Choosing a sofa can be daunting task when there are so many different designs and models on the market to choose from! John Darling, director at Darlings of Chelsea, is on hand to share his top tips to consider when making that all-important sofa investment: • Is the sofa made in the UK? If it is, then often delivery will be quicker and the quality of construction is better in comparison to China or abroad. The vast majority of our sofas are built at home in the UK. That subjects each and every piece to the strictest UK regulations and quality controls. • Is the sofa frame work made from hardwood? Beech or Birch is commonly used in well-constructed sofas. • If you can’t find the size you want, ask if they do a bespoke service and can make one for you to the size you require. People are often surprised that Darlings of Chelsea can personalise sofa designs to your requirements, which usually only costs an extra 10%. • If they don’t have any leathers or fabrics you like, ask if you can use “Customers Own Materials” and source your own – we are seeing more and more customers wishing to have their sofas made to their own specific requirements. • Do they use genuine leather throughout the WHOLE sofa, including the backs and sides? Some companies save money by using a PVC equivalent on part of the sofa. All of Darlings of Chelsea’s genuine leather sofas are crafted from high-quality leather hides. We don’t use split leathers on any part of our sofas – to us, every part of the sofa is as important as the next, so we only use the finest material available. • For leather sofas, ask which part of the hide is used? Top Grain (the highest quality leather) uses the surface of the hide. Split grain leathers use the part of the hide that is beneath the surface. • Aniline leather is a leather that shows the natural scars and marks, semi aniline is a more protected leather with a waxy finish (more suitable for children and pets perhaps). Darlings of Chelsea specialise in leather sofas, leather furniture and fabric sofas in a variety of contemporary and traditional designs. They also have a fine selection of leather chairs, leather beanbags, leather stools, leather ottomans and leather sofa beds.