Non-toxic sofa query
Hello. I've fallen down a rabbit hole! We've been refurbishing the house we bought last year, and we're trying to do everything as low VOC and non-toxic as possible. We need a new sofa, and I've discovered that UK regs re flame retardants are pretty strong - certain flame retardants have been banned in the US and EU but not over here it seems. Has anyone else been through this and have any leads on non-toxic sofas? I've learnt that natural fabrics are better as they're inherently flame retardant eg wool/leather. But that "natural" sofas will still have an interliner that contains flame retardants. I've found what seems to be the only one without flame retardants in the UK, made by a company called Cottonsafe, but it's a futon sofa bed rather than a slouchy sofa! Can anyone help?
Comments (131)
HU-529203196
last yearHi, im also trying to avoid chemicals and in the past have had an old sofa recovered. i dont know if chemicals were used , it was done by a local chap not a big company. I am moving house and in need of a new sofa and wonder if recovering an old frame is the way forward as i get to conteol what goes in and on it. has anyone else got any experience of this?
Bonnie Vannucci
last year@Louise Botos I am looking at sofa company, their sofas look really nice! And could be a good excuse for a weekend away to go to a showroom! Would you mind if I ask how much it cost using shiply to import? And which branch did you collect from? I'm assuming with brexit I'll have to pay duty now, did you do it before brexit? Thank you
Louise Botos
last yearHi Bonnie, l ordered after Brexit and Shiply delivered to my front door. l think it cost me £300 or £400,l can't remember. There were cheaper options but l went with a company that had better reviews. Shipley have different companies bidding for your job, and some are quite cheap. The price goes up the longer you leave it to make a decision. l took a chance and just ordered my sofa with seeing it
Laura L.
last yearVery happy I found this thread! I learned about UK FR regulations about a year ago now and have felt very very frustrated and desprate in my search for FR free furniture.
We will probably get a NaturalMat mattress and any baby stuff we are buying in EU (where my family lives) as I just dont trust anything sold in the UK!!
As seems to be the general concensus, it just seems impossible to find a FR free sofa. Has anyone looked into Habbio? I would really like to avoid bringing over a sofa from EU such a ridiculous hassle!
HU-588959910
last yearYes, like you, I was very upset and frustrated. I ended up buying a Napoleon 3rd sofa as seen in picture (in an early comment above), and had it recovered in a linen. Nothing toxic or chemical. A bit more expesive but it keeps its value as an antique. It is so comfortable and We love it!
Laura L.
last yeari just found this shop, with website tagline ”pioneering
natural&non-toxic upholstered furniture”.
https://www.bespoke180degree.co.uk/
we bought some vintage one-seaters last year that we are looking to reupholster (but so far have not found a FR free way to do so) so I will contact them. they also seem to sell sofas (not cheap though!).
they have a showroom in London not too far from where I live so will check them out and report back!
Jane
Original Authorlast yearHi, have just seen this in Homes and Gardens. Ouch to the price though! Haven’t googled it so am not sure of details.
Jane
Original Authorlast yearHi Laura - just to say I’ve just emailed Habbio about flame retardants, as they sound too good to be true but would love to hear they definitely don’t use chemicals. Will report back.
Adam Gibbons
last yearAny updates on this please?! We are looking to replace our oak furniture land sofa and would rather not do the same!
HU-357654692
last yearPersonally I went for Habbio. I took their word for it about their sofas being FR-free, but who knows? I needed a relatively affordable sofa… – very happy with it. Excellent service, too.
Laura L.
last yearWe are in the process of getting our sofas reupholstered by Bespoke 180 Degrees. They are 100% FR free and only use natural materials. They do very serious due diligence on all materials used, so so far I do believe they are the best option out there forna truly non toxic sofa.
Customer service is very helpful and transparent and they are very clear on their mission: “Eco to the core”.
They also sell sofas, but I havent visited their workshop yet so I dont know if the sofas are on display to try.
Barbara Smith
last yearAs far as I know, reupholstering here in the UK means FR regulation apply and even if they add a cover that complies with the regulation without treatment ( meaning a more expensive fabric ), the foam inside the sofa will still contain FR.
I ended up buying Sofas in a French shop who imported these particular models from a Swedish fabricant. There's no FR in the fabric but, I am sure there is inside albeit a less toxic kind than the required to comply with UK's regulation.
