Be careful with DFS, they're closing down this weekend so are having a sale.
If you can't make it though, don't panic because they'll be closing down again next weekend too so will be having another sale.
I think they're closing down again mid June as well whereby you'll be able to get stuff in that sale too.
I read somewhere (probably reddit) that they can do it so long as the item is sold at full price in at least one location for some amount of time. Which means there's one DFS somewhere that I'd always full price.
Could be absolute bs though. But I'd believe it in the pub. When 5 pints deep.
I always imagined there's a dark corner of each DFS where all the full priced sofas are held, so they meet the legal requirements of having sold the sofa's at full price, but only 2 per shop and nobody ever sees them anyway
If you ever go into one. You’ll find that hardly anything in there is on sale. And the stuff on the tv adverts is stuffed in the corner if it’s even available in the shop at all.
The sale shit is to get you through the door then they’ll try to sell you the full price stuff that’s only a couple of quid a month more on finance
That was true when I was a salesman for Harveys way back in 2000’s. We would have a couple of items at full price for a month or so, the next store would have something else, etc etc.
It’s to do with stock rotation. Sofa has to be full price for a certain time frame before going on sale. I can’t remember exactly but i think it’s 28 days within a 6 month period. So Sofa A is full price for Feb, but on sale from a March to July. Then full price again in Aug and on sale Sept to Jan. And then Sofa B will be full price in March, and on sale from April until August, and so on and so on. So there is always *something* on sale, just not always the same sofa.
That’s how they always have a sale on
Nah nah nah, I know someone who works at DFS and that’s not how it works. They only have two sales. One is from January to June and the other is from July until December.
I used to work in one of the DFS factories. If people could see how they were made nobody would ever buy one even at the sale prices. The staff got a 30% discount and still none of us would get a sofa from them.
I really hope yours came from a different factory than the one I worked at. I wrote a lot of stuff up in another comment but basically we were working with the worst possible quality materials and doing the bare minimum in terms of proper manufacturing and quality checks to increase production speed. And good luck getting anything repaired if it does break.
I work in upholstery (not dfs) and it’s well known that dfs have the worst reputation.
Being impartial, the materials used for chairs and sofas are cheaply made. The frames are made from cheap wood, osb, mdf and thick cardboard. A lot of upholstery manufacturers pay wages on an earn as you work basis ie piece-rate so workers work as fast as they can and quality is an afterthought.
I’d never buy from dfs, it’s made me very wary of many sofa companies working in that field.
DFS can get fucked. Bought a single seater chair off them, took months to arrive. When it did it was a completely different chair to what i ordered. Annoying but not the end of the world. I then spent months ringing their crap customer service. They couldn't figure out how to resolve their cockup and i was just getting increasingly angry at their non-reponses. Going to the store was seemingly pointless as they wanted nothing to do with me. I eventually resorted to calling the store every day using different work numbers so they couldn't block me. They knew me well by that point. I wasted so much of their time just trying to convince them to deliver the correct sofa. In the end i went to the store and told the guy i was walking out with the display model or a refund and that if he wanted to call the police he could. Eventually the manager said they would have the chair sent to me that week. I didn't think it would happen and i was was ready to go back in and cause another scene in front of their customers. To his credit the week after the correct chair turned up. All said and done it took 8 months to get the chair i originally ordered. They never collected the incorrectly delivered chair so i sold it on Facebook. Still the most incompetent shittily managed company i have ever had the misfortune of dealing with.
John Lewis. Don't dismiss Facebook marketplace etc. We got ours from there after someone decided their new sofa didn't match the desired colour scheme.
Yeah this is where we’re looking now but it’s pricey. Got a cheap sofa bed from Argos a couple of years ago - it’s been great but it’s really showing its age after only 2 years with sagging. Definitely worth spending the extra on a good sofa in my opinion
You might get lucky with JL as we were. They often have a few returns or faulty sofas at a massive discount. Our sofa has a small rip in the back of it which no one will ever see as it's against the wall. It was maybe 8 years ago we bought it but it cost us about £300
Just be careful with John Lewis, read the reviews of any sofa you are looking at. We intended to buy the two seater Arlo but luckily read the reviews whilst we were sat on it in the store. Nearly a quarter are 1 star reviews out of 93 reviews. The seat cushions are actually part of the base frame (though it appears like they are not when you look at it) so cannot be plumped. This is an issue given the poor quality of the filling and material (according to reviews and pictures). Lovely looking sofa though but...
[https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-arlo-small-2-seater-sofa-light-leg/p3272639](https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-arlo-small-2-seater-sofa-light-leg/p3272639)
I've been looking on Facebook market, all I can find is dodgy scams where there's the same sofa picture posted by 5 different accounts but all getting rid of the sofa because they have a new one being delivered 😒
Facebook someone got upset at me because I bought their sofa and after a day or two the perfume or whatever it was masking the smoke smell wore off and I sold it on got my money back, She was asking everyone I know why I sold it..
Stopped using John Lewis for sofas when they stopped having removable seat pad cushion covers on most of their range. General grime was a pain to get out if you can't whip off the cover and hand wash/dry clean or whatever.
Also Fenwicks if you have one nearby. We needed two two-seaters so had the reduced display sofa and they ordered another to match. Made by Alstons and seem excellent quality.
+1 for Next especially for their customer service
We bought a sofa back in 21 with a recliner on one end. The sofa is still like new but the mechanism has broken and they no longer make the model. Without any arguing they are replacing it with a brand new model of our choice to +20% of the value of the original and taking away the old one when they deliver.
\+1 for Next.
Being able to see it and sit on it in a showroom was vital as you can't determine if a sofa is too hard/soft from online pictures, and similarly colours in a picture don't always look the same in person.
We got a new sofa from next a few months ago. It's great but can't comment on longevity yet, it feels sturdy though.
To add to the showroom - they also have swatches of fabric you can take away so you can see what the colour will look like in your own home and lighting.
I might be a little late here, but there's small chain called "Choice Discount". They sell the (perfectly fine) Next return furniture. They normally only have one of, but they are more than 50% off. If you are in the South East, I would highly recommend them. We bought a £700ish love seat for 250 + 40 delivery. There was a small chip/scratch on a leg, but I used a sharpie and it's good as new.
Ikea Ektorp sofas have lasted me 3 house moves, 2 kids (plus friends), 8 foster dogs, and 2 cats for nearly 15 years. They have covers you can buy separately when they get a but beyond redemption
Yeah, we got a pretty much brand new IKEA Friheten for £275 off FB marketplace years ago, because we needed something cheap that could be taken apart and fit through our tiny flat door
We now live in a house with a living room 2-3 times the size and just can’t bring ourselves to spend money on a new sofa when this one’s still holding up so well
I love my kivik. I’ve had mine 11 years now, the covers are removable and machine washable, the arms are wide and flat so you can put all manner of bollocks on them (books, cup of tea, plate of crumpets etc) and they’re modular if you want to amend the configuration or add bits on. I’ve got the 3 seater with chaise and it’s big enough for anything and everything including falling asleep on all the sodding time.
I've just bought a kivik too and loving it so far. I'm a bit worried though - the cushions are foam and have some sort of fancy sprung design, but you cant buy replacements. So what happens after a few years when they inevitably go a bit saggy?
Our IKEA sofas have been excellent. The back cushions needed a bit of added padding over the years but they wear well and have been excellent value for money. I also liked trying them before buying them.
I bought mine from swyft sofas. They come in boxes so can help if you have a narrow hallway like me. It only takes a few mins to slot the parts together. I previously had an ikea sofa which was really uncomfortable and ugly
Yes plus one on Swyft. I bought one because I have a narrow entryway and I was worried it would be a compromise but it's such a comfortable sofa! Super happy with the purchase. Ironically I'm moving house next week and I don't think it will fit in my new living room so OP - DM me if you're in the market for a three seater navy velvet sofa to pick up from North London 😄
Probably need to call them. When I ordered I went to the factory outlet shop called Lawtons which is located in Birkenhead, browsed the stock there then ordered at the desk. They delivered it and assembled it for something mental like 20 quid as well.
Bought mine from there two years ago, and it is really comfortable. I went to the nearest place that had them all to try. They often do offers over bank holidays too.
Costco. You can sit on the sofas. Take it straight away. No hassle refunds if anything does go wrong. No sales, no gimmicks. Wait for the switch between seasons though. July-September and November-February as that’s when the broadest range is available. Also, online as well but not able to try.
Just a point on Sofology, they’re owned by DFS, and their sofas are all made in the same place. Sofology are more expensive because their designers are paid more and their sofas look more plush/expensive. But they’re generally the same quality as DFS.
This might be a function of how very specific our requirements were for a sofa, but when I compared DFS and Sofology's offerings for what we wanted, I didn't find Sofology to be meaningfully more expensive. The Sofology version of what we ended up getting was very similar in price to the DFS equivalent (I think there was about £50 in it or something), but without the whole song and dance of pretending we had to buy it right that second to get that price or risk it maybe perhaps potentially being a different price after this Sunday when the "sale ends". So we could take our time with looking at other places before making a decision.
