My world has always been the shop floor, different styles of armchairs the showroom, luxury lounge seating the warehouse. In the showrooms of Grosvenor, buying is about more than comfort. Old families from Belgravia and Kensington, and they’re all searching for the same thing. A retro armchair, 70s armchair delivers precisely what they’re after. A wingback ended up in a Belgravia study, and it carried his family through generations. That’s what vintage means. They fall for fashion too quickly, but sooner or later they return.
Gloss wears off, whereas vintage lasts. The capital’s rooms all look different. Hampstead seeks calm, with deep seats. Hackney raw, with colourful sofas. That’s the mix. I’ve learnt over years, a sofa becomes family. Flat-pack won’t do that. I still walk my warehouse floors, and the right piece never lies. History sits with you. Next time you flick through a catalogue, think again. Find yourself a vintage sofa, and watch it age gracefully.