Buying from EU does not necessarily imply 100% free of chemicals or FR. It's just that the UK regulation is ridiculously strict and pushes fabricants to add a greater quantity of FR + treat also the fabric cover. In addition, the worst kind of FR are not banned whereas I believe ( and hope ) that northern EU countries do ban those.
In addition, other chemicals are present such as the one in the paint used to color the fabric. When we received the sofas, I opened all windows but, still couldn't get into the living room for a couple of weeks.Laura L.
last yearTo add to the above; no foam will be used in our reupholstered sofa. Same as for the cover fabric, there are natural alternatives available that meet fire regulations without the need for use of chemicals. They are just not as cheap as the foam option. I find it extremely frustrating, but I still rather pay the premium than accept buying a chemical FR treated option.
Barbara Smith
last yearlast modified: last yearHi @Laura L.! That's extremely interesting! Would you mind me asking what's used inside the cushions? I know that some fabricants use a mix of foam and feather but, I haven't been able to find any other 100% natural alternative so I'm very keen to hear if it exists ( I know there's a coconut based fibre that's available but, I haven't find any fabricant that uses it for Sofas so far ).
Thanks!
Laura L.
last yearJust copying this from their website:
MATERIALS
Sustainably sourced wood, luxurious 100% natural latex with toxicity score of ZERO, finest organic wool, compostable botanical wadding (vegan option)
Jane
Original Authorlast yearHi all. Re: Habbio, here is the email I received back from them:
“Our fabrics are naturally flame retardant, using totally non-toxic alternatives, so we don't need to sneak any interliners in there to meet UK requirements.
We aren't getting around any rules, we're still able to produce furniture that is fire retardant, we're just using natural materials that are mostly less well known. That means it's a little easier for us to incorporate it into our production process, as we are a small family business, and very new, so we have adopted the practice since we founded Habbio, and built it into our infrastructure.
The sofa industry does need to change, but there is little awareness and demand for sustainable sofas, so many of the bigger companies aren't jumping into action. There are so few companies that have made the environment a priority that the path is not well trodden, and so walking down it requires a lot of research, time and money.”
Hope that helps. Good to read on here that someone bought a Habbio and is happy with it. JaneHU-12755896
last yearI shall buy my next sofa from Eco sofa at Trent Upholsterers in Nottingham. I've visited them and discussed the options at length. You can have all natural materials like wool, feather, natural latex and they won't require Fire Retardant spray.
On another note. Our mattresses and pillows are from COTTONSAFE in Devon. Beautiful mattresses world FR spray.
And all our paint is VOC free from Lakeland.HU-12755896
last yearAnother question- has anyone bought a sofa from the continent and brought it over to UK? To avoid fire retardant sprays?
HU-12755896
last yearFurther to my earlier message about Cotton Safe in Devon. We have bought 3 mattresses from them. They are beautiful products.
We bought 2 vegan mattresses and a super king size Appledore mattress which had wool in it.
By far our favourite mattress has proven to be the vegan style- I think they do it in 3 price options. Go for the most expensive one. It's so comfortable. We sleep soundly on it and wake up without bad backs or shoulders.
Worth the money.
They also make futon sofa beds which double up as sofas or occasional beds.
David John
last yearYou can also buy a sofa bed because it is good and best for use and the staff is also soft.
Ellie
last yearAmazing thanks, I’m going to up cycle my old sofa by using the frame and just putting one of these on top. May ask for a bit of extra fabric to cover the sides.
A Londoner
last yearlast modified: last yearPotential solutions: As a previous poster on this thread, and having spent a year now looking for a non-toxic sofa in the UK, without toxic PFAS/flame retardants, and without toxic glues, sealants, paints and foams etc. (already having numerous chemical allergies causing excema/allergic contact dermatitis, as well as systemic contact dermatitis), I wanted to come back and share the two solutions I went with in the end. Basically, I went with the build your own sofa option, through two channels to coordinate my living room & spare room seating set:
1) Replica Danish designed solid oak (unsealed - to be Osmo Polyx oiled by/for me after) Han Wenger GE290 sofa/armchairs, together with a separately sourced all natural materials set of bench cushions for seat & back (wool filled, cotton covered, various suppliers)
https://www.swiveluk.com/uk/hans-wegner-style-ge-290-3-seater-sofa.html
and
2) Unsealed (again, to be Oxmo Polyx oiled by/for me) solid oak Get Laid Beds Modern Daybed frame in a UK small single size. Note that the standard battens & slats are made of pine, which I switched to solid oak for additional cost to avoid the limonene/VOC offgassing from pine. Note also that limonene combines with ozone in the air to form formaldehyde which is a carcinogen. To this, I added a firm, Button & Sprung all natural materials mattress (custom sized to UK small single), and will add wool-filled, cotton/linen covered back cushions (various suppliers):
https://www.getlaidbeds.co.uk/wooden-beds/day-beds/modern-day-wooden-bed-frame
https://www.buttonandsprung.com/borderdale-single-mattress
From a sustainability standpoint, not only are these solutions PFAS/flame retardant free, but the clear separation of solid wood frame and mattresses/cushions means that the parts are repairable / replacable over time, making the whole pieces much longer lasting than any currently traditional soft sofa. Really, this is just borrowing best practices in material conservation and sustainability from our grandparents' generation. As an added bonus for busy households, I can readily add mattress protectors and removable, washable covers, which really should be standard for all commercially bought sofas.
