Raising a glass to lifeboat crews

Semi-aniline leather: Dyed with a
pigmented base coat, but topped with
later coats of a contrasting pigment,
to give a two-tone effect. The look
imitates that of aniline leather and is
still soft to handle, but offers more
resistance to wear and light.
Corrected grain leather: The grain
layer of the leather is partially
removed by buffing, and a new surface
is built using various finishes. A
decorative grain finish can then be
embossed onto the surface, to give a
high resistance to wear, soiling and light.
Split: Made from the split middle or lower
section of a hide, with a polymer coating
applied and embossed to mimic leather. As tear
resistance on the split is low, it shouldn’t be used on areas
susceptible to wear – generally it’s used only on the sides and back
of sofas.
If leather isn’t for you, then you can expect to be equally spoilt for
choice in terms of fabric options. At Sofas and Chairs there are
natural or man-made fabrics, stain protection treated or washable,
and a range of colours and patterns that cover every home colour
scheme you’re likely to come up with.
One of the fastest-growing choices in fabric upholstery is soft, suedeeffect
microfibre, which is super practical as well as good looking,
because it cleans quickly and simply with a damp cloth.
Keith estimates taking the eight main furniture ranges he stocks,
each of which has over 20 models in each range, a choice of different
wooden fascias, more than 40 different colours of leather and even
more choices of fabric, it multiplies into literally thousands of
different options to choose from.
“We started counting and got to over 1,200 different options from
one single manufacturer before we had to just give up!” he says.
So, next choices:
Fixed or motion furniture:
Another huge growth area is the reclining chairs and sofas market –
arguably the ultimate in comfort at the end of a long hard day.
Exclusive to Sofas and Chairs on the Island are top manufacturers La
Z Boy and the Norwegian company Elano, both of which offer
sumptuous, good-looking furniture with the added comfort of
reclining features.
Going for this option means you’ll need to make some more choices –
manual or motorised for instance, lever handle, push-button or
spring-loaded?
For elderly people or those with mobility problems, there’s also a
great choice of “riser” recliner chairs, which the company supplies to
a number of local rest homes.
Traditional three-piece, or corner group?
The traditional sofa and two chairs is not for everyone – and more
and more customers with open-plan living spaces are going for corner
groups. Remember that you’ll need to consider whether a left or
right-handed layout (determined by the arm unit) will be better for
your living space.
Size matters!
Looking at sofas and chairs in a 10,000 sq ft showroom can skew
your judgement of exactly what your own home will accommodate.
It’s not unusual for customers to misjudge the space they have at
home and choose a suite that’s too big – if not for their living room,
then sometimes too big to squeeze through the front door or
hallway!
The experts at Sofas and Chairs have seen it all, and because they
specialise in personal service, a way can usually be found around
problems such as this.
“We choose manufacturers who offer seating with removable arms,
which helps for starters where space is an issue” says Keith.
“Other units will dismantle into five or six pieces and can be reassembled
in a customer’s home. And if all else fails, we do stock
flat-packed options if space is really an issue”.
But you have to wait SO LONG!
This is a common cry when buying lounge furniture, with some
companies taking up to 16 weeks to deliver.
Sofas and Chairs can usually do much better than this – partly
because it holds a sizeable stock in-house, and partly because it also
has reliable supply sources in the UK. If your furniture choice isn’t
in stock, it can usually be delivered within four weeks – although
sometimes as short a time as five days.
It doesn’t end with sofas
INTERIORS
In fact, Sofas and Chairs lives up to its name by covering every
seating option you’re likely to want – including sofa beds, futons and
other convertibles – and even dining chairs.
Many customers go for a clever re-vamp of their dining space by
keeping the table and replacing old, worn-out chairs with stylish new
ones.
So whatever your needs when it comes to your sit-upon – Sofas and
Chairs is there with the answer!
Located at: Taylor Road, Newport. (By Argos) Tel: 01983 539700
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