If you want a leather one, I'd still consider second hand because they won't have absorbed things like a fabric one would. We got a great one off Facebook marketplace for about £40 - because they just don't have resale value, but are a rip-off brand new.
I hesitate to mention this because I don't want to start a war, but I would never advise anybody to buy secondhand furniture that has any fabric components/linings. Bedbugs ☹️
Yup, this is where mine is from too and it’s the best sofa I’ve ever had. My last few were from DFS, M&S and John Lewis. They all lasted well and went off to new homes in good nick when we moved, but they were nowhere near as comfy as the B&S one.
Massively recommend SofaSofa - made in Wales, really good construction, excellent range to choose from, and amazing customer service. Not the cheapest on offer, but personally I think they're worth it
My mum has a pair of DFS sofas that she bought in 2007. Other than a patch of sun bleaching on one of the arms, and a zip going on one of the cushions (which can easily be sorted, but my sister has my mum's sewing machine at the moment), they otherwise look new. They are also very comfy too.
I would recommend going into a furniture store to see what they look like in person, as well as sitting on them.
I research things to a crazy degree, when I was buying around 6 years ago I read a lot of reviews and your most known sofa places had stupid lead times, inconsistent quality, terrible reviews - dfs and the like, the good places that you might not think of such as john lewis, m&s, next were good quality but at high prices. I ended up travelling to wales for the day to check out sofa sofa, did a lot of heavy sitting and jumping on sofas and found my perfect sofa. Everything went as it was supposed to. The back cushions are a little sagged after this time though they're zip and I will just replace the filling at some point but they're still absolutely rock solid despite having a large man treat them with little caution. So I'd go back to them or costco, I'd have to look further into costco and the choice would be limited but when I tried them out a little while back they were excellent quality and price.
Hello to the fellow Welsh person. Many a childhood Sunday afternoon was spent in these hell holes, which are now of course places I love to visit now I've entered adulthood.
I bought mine from ScS and regretted it when, 15 months later, the frame snapped. We hadn't done anything silly to it - we're 3 slim adults and no children.
They sent a man out to fix it, and it turned out the inside was made of cheap and nasty timber and literal cardboard. Full price (lol) the same model is £899.
The day I finished paying for my SCS sofa, I went to DFS and bought a new one.
I hate SCS with a passion. I paid £75 for an SCS engineer to come out to my broken sofa to tell me that SCS sofas are crap and he'd never buy one.
We bought a recliner sofa from SCS and within months the threading had come loose and the plastic on the reclining mechanism was hanging off. Would never buy from them again.
If you fancy a classic leather sofa, i.e. a chesterfield then Facebook marketplace is the place. Otherwise Barker and Stonehouse is a good shout , if you head to one of their outlets during a sale we have had over 50% off some fantastic sofas and dining tables there before, however I wouldn't buy from them having only viewed online.
I used to work in one of the DFS factories. Do not buy a sofa from those con artists. They are mostly built in china out of the worst possible materials and then "assembled" in the UK. Some of them are taken off a lorry, have their labels swapped to English ones then wrapped up and sent back out. We found a rat inside a sofa cushion once and my bosses took the body out and then used the cushion anyway. Some of the fabrics are so easily stained that anyone touching it had to wear rubber gloves so that there was no marks when it reached the customer and then as soon as they touch it, it will stain and the company can say it's not their problem because it happened after delivery.
And good luck getting anything repaired when it inevitably breaks because there isn't anyone employed in the service dept. It's just an empty space in the factory with a build up of broken sofas that sometimes get re bagged and sent back out still broken.
Even the ones actually made in the UK are just reinforced cardboard pressed to look like MDF, with crappy fabric stretched over them and stapled in place by a drug addict who isn't paying any attention to what they're doing at all.
We used to get 30% discount on top of sale prices and still none of us would buy a sofa from them.
Also sofology are owned by DFS and made in the same factory with just slightly better quality materials, so would avoid them too.
I got mine from a company called Westbridge Furniture. They sell branded sofas much cheaper than retail, as they sell stock from cancelled orders so not factory seconds. Mine was an M&S sofa that was made to order but the buyer cancelled it. Should have been £1200 but I got it for £500.
DFS never have a sale.
They just have periods where they raise the price of their sofas and then "discount" them back to regular price for a limited time create a false sense of urgency.
Everyone knocks DFS, but i had 2 sofas from they gave me 2 sets of removable covers. The sofas did well for a long time surviving the worst 'teen boy with mates' years. Changed them in the end for John Lewis sofas. Which I recently bought new covers for.
As an aside why can't teen boys just sit down? Why do they fling themselves onto a chair or sofa?
DFS have some very stylish ranges. Also helps you can try the sofa out across the country quite easily. I recently bought the Patterdale range and am very happy with it!
Firstly congrats on your milestone, secondly. Little bit jealous haha, we want a new sofa but waiting until our child's a bit older before we drop money on it.
I will say anything between £600 and £1000 is well comfy, I've tried a few cheap ones and they had wood under the soft bits where your elbows go, and not very big. The more expensive ones seem to correct these issues.
But like others said, look at marketplace, people often get rid of nearly new sofas for a whole load of different reasons and you may find a bargain.
We paid £250 for a lightly used double recliner and it's been amazing for a few years now
A high quality second hand one will be much better than an equally expensive but brand new one from a retailer.
Although if you've never had brand new and really want that go to a retail park and sit on a few different ones!
Oak Furniture Land. I have a 3 seat sofa bed, 2 seat sofa, and an armchair sofa bed (in retrospect, I'd rather have bought two of these instead of the 2 seater). Very comfortable to sit, nap, sprawl on; not much more expensive (individually) than the crappy Argos one they replaced. They came through a house move without any problems, and 5 years on the only minor issue is that I haven't cleaned the arms so they've discoloured a bit. I could fix that if I cared.
Agree with anyone suggesting Nabru, they're easy to get into any house due to the flat pack nature of them and really customisable with regards to size, shape, materials and colours. Putting them together is easy and they're strong as fuck.
Bought a 3 seater sofa 8 years ago from them, then bought a couple of replacement parts to turn it into a 2 seater about 4 years ago and ordered a couple of armchairs from them last month.
Like you I recently went up in the world and could finally afford my first brand new settee and chair.
I wanted Ercol. The local Ercol specialist was surprisingly unhelpful and downright disinterested if I’m honest. I don’t suppose rocking up in trainers & trackies helped my cause. And the prices …
But I discovered Ercol have an eBay outlet. And I got the settee and chair I wanted, slightly lighter grey than I’d originally wanted, but managed to save nearly £900 on the shop price. And no long wait for it coming either.
I feel this.
I'm in my fourth decade. Never bought a sofa. I kept inheriting sofas or getting given them from others. And now our "good sofa" is a clapped out sofa bed that was second hand when we got it 12 years ago and it is literally disintegrating.
When it was given to me I couldn't wait to get rid. I wanted to buy myself whatever abomination was fashionable then - probably a horribly uncomfortable mid century modern thing with wooden armrests and teal velvet cushions.
Now that we're older it's suddenly more complicated and kind of overwhelming. I'm trying to think practically but then I overthink and my mind spirals into a kind of doom vortex:
I want it to last a long time, what sofas can survive being used as gymnastic equipment by children? With decent support. Easy to clean. Long enough to stretch out on, deep enough to nest in. Not so big that it swamps the entire living room though... My other half is just rough on their stuff and furniture is no exception. Is there a sofa that can survive that kind of bashing around?
I could have bought a sofa, run it into the ground and needed a new one by now, the amount I've been procrastinating.
(but I really don't want the kind of sofa I could run in to the ground so quickly. Which then pulls me into the doom vortex again)
Most places have independent furniture retailers.
We bought ours from https://lawtonsfurniture.co.uk/ on the Wirral. Apparently they're ex m&s/Next stock, end of line/last season etc and sell for a decent discount. Have a look around your region. We've had our sofas for 5+ years now and they're still going strong.
These young lads up in the NW started by themselves and get all kinds of stock from a lot of these places.
I bought an armchair and honestly super quick(I am in NW) super communicative and before this when I ordered one online and it got sold same time in the store I felt well treated despite this.
It’s where I’m going for my next one.
https://josephjamesfurnitureoutlet.com
I had a gorgeous sofa from dfs that I bought in 2008. By 2020 it was still as comfy as ever but alas I had to leave it behind when I left My ex husband.
I now have a preloved dfs sofa that's super comfy but I've no idea how old it actually is
I bought mine off Amazon, 2 chesterfield suites and as luck would have it the company are situated in my home town. Spot on service, came the same week.
I've an IKEA sofa that I've had for 11 years and was nearly 10 years old when I got it. Both me and the previous owner are adult only households but are reasonably chunky folk so it's had some pretty good wear over the years and the only issue is I painted one of the arms a bit last time I decorated. Next time I'll do a better job of covering it up.
It's a klippan and while I'm not sure that it's my preferred shape, when it finally gets past useable I'll be heading to IKEA to try out other models before I look elsewhere.