Now the million pound question for consumers, for furniture manufacturers & furniture industry associations, and for UK regulators, is why the heck can't we just buy something like this in one piece from one provider in the first place (?!). It really shouldn't be this hard!!
Jane
Original Authorlast yearThis is really interesting - thank you for detailing your solutions. Did you go for the ”untreated” option with the daybed then? Would you mind sharing your supplier options for the cushions / seat backs please?
Rebecca Hand
last year@Jane Did you end up getting the sofa from 'Unto This Last'? It looks like one of the few sofas in the UK that might be both non-toxic AND relatively affordable?!
Jane
Original Authorlast yearlast modified: last yearHi @Rebecca Hand, no I didn’t, I think I was just adding that onto this thread in case it helped others make choices - we had bought our sofa a year or so before in the end. (From Sofas and Stuff with wool fabric, no interliner apparently). Sadly Unto This Last have now stopped trading.
Jason
last year@Alondoner I got my bed from get laid they do solid wood frames .Got a treated one though .Finding a sofa seems much harder than bedframes and matteresess .Then you have to find something you actually like .Not sure what to do i will probably check out bespoke 180 and see .i have seen such a lovely sofo in Sofology , what to do …….
T
12 months agoFound this thread online. I'm a single parent. Just moved to a new home and looking at sofas. In the shop today they mentioned how everything has FR treatment by law. My 2 year old has eczema already. I am about to have a second baby any day now. I have a SharkNinja Air purifier but don't believe this will protect us enough. I've checked out the brands suggested here but they're all very expensive. Can anyone advise on how to do damage control if I buy a "normal" 3 piece suite please? After a very recent break up and move from my ex partner I'm not in a position to afford much but am aware how damaging these chemicals are. Thanks in advance.
Rebecca Hand
12 months agoIt's so tricky to find one that's affordable. I don't have any advice, other than presumably 2nd hand would be a little better as it would have aired out more? I'm wondering about buying from Europe and importing with Shiply as someone else in this thread mentioned. Buying 2nd hand non-toxic from Europe would possibly be even cheaper if one could find the right avenues.
T
12 months agoThanks for your advice. It's definitely too expensive to buy the non toxic. Tbh I'm going to order a new sofa set and hope my air purifier helps. The other question I had was about washing the FR off. I'd said to the lady in the shop I'd be washing the cushions and she said horrified that I cant because it'll take the FR off. I said that was ideal. So is it that easy to reduce toxin exposure?
Louise Botos
12 months agol ordered from Europe and used Shipley. There is a UK company (can't remember the ) they'll come up on Google if you search non toxic sofas etc. they use wool as wool is fire resistant due to its moisture content l believe.
lkea sofas outside UK don't use FR you could search for those and use Shipley too.
A Londoner
11 months ago@Jane and all, further to my posting above re how to readily build/compile your own safe sofa, for the cushion backs on a UK Small Single sized daybed frame with UK Small Single mattress as outlined, I added 4 of yhe following as cushion backs, overstuffing them with extra wool from the same company:
A Londoner
11 months agoAlso, in the end, rather than Osmo Polyx Oil (which still offgasses some toxic fumes), I went instead with a polymerised linseed oil & beeswax blend from Parr's, which is VOC-free (available on Amazon UK).
A Londoner
11 months ago@Jason - you didn't ask any question. Please see all my previous posts here - already shared my solution.
PROUpholstered.Solutions
11 months ago@Jason … We are upholsterers and can make up a non toxic sofa to replicate your preferred style.
