How our sofas are made at DFS
Ever wondered what goes into one of our sofas? From design and manufacturing to launch and logistics, there is a lot of ground to cover before a new sofa can make its way into your home.
Our sofas go on quite a journey…
Planning and design
It all starts with a sketch
Because we not only sell sofas, but design and manufacture many of them in-house – plenty of our sofas start with an idea sketched by one of our expert designers. With years of sofa designing experience under their belts, they are whizzes at creating designs that are on-trend and make a statement, but are still timelessly stylish, and easy to live with for the long haul.
Innovating materials as we go
We’re constantly looking for ways to innovate with our sofas – whether that’s testing out exciting new upholstery fabrics and leathers, or incorporating clever new technology, like 4D vibration or heated seats! We work with some of the world’s best suppliers from across the globe to source and develop new ideas in the world of sofas, and we’re proud to be at the forefront of sofa innovation.
Development and prototyping
From sketch to sofa
Our clever sofa design experts are whizzes at turning sketches into sofas – and at our specialist prototyping workshop in the East Midlands, they do just that! This small-scale factory is staffed by experts who hand make the first model of many of our new sofa ranges, from the unique frame to the stitching details. There’s something magical about turning a sketch into a real life sofa you can sit on!
Frames built to last – for 15 years
We’re really proud of the quality workmanship that goes into our frames – so much so, that all our sofas come with a 15 year frame and springs guarantee as standard, no exceptions. Long after your fabric and fillings are no longer performing at their best, your frame will still feel solid and sturdy – giving you the option of reupholstering your sofa and continuing its life!
Feedback and testing
Gorgeous fabrics, proven practicality
Our fabrics aren’t just chosen for their looks – we’d never upholster a sofa in anything we aren’t confident will last in your home. All our fabrics and leathers are covered by a 2-year warranty, but, with proper care, will continue to perform for many years beyond this. Every fabric we use goes through many tests, checking that durability, snag resistance, and strength are all up to scratch.
Independently verified for quality
Every sofa we sell – from the frames to the fabrics – has been independently tested and verified to be of the quality expected for domestic furniture. As well as strength and durability, independent labs ensure fabrics and fillings adhere to fire safety regulations, and test frame durability to ensure your sofa will happily accommodate you sitting on it, day after day. Some of our products even go above and beyond standard domestic furniture regulations, like our Resilience range.
Manufacturing
British designed, British made
All of the sofas in our range are handmade, but many of them are hand-built by our very own skilled artisans in our dedicated British factories. This means we have unrivalled control over the build quality and finish of our sofas, right down to the last detail. Each time we design a new sofa, the expert frame builders, upholsterers, and machinists from our prototype workshop head out to our factories to train the teams on the exact processes and finish required for that range – because every sofa is a little bit different!
Handmade quality in every sofa
You can’t make a sofa in an automated factory – it simply can’t be done. At every stage of a sofa’s production, our skilled artisans are hammering, upholstering, machining, and adding those last details to your sofa – all by hand and with great care. This means you get a fantastic sofa with that handmade quality in every joint and stitch.
Product launch
In-house photography
While many of our most popular ranges are on display in DFS stores, we have many more that are only available to view on our website. This means that our in-house photography team has an incredibly important job – capturing the very essence of a sofa! Whether for the product pages on our website, features in magazines, social media posts or our inspirational articles and buying guides, it’s very important that the photos and videos of our sofas show a true and accurate representation of how they look. Our photography also helps you to visualise what a sofa will look like in your own living room – which can look very different to how it appears in our showrooms! Once products launch, we also love collecting customer photos and showcasing them on our website, too; we think seeing our sofas in real homes is an even better way to decide if they’re your thing.
Rendering all possibilities
With so many ways to customise your thing – from fabrics to colours, sizes to shapes – we couldn’t possibly build and photograph every single combination of all our sofa ranges. Imagine how much space we’d need to store them all! Instead, we use clever technology, 3D image mapping and HD scans of our fabrics and leathers to create hyper-realistic digital versions of many of our sofas. That way, we can show you how your sofa will look, no matter what combination you choose – from a black leather corner sofa to a bright pink armchair!