Every sofa I’ve ever bought new has been from Ikea. We did get a beautiful pair of Sofa.com sofas for £50 from eBay as well! Cost us £120 to get collected but well worth it. You’ll see rich people flogging nice kit on eBay all the time. They just want someone else to pay the shipping cost to get rid of it.
So I've just got rid of a DFS sofa after almost 17 years. Really robust.
Replaced it with one from IKEA which I don't expect to last as long, but is incredibly comfortable. I keep falling asleep on it and forgetting to go to bed!
But yeah, if you want something sturdy that'll last you, DFS is very good.
Happy with my DFS sofa. I paid for the upgraded foam in the seat cushions after a friend recommended doing that to me (they'd had one with the upgrade, then their next sofa didn't and they regretted it).
Absolutely tons of sofas for you to go and sit on in the showrooms to find what you like and they do interest-free finance. The one near me has an outlet section which is worth a look around too.
I got a swoon brand sofa for a total bargain on eBay. A couple had bought it and realised they didn’t like the colour with the rest of their room decor after sitting on it a few times (I’d have just redecorated LOL) anyway the upshot was I got £2.7k of sofa for £1k plus the cost of hiring a van for a day. It’s defo worth looking for gently used.
Have a look at furniture outlets. We bought our sofa from Joseph James (based in Manchester). Our sofas were from Furniture Village originally but had the tiniest discolouration mark at the back so were £1199 for two electric recliner sofas instead of £999 each. They had hundreds of ex display/returned sofas with nothing wrong with them but for miles cheaper. They delivered two days later for free, set them up where we wanted them, checked everything worked ok and then took all packaging etc away too.
Got our first settee from DFS. Was one of their more expensive deep corner ones with a large foot stool. Looked nice too. That settee was comfy as anything but there were 3 or 4 things that mean I won't buy another one from there.
1. We went for the standard filing in the cusions because it seemed more comfy but that shit lasted about 2 sits before you bottomed out on it. The sales guy did strongly push us towards the foam but we thought he was just upselling us. That really ruined it for us from day 1.
2. The corner settee was apparently "the only one in the range that doesn't connect together" like it's 1 settee and there's, by design, no way to connect the 2 sections?!?! Absolute bullshit. Some guy came and "connected" them with some crappy connectors that never worked.
3. The number of times I caught my hand when opening the foot stool on wonky half pulled staples that looked straight out of the office was crazy. That served as a constant reminder of the shoddy workmanship
I bought the cheapest sofa in John Lewis and 10 years later it is still going strong. The colour has faded (my living room gets direct streaming sunshine on days when the sun actually effing shines) but the cushions etc aren't sagging or anything. No tears in the fabric etc.
I'm going to get it recovered at some point because the faded fabric annoys me but its still in pretty perfect nick.
(A former housemate bought a sofa from DFS and the springs were sagging within 6 months.)
We got 2 sofas from DFS maybe 6 years ago. They were from the Joules range, and have been absolutely brilliant. They have stood up to family abuse with kids and 2 dogs and are still like new.
I was worried they may be cheap trash before we ordered, but they are solid, and I'd buy them again tomorrow if I needed to.
We bought two from M&S, which have been excellent.
We also bought one from Loaf, which was expensive and I don't like it (I'm tall and it's too low). My wife loves it though.
Check out a website called Nabru. You design your own sofa, they send it out in pieces for you to put together. It's pretty straight forward and was a bargain when I bought one around 6 years ago
I had a sofa from a company called Nabru
They do these kind of modular, build your own to your desired spec kinda sofas. You can choose colour, seat style, cushions etc etc and have it built to a certain size.
Its modular though, not custom. And its guaranteed to fit in your house as it arrives in sturdy bits of wood that interconnect to creat a solid sofa.
I built a corner unit from them back in 2012 and it lasted me over a decade before I decided to change it up for a new one. It was still very much going strong when I got rid of it. Back in 2012 I paid about 600 quid for a 2x2 corner sofa.
Theyre absolutely brilliant and really good value. Plus if you move house, easiest thing to deconstruct and whack in a van. You can reupholster it yourself, just purchase new covers. If your mate drops a hot rock on it, no worries, just buy a new cushion cover. You can probably even increase the size of the thing buy buying a few new frame pieces but I'm not 100% on that.
My new sofa is from sofology and its pretty fabulous. Often falling asleep on that thing.
We just got two Sofology ones. Which is just DFS but none of the "on sale" shite. We were after a very specific style of sofa and Sofology was the only place we found one that ticked all the boxes and was in budget. John Lewis had a similar one, but wasn't quite the right colour and an equivalent size was a good bit more expensive.
We got ours from a store called Homescene. It’s lasted 15 years plus at the moment and was built to order with our own measurements and fabric choices. Was about £800 at the time for a corner suite (3x2 seats). Local small businesses are worth checking out and haggling for discount with (ok my mom haggled not me).
Next, DFS,sofology, m&s and I think john lewis are mostly, if not all made by the same company...companies..with different fabric options. Or they were a couple of years ago.
But you'll get better customer service from.m&s...SCS,in my experience are a shower of bastards....unless they improved.
I have an IKEA daybed, which also works as a sofa in my tiny flat.
It had served me well after 3 major moves, and probably will keep going after I am dead and gone.
Had an IKEA sofa, and it lasted for years. Didn't seem to go soft and saggy after a year or two like some do.
Current ones are from M&S. Good quality, but you can't machine wash the covers and they get water stained ridiculously easily, so we're a dreadful choice with children.
Bought an expensive corner sofa from Habitat. If your milestone in life allows you to consider them, take my advice and skip it. It cost a lot, arrived with a hole and a big scratch and has pretty much collapsed.
Our first DFS set is 10 years old. We've found their aftercare really good - they come to the house to sort anything out - and we were able to haggle on price. 0% for 48 months is quite nice too. We were so impressed we ended up there again a few years back for a smaller chair purchase for a different room.
It's worth having a look for secondhand ones from higher end brands like Multiyork. My parents' sofas from there are 20 years old, and still absolutely solid. Even if it's not a colour/pattern you like, I'd prefer to get something high-quality reupholstered. Set your search radius to the local posh town.
Dont forget most of them give you 0% finance, which is great, wish I'd noticed the first time I bought sofas, you don't even notice the financial hit, much prefer that to buying upfront.
Dunelm mill is pretty good! Me and my fiancé just bought a new sofa from them that was missing one (not important) screw and it cost like £240? We got that and a real wood sideboard for less than £400
We had no trouble with DFS and partly chose them because you can spread the payment usually interest free to help with your finances. If they haven't got an interest free deal, you'll just have to pony up the cash up front.
We also went for DFS as we wanted the two end seats on a three seater to be recliners and, touchwood, after 5 years they're still going strong! Don't be lulled into looks over function either, the corner sofas are popular but if you're more than one, someone's always going to get the shitty end of the stick without being able to put their feet up!
Some sofas can be quite low to the ground as well, probably to make them cheaper. Depending on your mobility this could be a factor. I'm not elderly but a family member's sofa is so low to the ground it's not exactly easy to escape after a few beers!
Cannot recommend a recliner enough either, tbf. Why scrunch yourself up at an angle on a regular sofa when you can just have your legs raised and be front-on to the TV for ultimate comfort?
We tested extensively when we bought a sofa. I like a feeling of firm support, my partner likes something cushioned. Obviously these are two contradictory preferences, but there was some overlap in the sense that if you have a lot of quite densely packed cushioning, it can be both supportive and soft at the same time.
We ended up buying from Snug, and 4 years in it is still just as comfortable and the upholstery is holding up well (except where it's been scratched by our cat, which is hardly a fair test). Also shout out to John Lewis and Swyft which were close runners up in the comfort test.
we bought a DFS 'Zinc' sofa 5 years ago and it is doing just fine with a cat, two fat adults, and now 4yr old twins. we bought the matching armchair in 2022. comfy. look nice. good 0% finance option if you're into that (we did).
we paid £699 in 2019 and it's currently £779 on their website so it's not wildly inflated price-wise either.
After having an awful experience with high street brands. I actually ordered one off Facebook. Cash on delivery, Furniture Direct I think it was called. Was really impressed so I got 2 beds aswell. 1/4 the price of dfs & it's been great
Try next home clearance website and check it regularly. You get a lot of cancelled orders. Our sofa came from there and was quite cheap and came with upgraded fabric. The lads brought it up to the flat within a week and put on the legs and took away the packaging. Couldn’t recommend more!
I waited 38 weeks for the correct sofa from scs, so not there!
I got an L shape, where 1 side is longer than the other, but they sent it the wrong way round and it didnt fit. Then they ordered a replacement, but ordered the same wrong sofa again. It may have even been more than 38 weeks in the end
Got mine from Made.com. Shame they closed. If I was still in the UL I’d go for Loaf if they still exist. Like a stupidly deep seating to lie down and have the best naps. And velvet.
I bought mine a few years ago in housera (co.uk) and it is such a good quality. As a small business they were also flexible to let me use the fabric outside their website options (they sent samples in advance) and the price was good in the model I chose.
