quality details for leather recliner couch??

16 years ago

We are looking for a leather recliner couch.... When looking for quality, would the basics be a hardwood frame and top grain leather? What are some of the fine visible details to look for? I like the tailored look with corded seems and/or baseball stitching......Last question, has anyone heard of a shop called "The Inkwell"? I bought a Stressless recliner chair there a few years ago and although very spendy, I am very pleased with it. The Inkwell has a lot of couches, but different brands than the Stressless. What brand names are quality? Thanks for any comments. Kathy

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Comments (4)

erika_2006
16 years ago
I bought a black leather recliner about 7 months back. It Still looks brand new. A hardwood frame is a must. That will make sure your recliner lasts long. You do not need to spend too much on a good recliner. Just need to scout for good deals on good furniture. You should get a great recliner for less than 500 bucks. True value for money! I am giving the link where I bought it from. They sell at wholesale prices.

Here is a link that might be useful: Recliners
dcollie
16 years ago
Kathy,

When shopping for a leather sofa with recliner outboard stations (at each end), then you most definitely want to ask some questions if you are shopping quality over price point.

Leather is split at the tannery. All upholstery uses top grain (the upper half) and split grain (lower half) is more suited for industrial leather uses. Rather, decide if you want a Finished Leather or an Aniline Dye for your piece. Both have their pros and cons, you can do a search here for the differences.

Hardwood frames - definitely. However, just as important is how the frame members are attached. The highest industry standard is currently double-doweled, screwed and glued. Look for that phrase. To test a motion pieces rigidity and strength, push laterally on the arms and check the flex. All motion furniture will have flex, but you will notice the better brands move far less than cheaper products. Motion furniture is always difficult to make stiff, because all portions of the piece are in motion.

Mechanisms. The best in the industry are Leggett and Platt brand. All the top companies use them, and they carry strong warranties. Mechanisms that operate on a cable are more reliable over time than those that are push-back operated. You also have power recline options, which have more positions you can stop in, but also need a power outlet nearby (and its a heavier, more expensive piece).

Check and see if there is leather all around the unit. Many companies in the mid-level line will use vinyl or bi-cast in areas that are not on the seating surfaces.

Corded seams and exotic stitching are done by the top companies, but hard to find in mid-level units. Hancock and Moore and Leathercraft have many options in those categories. I'm sure there may be others, but those are the companies I'm familiar with.

When buying reclining sofa units, pay particular attention to size of everyone using them. If you husband is over 6' 1", he may not be comfortable in a standard height reclining sofa. Conversely, if you are under 5'4", you may get lost in the cushions of one that fits him well.

I have a 7-year old dual recliner sofa by Bradington-Young that has done well in the media room. Not sure I'd buy it again however. What works just as well - if not better - is to get a large leather ottoman that you can push up to a regular sofa and everyone can use a part of it (40" - 50" Square, etc). Not as limiting as a recliner unit and had more flexibility of use.

Duane Collie
The Keeping Room
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We bought People Loungers in 2001 and decided in December of 2020 it was finally time to replace them. They were still holding up pretty well considering their age but became worn in spots on the foot rest my husband uses and the spot he sat in eventually broke so bad he didn’t see the point of fixing it. I looked into getting PL again but they weren’t being sold anymore so after many hours of looking at furniture stores and online I decided on La-Z-Boy. I’d read about it’s declined quality but hoped for the best because it was hard to find reclining sofa/loveseat that was manual, not a sectional and in a fabric/style I liked. I spent many hours carefully deciding and I made a choice that I was excited and confident about. They arrived in late January 2021 looking just as gorgeous as I had hoped! Then I started moving them into position in my living room and immediately noticed how much my hand sunk in while leaning/pushing on the headrest - very large foam that was not dense at all. The seats were the same. You just sink in. There’s no inkling of firmness. As my husband used his spot, I noticed pilling on the fabric and could see how loose it was looking. This was after 3 months. I spent so much time choosing everything and loved my choices so much - I knew dealing with it getting “repaired” or whatever they would’ve possibly done (if they even would) would be a nightmare and we also didn’t want to be without furniture - we decided to just keep it for as long as we could and figured we would have to replace it a lot earlier than we thought. A year later, the most used spots are very saggy and extremely pilled. At the time of delivery, we immediately got rid of the old, broken PL loveseat and planned on trashing the old PL couch the following week. But after a week decided to keep the old couch because of the extra seating it provided and the low quality of the new furniture (I figured if we could still use it some, it would save the new furniture some). I considered buying another LB sofa to match but could not spend that kind of money on such terrible quality. So almost exactly a year later, my old PL couch is the one I always sit on so that it “saves” the new furniture (and it’s quality remains the same - besides the one spot that’s a little broken inside and is “rigged” to function , the rest of it looks pretty good - the cushions are firm, not sagging, the fabric is not stretched or pilled). With the new furniture - my husbands spot looks terrible. The other spots are slightly saggy, slightly pilled and slightly stretched but they don’t get used more than an hour a day. Spent $2,700 on a manual reclining sofa and loveseat that will need to be replaced in a couple of years. So sad because it’s such a waste of money and it will just end up in a landfill. And like another person asked…”If not La-Z-Boy, then what???” I would love to know whose quality matches that of People Lounger in 2001 and La-Z-Boy years and years ago. Sorry so long!
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playfish
16 years ago
Kathleen, have you found anything yet?
cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
16 years ago
"I have a 7-year old dual recliner sofa by Bradington-Young that has done well in the media room. Not sure I'd buy it again however. What works just as well - if not better - is to get a large leather ottoman that you can push up to a regular sofa and everyone can use a part of it (40" - 50" Square, etc). Not as limiting as a recliner unit and had more flexibility of use."

I have a 7 year old midrange dual recliner leather sofa (can't remember brand- it was a "HomeLife" purchase) and I would not purchase one again simply because of the sheer weight of the thing. It is a real bear to move and to get through doorways- we had to disassemble it when we moved earlier this year.

I really like the suggestion above about a regular sofa and a huge ottoman- I really wish I had gone that way. Much more versatile and easier to vacuum behind :)

quality details for leather recliner couch??

Comments (4)

erika_2006

dcollie

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playfish

cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)

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