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Ethan Allen

18 years ago

My wife and I are seriously considering purchasing a sofa and upholstered chairs from Ethan Allen. I've attempted to research the quality and build of these items but I have found only vague references on Ethan Allen's site.

The sofa and one chair are both from the "Hyde" collection. The sofa is to be leather, the chair upholstered. The other 2 chairs are to be upholstered "Normandie" chairs. (Plus ottomans all around)

Can anyone here tell me about the costruction of a any of these items? Especially the frames and the cushion options.

I am also interested in the quality of their leather fabrics. Good, better, best?

We are also considering purchasing oriental style area rugs, any insight on EA's line?

In praise of Ethan Allen, our local store did provide a "designer" who spent a couple of hours in our home, got to know what we like, made a very exciting floor plan, chose furnishings to our taste and a "pallette" that might wife and I are excited about.

We are anxious to finally get our living room put togther now that we are about to be empty nesters. However, I hesitate to buy before I have all my facts togther. I don't mind spending money, as long as I know that I am getting quality for my buck.

In the past, we have purchased very well constructed sofas, the last one about 12 years ago from Drexel which has held up structurally, but has now begun to show wear.

Thank you in advance for any advice.

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Comments (6)

kitchenlover
18 years ago
I think the consensus here is EA's upholstered furniture is not of good quality. I know from my mother's experience with a wing chair and sofa of theirs that the quality is not all it could be for the prices they charge. You'd be better off going back to Drexel.
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msboo
18 years ago
We have not purchased any furniture in a long time. Dropped by an Ethan Allen the other day and I was really disappointed in the quality. They used to have much better stuff. It seems now that what they have looks very nice but when you check things out it's just not the quality it used to be. Try to find a dealer that carries Hancock & Moore. Great quality and varied prices. I've looked at the sofas and they have recliners that look like wingback chairs-----very nice and I'm not breaking the bank. They have a great guarantee on the core of the furniture too---lifetime.
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We recently spent almost $30K in Ethan Allen, Pasadena on a dining set and two sofas for our new condo. To make a long story short, the dining tabletop had significant flaws, blemishes, chipped corners and holes filled with putty. Don’t fool yourself with in-store samples. Once they have your money, you are stuck with what you get and no one takes responsibility for what has been delivered to your home. The accent pillows that came with the sofas did not match our selected material and did not include the surrounding fringes. Tiffany, the sales lady evidently had not placed the correct order according to our selected material. Despite sending pictures of our selected material to Greg the manager as well as Tiffany, both of them still refuse to take any responsibility and accept their mistake. After spending some $30 K in this store, they refuse to even replace $200 worth of pillows due to their own mistake. When you are in Ethan Allen, you think you’re dealing with a reputable company until the furniture is delivered. If you’re in the market for anything with after-purchase services and warranty, you’ll be better off avoiding Ethan Allen. Their sales tactics are just like entering car dealerships. Never again will I or anyone in my extended family shop at Ethan Allen. Don’t give them any of your hard-earned money. Horrible service, no accountability and their prices are very expensive. They deserve numerous negative stars, if any star at all.
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Janine, I don't think you can get EA furniture anywhere but Ethan Allen--it's part of their vertical marketing strategy. However, I would advise keeping your eye on what you want. In the current economic climate of collapsing consumer demand stores like EA are definitely getting severely squeezed. It may very well be that they are going to need to change some of their strategies-and pricing-to survive. I definitely recommend getting on the mailing list, electronic or snail mail or both. I am on although I'm not in the market for anything they have been sending out a LOT of special sale and financing opportunities. So you might be able to get your EA sofa after all. Don't give up. Ann
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I too am looking at couches and my choice so far has been Ethan Allen. I have two matching Thomasville sofa’s in my den that are about 18 years old. Fabric is still great but the springs are now getting worn. My Living room has a four year old Thomasville and I absolutely hate it. I did not know they were sold When I bought and so regret it having paid what I did. I have replaced cushions and the back cushion twice already. The quality is terrible. Its not what used to be So I would definitely stay away. I can’t decide if I buy Ethan Allen or reupholster the den couches that I have loved and still do.. I have been told by reupholsters if its old Thomasville it is definitely worth re-doing.
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I like leaterh for a media room space and I aslo like italian makers who use strapping insted of springs you will get a long life with no hassle and no staining of fabric either I like the style so check out Natuzzi pieces Not sure about sizing and nort sure what your exact issues are with placement . I have put some sofas in some pretty tight spots so maybe post the issues you are having in pics and a drawing. In my experience most NA made sofas are spring support and all springs start wearing out the first time you sit down and i don't think it matters how many times they are tied. Our son has our old Italian leather sofa that is 40 yrs old he had the pillows redone with new foam but the strapping gives the same comfort we always had no issues.
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sandy_ny
18 years ago
Don't bother with Ethan Allen. I've been buying their furniture for years and the quality seems to have dropped off. I'm living the issue right now. I have a $4000 sectional sofa and the fabric immediately started to wrinkle and sag. It's not tight over the sofa cushions. Ethan Allen customer service likes to call that "comfy wrinkles." Buyer beware!!!

Also, the stores are now independently owned and they don't mention that when you make a purchase. It's the fantastic surprise you get when you call customer support for help.
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loren11
18 years ago
You might take a look at Room&Board, recently purchased a maple dresser, and was pleased with the quality. Am considering buying a sectional sofa soon.
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sister3
18 years ago
Do a search of Ethan Allen on this site and the decorating site. They are not the furniture store they once were. They have GREAT customer/design service and a lousy product. The EA near me now has disclaimers on the backs of all their furniture hangtags that say the item on the showroom floor will differ from the one you actually receive. They are using many manmade materials in place of wood on a lot of their pieces. EA's prices are way too high for such inferior quality. You can get the same merchandise that EA offers at a much better price elsewhere.
Good luck trying to find out how their couches are constructed or even what they are made of! I finally gave up and found my lovely upholstered sofa and loveseat at leeindustries.com. They had the quality I wanted at a price I could afford.
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smile
18 years ago
I purchased nursery furniture...what a mistake. The quality is poor for the money spent, customer service is horrible, and repairs are slow.
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