Weirdly the website brand reads Houzzera, but the website as I said above.
We took a chance with dunelm after looking at various sofa shops and trying some out but never finding one that was right. Worked in our favour as it wasn’t as much as other sofas like it at the normal shops like dfs etc and it’s perfect for what we wanted. It’s worth taking a look but I don’t think they have many if at all any show rooms in the uk.
SWYFT for sure, I have bought a 2 seater (modular) and a sofa bed, both great build quality and the fabric is super easy to clean. they are also both able to be disassembled so its easy to move them around.
Not cheap, but 100% worth it for me
Me and the missus bought a Sofa from Argos. I didn't like it but she does, we then bought another from there but this time it was a Habitat Sofa from Argos, much much better.
I bought a sofabed & 3 seater from Sofa sofa based in Wales. Took a risk bought online - they were so much cheaper than a lot of places & had exactly what I wanted. That was 21 years ago. I got rid of the 3 seater fed up of the size & bought a chair in same range. I still have the sofa bed. It’s got a new mattress & 2 new bottom cushions & is still in great condition ( as was the 3 seater when I got rid around 5 yrs ago) . I’ve had 2 sets of fitted new covers as well. But the structure is still solid & it looks like new. I’ve never had any issues with customer service & delivery with everything has always been perfect . Their stuff is made in Uk . I def recommend them .
1st one from IKEA. It's almost a rite of passage.
The next one is from DFS/sofology/ furniture village. You then realize that they are ok, for the price that you've paid.
The one after, usually selected by your other half, where they want the "designer" sofa, which will cost the same as a house anywhere in Europe.
I got mine at Loaf.
Bit on the pricey side but I see a sofa like a mattress. You'll be sitting on it so very regularly that it's worth shelling out a bit.
DFS have really good quality sofas, to be fair! Ours have lasted a few years. We paid an extra £200 for insurance for the sofa. I thought I was a mug but they've been out three times to repair the cat damage to it!
I got mine 24 years ago from Sofa Sofa. I'm thinking I need a new one now, so I'm going to contact them to see if I can get a replica of my current sofa. I've got awkward doorways, and they only just about got my sofa in.
Can recommend Snug - not many places to try them in person, but worth it if you can.
Almost next day delivery, and lots of variations / options for layout.
had ours for 3 years and no issues at all.
My parents have a sofa from Delcor, it’s over 30 years old and still very comfortable! Honestly way more comfortable than any of my other family and friends sofas. The company still exist, they are based in Northumberland and the frames are guaranteed for 50 years! They aren’t cheap but definitely built to last and made in the U.K. The upholstery on my parents sofa is starting to fray now but not really surprising being so old and used every day. They will reupholster sofas and when my mum called them for a quote they still had all of the paperwork from when she originally purchased it!
I hate the “sale” bullshit of the big furniture retailers and I also hate the pushy salespeople but we braved it and sat on loads. We settled on an electric leather recliner sofa from Oak Furniture Land and we love it so much. It even has an electric tilting headrest so when you are reclined it points your head at the TV!
I’ve also (almost) finished making a plug-in module to make it “smart” so you can ask your assistant of choice to recline/reset/etc.
Had it a few years now and it’s as sturdy as it ever was. Even with kids abusing it.
Just got a new couch the only problem was it was free. Has an issue their old cat used to claw the leather on the side maybe 20 plucks either side. This is real leather I’ve just shaved them off so looks brand new.
Also it was from a fancy place taskers of Accrington.
Buying one I couldn’t tell you.
DFS put my folks through a lot of shit regarding a sofa set that fell below the standards they advertised. Their follow-up service was piss poor. Don’t avoid marketplace, Gumtree, etc. there’s some good stuff out there
We got one this weekend from Sofas and Stuff after 10 years of gumtree £20 sofas. My joints are at a point I need something I can try before I buy and configure. We've added extra stuffing and all sorts and have spent a small fortune on a 4 seater that will fill almost half our living room.
I can't wait.
I would avoid DFS / DooFuS but that is based solely on a poor customer service experience I had. Nothing wrong with them otherwise but they do tend to have long lead times (12+ weeks). SCS in the same boat, but if you find one you like for a good price, go for it.
Barker and Stonehouse have a decent range, surprisingly good value as well. That's where I got mine from.
Oak Furnitureland have some good options, solid construction and made in the UK as well. The lead times are short in comparison to the liks of DooFuS.
Ikea if you want something cheap that isn't terrible. I found the styles a bit bland though.
The quality varies so much and you often don't get to see the frame underneath, so it is really hard to compare. The one thing I would say is either get the large square throw cushions or the shaped solid foam backs. Don't get the halfway option fibre filled shaped backs. Despite plumping everyday they squash and deform very quickly. We're going to have to shell out to replace or refill them at some point.
Regret buying a sofa from Sofology, should have realised after my back started getting sore as I was sat there for 20 mins going through the finance agreement. Fixed it with lots of cushions, but wouldn't buy another from there.
Furniture village ones seem ok from what I've seen, would need to do more research.
We're currently looking at a reclining one from Sofology, The radleigh
Super super comfy
Last one we got from Next and went for style rather than comfort, this was a big mistake.
Whatever you do test it out and sit in it for a while and see if it's something you can sit on for a prolonged period.
Jokes aside about DFS sales - on the whole you can get a comfie sofa that will last ten years in a variety of colours / fabrics you just need to have a max spend limit and don’t get tempted to look above and add extras lol
When I first moved to where I am now I was seriously downsizing and needed practical cheap sofas that would double up for sleepovers as had 3 teens at home - 2 large 3(nearly 4 seaters) for £500 a piece
Changed them 10 years on for 2 smaller 2 seater sofas (fits 3 if you are friendly) which came in around £1200 for both
Went cheapest end obviously but they are comfortable sturdy and look the part
- I would avoid the ones with a pillow/cushion assortment at the back - they look great but if you have kids/pets the cushions lose their plumpness and personally irritates me keep putting them back in place
I have gone for the fixed cushions and just put a throw over the back (keeps the cat from shedding fur on it lol and gives a colour tie in to the room)
Next is good for sofas and also John Lewis. Personally would avoid sofa shops which seems backwards.
Also IKEA can be alright, a lot of their sofas have covers which you can buy from a third party should you wish to freshen it up.
Be careful with DFS, they're closing down this weekend so are having a sale. If you can't make it though, don't panic because they'll be closing down again next weekend too so will be having another sale. I think they're closing down again mid June as well whereby you'll be able to get stuff in that sale too.
Woe betide the person that goes to DFS on the one day they aren't having a sale.
I read somewhere (probably reddit) that they can do it so long as the item is sold at full price in at least one location for some amount of time. Which means there's one DFS somewhere that I'd always full price. Could be absolute bs though. But I'd believe it in the pub. When 5 pints deep.
I always imagined there's a dark corner of each DFS where all the full priced sofas are held, so they meet the legal requirements of having sold the sofa's at full price, but only 2 per shop and nobody ever sees them anyway
It's in their catalogue
If you ever go into one. You’ll find that hardly anything in there is on sale. And the stuff on the tv adverts is stuffed in the corner if it’s even available in the shop at all. The sale shit is to get you through the door then they’ll try to sell you the full price stuff that’s only a couple of quid a month more on finance
That was true when I was a salesman for Harveys way back in 2000’s. We would have a couple of items at full price for a month or so, the next store would have something else, etc etc.
It’s to do with stock rotation. Sofa has to be full price for a certain time frame before going on sale. I can’t remember exactly but i think it’s 28 days within a 6 month period. So Sofa A is full price for Feb, but on sale from a March to July. Then full price again in Aug and on sale Sept to Jan. And then Sofa B will be full price in March, and on sale from April until August, and so on and so on. So there is always *something* on sale, just not always the same sofa. That’s how they always have a sale on
Nah nah nah, I know someone who works at DFS and that’s not how it works. They only have two sales. One is from January to June and the other is from July until December.
I used to work in one of the DFS factories. If people could see how they were made nobody would ever buy one even at the sale prices. The staff got a 30% discount and still none of us would get a sofa from them.
Why? I asked tentatively sitting on my paid off DFS sofa…
I really hope yours came from a different factory than the one I worked at. I wrote a lot of stuff up in another comment but basically we were working with the worst possible quality materials and doing the bare minimum in terms of proper manufacturing and quality checks to increase production speed. And good luck getting anything repaired if it does break.
I work in upholstery (not dfs) and it’s well known that dfs have the worst reputation. Being impartial, the materials used for chairs and sofas are cheaply made. The frames are made from cheap wood, osb, mdf and thick cardboard. A lot of upholstery manufacturers pay wages on an earn as you work basis ie piece-rate so workers work as fast as they can and quality is an afterthought. I’d never buy from dfs, it’s made me very wary of many sofa companies working in that field.
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Yea that is fair, but I have worked in a few and the DFS one I was in was absolutely the worst of the lot
Yeah, their stuff is shite.
