My world has always been the shop floor, the showroom, the warehouse. Amongst the squares and crescents, folk are not merely choosing somewhere to park themselves. I’ve seen families walk in, and they’re all searching for the same thing. A vintage sofa, tells the truth. I sent a set of accent chairs to a Grosvenor Square apartment, and the sofa aged but never gave way. That’s what vintage means. They waste time with flat-pack, but sooner or later they return.
Mass production doesn’t care, whereas real furniture stays. This city speaks through its homes. Hampstead seeks calm, with plush sofas. Hackney raw, with retro mismatches. That’s the charm. I’ll tell you something else, accent chairs outlive their buyers. Flat-pack won’t do that. I still walk my warehouse floors, and the real thing speaks. Classic pieces endure. Next time you flick through a catalogue, pause.
Choose a funky accent chair, and let it settle into your life.