When replacing a big item like a sofa, it’s always good to save some money. So I thought I would do a round up of savvy ideas for replacing or updating your sofa on a budget this season.
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I’m going to quickly mention Christmas – sorry!
I don’t like wishing the year away, but when it comes to new sofas, people usually want them before Christmas. For guaranteed delivery, always check the Christmas cut off dates as there are sometimes long lead times, depending on where you shop.
Sustainable Second Hand
Let’s start with a win win WIN option! Not only are you 1. saving a lot on the cost by going for the ‘pre-loved’ option, 2. it is more sustainable and 3. you can get it into your home really quickly as it is already made!
Check the usual places – Ebay, Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace. But also look in your local paper and even Freecycle; it is amazing what people sometimes need to get rid of in a hurry!
Charity Shops that specialise in furniture are worth checking out as you can have a close up look at the furniture and a sit down before you buy. There’s a Heart Foundation store in my town that usually has a sofa or two in the window for reasonable prices.
If you’re worried about a used sofa being a bit marked or grubby, it may have removable covers that you can wash.
If it’s say an Ikea sofa with loose covers, you could buy replacements from the store.
Alternatively, google a local company to come out and professionally clean the sofa, or do any repairs for you, so that it’s restored to its former glory.
Outlet Stores
Lots of companies have ex-display or returned sofas they need to get rid of at discounted prices. The designs may have minor imperfections or have been returned to the store by a customer, perhaps the colour was wrong. Ask the store manager.
Bearing in mind that a few people might have sat on it in the showroom, or a little kid might have clambered over it, generally they are just as good as new and the price can be fantastic.
We recently bought ours from the Urban Exchange M&S outlet in Ancoats, Manchester and saved £1K off the ticket price, yes a thousand pounds off. This is a current Marks & Spencer design and it’s online for the full price of £1300.
When we spotted it and expressed our interest, the store even offered to knock off a further £50! We organised delivery through their recommended ‘man with a van’ and it was in our house a few days later.
If you don’t see anything right away, ask when the stores get their deliveries – sometimes it is weekly. When the showrooms start to get a bit full, this is when you may get even more of a discount.
Online Sales & Offers
There are some great online offers with up to 50% (even more sometimes), so it is definitely worth taking a look. Rather than trawling all the individual sofa brands you can think of, why not go through ufurnish.com where you can find many major brands and smaller independent retailers, too, all on the one website. This makes a potentially massive task much easier, as you can filter to select 2 or 3 seaters for example, or a particular colour or fabric etc. and find just what you want. Hopefully with a nice juicy discount too, if you check out the ufurnish.com Sale page!
Reupholster Your Own Sofa
If there’s nothing wrong with your sofa and you just fancy a change, one option is to get it re-covered. If you have a classic sofa on a good frame, a fresh new colour, pattern or fabric, such as velvet, can give a totally gorgeous new look.
If you don’t fancy doing it yourself with fabric and a staple gun, look at something like these velvet slip covers available on Amazon. They are elasticated and come in different sizes for a really affordable and instant update!
Alternatively, contacting a company that specialises in made to measure upholstery means you could have more of a bespoke, tailored look, with features such as removable or reversible covers and piped edges.
Paint A Leather Sofa
I didn’t believe this was possible until I saw my relative’s leather sofas. One was originally dark brown which my cousin painted a light grey. The other one (above) was red! I would never have know if she hadn’t told me. She used a couple of coats of Frenchic Paint. It looked and felt like regular leather, supple and doesn’t colour transfer.
Here is a blog about this technique: Look at this if you don’t believe me!
Have you thought of any other ways to upgrade your sofa on a budget in time for Christmas? Please share any ideas and your experiences in the comments.
© Copyright 2022 Antonia, All rights Reserved. Written For: Tidylife
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