Get in touch for a brief chat further
info@upholstered-solutions.com
Look forward to hearing from you. CarylHU-834372041
11 months agolast modified: 11 months agoHope it's ok to post on here - we are a small independent furniture, bed and (organic) mattress shop based in Bristol. In response to customer requirements, we have developed a non glue furniture range, using solid pieces of Quebec pine, usually finished with a natural (minimal VOC) AURO 160 finish, or with an alternative suggested by the customer (eg Lakeland, Earthborn). We have a lot of customers wishing to avoid standard industry finishes, so are constantly adding to our product range - all of our products are handmade in the UK, from sustainable sources and can be made to size. Our website is greenwoodsfurniture.co.uk
Megan Manners
11 months agoHey @yan. @Jane, We bought a Raine's sofa from Slow. (slowsofa.co.uk) it uses 100% organic latex for the cushions, the frame is covered in something called Ultraflex that is hypoallergenic and free of VOCs. We got it covered in their Premium velvet (also VOC and FR free) Their cusomer service team were super helpful - they also have a bunch of other fabrics. Great service, arrived very quickly.
Jason
10 months ago@Megan Manners i am also speaking to slow sofa atm performance wool but i have borrowed an idea from somewhere to hopefully totally happy 🤞🏽🙏🏽 .Not there yet .
Nat Blas74
10 months agoThis is the reply from Slow: “ I would be happy to provide you with information about fire retardants in our fabrics. Among the fabrics in our range, the Performance Wool, Performance Velvet, Performance Plush Velvet, and Vintage Linen have not been treated with fire retardant chemicals. Wool, known for its natural properties, is inherently fire retardant, which means our Performance Wool fabric offers natural fire resistance. As for the Vintage Linen, we use a wool interlinear on our sofas, which acts as a natural fire retardant. The Performance Velvet and Performance Plush Velvet fabrics have been developed with a unique weave that provides fire retardant qualities without the need for back-coating and chemicals. This makes these fabrics inherently fire retardant and enhances their safety. Additionally, our cushions are made from natural latex and feather, ensuring the absence of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). ”
PROSlow Sofa
10 months agoHi All,
Seems like @Nat Blas74 has done the work for me, thank you Natasha!
If anyone has any further questions regarding FR, VOC's or generally the eco credentials of our fabrics and fillings feel free to reach out to us on info@slowsofa.co.uk.
Also @Megan Manners we're absolutely delighted to hear that you love your sofa, it was a pleasure to work with you and your comments are greatly appreciated!
All the best,Olivia
Couch Potato Company
9 months agoHello, please have a look at Mater Designs they are a great sustainable company, if you need any further information please do let us know. Thank you https://www.couchpotatocompany.com/search?q=mater&options%5Bprefix%5D=last
HU-697400198
7 months agolast modified: 7 months agoHi all, I have been corresponding with Arlene Blum the woman who led the efforts to have FR free furniture. She is saying that the UK is currently having a consultation on this topic and to write to your representatives.
" Please consider writing to the UK officials and letting them know about your concerns regarding the use of FRs in the UK furniture in order to meet ineffective furniture flammability standards. The UK Office for Product Safety and Standards is holding a consultation on its proposed approach to the fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture and furnishings. The deadline is October 24. You can encourage the UK government to follow a US approach, where the fire safety is protected without the need to add harmful FR to furniture."
Please share widely with your networks and write to have the option to have no chemical fire retardants in our furniture.
FIDRA has more information on this topic. Even industry wants to do away with this.Rebecca Hand
6 months ago@A Londoner I was inspired by your make-it-yourself sofa ideas and have bought a 2nd hand oak sofa which has removable cushions. So I am left with just the frame and am now wanting to get cushion casings made for the base and back and then stuff them possibly with wool (the base is unfortunately not the right size for a mattress). I have heard concerns about the smell of wool if it gets wet and also the firmness / comfort of the sofa as the wool cushions might flatten over time? Have you had this experience?
Jane
Original Author6 months agoHi all. The government consultation on flame retardants closes TODAY (24th). Please respond if you can! Info to help can be found here: https://www.eco-chair.co.uk/cfr-campaign.
A Londoner
4 months agoSadly having to sell my all natural, flame retardant-free sofa/daybed set-up due to moving home. For sale here in case anyone's interested - hope you don't mind the plug!: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176101406932
Reload the page to not see this specific ad anymore
JaneOriginal Author