

I just don’t know what to do. It cost me £2000 and I thought I would feel excited. Do I try to get it reupholstered? Do I just live with it for a few weeks? What do I do? I feel so low.

Yes, I did totally think this might be part of it. And same with what @Ihatelittlefriendsusan has said. My emotions are all over the shop. My coccyx is definitely injured from birth and trying to sit down and attempt breastfeeding for the last four weeks or whatever. But I think what worries me is my husband and other child plus mum are also just saying it’s so hard that they don’t want to sit on it and are retreating to the armchair instead.

I’m just trying to work out at what point do I accept that it’s just postpartum craziness vs. realising that the sofa just does not fit our family or lifestyle. The shop is offered to switch the cushion composition but then will be 7 weeks without sofa cushions while they amend it. So doesn’t feel like a great deal.

Yes take them up on the offer OP - you’ve got nothing to lose. Can they lend you a showroom model to sit on while you wait? How are you feeling about the colour?

1. You argue that it was missold - because it doesn't reflect the feel that they represented -- and insist on a full refund. Templates for consumer letters are on-line, and ChatGPT can probably write you a good one.

or

2. Ask them to take it back and put it in a sale (eg end of line, returned), and agree to split the difference of the discount.

In this solution, you both take a share of the liability for what went wrong :
You ordered a bespoke sofa - there's risks with that.
They had a showroom model that misrepresented the feel, and it's unfair for you to have to wait 7 weeks for cushions that may or may not solve the matter. They no longer have your trust.
This approach also saves them the cost of sending you replacement cushions.

7 weeks?! That's ridiculous OP, can you try a local upholsterer instead? We do new cushion inners at work and even when they're custom sizes it only takes 2 to 3 weeks to come into stock.

What you've got is a foam core with a feather wrap - funnily enough that's what I've got here at home and love them. But we're all different. If you want a softer feel, I'd recommend fibre filled ones instead.

It’s a ball ache but definitely take them up on the offer and get a cover made for it. It’ll work out in the long run with a little one!

They should be able to lend you some sofa cushions from a different sofa they have in the warehouse for the duration. But how do you now feel about the colour? If you still hate that, then there's no point getting the cushions - you should do one of the options suggested by likewhatyoudo above.

This- option 2 is what I suggested some time ago

We were without cushions for a while when we first moved in- I put the spare blankets duvets pillows and towels on the sofa and put a throw over- it was surprisingly comfortable.

Would you want the show room one ?

Is it worth buying some cheapish large floor cushions to chuck on the sofa whilst the cushions are changed?

You could then Facebook marketplace them after or situate them somewhere else in the house? 😊

Definitely get the cushions redone since it's uncomfortable. I thnk after that if you wanted you could just resign yourself to not really liking it.

I remember when I moved into our house there were lots of things I didn't like - the pink kitchen, the shower curtains in the bathroom, the plastic back doors. But we didn't have spare cash to spend so there was nothing to be done. Even if we did, I had no bandwidth to think about replacements (and in a couple of weeks time, you won't either). After a while you just cease to see them and their objectional qualities recedes into tolerance. If other people want to judge you and your sofa, just let them.You can always judge them back for being shallow.

In a year's time, when your LO wipes their jammy fingers all over the sofa you'll just think, well, I never really liked it anyway. And a few years after that just get a new one!

Thanks so much, everyone. (This is just one of those annoying postpartum things that is driving me mad!) Yeah, I can ask them if they can do a courtesy cushion so that we don’t have nada to sit on for weeks. I’ve got a newborn, so realistically so much of my time is meant to be spent sitting on the sofa enjoying those contact naps whilst they last 🥲.
I can also try a bit of consumer action and offer they split the difference. I would love for that to be honest. Because honestly, I’m seriously thinking of a way to sell this thing but I know that I will lose money on it.

How old is your other child? Can you have a playdate and put all the sofa cushions on the floor with a sheet on top and get them to treat it like a trampoline park. Lots of jumping to soften them up?

We bought an expensive velvet sofa from sofa.com. Sat on the showroom one over and over across a few days - sooooo comfortable.

Ours eventually arrived and cushions were so packed that there was zero bounce at all. You felt like you were perching and because the firmest part was central, it almost felt like you were being pushed off. I was so disappointed.

They weren't great about it when I complained and I gave up in the end. But it is much better now (2 years down the line).