Lose yourself in Deptford Market and you’ll find sofas with decades of life. They’re marked and scarred, but that’s their story

London’s Retro Revival: Why Vintage Armchairs and Sofas Still Rule Retro chairs and sofas have been part of my life for years. When I was a kid my nan had this battered armchair. It sagged in the middle and 97.staikudrik.com smelled faintly of tea, but it carried memories. Back in the sixties, furniture meant something. You’d hand down sofas from parents to kids. You can feel it when you sit down. I rescued a battered armchair from outside a shop in Peckham.

It weren’t pretty at first glance, armchair funky but as soon as I sat down it felt right. That chair still sits in my flat. Furniture in London shifts with the postcode. Mayfair goes glossy, with deep sofas. Brixton thrives on colour, with funky retro chairs. The contrast keeps it alive. Modern flat-pack doesn’t hold a candle. Armchairs with scars become part of your life. They remind us life isn’t flawless. If you ask me straight, retro armchairs will always beat flat-pack.

Your seat should outlast the years. So next time you’re tempted by something new, step into a dusty warehouse. Take home something with scars, and make it part of your story.