Sofa Stories: What Has Your Sofa Seen?

Recently, we’ve spent some time looking into the lifespan of an average sofa, totting up the figures on how long it will last, how many people have sat on its cushions and what it has seen over the years. That, of course, could include up to 4380 hours of TV and 11 lost socks.

Joking aside, with April being the most popular month to sell your home, up sticks and move house, here at Distinctive Chesterfields, we decided we’d look more closely into the lifetime of our customers’ sofas.

According to figures, the average sofa should last at least eight years with regular use, but that also depends on the quality, style and what kind of home it’s in. Ours, of course, should last up to 20 years if used correctly.

Distinctive Chesterfields surveyed 1005 people aged over 18 in the UK who currently own a sofa. We quizzed them about their sofa’s age, usage and their seating habits, finding that the majority of people (25%) had actually only owned their sofa for between one and three years. After asking people how long they had owned their sofa, the results were as follows:

• Less than a year: 19%
• 1 to 3 years: 25%
• 3 to 5 years: 19%
• 5 to 8 years: 17%
• 8 to 10 years: 9%
• More than 10 years: 11%

With ever-changing trends in the interiors industry, it seems that people are looking to change their furniture more often than a ‘sofa’s lifetime’.

The quality of your sofa will also determine how long it will last – the 11% of people who have owned their sofa for more than 10 years will likely have purchased a classic, sturdily-made piece that will last them for years to come.

When asked: “For how many hours each day do you usually sit on the sofa?”, the responses were as follows:

• Less than an hour: 26%
• 1-2 hours: 24%
• 2-3 hours: 20%
• 3-4 hours: 12%
• 4-5 hours: 7%
• 5-6 hours: 3%
• More than 6 hours: 8%

Looking at the average lifetime of sofas in the UK as 4 years old – and considering how much time we spend sat on the sofa – we’ve decided to tell your Sofa’s Stories: an estimated look at what your sofa has seen or heard during its lifespan.

• 232 movies watched and 4380 hours total of TV time
• 1 quite stressful house move
• It has seated 284 visitors but also been jumped on 1548 times by your pets
• 167 spillages but only 3 permanent stains
• £17.60 in total found among its cushions and 11 lost socks
• 1 new TV and 3 new blankets.
• 178 books read on its cosy seats
• 192 arguments between couples and 215 cries, but 845 cuddles
• 78 hangovers and 161 naps.

What has your sofa seen? Let us know by commenting on this blog, below.