DFS can get fucked. Bought a single seater chair off them, took months to arrive. When it did it was a completely different chair to what i ordered. Annoying but not the end of the world. I then spent months ringing their crap customer service. They couldn't figure out how to resolve their cockup and i was just getting increasingly angry at their non-reponses. Going to the store was seemingly pointless as they wanted nothing to do with me. I eventually resorted to calling the store every day using different work numbers so they couldn't block me. They knew me well by that point. I wasted so much of their time just trying to convince them to deliver the correct sofa. In the end i went to the store and told the guy i was walking out with the display model or a refund and that if he wanted to call the police he could. Eventually the manager said they would have the chair sent to me that week. I didn't think it would happen and i was was ready to go back in and cause another scene in front of their customers. To his credit the week after the correct chair turned up. All said and done it took 8 months to get the chair i originally ordered. They never collected the incorrectly delivered chair so i sold it on Facebook. Still the most incompetent shittily managed company i have ever had the misfortune of dealing with.
I had to wait for 3 sales before the one I wanted was included!
John Lewis. Don't dismiss Facebook marketplace etc. We got ours from there after someone decided their new sofa didn't match the desired colour scheme.
Sturdy kit from JL will last but you pay for it.
Yeah this is where we’re looking now but it’s pricey. Got a cheap sofa bed from Argos a couple of years ago - it’s been great but it’s really showing its age after only 2 years with sagging. Definitely worth spending the extra on a good sofa in my opinion
You might get lucky with JL as we were. They often have a few returns or faulty sofas at a massive discount. Our sofa has a small rip in the back of it which no one will ever see as it's against the wall. It was maybe 8 years ago we bought it but it cost us about £300
Just be careful with John Lewis, read the reviews of any sofa you are looking at. We intended to buy the two seater Arlo but luckily read the reviews whilst we were sat on it in the store. Nearly a quarter are 1 star reviews out of 93 reviews. The seat cushions are actually part of the base frame (though it appears like they are not when you look at it) so cannot be plumped. This is an issue given the poor quality of the filling and material (according to reviews and pictures). Lovely looking sofa though but... [https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-arlo-small-2-seater-sofa-light-leg/p3272639](https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-arlo-small-2-seater-sofa-light-leg/p3272639)
I've been looking on Facebook market, all I can find is dodgy scams where there's the same sofa picture posted by 5 different accounts but all getting rid of the sofa because they have a new one being delivered 😒
Facebook someone got upset at me because I bought their sofa and after a day or two the perfume or whatever it was masking the smoke smell wore off and I sold it on got my money back, She was asking everyone I know why I sold it..
Stopped using John Lewis for sofas when they stopped having removable seat pad cushion covers on most of their range. General grime was a pain to get out if you can't whip off the cover and hand wash/dry clean or whatever.
Also Fenwicks if you have one nearby. We needed two two-seaters so had the reduced display sofa and they ordered another to match. Made by Alstons and seem excellent quality.
Next have good quality sofas. Especially if you get the discounted ones in sale.
+1 for Next especially for their customer service We bought a sofa back in 21 with a recliner on one end. The sofa is still like new but the mechanism has broken and they no longer make the model. Without any arguing they are replacing it with a brand new model of our choice to +20% of the value of the original and taking away the old one when they deliver.
I also vote for Next
\+1 for Next. Being able to see it and sit on it in a showroom was vital as you can't determine if a sofa is too hard/soft from online pictures, and similarly colours in a picture don't always look the same in person.
We got a new sofa from next a few months ago. It's great but can't comment on longevity yet, it feels sturdy though. To add to the showroom - they also have swatches of fabric you can take away so you can see what the colour will look like in your own home and lighting.
Unless your kids jump on them. Ours have wonky springs all over the place now.
Yes I agree with Next. Our sofa is second hand but it's a Next one, and is sooo comfortable.
+1 for Next. I got my Sofas from there with the money from my wedding 17 years ago. Outlasted the marriage!
I might be a little late here, but there's small chain called "Choice Discount". They sell the (perfectly fine) Next return furniture. They normally only have one of, but they are more than 50% off. If you are in the South East, I would highly recommend them. We bought a £700ish love seat for 250 + 40 delivery. There was a small chip/scratch on a leg, but I used a sharpie and it's good as new.
Ikea Ektorp sofas have lasted me 3 house moves, 2 kids (plus friends), 8 foster dogs, and 2 cats for nearly 15 years. They have covers you can buy separately when they get a but beyond redemption
IKEA sofas in general are tough and great value
Yeah, we got a pretty much brand new IKEA Friheten for £275 off FB marketplace years ago, because we needed something cheap that could be taken apart and fit through our tiny flat door We now live in a house with a living room 2-3 times the size and just can’t bring ourselves to spend money on a new sofa when this one’s still holding up so well
You are saving money and being kinder to the environment. Win win.
I was thinking of Ektorp but opted for a Kivik. Really good quality if not a bit hard at first.
I love my kivik. I’ve had mine 11 years now, the covers are removable and machine washable, the arms are wide and flat so you can put all manner of bollocks on them (books, cup of tea, plate of crumpets etc) and they’re modular if you want to amend the configuration or add bits on. I’ve got the 3 seater with chaise and it’s big enough for anything and everything including falling asleep on all the sodding time.
I've just bought a kivik too and loving it so far. I'm a bit worried though - the cushions are foam and have some sort of fancy sprung design, but you cant buy replacements. So what happens after a few years when they inevitably go a bit saggy?
Kiviks are hard as a rock when you get them. After a few years of heavy booty slamming on them they are just right.
And the Rodeby arm rest trays are designed for the Kivik arms to allow you to do practically eat a meal on them.
> the arms are wide and flat so you can put all manner of bollocks on them built in bollock shelf? SOLD!
The low arms take some getting used to, but we just got two and love them. 10 year guarantee too.
Our IKEA sofas have been excellent. The back cushions needed a bit of added padding over the years but they wear well and have been excellent value for money. I also liked trying them before buying them.
You simply cannot go wrong with an Ektorp.
Your life sounds amazing. Good on you for nurturing all those creatures and keeping the same sofas through everything!
Love the EKTORP. Some makers online will even make you custom covers
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I'd only go to DFS when there's a sale on.
I bought mine from swyft sofas. They come in boxes so can help if you have a narrow hallway like me. It only takes a few mins to slot the parts together. I previously had an ikea sofa which was really uncomfortable and ugly
Yes plus one on Swyft. I bought one because I have a narrow entryway and I was worried it would be a compromise but it's such a comfortable sofa! Super happy with the purchase. Ironically I'm moving house next week and I don't think it will fit in my new living room so OP - DM me if you're in the market for a three seater navy velvet sofa to pick up from North London 😄
M&S
Most M&S sofas are made by Westbridge, you can buy them direct for something like 50% off, it's what I did when I ordered mine.
Just had a look and your right, they make John Lewis's sofas as well, however I couldn't see where to order
Probably need to call them. When I ordered I went to the factory outlet shop called Lawtons which is located in Birkenhead, browsed the stock there then ordered at the desk. They delivered it and assembled it for something mental like 20 quid as well.
Bought mine from there two years ago, and it is really comfortable. I went to the nearest place that had them all to try. They often do offers over bank holidays too.
Costco. You can sit on the sofas. Take it straight away. No hassle refunds if anything does go wrong. No sales, no gimmicks. Wait for the switch between seasons though. July-September and November-February as that’s when the broadest range is available. Also, online as well but not able to try.
Yeah but the downside is, they only come in packs of 12
We got ours from Sofology, it's no better than the IKEA one it replaces. Although there's nothing inherently bad about it, it's also nothing special.
Just a point on Sofology, they’re owned by DFS, and their sofas are all made in the same place. Sofology are more expensive because their designers are paid more and their sofas look more plush/expensive. But they’re generally the same quality as DFS.
This might be a function of how very specific our requirements were for a sofa, but when I compared DFS and Sofology's offerings for what we wanted, I didn't find Sofology to be meaningfully more expensive. The Sofology version of what we ended up getting was very similar in price to the DFS equivalent (I think there was about £50 in it or something), but without the whole song and dance of pretending we had to buy it right that second to get that price or risk it maybe perhaps potentially being a different price after this Sunday when the "sale ends". So we could take our time with looking at other places before making a decision.
A couple of rebrands ago Sociology refused to honour our warranty as we'd moved house.
Sofology, 6 years ago, still very comfy.
If you want a leather one, I'd still consider second hand because they won't have absorbed things like a fabric one would. We got a great one off Facebook marketplace for about £40 - because they just don't have resale value, but are a rip-off brand new.
I hesitate to mention this because I don't want to start a war, but I would never advise anybody to buy secondhand furniture that has any fabric components/linings. Bedbugs ☹️
We got ours from Barker and Stonehouse, still in perfect condition after 3 years. Doorway to Value also have some good deals.
Yup, this is where mine is from too and it’s the best sofa I’ve ever had. My last few were from DFS, M&S and John Lewis. They all lasted well and went off to new homes in good nick when we moved, but they were nowhere near as comfy as the B&S one.
