Leather suite...

Never used one of the big chains after our dfs sofa just fell apart after a couple of years. We buy from a Hatfield’s in Colchester, not cheap but you get what you pay for. Heals in London has some nice quality leather sofas, last time we were in a London, again, not cheap?

Reminds me of the lyrics my mate composed " We have got to get it together, you bring the whips and I bring the leather"

Ken

Earlier this year I needed to get one (of a pair) of my leather 3-seater sofas repaired as the frame had partially collapsed.  I got a local repairer round and he had to take the thing away to do the repair. Anyway, the guy I used was clearly a bit of a craftsman and was happy to talk to me about the construction of my sofa. Although my sofa(s) were pretty expensive when purchased, while the leather is of good quality it was clear that the frame wasn't, much of it being made from cheap chipboard.  I asked the guy who, if anyone, made decent sofa these days, with a properly constructed frame made from decent timber. He was pretty damning, even of the designer brands.  However he mentioned a small outfit based in Cardiff who still make sofas 'the old fashioned way'.  The firm is called Sofasofa and Google search will quickly reveal their website. I've had a browse and am quite likely to go for one of their two-seater sofas. The guy freely acknowledged that the downside of Sofasofa is that they are small and unless you are prepared to visit their only showroom in Cardiff, it's pretty much buying on-line, which might not suit the lady of the house, but worth a browse. 

Mike

Ekornes - we have had ours for 12 years and they are still going strong. Excellent build quality. Check their UK website for stockists.

We bought a Natuzzi Italian black leather couch and love seat about 18 years ago .. a great buy/investment.  They've survived innumerable pets and 2 kids and still look like new.  

The only down side is that they have this energy absorbing feature which puts you to sleep if you lay down on them.  Works every time.

thanks for all the suggestions guys!! very good start -- and that's exactly what i was looking for... please keep them coming if there are anymore. on our old suite, its the leather thats looking very sad...

enjoy

ken

Another vote for Ekornes Stressless

Simon Ward sell them and should be one of those reasonably close to you

Another vote for Ekornes Stressless,  we have two large Mayfair single seat recliners & foot stools.   Its our second time around with Ekornes,  the first pair were 15 to 20 years old & still in good condition but unfortunately one got damaged.  Insurance paid out OK;  but rather than go odd looking with new & old chairs,  we bought a new pair in a different colour.

We also have a pair of Ercol settee's,  its not a suite as such & although the settee's are fabric covered,  the ash wood frames & the fabric colour both match & contrast well with the leather Ekornes.

We indulged ourselves in Cassina's LeCorbusier sofas and a lounger - simple and a timeless design. Its modernist look goes well with Naim boxes

I bought a large Java sofa and chair from John Lewis.  The semi-aniline leather is very good quality and at first they are very comfortable to sit in.  Very good write ups on the JL website.  I suspect that I did not think this through properly as the initial comfort is provided in part through being too 'squidgy'.  In hindsight I would have preferred something with more support even if initially less comfortable.  The back cushions don't hold their shape very well - another function of being too soft.  School boy error on my part.

My lesson learned/ suggestion to you is to take a longer term view before buying to ensure you are going to be happy with the support and comfort provided.  Furniture has very little value once out of the showroom and for me is a pretty long term investment.

Good luck with your search!

Peter

northpole posted:

 Furniture has very little value once out of the showroom and for me is a pretty long term investment.

Good luck with your search!

Peter

Very true, but there are ekseptions (ref. to the symponic rockband). I just saw that Adam bought a Cassina LC2/3, which can be sold for half the money after 10-20 years or so. Initial payment high, but they cost less - or max the same as - random sofa's but looks much better. My wife does not accept this argument by the way.

I'm after this sofa:

I brought 2 of my kids to the shop to test it. We fitted all together on the sofa (quite funny: a one year old jumping on a sofa in an up-market luxury shop having his shoes on). I much prefered it to the Cassinas in the way it sits, but this is very personal - depends on your shapes.

Search for 'moooi canvas' on google. It is available in the UK.

We have not bought it yet, but will go back next weekend to validate our observations.

Question: how long does a good leather sofa last? Our current sofa which is non-leather did last only 8 years (2 cats, 4 kids, 2 parents) of which the last 2 years were too much for the sofa.

Gazza posted:

Never used one of the big chains after our dfs sofa just fell apart after a couple of years. We buy from a Hatfield’s in Colchester, not cheap but you get what you pay for. Heals in London has some nice quality leather sofas, last time we were in a London, again, not cheap?

Back in the mid ‘90s we bought black leather sofas from Heals. Cost a substantial amount of dosh, even with 50% off in the sales.

Twenty+ years, two daughters and 6 cats later, they are still going strong.

Suzy Wong posted:

Gazza posted:

Never used one of the big chains after our dfs sofa just fell apart after a couple of years. We buy from a Hatfield’s in Colchester, not cheap but you get what you pay for. Heals in London has some nice quality leather sofas, last time we were in a London, again, not cheap?

Back in the mid ‘90s we bought black leather sofas from Heals. Cost a substantial amount of dosh, even with 50% off in the sales.

Twenty+ years, two daughters and 6 cats later, they are still going strong.

as it happens, we bought our current suite from Heals as well, that was, uh, 1985 -- so i guess that its fair they have seen better days?

enjoy

ken

Bought ours from a local shop (Camp Hopson) in Newbury more than 20 years ago. John Lewis also sold the same product. We must have visited the store 20 times to sit in the chairs and sofas before we were confident we were making the right choice.

Manufacturer was based on a small industrial estate off Burrs Lane on the outskirts of Clacton, but I can't recall their name and not sure they still exist. The furniture is still as good as new.

The frames and the leather were first class, so definitely worth taking advice from reputable retailers about the materials and workmanship

Don Atkinson posted:

Bought ours from a local shop (Camp Hopson) in Newbury more than 20 years ago. John Lewis also sold the same product. We must have visited the store 20 times to sit in the chairs and sofas before we were confident we were making the right choice.

Manufacturer was based on a small industrial estate off Burrs Lane on the outskirts of Clacton, but I can't recall their name and not sure they still exist. The furniture is still as good as new.

The frames and the leather were first class, so definitely worth taking advice from reputable retailers about the materials and workmanship

Thanks Don...

enjoy...

/ken

Hello,

If you want something up to level of your probably posh lounge/living, you may consider Poltrona Frau

https://www.poltronafrau.com/it/ 

If you are more inclined for Bauhaus/Rationalist style, I'd consider a classic piece from Cassina like Adam pointed out above.

Me, i' m lusting over a Flexform  Groundpiece combo sofa+dormeuse in fabric

However with a 252/SC-DR price tag  like and the idea of our cats battling over it, it won't be an easy go.

Regards

Roberto

+1 for the Stressless, which has been a winner in two similar threads. Does anyone else have to pull out a rubber mallet and beat the tongues back into the grooves of the base every so often?

The quest for true quality in furniture is difficult one. Paying a lot of money isn't a guarantee of quality, and in some types of furniture, the structural integrity is not really on display. We bought 8 wooden/leather dining chairs some time back, and all but 2 have failed structurally beyond repair. They weren't cheap, and this has been very disappointing. The long-term durability of leathers and fabrics isn't apparent in the showroom, either, and a degree of trust is required (and often betrayed).

The rubber mallet comes in handy for DR chairs as well. Not to mention chicken breasts.