Walk through Portobello Market and you’ll stumble on vintage wingbacks with cracked leather. They ain’t showroom clean, but that’s their story
Why Retro Furniture Still Beats Flat-Pack in London There’s something about vintage pieces that grabs me. When I was a kid my nan had this battered armchair. The arms were shiny from years of elbows, but it told a story. Back in the sixties, a sofa wasn’t just a sofa. Families saved for months to buy one piece. It’s in the weight of the wood. I dragged a velvet armchair home from Camden. The fabric was stained and faded, but the history spoke louder than the flaws.
That chair still sits in my flat. Furniture in London shifts with the postcode. Kensington loves velvet, with velvet luxyry armchairs. Dalston keeps it cheeky, with mismatched sofas. The contrast keeps it alive. New furniture looks dead next to vintage. Old-school sofas grow with you. They carry scratches like tattoos. Truth be told, a battered sofa tells more truth than any showroom. A sofa should tell your story. Before you grab a soulless bargain, wander a street full of second-hand shops.
Pick up a retro armchair, and let it shout London every time you sit.