Technical features and descriptions
Our designers, buyers, quality team, copywriter, online product team and graphic designers all work very closely together to develop comprehensive descriptions and imagery for all our new launches. We work tirelessly to accurately describe every last detail – from the different types of sofa cushion fillings and fabrics, to clever added features and care advice. These descriptions are used across our website, but also shared with our in-store teams, to ensure you get the same advice and guidance however you shop with us. And we’re always revising them to make them even better, too —based on comments from our eagle-eyed in-store teams, advice from suppliers, and even customer feedback.
Showcased nationwide in our stores
When many of our sofas launch, they are assigned a dedicated spot in our showrooms, so you can try them out in person for yourself. There’s a lot that goes into this – from planning the layout, signage and fabric swatch books; to selecting the rug, coffee table and accessories that best match; to delivering and assembling new sofas in over 100 stores nationwide. And all done so that you can pop into your local store and decide exactly which sofa is your thing – by sitting on it!
Made to order, just for you
Maximising possibilities, minimising waste
With literally thousands of sofa combinations on offer at DFS, it wouldn’t make sense to have everything ready-made and sitting in a warehouse, just hoping someone out there will pick it out. That’s why we adopted a made-to-order model: we offer you all the possibilities, you select exactly what you want, and then we build it – just for you! It’s a great way for us to minimise waste, keep our warehouses efficient, and offer you really great prices on our sofas, year-round.
Or choose one of our stocked ranges
Of course, if you don’t want to wait around for a sofa that’s made just for you, we also have a range of quick delivery sofas that can be delivered in as little as 14 days. All these sofas have received the same love and care during the manufacturing process as our made-to-order sofas – but because they’re some of our best-selling shapes, colours and fabrics, we’re confident that they’ll sell. This minimises waste and means that we can make them ahead of time and store them in our dedicated warehouses, offering you a new sofa in a jiffy!
Logistics and delivery
Specialist sofa delivery experts
We’re so passionate about delivering sofas in a safe, careful and efficient way that we literally created our own company to do it. The Sofa Delivery Company is part of the DFS group and are specialists in delivering and installing our sofas in homes across the UK.
Assembled for you in your home
don’t just deliver sofas – we also assemble them in your home. Whether it’s a huge corner sofa or a high-tech power recliner, many of our sofas are delivered in pieces so they can be more easily brought into your space. Our installation experts will then assemble, install, and take away all the packaging from your new sofa, meaning all that’s left for you to do is enjoy it!
We give all our products the same love and care
It’s not just sofas that get the royal treatment at DFS – every single product is carefully curated and tested to make sure it will perform in your home.
Collaborating on exclusive ranges
We’re proud to partner with some of Britain’s most iconic brands to create exclusive ranges of sofas that epitomise their unique style – from uber-cool French Connection and retro-inspired Ted Baker, to edgy and sustainable Grand Designs and timeless House Beautiful.. Each exclusive range has been designed from the ground up in partnership with the brand, to make sure every detail adheres to their ethos and style.
Developing products with our suppliers
Some of our products are sourced from the world’s best suppliers, experts in their furniture categories – but for many ranges, we use our own expertise to adjust and amend designs to further improve them, and make them exclusive to DFS. We also source bed, mattresses and furniture designs that are completely exclusive to our range, so you won’t find them anywhere else.
Travelling the globe to source the best
While many of our sofas are designed and manufactured in Britain, we’d be limiting ourselves if we only sourced our products within the UK. So our buying team travels the globe to source the very best furniture and home accessories – from countries across Europe, Asia and beyond.
Creating features that work for everyone
People of all ages, sizes, and needs use our sofas and furniture – and everyone has different preferences too! That’s why we offer so many options across our ranges. From power recliners and tilt and rise chairs perfect for those with reduced mobility; to extending dining tables for those who love to host in small spaces; to ottoman beds with hidden storage – and even sofas with charging ports, heated seats, 4D vibration or bluetooth speakers – we work hard to create products with features that suit everyone, no matter their thing.
Choosing the right logistics partners
As well as delivering many of our sofas through The Sofa Delivery Company, we have a select range of logistics partners who deliver the rest of our furniture. Each partner is hand-picked to deliver the best service, depending on the size and requirements of the piece of furniture.
