Help Finding a Quality Lounge

• 

  BertieBrown on 15/09/2022 - 09:07

  +5

  I mean it’s hard to tell just from the picture, but I’d be very hesitant to spend that much on that sofa. It may have changed, but the last time I was in Amart the quality of their furniture was pretty ordinary, I thought anyway - perhaps I was just looking at cheaper stuff.

  Foe what it’s worth we’ve got an IKEA Kivik and for the money we’re pretty happy with it. It’s definitely not setting the world on fire, but it’s reasonable quality I think. But it probably doesn’t have the features that you’d be looking for in a sofa, like reclining or the console in the middle and what not. Anecdotally we also had an IKEA Kivik chaise which the cushion was sagging on, so we took it back to them and they gave us our money back. I was really surprised at that. I thought at best we might get a store credit. But of course YMMV with returns, but the warranty is generally good I think. Other than that I’ve heard good things about King furniture, as well as Moran but not as good as they used to be I don’t think. The other option might be a local manufacturer to you?

  • 

    scottishdave on 15/09/2022 - 14:36

    I can recommend this company.
    https://www.chillipip.com.au/
    Australian made and quality furniture.

• 

  Axelstrife on 15/09/2022 - 09:44

  +2

  https://www.sydneyfurniturefactory.com.au/chaise-lounges-c-4…

  See if there's anything from these guys you like, much cheaper than amart. I bought a Leather recliner suite from them earlier this year and they are really good (check google reviews as well)
  You can go see display lounges at there warehouse in Cambeltown.

• 

  ForkSnorter on 15/09/2022 - 09:46

  +1

  Be very wary of associating price with comfort. There is no such correlation. I'd also steer clear of overly soft sofas. And avoid leather sofas in my opinion, as they often look horrible after a few years, and sometime include fake leather parts that disintegrate.

  I've owned quite a number of sofas, and the most comfortable and reliable by far has been $399 IKEA "Klippan" sofa (used to be $299), with a few strategically placed cushions. I've owned one of these for 13 years now, and it's still going strong. I also bought another one 3 years ago to match.

  The reason it's comfortable is that it doesn't sink when you sit on it. So you just use cushions to get your perfect posture. Great for sitting on sideways with your legs up, leaning back to read a book or use the iPad.

  You can replace the entire cover for $149 (they're 100% cotton), although the colour/pattern options change every few years. I don't like any of the current options.

  Also, in my experience, 2 identical sofas placed adjacent to each other in an L shape, with a gap between them, and a coffee table in front is a much nicer arrangement than getting one of those monstrous sofa suites like the one you linked to. Also, avoid a bunch of ugly lounge chairs. Finally, don't ever point a bunch of sofas/lounge chairs diagonally at a TV placed in the corner of the living room, like you often see in Australia.

  • 

    freefall101 on 15/09/2022 - 10:41

    You'd hate my living room, it's actually a pentagon so it has to be the diagonal couches pointed at the TV.

    The other problem with overly soft stuff is they don't last or hold shape over the years. I spent a fair bit on a three seater that's very plush/soft with the idea that it'd be comfortable to lie down on. But because it's had different weight levels on different parts over the years it now looks like a lumpy mess.

    My parents have a really nice moran leather couch, but it's now 20 years old and repairing all the damage over the years would cost more than buying a new couch. As you said, it's really not worth it.

    I also bought a Koala couch the start of last year that looks a lot like the Klippan (only I paid a lot more, dammit) but it's vastly better. Better for posture, holding shape really well, still looks new without any effort put in. Definitely thinking about getting a second.

    • 

      ForkSnorter on 16/09/2022 - 08:16

      The Koala sofa looks good, although it's a lot more expensive than the Ikea Klippan. I notice the price of the Klippan is now $499 though, $200 more than it used to be.

      The best thing about the Klippan is that the 100% cotton cover that covers the entire sofa is one piece, and it's removable so you can wash it in the washing machine. And you can replace the cover for $149 every few years if it becomes damaged or faded, plus IKEA brings out new colour designs every year.

      Another thing I like about the Klippan is the low, firm back, which encourages you to sit up straighter with your lower back supported (using cushions), rather than slumping your lower back, which is what happens when you sit on a sofa that has a soft, high back. I can sit on the Klippan all day without getting a sore back.

      In 2017, IKEA's design chief said the Klippan sofa was IKEA's best product of all time.

      https://www.businessinsider.com/best-ikea-product-of-all-tim…

• 

  JimB on 15/09/2022 - 10:50

  +7

  $5k from Amart?

  You'll pay a similar price when King Furniture is on sale (3-4 times a year).

  I think King Furniture is expensive but the quality is good.

