First year in London was chaos. The windows rattled in the wind, but we filled it with life. Forget glossy showrooms, so we grabbed second-hand. I spotted a funky armchair on Brick Lane. Everything mismatched, but that’s what made it real. Chairs with scars feel stronger, and we don’t need polish, we need real. I’ve hosted ten people on one sagging retro sofa, vintage style armchair and the chairs became mates. Markets spill chairs onto the streets, and designers take inspiration from it.

My flatmate dragged me into Smithers, and the vintage armchairs carried scars I loved. money was tight, but it’s become the throne of the house. We’ve all begged friends for lifts. it’s half the fun. Accent chairs don’t flinch when four people pile on. Flat-pack won’t last a term, but funky chairs grow with you. Every scratch adds more story. Looking back after twelve months, the cracked window gets forgotten, sofa with accent chair but you remember the sofa. When you think furniture, don’t waste time on the soulless new.

Pick up a vintage style leather armchair armchair, and see how it shapes your memories.

Retro Sofas and Funky Chairs – A Real London Story I can’t walk past a retro armchair without stopping for a look. Growing up, there was a sofa in our house that had seen it all. It sagged in the middle and smelled faintly of tea, but it was part of us. When the East End was full of voices, a sofa wasn’t just a sofa. You’d hand down sofas from parents to kids. It’s in the weight of the wood. I dragged a velvet armchair home from Camden.

The fabric was stained and faded, but the weight told me it was the real deal. It’s become part of my story. Furniture in London shifts with the postcode. Chelsea leans plush, with plush seating. Shoreditch stays messy, with funky retro chairs. The contrast keeps it alive. New furniture looks dead next to vintage. Retro pieces grow with you. They’re not perfect, but neither are we. If you ask me straight, a battered sofa tells more truth than any showroom.

A chair should hold your nights. So next time you’re tempted by something new, stop and think of the markets. Pick up a retro armchair, bchums.com and see how it shapes your nights.