My mom changes hers every 2 - 3 years. My current one is a brown leather sofa from craigslist. I've had it for 4 years, and it's likely over 10 years old altogether.

I think it depends on the practicalness of it and how well it holds up to every day wear and tear. Mine suits me just fine for now because it's comfortable and I have small children who climb all over it. Plus the leather is nice with their spills and messes. Once the kids have grown a little, I'm sure I'll want to update.

Ours is 3 months old. Replaced after 4 years.

Oh gosh, I still have my first "real" sofa that I bought out of graduate school in 1997. It's got a SureFit slipcover on it now.

I would like for it to go by the end of the year. I never planned to keep it this long. OTOH, for the $450 I paid for it at a clearance sale, I have long gotten my money's worth on it. The cushions are in surprisingly good condition still.

DH's apartment was so small, he only had a loveseat.

We are waiting for delivery of a new sectional we bought last month, the sofa/sectional we passed on to a friends daughter was about 8 years old. I like change too much to spend a fortune on upholstered furniture so we always buy mid range knowing/expecting it will last around 8-10 years.

Our last sofa was 25 years old, well loved, slipcovered several times and still in great shape when we passed it onto a college kid for their first apartment. Recently replaced it with a newly upholstered 1950's loveseat. So that one's even older I just havent had it that long.

Our sofa is 11 years old, great shape and was really abused by the kids. It's in the sitting room. We just bought a new sofa and expect it to last 15+ years for the TV room.

I have four sofas, all bought within a few years of each other, about 15 years ago. Only one looks like it needs to be replaced. I think when you buy good quality you can expect 10 to 15 years. But, if it looks shabby before then, then that should be your guide.

Sofa #1 bought new in 1973 (my apartment) moved to the basement when DH & I bought #2 new in 1988 (our home). About two years ago #2 was moved to the basement when we bought #3 (#3 is a sofa & chair set we bought second-hand). #2 is still in amazing shape (looks like new) & so comfortable (sklar peppler). Our cat is not declawed and has damaged #3 but not the sklar peppler one (#2) which seems to be some sort of really tough chenille. Other family members seem to average about 4 sofas in the time we have one. I guess we just had other priorities.

We have a formal loveseat that is 17 years old and still in good shape, the bottom cushions are squished in the middle and could be replaced, but I wish it had more neutral fabric. We have a leather sofa that is probably 6-7 years old and our family room sofa is from CL.

The sofa in my living room was bought in 1978...it's Hickory Chair a $2000 sofa at that time. I'm currently worrying over new fabric again.
The leather sofa and love seat in the family room is 12 years old and just fine...I loved it when I bought it and love it now.
The sofa in the solarium is an 1840 model, due once again for new upholstery.
When I buy something, I don't buy "trendy" but for only very temporary stuff like cushions or throws or a cheap knick knack. Classic never goes out of style....just wears out and needs recovering.
Linda C

Our sofa and loveseat are 15 yrs old and in their 3rd house. I don't like them here in our new house, so they'll soon be replaced, but we're likely to move them down into the basement--if it's finished by then.

We still have our first purchased sofa--it's about 20 yrs old. Still looks practically new (better than the above set), but hasn't fit our decor in a long time. We did update it with new (colors of) pillows and such for the last house's basement theater room, and it's in the new house's bonus room. It's a sleeper sofa, and we'll keep it too.

I bought my first sofa in 1988. I had it until about 1996 when I bought my first house. Then it gets confusing, because we always had two living areas after that. So a new sofa may have come along, but the old one stayed also, and just got shifted to the other space. I also had a 1920s sofa of my grandmother's that I used on and off if I had the space.

My/our main "bought new" sofas lasted:

8 years (and it was trash at that point)

5 years (nice leather sofa with nailheads, etc. It was still in great shape, but didn't go with the modern house. Sold it on CL)

3.5 years and counting. But I can tell this one isn't going to make it for the long-haul as the fabric is already showing wear. I'll probably go back to leather after this one.

We've had our current one for about 12yrs. Struggling w/ the idea of replacing it but feel that I have to for the kids head safety. The padding on the arms has finally shifted to the side leaving the hard wooden frame can be felt when one of the kids whacks their head on the arm.

After hashing it out in my head and on line here at GW I feel that it's time to let it go (I'd keep it and slip cover it if I wouldn't have to worry about little heads). DH is on board w/ the idea too. Just down the line though!

I am curious to know the brands for everyone too. Some have listed it. Very helpful. I went shopping a bit this weekend. Sat in a Natuzzi and a Bernhardt. Are they considered low end? If so they must be high low end based on price. I am so torn, I don't know what to do. DH is in love with the Natuzzi. It looks like a hideous beast to me.

