As I write this I feel a teeny bit silly that I’m writing an entire post on sofas when our house isn’t even ready for plasterboarding just yet. To say that my virtual sofa shopping is premature is a bit of an understatement. Yes I even eye-rolled myself…
But there’s a kind of warped logic to my enthusiastic hunting, for a start it takes time to really land on a design that makes your heart sing. Well it does for me anyway – I’m so very envious of those of you who manage to find ‘the one’ painlessly and quickly. Secondly we’re hoping to be moved in before the end of the year and have everyone round to ours for Christmas so some seating will need to be in situ before December. Given the timescales between ordering said sofa and delivery, I’ll need to have made my mind up and bashed the plastic no later than mid-October. And we’re already in July…yep feeling a tad panicked now about the aforementioned lack of plastering.
But I’m not a quitter. And the best way I find to deal with any ensuing panic is to try, as much as is physically possible, to plan ahead so that when the time comes you’re fully equipped and ready to go…hence today’s post.
Ste and I have a long list of requirements when it comes to sourcing our dream sofa, in fact Goldilocks springs to mind somewhat. Allow me to explain…
In our first house we were the lucky recipients of a fantastic sofa given to us by my parents. It was a beautiful L-shaped charcoal grey number that was flipping huge. In fact it was so big it took over our living room and then some. But you could guarantee that everyone would find a place to perch when they popped round to visit. But…and it’s a big but, it just wasn’t that comfortable. Aesthetically it was wonderful, but from a usability perspective it didn’t tick all our boxes.
This new home is a family home through and through. Yes it will be stylish but comfort will be the watch word here… well as being Hector-proof. Gone are the days of any artful arrangement of knick-knacks on side tables, at least for now, and similarly the new sofa needs to work hard rather than just look pretty.
With this in mind we’re after a truly squidgy sofa, one that you can nestle down in rather than perch on the edge of as if you were waiting outside the Headmaster’s office at school. To this end we need arms, as in sofa arms, ones that you can wedge cushions and thus your backside up against for proper snuggling action. Oh and plenty of feather pillows too!
Our living room is a decent size – there’s plenty of natural light and a beautiful bay window but it isn’t huge. I’d say we’ll be lucky to get a three seater in there and an L-shaped number is out of the question. We’re after something that’s got some depth but isn’t too deep and is long (to accommodate our family and friends) but not too long…told you we were like Goldilocks.
Since we’ve outlaid a sizeable sum on getting the house renovated, we’re also looking for a sofa that is reasonably priced and hopefully well under £1,500…and ideally under a grand. But it’s imperative that the sofa has nicely turned legs (call it one of my whimsies) and is constructed from a material that will withstand Hector’s attentions but still looks good.
A tall order? I’ll concede that there’s much to accommodate but I think I’ve found a few designs that we truly love. Let’s take a look…
First up has got to be this pink number from Loaf. Brand new, as of last Thursday, this beauty is handmade to order so there’s a ten week waiting period. I love the colour (not sure Ste would agree though) and its new take on an old-school classic: the traditional Chesterfield. It’s deep, has substantial arms and beautiful oak legs but I’m not entirely sold on the squidgyness.
Step in The Crumpet, also from the same brand, which is definitely ticking the comfort boxes and which incidentally is Ste’s favourite. Super-deep, the solid beech frame comes with a five year guarantee and feather filled cushions which is a definite plus point for us.
Both Charlotte and Lauren have sofas from Sofa.com and testify to the comfort and stylishness of their respective seating arrangements. The Bluebell is an undisputed classic and its turned legs are giving me all the feels. The site is currently celebrating their 10th birthday so are offering a discount on some of their product ranges so it’s worth swinging by if you wanted to take advantage of the offer. I adore the look and feel of The Bluebell but wonder if the arms are substantial enough….
I can’t quite decide if I’m being seduced by the design of the Clio or by its sumptuous velvet fabric. Either way Graham & Green claim that their Clio is super luxurious and designed for sinking deeply into and relaxing with a good book. The seat cushions look particularly sumptuous and there’s some good leg action going on.
