Lose Yourself In Deptford Market And You’ll See Sofas With Decades Of Life. They’re Marked And Scarred But That’s The Point

Vintage Armchairs, Accent Chairs, and Sofas: Proper Character for Real Homes I’ve always had a soft spot for old furniture. When I was a kid my nan had this battered armchair. The arms were shiny from years of elbows, but it had heart. When the East End was full of voices, single long chair people kept things for decades. Families saved for months to buy one piece. That history clings to vintage pieces. I dragged a velvet armchair home from Camden. The fabric was stained and faded, but the history spoke louder than the flaws.

It’s outlasted three flats and two relationships. Furniture in London shifts with the postcode. Hampstead stays calm, with buttoned wingbacks. Dalston keeps it cheeky, with mismatched sofas. It’s the mix that makes it all work. Showroom sofas don’t talk back. Old-school sofas grow with you. They’re not perfect, but neither are we. If you ask me straight, retro armchairs will always beat flat-pack. Furniture should live with you. When you walk past a glossy showroom, step into a dusty warehouse.

Take home something with scars, and make it part of your story.