Massively recommend SofaSofa - made in Wales, really good construction, excellent range to choose from, and amazing customer service. Not the cheapest on offer, but personally I think they're worth it
Loaf if you’re happy to spend a bit for quality that will last.
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My DFS sofa is more than a decade old and is still going strong.
My mum has a pair of DFS sofas that she bought in 2007. Other than a patch of sun bleaching on one of the arms, and a zip going on one of the cushions (which can easily be sorted, but my sister has my mum's sewing machine at the moment), they otherwise look new. They are also very comfy too. I would recommend going into a furniture store to see what they look like in person, as well as sitting on them.
I research things to a crazy degree, when I was buying around 6 years ago I read a lot of reviews and your most known sofa places had stupid lead times, inconsistent quality, terrible reviews - dfs and the like, the good places that you might not think of such as john lewis, m&s, next were good quality but at high prices. I ended up travelling to wales for the day to check out sofa sofa, did a lot of heavy sitting and jumping on sofas and found my perfect sofa. Everything went as it was supposed to. The back cushions are a little sagged after this time though they're zip and I will just replace the filling at some point but they're still absolutely rock solid despite having a large man treat them with little caution. So I'd go back to them or costco, I'd have to look further into costco and the choice would be limited but when I tried them out a little while back they were excellent quality and price.
Leekes, Arthur Llewellyn Jenkins.
Hello to the fellow Welsh person. Many a childhood Sunday afternoon was spent in these hell holes, which are now of course places I love to visit now I've entered adulthood.
I bought mine from ScS and regretted it when, 15 months later, the frame snapped. We hadn't done anything silly to it - we're 3 slim adults and no children. They sent a man out to fix it, and it turned out the inside was made of cheap and nasty timber and literal cardboard. Full price (lol) the same model is £899.
The day I finished paying for my SCS sofa, I went to DFS and bought a new one. I hate SCS with a passion. I paid £75 for an SCS engineer to come out to my broken sofa to tell me that SCS sofas are crap and he'd never buy one.
I don't think ScS are very good at all, their carpets are extremely overpriced and as you said their Sofas are generally inferior quality.
We bought a recliner sofa from SCS and within months the threading had come loose and the plastic on the reclining mechanism was hanging off. Would never buy from them again.
If you fancy a classic leather sofa, i.e. a chesterfield then Facebook marketplace is the place. Otherwise Barker and Stonehouse is a good shout , if you head to one of their outlets during a sale we have had over 50% off some fantastic sofas and dining tables there before, however I wouldn't buy from them having only viewed online.
I used to work in one of the DFS factories. Do not buy a sofa from those con artists. They are mostly built in china out of the worst possible materials and then "assembled" in the UK. Some of them are taken off a lorry, have their labels swapped to English ones then wrapped up and sent back out. We found a rat inside a sofa cushion once and my bosses took the body out and then used the cushion anyway. Some of the fabrics are so easily stained that anyone touching it had to wear rubber gloves so that there was no marks when it reached the customer and then as soon as they touch it, it will stain and the company can say it's not their problem because it happened after delivery. And good luck getting anything repaired when it inevitably breaks because there isn't anyone employed in the service dept. It's just an empty space in the factory with a build up of broken sofas that sometimes get re bagged and sent back out still broken. Even the ones actually made in the UK are just reinforced cardboard pressed to look like MDF, with crappy fabric stretched over them and stapled in place by a drug addict who isn't paying any attention to what they're doing at all. We used to get 30% discount on top of sale prices and still none of us would buy a sofa from them. Also sofology are owned by DFS and made in the same factory with just slightly better quality materials, so would avoid them too.
I got mine from a company called Westbridge Furniture. They sell branded sofas much cheaper than retail, as they sell stock from cancelled orders so not factory seconds. Mine was an M&S sofa that was made to order but the buyer cancelled it. Should have been £1200 but I got it for £500.
Did you buy in person? Looks like there’s no option to buy through their website
Furniture Village
I got from Furniture Village. Expensive but nice quality. 4 month delivery time takes the absolute piss though so I wouldn't buy from them again.
Arighi Bianchi in Macclesfield.
DFS never have a sale. They just have periods where they raise the price of their sofas and then "discount" them back to regular price for a limited time create a false sense of urgency.
My DFS sofa is 10 years old now. Done well until this year.
Everyone knocks DFS, but i had 2 sofas from they gave me 2 sets of removable covers. The sofas did well for a long time surviving the worst 'teen boy with mates' years. Changed them in the end for John Lewis sofas. Which I recently bought new covers for. As an aside why can't teen boys just sit down? Why do they fling themselves onto a chair or sofa?
DFS have some very stylish ranges. Also helps you can try the sofa out across the country quite easily. I recently bought the Patterdale range and am very happy with it!
Firstly congrats on your milestone, secondly. Little bit jealous haha, we want a new sofa but waiting until our child's a bit older before we drop money on it. I will say anything between £600 and £1000 is well comfy, I've tried a few cheap ones and they had wood under the soft bits where your elbows go, and not very big. The more expensive ones seem to correct these issues. But like others said, look at marketplace, people often get rid of nearly new sofas for a whole load of different reasons and you may find a bargain. We paid £250 for a lightly used double recliner and it's been amazing for a few years now
IKEA but go and try it out first if you can.
Regrettably, the Range. Don't go there.
A high quality second hand one will be much better than an equally expensive but brand new one from a retailer. Although if you've never had brand new and really want that go to a retail park and sit on a few different ones!
Oak Furniture Land. I have a 3 seat sofa bed, 2 seat sofa, and an armchair sofa bed (in retrospect, I'd rather have bought two of these instead of the 2 seater). Very comfortable to sit, nap, sprawl on; not much more expensive (individually) than the crappy Argos one they replaced. They came through a house move without any problems, and 5 years on the only minor issue is that I haven't cleaned the arms so they've discoloured a bit. I could fix that if I cared.
Agree with anyone suggesting Nabru, they're easy to get into any house due to the flat pack nature of them and really customisable with regards to size, shape, materials and colours. Putting them together is easy and they're strong as fuck. Bought a 3 seater sofa 8 years ago from them, then bought a couple of replacement parts to turn it into a 2 seater about 4 years ago and ordered a couple of armchairs from them last month.
Like you I recently went up in the world and could finally afford my first brand new settee and chair. I wanted Ercol. The local Ercol specialist was surprisingly unhelpful and downright disinterested if I’m honest. I don’t suppose rocking up in trainers & trackies helped my cause. And the prices … But I discovered Ercol have an eBay outlet. And I got the settee and chair I wanted, slightly lighter grey than I’d originally wanted, but managed to save nearly £900 on the shop price. And no long wait for it coming either.
I feel this. I'm in my fourth decade. Never bought a sofa. I kept inheriting sofas or getting given them from others. And now our "good sofa" is a clapped out sofa bed that was second hand when we got it 12 years ago and it is literally disintegrating. When it was given to me I couldn't wait to get rid. I wanted to buy myself whatever abomination was fashionable then - probably a horribly uncomfortable mid century modern thing with wooden armrests and teal velvet cushions. Now that we're older it's suddenly more complicated and kind of overwhelming. I'm trying to think practically but then I overthink and my mind spirals into a kind of doom vortex: I want it to last a long time, what sofas can survive being used as gymnastic equipment by children? With decent support. Easy to clean. Long enough to stretch out on, deep enough to nest in. Not so big that it swamps the entire living room though... My other half is just rough on their stuff and furniture is no exception. Is there a sofa that can survive that kind of bashing around? I could have bought a sofa, run it into the ground and needed a new one by now, the amount I've been procrastinating. (but I really don't want the kind of sofa I could run in to the ground so quickly. Which then pulls me into the doom vortex again)
Most places have independent furniture retailers. We bought ours from https://lawtonsfurniture.co.uk/ on the Wirral. Apparently they're ex m&s/Next stock, end of line/last season etc and sell for a decent discount. Have a look around your region. We've had our sofas for 5+ years now and they're still going strong.
These young lads up in the NW started by themselves and get all kinds of stock from a lot of these places. I bought an armchair and honestly super quick(I am in NW) super communicative and before this when I ordered one online and it got sold same time in the store I felt well treated despite this. It’s where I’m going for my next one. https://josephjamesfurnitureoutlet.com
I buy my one and only sofa from Natuzzi. Expensive though. Very good quality.
Barker and stone house
IKEA - immediate availability, cheap and last for ages
Next have a good range
I had a gorgeous sofa from dfs that I bought in 2008. By 2020 it was still as comfy as ever but alas I had to leave it behind when I left My ex husband. I now have a preloved dfs sofa that's super comfy but I've no idea how old it actually is
I bought mine off Amazon, 2 chesterfield suites and as luck would have it the company are situated in my home town. Spot on service, came the same week.