Heading over to MADE, I was particularly taken with the Ariana three seater sofa which has a lovely side profile and a very attractive price tag. Neat and tidy, I can see this suiting any contemporary home but it doesn’t quite have the sinking luxuriousness of the Rosamund also from the same company. Rosamund has some SERIOUS arm action reminiscent of cresting waves and a slanted back for relaxing reclining action. I’m more than a bit smitten with the ocean velvet hue…
Rowen & Wren is one of my all-time not so secret indulgences and their Abington Sofa is definitely up there in my top three. Granted it’s one of the most expensive products included in this round-up but it is SO chic. Crafted with wool upholstery, there are plush feather cushions and sexy legs. I’m also loving the delicate pleat detail on the armrests and the classic brass casters it rests upon. There’s also a footstool if you wanted to go the whole hog…which I’m very tempted by as well. There are two colours and it’s clear that the natural wool has stolen my heart. The downside…it’s the most expensive of our final selection and it’s taking Ste a bit of convincing to commit.
Chunky and impressive, the Maximus from Love Your Home is most definitely a seat-sinker with plenty of depth to get comfortable in. My only worry is that it might be a bit too boxy and cut off the room somewhat but I think we’d need to see it in the flesh before making our minds up. Ste loves the masculine vibe and it looks homely to me which is a winner.
Now that we’ve whittled it down to this final selection our next step is to go and try them all out. And by that I mean jump on/ squidge/ fluff and prod to our hearts’ content and check out a few fabric swatches to boot. I’ll be sure to update you on the design we finally choose.
Are any of you sofa hunting at the moment? What’s in your shortlist? Do any of you own any of the models I’ve mentioned above…how do you rate them? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments box below.
I’ve been sofa shopping recently and after trawling online have avoided the chain stores and we’ve gone to what will be our local home and garden centre – they have the most amazing selection. Two brands that have stood out for us are Tetrad and Alexder & James. They really do offer something for everyone from the traditional through to the stylish and practical and at good prices! We’ve ordered sofas of decent sizes well within our £3k budget (for 2) .
Good luck with the hunt and fingers crossed for the plaster boards!
*I mean Alexander and James obviously!
Thanks for the tips Rach! Will check them out now!
There’s a place in Stoke (called Westbridge) which makes sofas for M&S, JL, Next etc and you can get end of line / over ordered for half the price at least. We got 2 sofas from there which I love for less than £500 each – M&S one. You have to ignore the rubbish but some amazing deals
How did I not know about this Victoria?! Definitely worth a visit – thanks for sharing your secret sofa sale tips xx
I love the look of the velvet ones but I’m not sure they’d be all that practical with a little one. Velvet doesn’t tend to wear terribly evenly – when you add to that the fact you’ll probably have to scrub patches at various times to remove jam, crayon and whatever else Hector leaves behind I’m not sure you’d get enough life out of the sofa. Taking that into account, I like the Maximus. It looks very comfy, and practical, too.
Definitely agree re velvet. We’ve got a velvet more formal chair from sofa.com – it’s rarely sat in but still has marks on it somehow!!
Emma we have the same exact thing, 1 villandry charcoal L Ashley, marks horrendously, as does a grey velvet sofa from Sofa.com, our least marked one is Graham and Green pink raspberry chair, and we do not eat or drink on them and kids are bit bigger now. Don’t know how it happens. Really frustrating.
I completely agree Laura – I think I was secretly hoping that velvet would be a viable choice but with Hector and actually Ste to contend with I’m asking for trouble! Realistically I think we’ll need a tough linen/cotton or even a fine wool and hopefully with some kind of stain proof barrier applied too!
Great sofa shapes they are all very timeless in design. My recommendation would be if you can get it in your budget have feather wrapped seat cushions as they will still have the softness but won’t loose their shape over time. It will drive you nuts if the seat cushions end up sagging off of the sofa and you will be forever plumping them back up!
