Frump to Fab 2022 - The Big One

liberty_lily

Wednesday, chesterfields are a bit of a minefield and can be all over the place, price-wise. A quick look on my favourite online shopping destination (ebay 😉) reveals prices from as low as a couple of hundred up to several thousand £££. For comfort I don't particularly like them as a main sofa due to the firmness of the upholstery and low back, but I'm obviously in the minority there as they're perennially popular. We did have a John Lewis velvet one (the Gable which has no buttons) bought second hand in as new condition for £300 back in 2013. Back then it was in a room we used only occasionally but I found it incredibly uncomfortable and too bulky with s good deal of the width taken up by its massive arms - DH, otoh, loved it and couldn't see my problem with it 🙄😂

We sold that - still in very good condition but minus its 'scatter' cushions for £200 last year. I think that a good quality leather one will hold its value better as they're a classic and loved by (many) owners of period homes. Personally I much prefer the M&S Dante (also second hand - £500 on ebay, originally retailed at £2k) we replaced it with, especially as it was for our kitchen where we've been spending a lot of time recently 🙄 I certainly couldn't have snuggled into the Gable the way I do with the Dante!

Assuming it's a leather one, you'd need to establish that it's 100% genuine leather - not bonded leather or worse - in great condition, (possibly establish the brand?) and sit on it to check for comfort. If it's a good quality one it might be an amazing bargain! I'd also have a look on the likes of ebay for sales local to you and bear in mind that delivery by a courier like Shiply needn't be prohibitively expensive if you find one you like a bit further out. Iirc we paid £50ish to have the Dante shipped from Kent to Carmarthenshire last year, although prices have obviously risen....

Wednesday2000

I actually thought out of anyone on here you would know about this subject.:)

I did see another sofa in the window of another shop yesterday so I might go and see what it is like in comparison of price. This looked like a black version of a sofa I had at my last house. Very modern so the complete opposite of a chesterfield. I do think chesterfields look fairly uncomfortable (maybe not if you sit on them) but then they are practical to keep clean with my pets.

Wednesday2000

I started feeling shivery and had a headache and a very sore arm last night. I crashed out and had almost 10 hours of sleep. I had an epsom salts bath and some more paracetamol when I got up just now and feel okay so that must have been the only side effects from the jab.

It is quite nice and mild today. I'm back in my summer dress and sandals.:)

liberty_lily

Another thing to consider with leather sofas - assuming they're not covered in throws/blankets - is that similar to leather car upholstery, in hotter weather when you're more likely to have bare legs you may find yourself sticking to the seats, lol 😆 

liberty_lily

It's a gorgeous sunny day here too - which is great as DH is off, doing more house fabbing 😉

He's zooming ahead now, getting the first (base) timbers for the frame in place!

Meanwhile I've been gardening (planting bulbs in the walled courtyard raised beds) and doing a spot of painting (roof timbers of covered seating area), although this has been liberally punctuated by moments relaxing with a cool drink on the new garden sofa 😁😍😁

helensbiggestfan

Wednesday.  My parents had a leather chesterfield, in a sort of dark forest green.  It was lovely and it aged well. Don't know how much they paid but knowing my mum who had expensive tastes it wouldn't have been cheap.  Mum and dad always saved up and bought really good furniture which they looked after and which would last them decades. It did seem a bit "firm" at first but once it was broken in it was very comfortable.

Leather can be both chilly in winter and hot and sticky in summer but that's not the end of the world, nice throws sort that out. I think a faux fur throw on a leather sofa can look fabulous. I agree  with Lily, beware bonded leather though, the top layer peels off!!!  Maybe ok for a piece for occasional use only but doubt it would stand up to rigorous use.  

I do like leather upholstery, it wears well, and often looks better with age than when it's brand new.  It is usually very tolerant and easy going with spills and minor mishaps, and is pretty much child and pet proof.  Just watch out for shoe buckles with young children.  I currently have a fabric sectional corner unit but I am aiming for leather again when I've moved.  

