How to fix a sagging seat?

Sagging usually means the jute webbing underneath has stretched or snapped. A good upholsterer can strip the base and stretch new webbing across the beech frame. They tie the original springs back into place and stitch a fresh hessian cover over the top. The top fabric can sometimes stay untouched during this repair.

What fabric suits old sofas?

Linen or wool blends sit well on traditional frames. They breathe naturally and handle deep buttoning without stretching out of shape. Keep away from rigid synthetic materials. They don't have the give to fold neatly around curved antique arms.

I bought an antique two seater sofa and the front legs are much shorter than the back legs, is something broken?

A steep slope towards the back is standard on certain nineteenth-century reading sofas. It drops the sitter back into the upholstery for support rather than keeping them upright. Some pieces have just lost their front castors over the years. Check the base of the front legs for empty screw holes or brass cups missing their wheels.

We have a very narrow hallway in our cottage, do the arms or backs come off these older two seater sofas for moving?

Most nineteenth-century seating frames are glued and pegged together. The arms and backs form a single rigid carcase under the fabric. You can't dismantle them to navigate tight corners. Some Edwardian drop-arm versions feature one side that lowers on a metal ratchet. Even then the main wooden chassis remains a fixed block. You'll just have to angle them carefully through doorways.

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Antique Two Seater Sofas from the 19th Century

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Antique two seater sofas are compact upholstered seats built for sharing, originally designed to fit into drawing room bays or sit comfortably beside a main hearth.