Sofa Dos and Don'ts

[Hells Bells]

Some friends have had large items that didn't need to be returned to the store, so worth phoning them first. I think they collected the damaged item when they delivered the new one.

[Laurel]

We did go to IKEA and look at Ektorp but wanted something with cleaner lines and tbh weren't too sure about the quality.

Thanks to this forum, we've now found the Domino Modular range at Sofasofa and are pretty sold on it already. It ticks all the boxes and we've been VERY impressed with their customer service. I emailed a question yesterday and got a response this (bank holiday!) Monday morning. Have ordered fabric swatches in blue and ivory and are hoping to go do a 'sit test' sometime soon.

Another related question... Sofa colours. We really like the blue but I think I remember reading here that it is a good idea to go for a light/neutral colour because it means you can use stain removers with more confidence. However the sofas will be in a room with a wood burner and I'm thinking the blue will stand up to the inevitable dust and sooty marks better than white/ivory.

Hope this isn't asking for too much detail - it's just that we're quite excited and in the middle of a frustratingly drawn-out buying process so have lots of pondering time on our hands!

Cheers!

[Pamski]

We went for blue when we got our replacement loose covers, they fitted in with another sofa that we were moving into the living room. Friends with a house in the Dordogne who were converts to sofasofa after staying with us bought the terracotta colour for three sofas they bought. I wouldn't go for a light colour unless I had two sets and someone around to wash them on a changeover day if there have been problems.

Worth having a sitting down session - they do hold huge 'opendays' in London sometimes but a lot of people do the trip to Wales. When we bought ours we had stayed for a week at a friend's chalet along the road while ours was being built and were able to test drive hers. I might have been a bit sceptical otherwise as the price is so low. I went to one of the London days with my daughter when she was buying for her flat and although she had made what looked a very good choice online and in the brochure it was dead uncomfortable when we sat on it. But it was easy to find something else. What she bought is probably classed as a four seater and that comes in two halves which was much easier to get up into a first floor flat than a three seater which came in one piece. Happy hunting.

[golfing girl]

My sofas come from Lawtons in Birkenhead. They are a clearance warehouse for all the top brands, in particular M and S. A fraction of the price.