My last leather sofas were new from DFS, about £1300 (about 20 years ago) for a three seater and a two and half seater.  I had them for around 12 years. They withstood the rigours of two exuberant teenage boys, and all their mates.  The large one was an excellent single "spare bed" although it wasn't a proper sofa bed. 

 I did used to feed the leather a couple of times a year with specialist products to stop it from cracking.  Central heating will dry out leather, as it will real wood, so it's always a good idea to nourish furniture with good beeswax polish and to treat leather with proper leather care products.  

Good news on the house front.  I'm relieved to say that both my buyer and their buyer have now received and accepted their mortgage offers. I was a bit concerned after all the mortgage chaos last week so rang the EA today to try and allay my fears. 😂.  Anyway all is good, just awaiting the local searches.  There is a backlog (of course😂) and they are taking an eternity but hopefully once they are back then we will be good to go.  🤞🤞

helensbiggestfan

Had my flu jab today.  So far so good.  

maman

My Covid jab is tomorrow and possibly flu jab too but I'm not sure. I hadn't heard anything from the surgery, so DH queried it when he was down there. He'd had a text a couple of weeks ago and an appointment tomorrow. So now they've fitted me in too. 

DH has a leather chair in his music room. It's one of those modern reclining ones with a footstool. It's comfortable but it's a soft leather. I've never fancied leather sofas as they feel cold to me. Friends have them and I always feel I'm sliding about on them. I suppose it's different if you have to consider pets and small children. I'm happy with removable, washable covers on my cream sofas. 

Good news about the house move @helensbiggestfan. It's a very worrying time for anyone getting a mortgage so your buyers must be relieved that they got in just under the wire. 

I did a little bit of gardening too @liberty_lily. I put some washing out this morning and it was so warm and sunny that I decided to stay out a bit longer. I, too, planted some bulbs and cleared out some weeds and generally pottered about enjoying the sunshine. 😊

I've got two dance classes this week, tomorrow and Wednesday. 🤞🏼 I don't get an adverse reaction to my Covid jab. The worst I've had so far was a bit of a headache and slightly sore arm after the previous ones.  

helensbiggestfan

I have decided not to have both covid and flu jabs in one day.  What with my antibiotics last week and then my root canal next week I have taken the cowards way out and am spacing out treatments and vaccines.  

My digestive system is not the most robust so I tend to err on the side of caution and don't want to overload my system with drugs and serums. .  🤣🤣

I like washable slip covers too.  I have washable covers at the moment. So easy to pop in the washing machine.  I am thinking I might dye mine, until I buy new furniture. 

They are currently a pale grey tweed effect and I am bit bored with the colour.  Was thinking a dark blue.  I have successfully dyed covers before.  Went from yellow to terracotta. (That was the sofas before the leather ones). 

 I must confess I do like to ring the changes. And a dye job is very cheap.  I think as long as you go from light to darker it's usually pretty successful, especially if you more or less stay on the same side of the colour wheel.  I might be wrong but I can't see the opposites working too well,  say red to green (ending up with brown maybe) or yellow to blue (ending up with green??). 

Wednesday I think it's you who is the DIY Dye Queen.  What do you think.  Would pale grey to dark blue work.  

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies, 

Helen, I have had separate Covid and flu jabs for the last few years. Once my slight side effects from my latest Covid booster are gone, I will have my flu jab. We are prudent, not cowards.

I exchanged £5 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers for £15 of Picturehouse vouchers, then I booked to see the films Don't Worry Darling, followed by Mrs Harris goes to Paris. I really enjoyed both of these films, but Mrs Harris goes to Paris was so much fun and had such a stream of the most gorgeous Dior dresses in the film that were a feast for the eyes. This film was a 9.5/10 for me.    

Don't Worry Darling is a film in the vein of The Stepford Wives. It was entertaining, visually beautiful and yet thought provoking for me. This film was an 8/10 for me.