A little peek behind the curtain – at a few of the less-discussed realities of how most sofas are made, priced and sold.
At Schplendid we make no secret of the fact that we think the sofa industry needs shaking up (and we wrote about ten ways we're doing that, from building to last to free 50 day returns here.)
In this post we're looking at some of the things the modern sofa industry would rather not talk about...
1. Where old sofas actually go
When a typical modern sofa reaches the end of its life, it doesn’t gently return to nature. Most are made from layers of synthetic foam, polyester fibres and chemically treated fabrics – materials that are extremely difficult to separate and almost impossible to recycle.
So they tend to end up in landfill.
And because those materials don’t biodegrade in any meaningful sense, they sit there for decades – long after the “affordable” sofa has been forgotten.
2. Why so many sofas are designed NOT to last
If a sofa lasts 25 years, that’s one purchase. If it lasts 5–7 years, that’s three or four.
Much of the mid-market has gradually and quietly optimised around the latter. Not through any grand conspiracy, we hasten to add. But simply through construction methods and material and cost decisions that make shorter lifespans inevitable.
It's fast furniture, basically.
3. What’s really inside the cushions
Many sofas today rely heavily on polyester-based fillings – often wrapped in a layer of dacron.
It’s incredibly cheap, and it’s easy to shape so you can make a sofa that looks great in a showroom.
But it’s also a plastic product derived from petrochemicals. It flattens over time and doesn’t breathe particularly well so it’s not great for temperature regulation. And of course, it won’t biodegrade at the end of its life.
Which makes it rather good for quick comfort… and pretty awful for everything else.
4. The “Potemkin sofa” effect
You may have heard the expression “Potemkin village”. Named after a Russian prince Grigory Potemkin, who allegedly built fake villages along a river to impress the Empress Catherine the Great as she sailed past – convincing façades with little behind them.
We think a lot of modern sofas are a bit like that.
They look convincing at first glance… crisp lines, plump cushions, just the right proportions. But inside, it’s just the cheapest possible foam, fibre and plastic holding the shape together just long enough to look fab in the showroom and give you a few years’ use at home.
(We prefer to build the real thing – from the inside out, designing from the heart of the sofa.)
5. Where your money actually goes
When you buy a sofa through a traditional retail model, a significant portion of the price has nothing to do with the sofa itself.
It goes into:
-
Showrooms in expensive locations
-
Sales teams and commissions
-
Warehousing and distribution layers
-
Marketing campaigns and promotions
All of which are real costs – but none of which improve the quality of the sofa’s frame, springs or cushion fillings.
6. Why mark-ups are often so high
Because of those layers, mark-ups can be substantial.
It’s not unusual for a sofa to pass through several hands – manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer – each adding their margin along the way.
By the time it reaches the customer, the price may bear only a loose relationship to the cost of actually making it well.
(At Schplendid we do things completely differently - read about the unique, radical pricing model that makes Schplendid sofas affordable here.)
7. The curious case of “free” discounts
If a sofa is frequently 'on sale' available at 20–30% off, it raises a simple question:
Was it ever really worth the original price?
In many cases, the answer is that pricing is designed to allow for discounting – creating a sense of urgency and value, rather than reflecting a fixed, transparent cost.
(By the way, this is why we won't do sales, ever).
8. Delivery: the final surprise
After the headline price, there is often a little add-on: delivery charges.
Sometimes modest, sometimes not – but almost always separated out, as if it were an optional extra rather than an inescapable part of buying a large piece of furniture.
Yes, it’s a detail, but it reflects a broader pattern: the true cost of the sofa is rarely as simple as it first appears.
(We do free delivery, and free 50 days returns, too).
9. Why natural materials are the exception, not the rule
Natural materials – wool, pure linen, down, timber – are more expensive, more variable, and more demanding to work with.
Synthetic alternatives are consistent, cheap, and easy to scale. So over time, much of the industry has drifted towards the latter.
The result is sofas that are easier to produce… but often less breathable, less durable, and less satisfying to live with.
10. How little of this is visible when you buy
Perhaps the most important point of all is this: Almost everything that really matters in a sofa is hidden!
You can see the fabric and can test the sit in a showroom. But you can’t easily see the joinery, the spring system, or the quality of the fillings… not how long the sofa will last you.
And when something is hard to see, it becomes much easier, just very quietly, over time, to downgrade it.
Now, we’re not saying the modern sofa industry is deliberately malicious. These are, for the most part, the natural consequences of how it has evolved.
But once you start to look a little more closely at what sits beneath the surface, it becomes much easier to understand why some sofas feel fundamentally different from others – and why the way they’re made matters far more than the way they first appear.
We don’t pretend to be perfect, but after years in this industry, we're convinced there’s a much better way to do things, so that’s what we’re trying to do with Schplendid.
The best possible sofas with the best possible ingredients, sensibly priced, and made and sold with love and care.
