London Retro Grit: Armchairs And Sofas With Proper Character
London ain’t about shiny showrooms. Sneak through Brixton Market and you’ll stumble on accent chairs chair with bite. The polish is long gone, but they carry weight.
When my nan was about, a sofa weren’t just a sofa. You’d work overtime for a proper armchair, and it’d see you through kids and rows. That’s what old-school still counts for.
Round Dalston way, after a bit of mischief. I clocked a 1960s teak-leg accent chair. Most people would walk on, but I dropped in and realised straight — this thing carried London in its bones.
Backstreet dealers always know someone. Camden Market spit out vintage finds. You need patience to wait it out. I’ve clambered over dusty frames, but the payoff comes.
Design splits by borough. Kensington plays plush, with wingback chairs. Shoreditch stays scrappy, with odd retro sofas. Hackney’s raw, cool armchairs and you’ll spot stripped leather that feel like the city itself.
The buyers and sellers carry the story. Old boys sipping tea on a chair they won’t sell. Everyone’s part of the scene. I’ve paid cash with a grin and wedged chairs into tiny flats. That’s London grit.
Let’s have it right, a scratch ain’t a problem. a chair’s part of your story. it sits through nights you can’t forget.
So next time you’re out, skip the bland shops. Take a vintage sofa, and watch it grow old with you.