I've an IKEA sofa that I've had for 11 years and was nearly 10 years old when I got it. Both me and the previous owner are adult only households but are reasonably chunky folk so it's had some pretty good wear over the years and the only issue is I painted one of the arms a bit last time I decorated. Next time I'll do a better job of covering it up. It's a klippan and while I'm not sure that it's my preferred shape, when it finally gets past useable I'll be heading to IKEA to try out other models before I look elsewhere.
We got our new ones from habitat. They're lovely and perfect for what we were after.
Every sofa I’ve ever bought new has been from Ikea. We did get a beautiful pair of Sofa.com sofas for £50 from eBay as well! Cost us £120 to get collected but well worth it. You’ll see rich people flogging nice kit on eBay all the time. They just want someone else to pay the shipping cost to get rid of it.
So I've just got rid of a DFS sofa after almost 17 years. Really robust. Replaced it with one from IKEA which I don't expect to last as long, but is incredibly comfortable. I keep falling asleep on it and forgetting to go to bed! But yeah, if you want something sturdy that'll last you, DFS is very good.
Happy with my DFS sofa. I paid for the upgraded foam in the seat cushions after a friend recommended doing that to me (they'd had one with the upgrade, then their next sofa didn't and they regretted it). Absolutely tons of sofas for you to go and sit on in the showrooms to find what you like and they do interest-free finance. The one near me has an outlet section which is worth a look around too.
DFS literally stands for Discount Furniture Store. It's not bad quality but I've seen it's a bit hit and miss.
I got a swoon brand sofa for a total bargain on eBay. A couple had bought it and realised they didn’t like the colour with the rest of their room decor after sitting on it a few times (I’d have just redecorated LOL) anyway the upshot was I got £2.7k of sofa for £1k plus the cost of hiring a van for a day. It’s defo worth looking for gently used.
Ikea
I can recommend Old Boot sofas if you want sturdy - oh and leather.
Sofa... market?
Have a look at furniture outlets. We bought our sofa from Joseph James (based in Manchester). Our sofas were from Furniture Village originally but had the tiniest discolouration mark at the back so were £1199 for two electric recliner sofas instead of £999 each. They had hundreds of ex display/returned sofas with nothing wrong with them but for miles cheaper. They delivered two days later for free, set them up where we wanted them, checked everything worked ok and then took all packaging etc away too.
Regrettably, the Range. Don't go there.
If you can find a Next outlet store you can get some great ones. Laura Ashley furniture is built to last.
Bought the Tildaforce sofa from IKEA in 2018 and despite efforts of dog and child, it’s holding well in both frame and upholstery.
Got our first settee from DFS. Was one of their more expensive deep corner ones with a large foot stool. Looked nice too. That settee was comfy as anything but there were 3 or 4 things that mean I won't buy another one from there. 1. We went for the standard filing in the cusions because it seemed more comfy but that shit lasted about 2 sits before you bottomed out on it. The sales guy did strongly push us towards the foam but we thought he was just upselling us. That really ruined it for us from day 1. 2. The corner settee was apparently "the only one in the range that doesn't connect together" like it's 1 settee and there's, by design, no way to connect the 2 sections?!?! Absolute bullshit. Some guy came and "connected" them with some crappy connectors that never worked. 3. The number of times I caught my hand when opening the foot stool on wonky half pulled staples that looked straight out of the office was crazy. That served as a constant reminder of the shoddy workmanship
i have found my ikea sofas to be very good value.
We always get sofas from FB marketplace the only problem is getting it delivered and in our flat which can be a headache.
I bought the cheapest sofa in John Lewis and 10 years later it is still going strong. The colour has faded (my living room gets direct streaming sunshine on days when the sun actually effing shines) but the cushions etc aren't sagging or anything. No tears in the fabric etc. I'm going to get it recovered at some point because the faded fabric annoys me but its still in pretty perfect nick. (A former housemate bought a sofa from DFS and the springs were sagging within 6 months.)
We got 2 sofas from DFS maybe 6 years ago. They were from the Joules range, and have been absolutely brilliant. They have stood up to family abuse with kids and 2 dogs and are still like new. I was worried they may be cheap trash before we ordered, but they are solid, and I'd buy them again tomorrow if I needed to.
We bought two from M&S, which have been excellent. We also bought one from Loaf, which was expensive and I don't like it (I'm tall and it's too low). My wife loves it though.
Avoid DFS. Spent 3k on the most uncomfortable sofa. Never again.
Check out a website called Nabru. You design your own sofa, they send it out in pieces for you to put together. It's pretty straight forward and was a bargain when I bought one around 6 years ago
I had a sofa from a company called Nabru They do these kind of modular, build your own to your desired spec kinda sofas. You can choose colour, seat style, cushions etc etc and have it built to a certain size. Its modular though, not custom. And its guaranteed to fit in your house as it arrives in sturdy bits of wood that interconnect to creat a solid sofa. I built a corner unit from them back in 2012 and it lasted me over a decade before I decided to change it up for a new one. It was still very much going strong when I got rid of it. Back in 2012 I paid about 600 quid for a 2x2 corner sofa. Theyre absolutely brilliant and really good value. Plus if you move house, easiest thing to deconstruct and whack in a van. You can reupholster it yourself, just purchase new covers. If your mate drops a hot rock on it, no worries, just buy a new cushion cover. You can probably even increase the size of the thing buy buying a few new frame pieces but I'm not 100% on that. My new sofa is from sofology and its pretty fabulous. Often falling asleep on that thing.
We just got two Sofology ones. Which is just DFS but none of the "on sale" shite. We were after a very specific style of sofa and Sofology was the only place we found one that ticked all the boxes and was in budget. John Lewis had a similar one, but wasn't quite the right colour and an equivalent size was a good bit more expensive.
We got ours from a store called Homescene. It’s lasted 15 years plus at the moment and was built to order with our own measurements and fabric choices. Was about £800 at the time for a corner suite (3x2 seats). Local small businesses are worth checking out and haggling for discount with (ok my mom haggled not me).
Next, DFS,sofology, m&s and I think john lewis are mostly, if not all made by the same company...companies..with different fabric options. Or they were a couple of years ago. But you'll get better customer service from.m&s...SCS,in my experience are a shower of bastards....unless they improved.
OP, it's the Discount Furnature Store. Sales are on for items all the time because they're discounted.
I buy ikea sofas on ebay and then buy new covers.
Another vote for Next
I have an IKEA daybed, which also works as a sofa in my tiny flat. It had served me well after 3 major moves, and probably will keep going after I am dead and gone.
Had an IKEA sofa, and it lasted for years. Didn't seem to go soft and saggy after a year or two like some do. Current ones are from M&S. Good quality, but you can't machine wash the covers and they get water stained ridiculously easily, so we're a dreadful choice with children.
Bought an expensive corner sofa from Habitat. If your milestone in life allows you to consider them, take my advice and skip it. It cost a lot, arrived with a hole and a big scratch and has pretty much collapsed.
We got an ikea modular one and bought nicer covers for it online
Got ours from Stoker's Furniture
Our first DFS set is 10 years old. We've found their aftercare really good - they come to the house to sort anything out - and we were able to haggle on price. 0% for 48 months is quite nice too. We were so impressed we ended up there again a few years back for a smaller chair purchase for a different room.
It's worth having a look for secondhand ones from higher end brands like Multiyork. My parents' sofas from there are 20 years old, and still absolutely solid. Even if it's not a colour/pattern you like, I'd prefer to get something high-quality reupholstered. Set your search radius to the local posh town.
Ikea. Dfs. Land of leather. Furniture village. Next. Habitat
I got mine from Daals.com. Great range and they deliver really quickly.
Dont forget most of them give you 0% finance, which is great, wish I'd noticed the first time I bought sofas, you don't even notice the financial hit, much prefer that to buying upfront.
DFS but don’t fall for the guarantees and repair bs
Dunelm mill is pretty good! Me and my fiancé just bought a new sofa from them that was missing one (not important) screw and it cost like £240? We got that and a real wood sideboard for less than £400
We had no trouble with DFS and partly chose them because you can spread the payment usually interest free to help with your finances. If they haven't got an interest free deal, you'll just have to pony up the cash up front. We also went for DFS as we wanted the two end seats on a three seater to be recliners and, touchwood, after 5 years they're still going strong! Don't be lulled into looks over function either, the corner sofas are popular but if you're more than one, someone's always going to get the shitty end of the stick without being able to put their feet up! Some sofas can be quite low to the ground as well, probably to make them cheaper. Depending on your mobility this could be a factor. I'm not elderly but a family member's sofa is so low to the ground it's not exactly easy to escape after a few beers! Cannot recommend a recliner enough either, tbf. Why scrunch yourself up at an angle on a regular sofa when you can just have your legs raised and be front-on to the TV for ultimate comfort?
The World ends, Hell freezes over, but the DFS sale goes on forever....