Fabric choice is very important ask what the rub test is as you don’t want a worn looking sofa after a year
Also make sure they sofa fits through your doors it’s a classic mistake people make.
So many tips here Stacey! I noticed some of these designs had feather wrapped cushions and wondered what they were so thanks for clearing this up for me. What’s the rub test?
We bought the bagsie from loaf which looks similar to the young bean. We went with leather and I love it as its so comfortable, looks classic and even when we get marks on it, it adds to the “look”. We’ve got chairs from sofa.com and have been really impressed with the quality of both loaf and sofa.com
I have been so disappointed with Raft unfortunately. We bought a super expensive corner sofa from there and the order was customized so we could go with a bigger size. Two years on it’s my biggest regret purchase – it’s not worn well at all, the seat pads always lose their shape and the cushions split after less than six months. The customer service team were terrible when I tried to get replacements.
All your options look lovely though – exciting times!!
It’s good to hear from people who actually have sofas from the brands I’ve mentioned so thanks for sharing your feedback Emma. I’d not heard of Raft but I’m really sorry to hear about your experience with them, utterly rubbish! Have you tried going through an Ombudsman or something to that effect?
They’re not a specialist furniture store so that may be where we went wrong – their other furniture looks lovely but I’ve sworn off them now as I’m just so disappointed!! I did look into the ombudsmen but must admit I ran out of steam with it
You can’t go wrong with with loaf or sofa.com though in my experience. The pink sofa in your slider is stunning
Check out John Lewis Special Buys as part of their clearance. We bought our ‘love seat’ to go with our 3 seater from the special buy range a year ago and it’s the comfiest to curl up on! Far better than our cheapy made.com sofa that I’ve regretted since we got it
Thanks for the tips Sarah – I would love a loveseat and am hoping to persuade the boy that we need one (providing we have space) in the living room. Interesting that you don’t rate your made.com sofa – what don’t you like about it?
I love the look but the cushions are thin and it needs A LOT of throw cushions to make it comfy. It’s great to sit on just not to lie out – we’ve got a walken in a beigey cream colour. Definite going comfort over style next time! Our John Lewis snuggler is just perfect though!
We’ve bought various models in the Bluebell range from sofa.com and I do honestly highly recommend them. We bought several years back before they had a showroom so we didn’t even get to test them out before purchase, friends thought we were mad! We’ve got a pink linen love seat, 2 charcoal grey sofas, 1 grey armchair and 1 smaller armchair in pink velvet….all gorgeously comfortable & look great in our period house. Their service is excellent too – we bought a bed head from sofa.com that turned up damaged. It was immediately taken away and a replacement sent within a week. Fab, love them! Upholstered foot stall next! We also have a corner sofa from made.com which is lovely, but nowhere near as comfy as our sofa.com furniture. (Can I just add I don’t live in some mansion with all these sofas! Just a large extension that needed furnishing along with rest of house!). Good luck choosing, I swear the choice is just getting better and better!
I’m so jealous of your pink linen loveseat Nicola! And even more envious of the pink velvet armchair! I’m seriously considering asking Ste if we can have one in the study as it will pretty much be my room when working from home.
Which footstool have you got your eye on? We’re thinking of getting one instead of a coffee table since Hector always manages to smack his head off them and use a sturdy tray and side tables for drinks instead. Sofa.com seems to be a big hit with so many of you that I think it’s definitely worth checking out…
Nicola, I adore my snowdrops from Sofa.com. My aftersales service wasn’t great though (and our three seater still has a dodgy leg!) which has made me think twice about ordering from them again.
Your pink love seat sounds like the most immense thing ever!
