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Lee Industries from Crate and Barrell

14 years ago

Thanks to tips from people on this forum I found out that you can get Lee Industries products from CB. After doing research on my own I unfortunately found out that the Bayside chairs and sofas that I was interested in are not 8 way hand tied suspension but sinous wire spring suspension even though they are made by Lee Industries. This surprised me because on Lee's website they give details on the fine craftsmanship of all of their products and they list Crate and Barrell as an authorized dealer. A little misleading I thought. Does anyone have any insight on whether or not this means that all of the CB Lee products will be of lesser quality than other Lee products, even the ones that are 8-way hand tied? So many people seem to have insider knowledge so I thought I would ask :)

I am particularly interested in slipcovered chairs. Does anyone have experience with the Bayside chair or sofa? What about the Cayman...which is 8-way hand tied. The big upholstery sale is coming up...August 29th-October 5th so I want to be prepared, 25% off. We have a 5 hour drive to get there with a 21 month old.......should be good times :)

On a side note........anyone have experience with any other brand of slicovered chairs that they love? The price can exceed that of CB.

I am also going to write a list of all of the Lee Industries products that I was given and whether or not they are 8-way hand tied.....fortunately, most are. This is just FYI for anyone doing research like I was. Azure-no, Briarwood-yes, Cameron-no, Cayman-yes, Eiffel-yes, Grammercy (no but it is just an ottoman), Josephine-yes, Mansfield-yes, Marsden-no, Metropole-yes, Paramount-no, Ross-yes, and Saivon-yes. Hope this helps anyone interested.

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Comments (5)

flyingflower
14 years ago
I didn't know that, when I was shopping for a slipcovered chair I checked out C&B because I was told Lee made some of their furniture. This could be one reason why you see a chair on the floor that looks like something you saw on Lee's website and yet the name is different. I soon found out the chair (or sofa) is slightly altered when it's made for C&B. I just thought they tweeked the shape a little so they could rename it and prevent comparison shopping. After reading your post I have to say I'm not surprised there's more going on "under the hood" than I realized. Glad I didn't buy my chair from them. I ended up ordering from Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic where they still use 8-way hand tie method and the furniture is made in the USA. Very expensive though. Ethan Allen has one or two slipcovered chairs but they stopped doing 8-way long time ago. I didn't find many slip-covered furniture out there in stores, it was slim pickens. Everyone wants leather and upholstered microfiber these days.
southern_vesta
14 years ago
Not sure if you know that Crate & Barrel can & will order any of the Lee upholstery items. (At least that has been my experience).
I have sat on the Bayside sofa & chair & they are both comfortable. I was not aware that the Bayside is not hand tied. That is interesting that Lee uses the wire springs in the Bayside.
I know the "Coveralls" 75 series is hand tied. All Lee items are made in the USA.

Since you live so far away from a C& B store wanted to let you know that you can order up to 10 samples of fabric a day from the Lee Industries web site.

Arhaus furniture has a slip covered line made by McCreary Modern, but thier upholstered items have the wire springs too.
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Any Lee Industry Fabric Experts???
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Comments (2)
Railroading has nothing to do with whether the fabric looks "modern." The term railroading is in reference to the layout of a fabric on a piece of furniture in relation to the way it is woven at the fabric mill. A regular fabric has the pattern running up the roll and that is the normal way fabric is milled. The pattern, or in the case of a velvet, the grain, would run up/down. A "railroaded" fabric means that the fabric is woven so that the pattern or grain is situated so that the top would be from one side of the fabric to the other side. So why do this? There are times when the common 54" or 60" width of fabric is not enough to run the span of a piece of furniture. For instance if you have a very long cushion that exceeds the width of the fabric,(because you orientate the top of the pattern to the back of the cushion) instead of putting in a seam or two you could just find a railroaded pattern and you could run right across with no seams. The same would apply to sofa backs etc. Sometimes it is more efficient to cut fabric that is railroaded even if you don't have a large span because the pattern may be unusual and difficult to match. Some fabrics can be railroaded even if they are not specifically woven that way. A plain tweed, cotton, vinyl and of course leather may not have an "up" or "down". In the case of vinyl or leather it does not matter which way you use it unless it has a pattern. Even if a fabric has a pattern it may be able to be railroaded, it depends on the fabric. For instance a geometric "square" or "diamond" could be situated regular or railroaded, you have to have a look in each direction and see if the look changes in some way. Chenilles and velvet usually cannot just be turned sideways as a makeshift railroading, however a lot of chenilles and velvet do come railroaded for this very reason.
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$2200 for non 8 way hand tied Lee sofa (by Crate & Barrel)
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Comments (11)
I am the owner of a North Carolina furniture manufacturer. I am pretty sure that the Grade Q linen fabric you like is costing you several hundred dollars more than a good serviceable 100% cotton fabric would, but if that is the fabric you like then go for it. You are going to have this furniture in your home for 10 years or more and the last thing you want is to choose a cheaper substitute and then decide six months up the road that it just doesn't turn you on the way the more expensive fabric did. Regarding the age-old sinuous wire vs. 8 way hand-tied coil spring controversy -- Sinuous wire will last just as long (if not longer) than 8 way hand-tied and save you about $400 on the cost of the sofa. From a comfort standpoint, it takes a very sensitive rear end to tell the difference when you are sitting on a good quality cushion. Even the experts can't consistently distinguish between the two just from sitting on the sofa. Lee has a long reputation for making an excellent quality product at a good value. Of course you should actually try out the sofa before purchasing. A sofa that feels extremely comfortable to someone else may not be comfortable for you.
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Lee industries but more affordable
Q
Comments (3)
Birch Lane is a retailer and not a manufacturer like Lee Inds. Try Carolina Chair as they are actual upholstery manufacturer you can buy from direct. http://www.carolinachair.com
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Has anyone ordered a Lee Industries couch through Crate & Barrel?
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Comments (1)
https://www.drivenbydecor.com/one-room-challenge-week-4-family-room-makeover/
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PRO
acdesignsky
14 years ago
Arhaus has 8 way hand tied slipcovered chairs too. The Josephine is a dead ringer for the Bayside. The Arhaus version also has spring coils in the down and soy foam cushion. Is there one close to you?
I'm really surprised the Lee version isn't 8 way. I thought that was standard construction for them.
mogator88
14 years ago
Apparently McCreary Modern doesn't use wire springs. A previous post mentioned they use flexalator, which is NOT repeat NOT wire spring construction.
kimberlysaint
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you to those that took the time to read my post and to help out with your answers. I am anxiously awaiting my samples from Lee. Arhaus looks like a really cool store but there isn't one anywhere near me. The "biggest" city near me is Atlanta and they don't have one there either. Thanks though. I just found out that Restoration Hardware is having a sale on their furniture and they have a good looking slipcovered chair that I believe (based on other posters) is also made by Lee but Restoration Hardware oddly does not say when their sale ends. I booked a trip to Atlanta to coincide with Crate and Barrell's sale and no way I will have the good fortune to hit both sales at once.

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