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Good quality leather living room furniture for average joe?

14 years ago

My husband and I bought our first home 2.5 years ago. Aside from the home being our first "grown up" purchase, we went out and bought a whole house full of furniture from Ashley Furniture. Big mistake!! We bought the extended warranty, but it proved worthless when our 2.5 year old leather reclining sofa, loveseat, and chair are falling apart and they will not replace them past one year. Knowing what we know now, we want/need to replace our living room set as they are causing back pain for both of us, huge gaps between the seat cushions from the poor quality springs, etc.

We would prefer leather. A nice sectional that is not gargantuan, or another sofa/loveseat/chair combination. Something that can withstand daily use... we spend a lot of family time and have a lot of get-togethers, so it will be high traffic furniture that needs to last.

We live in the Houston, TX area. I don't really know what our budget is? We are just the average joe working couple with 3 dogs and no kids (yet)... if that gives you an idea. Does anyone have any recommendations on where to start? Rooms To Go, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrell, Ethan Allen, Thomasville, somewhere else?

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Comments (8)

bobismyuncle
14 years ago
Ashley furniture? I am shocked! Shocked, I tell you! ;-)
parma42
14 years ago
Hancock and Moore makes very good leather furniture, but is $$$.

Flexsteel (NOT the Lattitudes collection (made in China) is better than Ashley. Bradington Young is a good compromise. Most, if not all, is made in USA and has full leather, 8 way hand-tied springs, good pricing, etc.

I've never heard of the store that I've linked for you. It's only an example to get you started on your search. Just google Bradington Young and Houston and see what you come up with.

HTH

Here is a link that might be useful: Houston
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Nice leather won't be of any use if it's on a poorly made frame. Glued and stapled isn't enough for durability. It should be doweled and screwed and blocked in the corners. Check out Wellington's sale and "auction" pages. I've bought 2 of their Distinction sofas and a recliner that way-very good quality at nearly half price. You might need to wait till you see a leather or style that you like but it's worth it. My experience was that the auction didn't actually work like you'd expect-I didn't have to wait till the end to purchase-that it consisted of discontinued or end of dye lot leather and item would be made to order. Incidentally, the 3 pieces I bought were 3 different colors but all matched what I saw on my monitor. Here is a link that might be useful: Wellington's
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riverspots
14 years ago
If you're not real picky about style or color, there may be something you like on the online sale or auction pages of Wellington's. I've bought 2 sofas and a recliner all by Distinction Leather which is excellent quality for great prices. If you do see something you like, call. The sales staff is very helpful but they don't seem to respond to emails.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wellington's
Brent B
14 years ago
You really have to sit in the furniture that you are considering purchasing.

The cheaper furniture lines will have compromises in either materials or workmanship.
There is also a good primer here from drcollie (Furniture 101?) , serch his thread out here.
I have read that there are some good furniture manufacturers in south Cal; maybe EliteLeather or ArizonaLeather.
Then you could find somewhere in Tx that you could sit in the pieces that you want.
What I have read, you might want to consider a protected leather because of your dogs, the better leathers may be too fussy.
hth
Brent B
14 years ago
Here's Mr. Collie's thread that I mentioned.

Here is a link that might be useful: DCollie's Furniture Primer 101
ashweekins
Original Author
14 years ago
Posted by bobsmyuncle (My Page) on Mon, Feb 8, 10 at 15:46

Ashley furniture? I am shocked! Shocked, I tell you! ;-)

I know! I wish we had known then what we know now. Beginner's mistake, I guess.

Thank you for the brand recommendations. I will check them out. We know we will have to obviously spend more on a set this time around than last time, but we just want to make sure we aren't getting ripped off and we can't afford the really expensive stuff.

Thanks for DCollie's thread, I will check it out.

Any other recommendations are welcomed!
riverspots
14 years ago
Here's a quality ranking of some of the more readily available leather furniture. I'm not sure if B-Y still belongs in the highest quality column.

Here is a link that might be useful: Leather furniture brand quality
thefurnitureman
14 years ago
It all depends on the style of furniture you want. For instance, Crate and Barrel furniture is more modern while Rooms-to-go stuff is a bit more old fashioned I should say? Start with blogs or forums that have guides and tips on how to buy furniture

Here is a link that might be useful: Buying Furniture Blog: The Ultimate Furniture Buying Guide

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