Such an exciting but also high pressure purchase, you just don’t want to get it wrong do you?! All the ones you’ve linked above are gorgeous, I think I like the Crumpet the best though ? I’ve wanted a new sofa for about 2 years and am currently awaiting delivery of the Copenhagen from M&S… http://www.marksandspencer.com/copenhagen-large-sofa/p/p22406539004?&edcredirect – we got it on a good deal on bank holiday weekend so decided to take the plunge at last! The main thing that worries me with a toddler around is how well marks will wipe off… We currently have an ikea sofa and it looks very worn after 5 years but it is handy that I can take the covers off and chuck them in the washing machine… For this reason we decided to keep the budget as much under the 1k mark as possible so if it does end up a bit trashed we can then justify forking out for a really nice one once kiddies are a bit older and hopefully less messy! Good luck with the search, can’t wait to see photos of the renovation as it progresses! X
The Crumpet is Ste’s favourite too Sarah and it has feather-wrapped foam seat cushions which seem to be the bomb so I think we’ll be testing it out very soon! The Copenhagen sofa you’ve just bought looks amazing. What colour have you gone for? Stay tuned for another renovation update very soon xx
The navora texture grey which is the one that comes up on the photos automatically! Saw it in the flesh in my local store so I’m quite confident… Just on the hunt for new cushions now and trying not to spend hundreds of ££ in the process… Eek! xx
Hi, could you please tell me how you got on with the Copenhagen?
We sofa shopped recently and ended up buying from DFS – mainly a budget decision as there were other sofas I loved more but they had an amazing sale on and we got two huge 3 seater sofas in a colour we love and have accessorised them all – and they had nice legs too (totes get you on that one!). We got foam seat cushions (I think they are foam?!) so they don’t need plumping up all the time and the sofas are SO comfortable. In fact my family and I say that DFS stands for ‘do feel sleepy’ because all the sofas we have purchased from there are so comfy you end up snoozing!! Another place we have bought from is Trade Secrets just outside Banbury – similar to a place someone mentions above, it is brand furniture that never gets delivered e.g. order was placed by a customer but finance didn’t get approved etc. It is a huge warehouse and a bit like TK Maxx you kind of have to just visit and see what they have that day, but we have picked up a gorgeous grey love seat sofa from there and a gorgeous large footstool. Definitely worth a look. x
I’ll take a look at Trade Secrets Milly – thanks for the heads up! I think their showroom is also near the Fired Earth Factory shop so I might be able to persuade the boy to kill two birds with one stone and visit both 😉
It isn’t just near, it is literally a few steps away!! Enjoy! x
Having got through three sofas in 5 years (!), I like to think that I’m a bit of an expert nowadays (channelling Daddy Pig there…).
Feather cushions are a must if you want longevity – fibre cushions look great to start with but require a lot of plumping and arsing about with to keep them looking nice.
One of our sofas died because we had to lift it up to look for a wedding ring and it snapped, so I would steer clear of anywhere which doesn’t use a solid wood frame.
I’d also go for either a fixed sprung back (like the Chesterfield style) or a solid cushion one, rather than the sort which has 5 cushions to arrange artfully because apart from anything else they get stolen to make forts on the floor and then your sofa becomes extremely uncomfortable for the adults sitting on it.
Our most recent purchase was from sofaworkshop and I have to say that I was very impressed with them (and the sofa!) – have a look at the Major Comfort. I did actually manage to break this one too by flopping my 8mo pregnant bulk down onto the edge of it, but they came out and fixed it under the 10 year warranty so I can also vouch for that!
I yearn for the pink Loaf sofa. I need another living room…
I’m with you on the feather front Sara – I’m a big fan! Your advice on the cushion backs made me laugh; Hector already ‘rearranges’ the furniture so perhaps I really should be looking at something with a fixed back in place. I’ve just checked out sofa workshop and am very smitten with Lady May. Such a beautiful shape! It’s great to hear that they’ve got fabulous customer service too.
Great choices Lolly!
