Recently I visited Sofas & Stuff showroom on the outskirts of Harrogate. How did I not know about this place? Free parking, a beautiful countryside location and a large choice of sofa designs on offer.
During September Sofas & Stuff celebrated 10 years in business, and now its showroom in Bishop Thornton, on the outskirts of Harrogate, has been given a make-over to help you think differently when buying a sofas.
Harrogate Blogger Event
Sofas & Stuff invited a few bloggers, including Drs Wife, Peonie Cole and An Edited Lifestyle, to share their interior dreams in the hope Sofas & Stuff can help. The bright showroom boasts over 40 sofas, arm chairs, foot stools and beds available in different shapes, sizes and fabrics, from easy care glossy velvet, stain resistant cotton blends, herringbone and basket weaves, to classic linen mixes and soft wool. And of course, the kettle is always on for those dropping in.
How did it all begin for the British made sofa designer?
Sofas & Stuff started in 2009 after the founder, Andrew Cussins noticed a gap in the market with regards to selling bespoke, handmade, British sofas and beds online and from quirky non high street locations. 10 years later there’s 13 stores including Harrogate, and are likely to celebrate their anniversary year with the company’s best ever results.
Where do you start when picking a sofa?
The team at Sofas & Stuff start by discussing your requirements, asking questions such as:-
- What will the space be used for (occasional, formal, kitchen)?
- Do you have pets, children or both?
- Will you be entertaining a lot?
- Does your house have any restrictions (such as stairs)?
Then they’ll dig a little deeper, find out about your style, likes and dislikes. As a group we took it in turns to discuss our interior desires. As I’m between homes I found this hard to do so I focused on my dream living room. One that has a large sofa at its heart to a host family get together or to have movie nights with Niki. I’d like to create a kick back Californian vibe with natural colours, textures and lush green plants. I found Sofas & Stuff Instagram grid very inspiring for sofa styles in interior settings.
Developing your design.
Once you know your requirements and the room you wish to create, the fun can start. At the Sofas & Stuff showroom you can choose from the various sofa styles designs and add your own twist by choosing the fabric from the hundreds of fabric samples in their design studio. From sumptuous Liberty Velvets to eye catching Designers Guild fabrics and they have classics too including Harris Tweed. They’ll help you put together a scheme that works and, excitingly, bring it to life.
Build your own… online!
If you’re not close to one of its 13 design centres, Sofas & Stuff have a ‘build your own sofa’ tool on its website – how cool is that!
How long should a sofa last?
The average life span of a sofa is 2,958 days, around eight years, but the British manufactured sofas made by Sofas & Stuff are made to last through different design periods and the extraordinary wear and tear; it is thought that a sofa will receive around 782 visitors in its lifetime… that’s a lot of bootie!
Creating our Sofas & Stuff mood boards
Spreading ourselves out across the show room, each blogger picked out sofa design and build our theme around it. Having fun with colours and patterns isn’t something you’d normally get to do in the big sofa stores. This mean you could really spend time understanding contrasting or complimentary fabrics for your curtains, foot stool, arm chair to build a cohesive scheme, you’ll fall in love with.
After various different themes I settled on one I never thought I would choose. As soon as I saw the Grand Floral Velvet Fabric I knew It had to go on my board. With its beautiful blooms of bold blossoms of pink, red and cream flowers set against the dark purple velvet it’s certainly a statement fabric. With the help of the team, we paired it with a sumptuous grass green velvet and contrasting herringbone weave.
Everyone’s mood board were just gorgeous, I’d have been over the moon with any of those designed in my house. Well done ladies!
Take a look at what happened here thank to Big Dog Media Productions for capturing the evening…
A big thank you to Sofas & Stuff for their hospitality, design skills and all round loveliness!
Thank you also to Chelsea who helped take some of the photos you see above.