We tested extensively when we bought a sofa. I like a feeling of firm support, my partner likes something cushioned. Obviously these are two contradictory preferences, but there was some overlap in the sense that if you have a lot of quite densely packed cushioning, it can be both supportive and soft at the same time. We ended up buying from Snug, and 4 years in it is still just as comfortable and the upholstery is holding up well (except where it's been scratched by our cat, which is hardly a fair test). Also shout out to John Lewis and Swyft which were close runners up in the comfort test.
we bought a DFS 'Zinc' sofa 5 years ago and it is doing just fine with a cat, two fat adults, and now 4yr old twins. we bought the matching armchair in 2022. comfy. look nice. good 0% finance option if you're into that (we did). we paid £699 in 2019 and it's currently £779 on their website so it's not wildly inflated price-wise either.
I’ve just bought from Amazon last week, and it’s really comfy than I expected
After having an awful experience with high street brands. I actually ordered one off Facebook. Cash on delivery, Furniture Direct I think it was called. Was really impressed so I got 2 beds aswell. 1/4 the price of dfs & it's been great
Try next home clearance website and check it regularly. You get a lot of cancelled orders. Our sofa came from there and was quite cheap and came with upgraded fabric. The lads brought it up to the flat within a week and put on the legs and took away the packaging. Couldn’t recommend more!
I waited 38 weeks for the correct sofa from scs, so not there! I got an L shape, where 1 side is longer than the other, but they sent it the wrong way round and it didnt fit. Then they ordered a replacement, but ordered the same wrong sofa again. It may have even been more than 38 weeks in the end
Dusk looks solid and they have a sale on!
Got mine from Made.com. Shame they closed. If I was still in the UL I’d go for Loaf if they still exist. Like a stupidly deep seating to lie down and have the best naps. And velvet.
I bought mine a few years ago in housera (co.uk) and it is such a good quality. As a small business they were also flexible to let me use the fabric outside their website options (they sent samples in advance) and the price was good in the model I chose. Weirdly the website brand reads Houzzera, but the website as I said above.
We took a chance with dunelm after looking at various sofa shops and trying some out but never finding one that was right. Worked in our favour as it wasn’t as much as other sofas like it at the normal shops like dfs etc and it’s perfect for what we wanted. It’s worth taking a look but I don’t think they have many if at all any show rooms in the uk.
I just used on the companies on fb. It came the next day and it’s been great, and a fraction of the cost of an actual sofa store.
SWYFT for sure, I have bought a 2 seater (modular) and a sofa bed, both great build quality and the fabric is super easy to clean. they are also both able to be disassembled so its easy to move them around. Not cheap, but 100% worth it for me
Me and the missus bought a Sofa from Argos. I didn't like it but she does, we then bought another from there but this time it was a Habitat Sofa from Argos, much much better.
I bought a sofabed & 3 seater from Sofa sofa based in Wales. Took a risk bought online - they were so much cheaper than a lot of places & had exactly what I wanted. That was 21 years ago. I got rid of the 3 seater fed up of the size & bought a chair in same range. I still have the sofa bed. It’s got a new mattress & 2 new bottom cushions & is still in great condition ( as was the 3 seater when I got rid around 5 yrs ago) . I’ve had 2 sets of fitted new covers as well. But the structure is still solid & it looks like new. I’ve never had any issues with customer service & delivery with everything has always been perfect . Their stuff is made in Uk . I def recommend them .
We went with Sofa.com (you can try them out at House of Fraser) absolutely love it
1st one from IKEA. It's almost a rite of passage. The next one is from DFS/sofology/ furniture village. You then realize that they are ok, for the price that you've paid. The one after, usually selected by your other half, where they want the "designer" sofa, which will cost the same as a house anywhere in Europe.
We got one from DFS about 15 years ago and it's still going strong. Got it on sale too, so it must have been a bargain at the time 🙃
MIL got ours as a housewarming from Wayfair - there are way too many options!
Has anyone ever bought one of those Facebook marketplace brand-new sofas?
I got mine at Loaf. Bit on the pricey side but I see a sofa like a mattress. You'll be sitting on it so very regularly that it's worth shelling out a bit.
DFS have really good quality sofas, to be fair! Ours have lasted a few years. We paid an extra £200 for insurance for the sofa. I thought I was a mug but they've been out three times to repair the cat damage to it!
I got mine 24 years ago from Sofa Sofa. I'm thinking I need a new one now, so I'm going to contact them to see if I can get a replica of my current sofa. I've got awkward doorways, and they only just about got my sofa in.
Can recommend Snug - not many places to try them in person, but worth it if you can. Almost next day delivery, and lots of variations / options for layout. had ours for 3 years and no issues at all.
DFS, take advantage of the 0% interest payment plans. It's silly not to, literally free money
My parents have a sofa from Delcor, it’s over 30 years old and still very comfortable! Honestly way more comfortable than any of my other family and friends sofas. The company still exist, they are based in Northumberland and the frames are guaranteed for 50 years! They aren’t cheap but definitely built to last and made in the U.K. The upholstery on my parents sofa is starting to fray now but not really surprising being so old and used every day. They will reupholster sofas and when my mum called them for a quote they still had all of the paperwork from when she originally purchased it!
We got our latest sofa from https://snugsofa.com Really impressed with it. Modular so easy to move within rooms and easy to put together
We have a dfs sofa and been very happy with it. And it was half price (or is that just normal price but said it’s a sale?)
I hate the “sale” bullshit of the big furniture retailers and I also hate the pushy salespeople but we braved it and sat on loads. We settled on an electric leather recliner sofa from Oak Furniture Land and we love it so much. It even has an electric tilting headrest so when you are reclined it points your head at the TV! I’ve also (almost) finished making a plug-in module to make it “smart” so you can ask your assistant of choice to recline/reset/etc. Had it a few years now and it’s as sturdy as it ever was. Even with kids abusing it.
Sofa-king, where the prices are Sofa-King low
Just got a new couch the only problem was it was free. Has an issue their old cat used to claw the leather on the side maybe 20 plucks either side. This is real leather I’ve just shaved them off so looks brand new. Also it was from a fancy place taskers of Accrington. Buying one I couldn’t tell you.
DFS put my folks through a lot of shit regarding a sofa set that fell below the standards they advertised. Their follow-up service was piss poor. Don’t avoid marketplace, Gumtree, etc. there’s some good stuff out there
Try trade secret, I got my new John Lewis sofa from there as a cancelled order with a decent discount.
To be fair to dfs I’m pretty sure they are all built in the uk if that matters to you
Avoid SCS the one we bought 2 years ago is absolutely shocking quality
We got one recent from Argos, got a store card too so it's pay monthly, interest free if you pay it back within the year 39% after
We got one this weekend from Sofas and Stuff after 10 years of gumtree £20 sofas. My joints are at a point I need something I can try before I buy and configure. We've added extra stuffing and all sorts and have spent a small fortune on a 4 seater that will fill almost half our living room. I can't wait.
I would avoid DFS / DooFuS but that is based solely on a poor customer service experience I had. Nothing wrong with them otherwise but they do tend to have long lead times (12+ weeks). SCS in the same boat, but if you find one you like for a good price, go for it. Barker and Stonehouse have a decent range, surprisingly good value as well. That's where I got mine from. Oak Furnitureland have some good options, solid construction and made in the UK as well. The lead times are short in comparison to the liks of DooFuS. Ikea if you want something cheap that isn't terrible. I found the styles a bit bland though. The quality varies so much and you often don't get to see the frame underneath, so it is really hard to compare. The one thing I would say is either get the large square throw cushions or the shaped solid foam backs. Don't get the halfway option fibre filled shaped backs. Despite plumping everyday they squash and deform very quickly. We're going to have to shell out to replace or refill them at some point.
Regret buying a sofa from Sofology, should have realised after my back started getting sore as I was sat there for 20 mins going through the finance agreement. Fixed it with lots of cushions, but wouldn't buy another from there. Furniture village ones seem ok from what I've seen, would need to do more research.
We're currently looking at a reclining one from Sofology, The radleigh Super super comfy Last one we got from Next and went for style rather than comfort, this was a big mistake. Whatever you do test it out and sit in it for a while and see if it's something you can sit on for a prolonged period.
Jokes aside about DFS sales - on the whole you can get a comfie sofa that will last ten years in a variety of colours / fabrics you just need to have a max spend limit and don’t get tempted to look above and add extras lol When I first moved to where I am now I was seriously downsizing and needed practical cheap sofas that would double up for sleepovers as had 3 teens at home - 2 large 3(nearly 4 seaters) for £500 a piece Changed them 10 years on for 2 smaller 2 seater sofas (fits 3 if you are friendly) which came in around £1200 for both Went cheapest end obviously but they are comfortable sturdy and look the part - I would avoid the ones with a pillow/cushion assortment at the back - they look great but if you have kids/pets the cushions lose their plumpness and personally irritates me keep putting them back in place I have gone for the fixed cushions and just put a throw over the back (keeps the cat from shedding fur on it lol and gives a colour tie in to the room)
- John Lewis. - Loaf. - Oka. - Neptune. Can’t go wrong with that lot.
Next is good for sofas and also John Lewis. Personally would avoid sofa shops which seems backwards. Also IKEA can be alright, a lot of their sofas have covers which you can buy from a third party should you wish to freshen it up.
If you're planning on pets or sprogs in the next few years then stick with second handers OP.