DFS - Decidedly Frightful Stools

We spent a couple of months looking for just the right leather footstools for our flat.

Finally, we spotted ones that seemed ideal in DFS, Scarborough. They are cubes that could even double as emergency seating.

They were fine for about a year, then each one suddenly subsided while someone was sitting on them.

Last week, I turned one upside down, removed the feet and the bottom cover, and exposed the guts.
I found that there was a layer of foam under the seat, but under that, there had been nothing more than something that resembled very stiff cardboard. I wasn't impressed.

Despite the fact that I'm the world's most cag-handed d-i-yer, I managed to do a better job that DFS's workforce, by stuffing a layer of shredded paper under the foam, then securing a sheet of plywood with a couple of battens.

We now have two serviceable and attractive leather footstools. It's just a pity that DFS couldn't have made an honest job of them in the first place, instead of saving pennies by cutting corners.