We purchased the Elliott sofa from made.com with the matching armchair for our first home around 3 years ago and have been really disappointed with it. http://www.made.com/elliott-3-seater-sofa-harrier-grey
The colour has faded a huge amount and the cushions have completely sagged in the middle so much so that my husband no longer sits on the sofa preferring the floor! When we complained, the company gave us a £50 off your next purchase voucher which we wont be using! We have looked into getting new cushion inserts made but for the price, we may as well buy a new sofa! We are now going to wait it out till our little one is older to upgrade so I may just need to buy the hubby a bean bag to use until then!
Oh that is really disheartening to hear Meg and it seems that you’re not the only one disappointed with the company which is so sad. In the meantime John Lewis do some awesome bean bag chairs….
We are also looking at new sofas, hopefully in the new year but I can’t help but look around already. My ideal is a large 3/ 4 seater and a love seat/snuggle chair… I like Ophelia and Ashford in Next… but not sure if they will be squishy enough. Love Loaf and Sofa.com too. And I have just discovered that sofa.com have a showroom in Bath (any excuse for a day trip to Bath!)
http://www.next.co.uk/homeware/sofas-chairs/ophelia-formal-back/size-extra-large-sofa-(4-seats)-fabric-belgian-soft-twill-light-natural-feet-low-turned-light#size_DMn:0_DMx:12
http://www.next.co.uk/homeware/sofas-chairs/ashford/size-corner-chaise-left-hand-(4-seats)-fabric-boucle-weave-light-dove-feet-low-turned-light#size_DMn:0_DMx:12
http://www.next.co.uk/homeware/sofas-chairs/ashford/size-snuggle-seat-(2-seats)-fabric-boucle-weave-light-dove-feet-low-turned-light#size_DMn:0_DMx:12
This has come at the perfect time for me, we are just in the process of planning our extension which is going to have a sofa in it. So far we have relied on second hand IKEA ones as the cats tend to like scratching them, however we **think** they may be growing out of it (keeping everything crossed!) so the new extension may get a pretty new sofa in it! Am thinking possibly corner sofa but then the beautiful ones at sofa.com also have gorgeous matching armchairs so choices, choices. It’s so hard. Also, any experience anyone has of the protective coatings and guarantees (I know DFS do an amazing protective thing – but I haven’t tried and tested it) would be very useful to hear about. xx
Some lovely ones there! We went for a DFS one as we wanted leather (three dogs and a cat, plus a baby on the way…) as it’s easy to clean and from my experience actually looks better used and a bit faded over the years. We originally fell in love with a Made.com one but it was so uncomfortable, we returned it – and then didn’t have a sofa for 6 weeks!
As much as I love Ikea visually and design-wise, I wouldn’t buy a sofa or armchair there that gets full everyday usage, everyone I know who purchased one, complained after a few years that the springs weren’t great anymore.
Good luck with the hunt and looking forward to seeing the result!
Be careful of the back height! There is nothing worse than wanting to slump back in comfort and having your head against the wall! Al is really tall so has to slouch and it pushes all the seat cushions forward!
Thanks for the tip Kitty – both Ste and I are shortarses so I’m not sure that we’ll be slouching but we do have some friends that are tall so it’s worth bearing in mind!
Oh I love sofa shopping. We finally waved goodbye to our beautiful but impractical 60’s
G-Plan last month and took delivery of the Lynden sofa from Laura Ashley in a charcoal wool blend.
We picked up the large sofa and snuggler in the spring sale (always wait til the end when there’s an extra 10% off!), they are SO comfy. Best thing we ever did.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHhSmzTDgaw/?taken-by=_swaley_
Looking forward to seeing what you end up choosing!
Do you know I completely forgot about Laura Ashley and your sofa is LUSH! What colour is it? I think we’re after a dark grey too you see….
I do love Laura Ashley and I’m always dubious about buying things like sofas online so it was nice to be able to go and have a proper look.
It’s Harley Charcoal my love, just a plain woven fabric blend. We were so surprised at the price we finally got them for too… 40% off, then the extra 10%, then we opened a store card on the day and got an extra 10% off again… it was a complete bargain.
