Walk Through Portobello Market And You’ll Spot Sofas With Decades Of Life. They’ve Aged In Public But That’s The Charm

London’s Retro Revival: Why Vintage Armchairs and Sofas Still Rule Retro chairs and sofas have been part of my life for years. My first memory of proper furniture is my grandad’s wingback chair. The fabric was torn but held together, but it was part of us. In the days of smoky pubs and jazz clubs, you didn’t buy throwaway chairs. You’d hand down sofas from parents to kids. That history clings to vintage pieces. I found a retro accent chair in a Dalston car boot.

The legs were wobbling, but you can’t fake that kind of comfort. Friends always fight to sit in it. You can tell the area by the chairs. Kensington loves velvet, with grand accent chairs. Shoreditch stays messy, with mismatched sofas. Every corner tells a different story. New furniture looks dead next to vintage. Accent chairs from another era get better with years. Every creak is a memory. If you ask me straight, a battered sofa tells more truth than any showroom.

Furniture should live with you. Before you grab a soulless bargain, go dig through a car boot. Pick up a retro armchair, jinjuhd.co.kr and make it part of your story.