Where to flop-shop for furniture nowadays (in London)

[mc2fool]

Thinking it's a bit overdue for a new sofa, I figure as a start I'll google for my nearest big-name furniture store, which turned out to be Dunelm, and I then look on their website to see what they've got and, yes, they list 507 sofas, some of which are just colour variations, but still, there's lots of different kinds and a fair few look ok, both in what they are and in price.

But, pffft, you can't do sofa shopping just online, you have to see them, feel them, flop on them, stretch out, etc. So, I truck on down to that nearest Dunelm. I've never been inside it before but I've seen it from the outside many times, it's in a smallish "retail park", and it looks to be a decent sized store, and indeed it is ...

...of course I'm not expecting to see anywhere near 507 sofas but I was expecting to see more than 3. Yep, 3 sofas is all they had on display. Now if I'd wanted to buy a toaster, or a picture frame, or curtains, I'd have been able to look and poke at scores of each, but sofas, just 3.

My next nearest big-name furniture store is Ikea, and I'm wondering if I'll have the same experience there.

What happened to the furniture stores I remember from my yoof, giant shops with rows and rows of sofas, chairs, beds, etc, etc?

DAK if there is anywhere in London that has a decent selection of sofas and the like on display that one can actually try out, and is of reasonable quality for reasonable prices?

[y0rkiebar]

I went IKEA, could actually sit on said sofa prior to ordering.

[Imbiber]

DFS are in London, I think, they have loads on display. Maybe SCS ?

[kempiejon]

I bought shares in Dunelm last week.
I bought a new sofa in 2015. It was October, we'd not long moved and I'd finished decorating the living room so we were ready to finish the room. Fire place, mirrors, coffee table all set, I'd built the shelves a new sofa was the next job. We saw the advert on TV saying buy now to guarantee delivery before Christmas, it was October, a new experience for me, you go to the sofa show room and choose the style of sofa you want, the colour you want it in, cushions, legs, trim etc. A team of sofa engineers and tailors will construct your bespoke sofa and deliver it in 8 to 10 weeks. It was too much choice I wanted a sofa sooner than 2 months so I bought a display model there and then for a 15% discount and had it delivered 2 days later on Tuesday.
We went to both DFS and Furniture Village, can't remember which one had the sofa of destiny but in both there were plenty of items to sit on, one had a keen salesperson who didn't get the business.

[gryffron]

They’re all made to order these days, so the shops don’t hold any stock. Dead money.

Though as you say, it would be nice to try them for size before you buy.

Gryff

[redsturgeon]

Loaf have plenty of sofas to loaf on. Or they used to have a few years ago.

[kempiejon]

They’re all made to order these days, so the shops don’t hold any stock. Dead money.

Though as you say, it would be nice to try them for size before you buy.

Gryff

https://www.dfs.co.uk/content/quick-delivery

Ready to ship
While many of our sofas are made to order, a selection of our most popular styles are in stock and ready to ship, meaning they can arrive in as little as 7 days. New models are being added to our selection of quick delivery sofas all the time, and include corner sofas, sofa beds, leather sofas and even recliners.

[Redmires]

Is there still a John Lewis store in London or have they all been closed down ?

[Lootman]

Is there still a John Lewis store in London or have they all been closed down ?

The Oxford Street John Lewis location is the biggest and surely has some furniture you can sit on. Probably not the cheapest however. A lot of people prefer a location you can easily drive to however.

[Arborbridge]

Is there still a John Lewis store in London or have they all been closed down ?

There is a good selection of sofas in the London John lewis - or was last time I was there. The trouble is, my wife didn't like any of them!

[Mike4]

I was looking around for a sofa a couple of years ago and established that places where you could do the real life flop-test on lots of sofas (e.g. DFS, SCS LeatherLand et al were about five times the price of places where you had to choose on line or from a catalogue.

This makes perfect sense when you consider the price of retail space along with staff on hand to answer all the stupid questions nowadays.

The notable exception is Ikea, who have most of their sofas on display for you to flop on, and the prices are so disarmingly sensible I almost bought one. The thing that stopped me is how to dispose of the old one. They don't seem to offer to take it away.

[ukmtk]

We bought one just last year from DFS.
It was a very nice L shaped sofa.

This time we mocked up the sofa in the destination room.
The previous time we hadn't and got something way too big.
They look smaller in a warehouse!

[Gerry557]

Don't make the mistake of sitting on one for five minutes on a days shopping and thinking that it's comfy.

Take the kindle, flask and even sandwiches. After 4 hours of lolling you should find the reality

[swill453]

I was quite impressed with the range and quality of furniture at Sofology, a big place which appears in many retail parks. Though on a google maps search I see it's only in the north of England and Scotland.

Scott.

[Lanark]

The quality of many sofa's is absolute garbage these days.

The market seems to have split into quality stuff at £5000+ for the rich and all the 'made in China from the softest wood' at £500ish
The problem area is things priced at £1500 or so which you might expect to be well made and they just arent.

Things to look for:
A hardwood frame.
Either jointed or screwed together, not just glued.
Cushions with some kind of natural filling, not just foam.

If I was looking in the £1000-£2000 range I think I'd go vintage + reupholster.

[orangepekoe]

Depending on where you live in London there's Fishpools out at Waltham Cross, M25 junction 25, which have lots on display. Website says they've got a sale on and also clearance items.
https://www.fishpools.co.uk/


Oliver Matthews in Potters Bar, M25 junction 24, have lots and also a sale this weekend. They make a range of their own sofas which can be customised eg. seat height, seat depth, which a very tall relative of mine found useful.
https://omfurniture.co.uk/


Larger M&S stores who sell furniture will have some on display.

[6Tricia]

https://www.la-z-boy.co.uk/kingston-fur ... d_source=1

If you book an appointment online, receive £50 off order, plus 20% off orders at the moment.

I'm a big fan of La Z Boy, my two and three seater sofas are still going strong after 24 years. Excellent quality and all metal frames!

Tricia

[mc2fool]

Thanks for all the leads folks. For S. London outer Croydon seems to be the go-to place! There's IKEA, DFS, SCS, Furniture Village, Dunelm, Sofology and quite a few others all within a click of each other along Purley Way. Loooong afternoon!

[kempiejon]

Thanks for all the leads folks. For S. London outer Croydon seems to be the go-to place! There's IKEA, DFS, SCS, Furniture Village, Dunelm, Sofology and quite a few others all within a click of each other along Purley Way. Loooong afternoon!

Good luck, have you made a list? We measured our spaces, took a colour sample of the paint, had an idea of what we wanted, things like arms, buttons, legs, tassels, matching foot rest, recliners, electric or not. Came back with something different to the plan but it helps with the oppressive array of choice.

[redsturgeon]

The quality of many sofa's is absolute garbage these days.

The market seems to have split into quality stuff at £5000+ for the rich and all the 'made in China from the softest wood' at £500ish
The problem area is things priced at £1500 or so which you might expect to be well made and they just arent.

Things to look for:
A hardwood frame.
Either jointed or screwed together, not just glued.
Cushions with some kind of natural filling, not just foam.

If I was looking in the £1000-£2000 range I think I'd go vintage + reupholster.

Loaf the company I mentioned earlier make their sofas in Long Eaton, Notts...reason enough for me to consider them above any made outside the Uk.

Prices are £1000-£2000 range so not silly money. I have two of their sofas and have been very happy with them.