  • 

    boomramada on 15/09/2022 - 11:27

    $5k Amart lounge probably cost $15k in King Furniture lol

    • 

      JimB on 15/09/2022 - 12:05

      You'd think so wouldn't you?.. but this Amart Lounge is $5k! https://www.amartfurniture.com.au/cassius-708160002.html?qua…

      I've seen a reasonable sized King lounge with chaise for under $5k.

      Admittedly, it doesn't have speakers, charging ports or a LED lights, but I wouldn't want that anyway. In a few years it will look tacky, just like those 1980's bed heads with built in radio & speakers lol

      • 

        boomramada on 15/09/2022 - 13:41

        I like the design of the King Furniture, nice and sleek. Then again these days, we are paying for the design and style. Quality of the furniture almost same with few exceptions, just like shoes.

        • 

          JimB on 15/09/2022 - 14:02

          @boomramada: I would say the quality of King is the same as others.

          Good thing with King is the quality is very good, not just their design and style.

          • 

            boomramada on 16/09/2022 - 10:49

            @JimB: I will get one of them one day once I got my self a $2m+ open living house ;)

  • 

    JuggaloG on 15/09/2022 - 14:32

    Thanks for your input, I have seen King furniture mentioned a couple of times on here, is that https://www.kingliving.com.au ?

    • 

      JimB on 15/09/2022 - 15:50

      Yes.

• 

  ozbs25 on 15/09/2022 - 10:51

  +1

  Costco have a lot of sofas. Would probably need recommendations from others as it's probably going to be hard to try them out.

• 

  tallkid123 on 15/09/2022 - 10:59

  +2

  Can anyone give me a recommendation for a place that will sell quality furniture?

  King Living but you'll have to likely double your budget if you want a leather surface and accessories.

  Their after sales services suck as well but I've had no complaints with my reo recliner 3 seater since I got it.

  • 

    samyall on 15/09/2022 - 11:40

    I second King living, but I recommend looking for a second-hand set on Gumtree.

    My current sofa is a King Delta 2 we got second-hand about 15 years ago. Still is comfortable and looks great (other than a few stains).

    My friends are constantly shocked that we still have the same sofa and that is looks good and is comfortable.

    EDIT: as a bonus the modularity of the Delta means that it has fit all four dwellings it has been in perfectly.

• 

  jasuten on 15/09/2022 - 13:35

  +1

  I've used https://www.sydneyloungespecialist.com.au/ before and have been very happy with the quality and price, their showroom is in Wetherill Park.

• 

  Benoffie on 15/09/2022 - 14:16

  +3

  I would not spend $5k at Amart. $5k is Moran territory.

  https://www.moranfurniture.com.au/
  https://berkowitz.com.au/collection/australian-made-sofas-lo…

• 

  Drakesy on 15/09/2022 - 18:19

  +2

  TBH $5k at Amart is like trying to get the most expensive item at kmart.
  At the end of the day it's still Kmart.

  I grabbed mine from Nic Scali and it's been great.
  was up there (around $3k) and it took a while but the quality is there.

• 

  try2bhelpful on 15/09/2022 - 21:41

  Costco tends to have decent furniture and you can send it back if you don’t like it.

  I’ve got three King Furniture couches and they are really good quality. I got two of them at 50% off. I got one at 70% off which was floor stock.

• 

  kawinuyo on 15/09/2022 - 22:53

  I have king furniture couch set and I love it, we had mainly gotten it for the under couch storage which is quite a generous space. We've had it for 10 years and still going strong. I suggest not getting leather if you have kids that aren't grown up and mature / can take care of things well….even things like back pocket buttons on jeans can leave marks on leather sofas.

• 

  voo123 on 15/09/2022 - 23:36

  King Living and Berkowizs is good when its on sale. Berkowizs is too old fashioned for me though. Nick Scali is also good for the price you pay. I recently bought a leather corner sofa from Nick Scali for 7k. Similar designs from King Living go for around 15k.

• 

  solidussnake on 16/09/2022 - 06:49

  +1

  $5k and Amart… my gosh you'll be battling them fix anything under warranty and stuff always breaks on this crap had them refuse to repair or replace on a reclining couch that had a 10 year warranty was in the 9th year and the foam fell out the bottom of the couch twice so they offered me $150 and told me to keep the broken couch, will never step back in an Amart store ever again, plenty of other countless stories of them not abiding by ACL on product review

• 

  cupcake on 16/09/2022 - 13:44

  I like Oz Design.

  Have you thought about buying one at auction from Pickles or Auction Finder? They clear out leather lounges sometimes.

  My sister bought a $12k leather lounge suite for under $2k. Only thing is, you have to collect it yourself.
  Lucky they have a trailer but you can also use a courier or moving service to collect it?