Our sofa is between five and six years old and is as good as new. Our loveseat, in a different room, is showing its age, not too surprising since it's mid-19th century and was last recovered in the 1940s. The fabric is ripping in parts and you can see the original red damask fabric through the rips. It sure doesn't look perfect, but I have no plans to replace the piece.

Our last leather sofa was by Scandanavian Design. The color came off after 18 years. Our Lane is a matched leather sofa, 1 year old.

Natuzzi and a Bernhardt......a Nat used to be the cheapest leather one could buy, but I think Ashley took it's place...? Bernhardt isn't know for it's leather.....but I would consider it an 8 on a scale of 10 for wood furniture.

Here's a chart of leather furniture ratings...

Here is a link that might be useful: Leather furniture ratings....

Nicole I could kiss you! So helpful. I really don't understand the pricing I was given now. I have no idea what is reasonable. Seems like I have to do some more shopping. DH will be thrilled.

At this point I would love to have a sofa long enough to grow tired of it. The last few we've had have needed to be replaced after about 6 years. As long as it takes me to accessorize a room, I'm just finishing up about the time I need to start over.

Totally Confused

My sofa is about 80 years old and is being reupholstered as we speak. I bought it with the intention of having it reupholstered and have never actually used it in my home. For the amount of money I've invested in it (sofa + fabric & supplies + upholsterer), it had darn well better last another 80 years! (The frame, not the fabric, of course.) I'll post photos when it's done.

My previous sofa was even older - at least 160 years (no springs). I loved it, but the frame was in bad shape and couldn't be repaired.

In the meantime, while my "new" sofa is being reupholstered, I'm using a vintage sofa (from the '40's, I think) that I got on CL for $50. This one wouldn't be worth the expense to recover, so I'll Freecycle it when my "good" sofa is ready.

Let's see--there's the repro Duncan Phyfe I bought in 1987 (it's from the 20s), there's the one we bought in 1986 that I've had recovered once and slipcovered twice (it was a custom sofa that was refused and the decorator sold it to me) and all the cheap ones that have come and gone. I couldn't afford to replace that one for an equivalent one today.

My current sofa is 40 and I have had it for 6-7 since I reupholstered it and it is still fine. My parents have a 42 year old sofa with 42 year old upholstery and the cushions are a little squashed but it got heavy use. Its well worth recovering although if the cushions could be redone without reupholstering it that would work too.

Their LR sofas are 42 in 25ish year old fabric, still fine and the basement sofas which got heavy use are 36 still great and minimal problems with upholstery. (although they are kelly green).

All of these sofas though, are very heavy framed and were investments at the time. The LR sofa was $1100 on sale in 1969 and my mom's car at the time wasn't much more. My sofa was commercial and made for heavy use as well. I am a big believer in buying the best sofa you can afford in a pretty basic style that can be recovered when necessary. I bought mine on eBay and it had poor upholstery, but it was a much better sofa than I could afford new.

boopadoo......your welcome! I like looking at AFW's website....it gives me an idea of what "junk" should cost. If you want quality....well...they don't sell Bradington Young...:0)

Here is a link that might be useful: American Furniture Warehouse....sofas....

I think if you are a person who likes to change, and maybe dramatically, on a regular basis, there is nothing wrong with buying a cheaper piece of furniture with the expectation that it won't last as long or may be more "trend driven" in design.
I would at least try to buy something that could have some value or utility to someone else so it didnt end up in a landfill

We have a Natuzzi loveseat. It is leather, but the cushions are sagging in the center...I keep wanting to be able to reach in and fluff them up...lol. Our recliners are Lane and are holding up so much better.

I purcahsed my LR sofa (made by Henredon with down cushions) in 1973. It's been reupholsered 3 times in the past 38 years because it's always been in the LR, so doesn't get as much wear. Every time I reupholster, I change its appearance -- skirts, no skirts, etc. I purchased the 2 LR occasional chairs in 1973 as well -- also high end furniture -- and they've been reupholstered each time the sofa was. Their appearance is totally different from the way they looked in 1973.

My FR sofa and chair (Thomasville) were purchased in 1991 and have been reupholstered twice in the last 20 years, because they get more use. Again, I've changed they way they look with skirts, the pillows, etc.

These pieces of furniture were so incredibly constructed, they will outlast me, and they'll still look beautiful.

I just can't consume and discard....it's such a strong principle for me.

Current set is 2 years old. Previous set was 24 years old - reupholstered once. Both were Smith Brothers.

Ours is close to 9 years old, PB Charleston. I would certainly not buy another one there. The seat cushions started to flatten out right away. The frame's alright, but it should be, it's just me, hubby and two tiny dogs, and we almost never sit on it. My next purchase is going to be a leather sofa in a classic style, and I want it to last the rest of my life. As mentioned, we're extremely easy on furniture, so this shouldn't be a tall order.

