I’ve spent a lifetime dealing in chairs and sofas. In the heart of London, folk are not merely choosing somewhere to park themselves. Couples step through the door, explore sofasdirect.com and they’re all searching for the same thing. A retro armchair, gives them that. I sent a set of accent chairs to a Grosvenor Square apartment, and he told me years later it was still going strong. That’s what endures. They waste time with flat-pack, but at the end they admit. Modern things break, whereas retro lives on.

The capital’s rooms all look different. Hampstead seeks calm, with plush sofas. Dalston experimental, with upcycled seats. That’s the mix. I’ll tell you something else, a sofa becomes family. Mass production never delivers it. I still walk my warehouse floors, and the difference is clear. Old furniture lives. Next time you flick through a catalogue, step back. Take on a classic wingback, and see how it shapes your home.