Homes across the country are undergoing a squeeze – the UK has some of the smallest properties in Europe; a shortage of new homes and soaring property prices means we’re living in increasingly smaller spaces, from city flat shares to multi-functional studios. But when it comes to furniture, we can all dream about those great, big, L-shaped sofas to relax and recline on, yet there’s not a great many options for compact living that’s also low in price. DFS has just launched Capsule Collection, a new range of contemporary and customisable sofas, armchairs, and foot-stools that’s space-saving and stylish.
I went to the press launch the other week to check out the designs myself and was very pleasantly surprised by what I saw. The dimensions have been shrunk down to create compact sofas and armchairs that are clean and simple in style, from the mid-century style Laze to the Scandi-inspired Lull. The range comes in 55 fabric options, with feet in chrome, copper, light or dark wood, meaning there are hundreds of options to create a sofa that suits you and your home.
Each sofa comes with compact arm widths and bolt-off removable arms to ensure they can get through old, narrow stairways and tight doorframes without any surprise problems. You can also make home appointment with DFS so they can measure up and make sure your new sofa fits.
Each season the Capsule Collection will be refreshed with textile designs by emerging designers – I love that DFS are supporting young talent. The current range of prints has been designed by Nottingham Trent graduate Alisha Abel, selected by DFS following a competition with the university’s fabric design course. She’s designed this bold print with painterly daubs of colour, so you can either go bold with a statement armchair or brighten up a neutral sofa with a set of scatter cushions. Or you can mix and match, instead of the traditional three piece suite.
Each piece in the Capsule Collection is hand-crafted to order in the UK, but the price tag is still affordable, with sofas starting at £399. I think that’s super value for something you know will be British made and built to last (DFS also offers a 15-year guarantee). It isn’t mass produced and travelling across the world to get to you.
I’m convinced, are you? I have a strong belief that good design should be accessible to all. It’s great to see a British brand reinventing their designs to suit a new, perhaps predominantly younger, audience (although I can also see these working well in compact retirement homes too). The Capsule Collection is designed to fit seamlessly into small spaces without compromising on style. So you can have a beautiful form and function too.
Shop the collection online at DFS. The range will be in stores in August 2017.
This post was written in collaboration with DFS, all thoughts and opinions my own.