Five year old standard looking sectional that has been used quite a bit. It's comfy and has good light. This couch encourages sloth. I will be tearing it apart, tightening the springs, adding better webbing and re-stuffing the cushions within the next month.
Once the fabric starts to age I'll try to reupholster it. If it turns out to be too big of a job I'll have it done professionally. I'd really rather have a nice sofa/love seat combo, but we are all really tall and like to sprawl.

My LR sofa is an antique. It was in the LR of the house I grew up in. My mother reupholstered it at least once, and I had it reupholstered when it came to live at my house. My mother had her FR/den furniture for at least 30 years and reupholstered it three times that I can remember. She gave it away when she downsized.

I still have the first sofa I ever bought in the early 1990's. It's now slip covered and in my boys' playroom.

Our FR furniture is relatively new. I bought it about four years ago at Calico Corners for around $2000. It seems well made, the style is pretty timeless, and I expect to have it a long time.

our current leather sectional is hancock moore...have had for 9 years of heavy use in family room and it is wearing extremely well---seat cushions/back cushions have no indentations, sagging etc...very pleased with our purchase. the sofa it replaced was ethan allen(currently in our basement) and definitely is not nearly of the same quality---the frame is holding up great (it's 12 years old)but the cushions definitely have not held up like the hm sectional!!

LOL My sofa...I think most are over 80 years old, one is about 130 or so and has always been in the parlor (I'm not quite that old). I'm still using a 90 year old sofa that I've had for...gad 25 years???? I had it recovered in that time span, but still it's going strong. Our townhouse has newer sofas...one is about 8 years old..actually now that I think about it the main ones (three of them) are all about that old. I have no intentions of changing them any time soon. I also have a sofa there that's 60 or 70 years old and I may recover it in the next year or so but it will still remain.

I'm into classic quality pieces that will last me more than a few years. I may recover once or twice, but I still keep a quality piece and would over anything you can buy in most stores now a days. There's just no comparison.

The sofa we have now is not quite 2 years old. The previous sofa was about 15 years old. While it was still comfortable, the material was starting to pill pretty bad, and it was also a sleeper sofa and I just wanted to get rid of it because it was so darn heavy!

It sure would be nice if I could buy a new sofa every other year though. lol

Our current sofas are 2 years old. They are from Crate and Barrel. I'd love to replace them because we just moved and we have room for something different in our new place but I can't justify replacing them this soon.

My living room couch is 9.5 years old. It was a mid-priced set. I have no idea who the maker is, I bought it from Sears and it just says Sears home on the labels. The fabric is some sort of chenille and it indestructible. Even the cat clawing at it does not show at all. There is only one cushion that is a little squished because it's in the one spot that someone is always sitting in. The couch in the basement is a 20 year old sectional. The fabric is very, very worn, with stuffing showing through the arms. But the cushions are all in great shape, still really firm and retaining their shape. It was not an expensive couch either.

Our "favorite" is 23 years old. It''s a taupe colored leather in pretty good shape except for at the base where one of our prior cats scratched it. It was very expensive when we bought it but it sure has worked for us. It's a queen sleeper so heavy as can be. We bought a fancy Swaim down filled sofa to replace it and HATE it. It's hard and uncomfortable. We put the Swaim in the formal living room where we only go on holidays.

I still enjoy my parent's ca. 1952 sofa they bought as newlyweds. It's been reupholstered three times that I can remember. It's Ethan Allen.
My other sofa is also a hand-me-down from about 1973, with down innerspring cushions; I had it reupholstered 15 years ago. It's three cushion with a low back, incurved ends. IIRC it's Flexsteel, but the label disappeared with the recovering, so we'll never know.
Casey

Our one and only full-sized sofa purchase is from Ethan Allen, the Kenwood style in 'family friendly' leather bought approx. 7 years ago. I believe for around $2K. It has been the main sofa for two adults, two rambunctious children, and one 75 lb dog for most of the past 7 years. It is a tight back style and ohas held up extremely well so far, seems to be the type of sofa we will be able to use at least until the next decade or more until I get tired of its appearance and send it to the family room or basement! Because of its tight English-style design, I would try slipcovering it for a new look before sending it the rec room basement.

Mine is about 7 yrs old. Bought a new one when the lady down the street wanted to buy mine. I worked p/t at an interiors store then so got a great bargain on furniture. Had all the name brands.......Bonnie

I have a leather couch in the main living area and I'm not sure how old it is, I am guessing about 10 years. It's still in very good shape.

In the den the sofa is from 1990, I know because I found the sales reciept for it recently. It's still okay but is starting to show it's age a little. It's fabric.

My LR sofa which was bought at Calico Corners 9 yrs old. I am in the process of having is reuphholstered. I could not bare to give it away since it is so well made.

My FR sofa is 3 yrs old and cost too much money for me to get tired of it. The fabric is very neutral and should last for years.