I’m reliably informed that it’s got some sort of scotchguard type protection on it but that remains to be seen when sticky fingers come along! xx
We have the Isla sofa from sofa.com with charcoal lineny covers. It is super squishy and comfortable! In my (apparently incredibly boring and middle aged) opinion, the best things about sofa.com sofas are 1) for £50 they’ll scotch guard it and give you a 5 year guarantee against stains 2) if you (/your toddler!) manage to mess up the covers beyond repair, or just fancy a change, you can order a new set for about £400 ??
I have literally spent my entire adult life searching for the perfect sofa…25 years of ikea, habitat, sofa workshop and everywhere in between. I finally found my sofa true love on eBay, as part of a vintage 3 piece suite. I bought it, sold the arms chairs (for more than the cost of the suite) and then spent 5 years searching for the right fabric to have it reupholstered in and for someone who I trusted to do the work. And now I have the sofa of my dreams. Its cost more than a new sofa would have but I love it and smile everytime I sit on it!! Think outside the box and don’t settle! I spent more on ‘it’ll do’ sofas over the course of the years than I would have if I’d have waited for ‘the right one’
Since visiting the Made.com showroom in Soho, I’ve definitely become more warey of the quality of their products… We have bought a coffee table from there but only after seeing and trialling in the flesh… Unfortunately the sofa bed we went to see didn’t make the cut.
On the other side, we’ve actually ended up buying out sofas and sofa bed from Next… Not sure it satisfies your love for lovely crafted legs but for any other readers I can certainly attest to the quality and choice of fabrics and classic design of their sofas. We actually managed to grey our sofas delivered in 4 days too which was a bonus as we’d been knee deep in rennovating our London flat which meant furniture ended up being rather a last minute thing.
Good luck on the sofa hunt, it’s a big part of anyone’s home so deserves to have the time spent on finding and testing before buying!
I searched loads of places, went into DFS on the off chance, and fell in love. We went for the French Connection Zinc sofas. They’re really pretty (buttoned backs!) but most importantly are ridiculously comfortable. Love love love them!
I love these style of sofas and was looking for something similar recently but that wouldn’t break the bank. We settled on the bella sofa from sofology – I wouldn’t normally go near the big chain sofa shops but when I found this one I thought it was really good quality and looks more expensive then they are I think https://www.sofology.co.uk/sofas/bella
I actually just happened upon this post when indulging in all of your lovely content. I found Rock My Style via Lauren’s Fairly Light blog but I’m loving catching up.
Anyway, the reason I’m commenting is because I wondered whether it was worth throwing Nyde (nyde.co.uk) into the pot?
Not sure if it’s okay to post this in the comments or even if there’s anything in the range that you’d be interested in, but thought I’d let you know anyway.
I do hope you find a beautiful sofa for your home.
Lx
P.S. Look into pocket sprung seating for something with a long life!
P.P.S. We might even be able to offer you (and your readers, of course) a nice discount for an honest critique of our service – we’re a new, small company and feedback is absolutely everything.
We loved the bluebell from sofa.com but in the end went for a really similar one from the country living range at DFS (the tower) it was slightly cheaper and they do interest free credit. We love it and when we move to a place with a bigger living room I will definitely be buying another from the same range.
We went on a massive search for a Chesterfield but found the backs too uncomfy and what we wanted was the style but also comfort. One day we found ourselves in Next and ended up buying a buttoned back Stamford for something around £1k. Next have so many fabrics you can choose from and the wonderful thing is we found an amazing independent shop with amazing chesterfield chairs and next provided the fabric so it actually matches our sofa!!!! Customer service was incredible too. Can’t recommend enough, comfort, style, affordability and great service! Happy sofa shopping! X
Hello! We are sofa hunting now. What did you go for in the end?! I now have a long list of requirements after reding this post and all the comments!
Very late to the party, but I love all the sofas you were looking at – trying to decide between one from Loaf, one from Love-Your-Home and one from Sofa.com (Bluebell). Which one did you go for?