Help with a new sofa!

stephga23

Hi all,

Is been a while since I've posted but ive still been lurking

4 years ago we bought a sofa from dfs which I loved (and still do now) but with 2 indoor cats and a OH who has eczema he can no longer sit on it without it irritating him.

It's half suede and the rest is all cushions I wash it all regularly and Hoover it too, I also have tried a steam cleaner but to no avail it has past it's best!

The sofa itself was not cheap at £2000 but OH is demanding we get a new one and wants leather for his skin but I'm worried about the cats and since we aren't in all day I think they will scratch a leather one to pieces! :eek:

I need your help! I'm not sure what to do! Persevere with the one we have (easy for me to say since it doesn't irritate me), get a new one similar to what we already have or a leather one!

quintwins

can your shut the cats out of the livingroom? personally i'd get a new one or try get that one recovered, i know thats not very mse but i don't feel you can put a price on being comftable in your own home, and if you choose not to get a new one your hubby may feel pushed out, another suggestion could be gettiing some nice thick throws for them.

BitterAndTwisted

TWO GRAND FOR A DFS SOFA!

I'd be tempted to get some throws over it in a neutral colour and see if that solves your OH issues with it. I might be able to let you have a couple as I've got two cream ones in the airing cupboard which are still unused and most probably surplus to requirements (hoarder).

Either that, or have a look on ebay or even Freecycle if you have access to transport. I got a really splendid three-seater Sofa Workshop one on ebay for fifty quid a few years ago. It's a thing of rare beauty and it still looks like new.

stephga23

I've got them covered at the moment but apparently it's still not helping .

I would love to shut the cats out but the sitting room, dining room and passage are all open plan so it would mean them having to spend all day locked in the kitchen.

I know £2k!!! Such a waste!

quintwins

lol b&t have you ever been in dfs, there shockingly over priced and very uncomftable imo we sat on everyone in the shop and couldn't find any we acually wnated, lots looked pretty but now felt nice, give me ikea anyday (btw my sofa's acually came from a local independant shop who gave me them at cost price )

If there washed regularly and covered, why does he think leather will help? ok your gonna wash it down every few days, but cats will still have acess to it, if they scratch it and then get hair ect inside it no amount of washing will help, i think it's abit of a catch 22 tbh, not sure what else to suggest.

BitterAndTwisted

Eh, I warned my sister and BIL about my feelings on the quality of DFS furniture but they didn't listen. They've had their sofas for years now and they've lasted a great deal longer than I assumed they would, although they have tried to ensure they take good care of them. I'm firmly convinced that their profits are totally based on the finance deals and not solely the furniture.

It could be that the OP's OH is experiencing problems with the chemicals used to treat the suede rather than the actual material itself. I'm sure I've read about that somewhere and buying leather could present the same issue. Throws might be able to solve this alone.

Fruball

Sorry but i would get rid of the cats. Whether they scratch the sofa is really neither here nor there. The fact that they are bound to be aggravating your OHs excema should be a higher concern, surely?

If you don't want to get rid of the cats then a new sofa that makes your OHs condition more comfortable shouldn't even be up for debate!

Just my opinion, sorry if it came across harsh.

x

quintwins

To be fair our friends got dfs sofa's and they have lasted, altho they had awful trouble getting them and the customer service was awful, tbh i always assumed people just went to dfs for there credit options when they couldn't afford a new sofa.

Op have you seem memorygirls blog? i don't think i'm allowed to post a link but if you need it i can pm you, she recovered her own sofa, the padding for sofa's isn't all that expensive either, however it is a big job and 'ok' for a cheaper 2nd hand sofa but you'd cry if you ruined your £2k sofa.

BitterAndTwisted

Frugal wrote: »

Sorry but i would get rid of the cats. Whether they scratch the sofa is really neither here nor there. The fact that they are bound to be aggravating your OHs excema should be a higher concern, surely?

"Bound to be"? I disagree. That's not a certainty by any means. An erroneous and most insensitive assumption indeed!

stephga23

The cost isn't that much of an issue if we need a new one then we need a new one I guess I'm just loathe to pay money for something that might be scratched to pieces of the cats at least with the material on the cushions you can't really see it now but with leather I'm worried... And I love love love my sofa I have now!

I've tried making the OH just sit upstairs in his games room but apparently this isn't acceptable

We've spoke about giving the cats away but OH won't hear of it.

Catch 22 I guess! I think we'll go and look at sofas this weekend, see what we can find

quintwins

What about getting his a leather reclines/armchair? you could get cushions to tie it in with you room, and it will be alot easier replaced than a whole sofa if it needs to be replaced again.