Living Room sofa is about 25-30 years old. Reupholstered
three times. Second time we raised up the skirt to under
the cushions for a more modern look.
I probably will keep it forever, as it has no back cushions
a nice style, it's a good backdrop for my compulsive throw pillow fettish. :)
The den sofa is leather--about 4 years old.

We tend to buy quality sofas and keep for a while. We have a small leather sofa in our office, about 3 years old I think but I cannot remember the brand! The sofa in the great room is going on 13 years old. It is in great shape but I am getting tired of the fabric. I have thought about reupholstering, but it is pretty costly and I would still have a 13 year old sofa. On the other hand, it is it a good quality sofa. Haven't decided for sure as I have not bitten the bullet and actually looked at sofas. One thing is I have never bought a sofa off the floor, have always done the custom fabric - other than the leather sofa.

tina

Our sofa is 13 years old, it's leather and by Vanguard. I just had the cushions restuffed last summer to restore firmness. Unfortunately the leather has a grease spot from where DH sits every day (right where his head is!), and the leather is too delicate for the leather cleaners that I've tried. So if I can't find a leather cleaner who can fix and seal the leather, we may have to replace it or have it reupholstered. Otherwise I think it would last another 15 years or more.

My bedroom sofa is a hundred years old and I have had it for twenty years. Eight years ago I had it upholstered in cream chenille, think bathrobe. It weights a ton and I wouldn't take anything for it.

Our library sofa is 42 :) My mother bought it in 1969 and it sported a hideous rust, brown and gold "olefin" woven fabric . . . it was in their library. She reupholstered it twice, then gave it to my brother, who reupholstered it and when he got married his wife didn't like it (the nerve!) so he shipped it to me. I had a slipcover made and then covered it in the green velvet it wears now about 9 years ago. Each time it's been re-covered we've kept a snip of the fabric and I keep them in a ziploc bag under the cushions . . . when anyone remarks how comfy it is I pull out the bag and show them its many incarnations, sort of "sofas through the decades." It is 8 feet long and is a Baker sofa that still has the foam rubber cushions!

One of our LR sofas is from 1991, it was slipcovered in ticking for the longest time and reupholstered five years ago. It was from Ikea and cost about $500, NOT on sale! We've had the cushions remade, but it is holding up really well.

My bedroom sofa was purchased in 1982, also a Baker and it also wore a ticking slipcover and was recovered five years ago. And our other LR sofa is a light green cut velvet from Chelsea House that we bought in 2003. It is the only one still wearing its original fabric.

I expect to have these sofas forever.

My couch is 122 years old ,I really hate to get rid of it. It even make into a bed. The Springs are breaking down. And it needs recovered.

I have a Century English arm sofa in a chenille type fabric that is about 15 years old. I bought it from a doctor who was never home to sit on it about 5 years ago. It seemed in perfect condition. We sit on it daily for hours. It is no longer comfortable. I think the foam has worn out or something. When I called my Century dealer to get replacement cushions the price was $1300 to replace 2 spring down seat cushions on an 84 inch sofa. About $800 to replace with foam. I kept wondering what will go next? For that price I could move on to a new sofa, at least a hefty down payment.

I ended up buying a MSRP $4500 small Stickley sofa on clearance for $1600 delivered. It is 8-way hand tied, spring down cushions, and Crypton. It has a small scale that fits my odd rooms.

I am going to order a sheet of firm (2.8?) foam from the internet for the old Century for about $125 from the internet. It is a 6 inch thick sheet. I will trace and saw out my own replacement cushions and see if it doesn’t buy me another 5 years with it. At the very least it should be better than this original foam. The Century will be moved to the den as a home office sofa.

I am currently planning a whole living room redo. This will prob take some time as I’m very slow and budget minded and DIY the things I can. I will get a new sofa I think, the Stickley will move to the office, and the Century will move to someone else’s home if it’s still alive at that point.

Prior to this we had a leather Chateau D’Ax or something like that. Cheap from Macy’s. Pirelli webbing. Not well made. But! It held up to a family and 2 dogs and a cat for 10 solid years, another 5 not as solid. The leather ripped down the center of the middle seat and it got hauled away by junk removal. Junk removal cost me $125 on a groupon. Good times.

My oldest sofa is probably from the 70s. With the plaid, brown, rust and beige pattern. It got slipcovered in denim by me. I thought about getting rid of it but I realized it had survived several boys and a dog and it is still rock solid. So it got moved to the basement.

I have been researching sofas to buy a new one for the family room. It is so discouraging. A $1500 (on sale) sofa from Bassett or Pottery Barn seems to be getting the same reviews as a $400 sofa from Big Lots. I am seriously considering the Big Lots sofa.

23 for couch,,23 for refrigerator, 28 for matress I just replaced today; because of a great deal.