Ten Things the Sofa Industry Would Rather You Didn’t Think About
A little peek behind the curtain – at a few of the less-discussed realities of how most sofas are made, priced and sold.
At Schplendid we make no secret of the fact that we think the sofa industry needs shaking up (and we wrote about ten ways we're doing that, from building to last to free 50 day returns here.)
In this post we're looking at some of the things the modern sofa industry would rather not talk about...
1. Where old sofas actually go
When a typical modern sofa reaches the end of its life, it doesn’t gently return to nature. Most are made from layers of synthetic foam, polyester fibres and chemically treated fabrics – materials that are extremely difficult to separate and almost impossible to recycle.
So they tend to end up in landfill.
And because those materials don’t biodegrade in any meaningful sense, they sit there for decades – long after the “affordable” sofa has been forgotten.
2. Why so many sofas are designed NOT to last
If a sofa lasts 25 years, that’s one purchase. If it lasts 5–7 years, that’s three or four.
Much of the mid-market has gradually and quietly optimised around the latter. Not through any grand conspiracy, we hasten to add. But simply through construction methods and material and cost decisions that make shorter lifespans inevitable.
It's fast furniture, basically.
3. What’s really inside the cushions
Many sofas today rely heavily on polyester-based fillings – often wrapped in a layer of dacron.
It’s incredibly cheap, and it’s easy to shape so you can make a sofa that looks great in a showroom.
But it’s also a plastic product derived from petrochemicals. It flattens over time and doesn’t breathe particularly well so it’s not great for temperature regulation. And of course, it won’t biodegrade at the end of its life.
Which makes it rather good for quick comfort… and pretty awful for everything else.
4. The “Potemkin sofa” effect
You may have heard the expression “Potemkin village”. Named after a Russian prince Grigory Potemkin, who allegedly built fake villages along a river to impress the Empress Catherine the Great as she sailed past – convincing façades with little behind them.
We think a lot of modern sofas are a bit like that.
They look convincing at first glance… crisp lines, plump cushions, just the right proportions. But inside, it’s just the cheapest possible foam, fibre and plastic holding the shape together just long enough to look fab in the showroom and give you a few years’ use at home.
(We prefer to build the real thing – from the inside out, designing from the heart of the sofa.)
5. Where your money actually goes
When you buy a sofa through a traditional retail model, a significant portion of the price has nothing to do with the sofa itself.
It goes into:
Showrooms in expensive locations
Sales teams and commissions
Warehousing and distribution layers
Marketing campaigns and promotions
All of which are real costs – but none of which improve the quality of the sofa’s frame, springs or cushion fillings.
6. Why mark-ups are often so high
Because of those layers, mark-ups can be substantial.
It’s not unusual for a sofa to pass through several hands – manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer – each adding their margin along the way.
By the time it reaches the customer, the price may bear only a loose relationship to the cost of actually making it well.
(At Schplendid we do things completely differently - read about the unique, radical pricing model that makes Schplendid sofas affordable here.)
7. The curious case of “free” discounts
If a sofa is frequently 'on sale' available at 20–30% off, it raises a simple question:
Was it ever really worth the original price?
In many cases, the answer is that pricing is designed to allow for discounting – creating a sense of urgency and value, rather than reflecting a fixed, transparent cost.
(By the way, this is why we won't do sales, ever).
8. Delivery: the final surprise
After the headline price, there is often a little add-on: delivery charges.
Sometimes modest, sometimes not – but almost always separated out, as if it were an optional extra rather than an inescapable part of buying a large piece of furniture.
Yes, it’s a detail, but it reflects a broader pattern: the true cost of the sofa is rarely as simple as it first appears.
(We do free delivery, and free 50 days returns, too).
9. Why natural materials are the exception, not the rule
Natural materials – wool, pure linen, down, timber – are more expensive, more variable, and more demanding to work with.
Synthetic alternatives are consistent, cheap, and easy to scale. So over time, much of the industry has drifted towards the latter.
The result is sofas that are easier to produce… but often less breathable, less durable, and less satisfying to live with.
10. How little of this is visible when you buy
Perhaps the most important point of all is this: Almost everything that really matters in a sofa is hidden!
You can see the fabric and can test the sit in a showroom. But you can’t easily see the joinery, the spring system, or the quality of the fillings… not how long the sofa will last you.
And when something is hard to see, it becomes much easier, just very quietly, over time, to downgrade it.
Now, we’re not saying the modern sofa industry is deliberately malicious. These are, for the most part, the natural consequences of how it has evolved.
But once you start to look a little more closely at what sits beneath the surface, it becomes much easier to understand why some sofas feel fundamentally different from others – and why the way they’re made matters far more than the way they first appear.
We don’t pretend to be perfect, but after years in this industry, we're convinced there’s a much better way to do things, so that’s what we’re trying to do with Schplendid.
The best possible sofas with the best possible ingredients, sensibly priced, and made and sold with love and care.