Prettybutton, that is exactly what I was able to do. The bench I ordered was not carried by Crate. But I have such a good salesman there he knows the folks at Lee, called them and ordered the bench for me (and said he could order anything from them as they are a major vendor) and gave me the sale price on it and also on the customizations I wanted -- castors and nailhead trim. Those weren't on the bench originally so first step was to see if they were possible and then to order them up. At one point I wanted to change the leg style and he called about that as well (I couldn't). It's a pleasure. Obviously, special orders aren't going to be returnable but I know the Lee quality and it's a copy of a bench that's 6 times as expensive. I used the extra fabric he ordered for me when I bought my sofa. I could have gone with one of their leathers (also 25% off) or another fabric. Last year at this time I took advantage of the same sale (mid Sept-mid Oct) to order a sofa and chair. If I need upholstered things I spend time figuring out what I need and wait for this so I can get the customizing at 25% off. I have access to the wholesale market as well and have gone through the showrooms. To order a sofa from one of the Brand names would have doubled the cost and I honestly couldn't see double the quality. Custom is also available here and, of course, if you're going with that from a high end upholsterer it's a whole different game. But again, I just cannot see spending thousands on upholstered furniture which basically depreciates to the Craigslist level the day it's delivered. But that's me and others may not agree. Don't know if every Crate store or salesperson can offers this level of knowledge or service but it's worth a visit if that's possible.

How does Thomasville's "Benjamin" sofa compare to the Handcock and Moore Sofa? Has anyone had any personal experience with how the "Benjamin" sofa holds up? I am looking at it in "double fudge" leather, which is a semi-aniline leather with a mottled finish. I am wondering how the leather will look in a few years. Currently, I am looking for a nice family room leather furniture set that is very comfortable. What kind of spring system does the Handcock and Moore sofa have? I have 8 way hand tied springs on my living room sofa, and they are very comfortable. Thomasville's sofa has a sinuous spring. Will it be comfortable and hold up well long term? Also, will the piping around edges on the top and the bottom of the cushions on the "Benjamin" sofa hold up long term and be comfortable? Is there a Hancock and Moore or other sofa that is similar to the "Benjamin" Sofa color and style wise? Thomasville's "Benjamin" sofa has piping around the seat cushions. I have heard that that wears through quickly? Is that correct even with a good quality leather? Does anyone know anything about "USA Leather" sofas that have individual pocketed coils in the seat cushions and have a down topper pocket sewn in the top of the cushion on the inside. I think that the pocketed coils sit more firm, which I don't like, generally like foam core cushions, but don't like the way the leather looks stretched out on foam cushions. Is there a way to prevent this in foam core cushions? Also, I would like to re-direct my current sofa to another room in our home. The leather is faded but not worn through. Is there a way to dye the leather back to it's original color again. It was not a very expensive sofa and was made by Leather Trends/Leather Mart. It did not have piping, and the edges have held up very well. It is just the color of the leather--fading issue that is the problem. The color is "picasso brandy," which is kind of a browned burgundy. Can anyone offer any suggestions on what I can do to make my sofa set look a little better color wise?

I can't address Bassett cushions specifically, but generally the industry all uses the same basic format, and from your description you are telling me that you are looking to buy a down-wrapped cushion, not a spring down. Most furniture builder outsource their cushions, so they're pretty commonplace among the major suppliers. Down 'leaking' is a thing of the past, as any maker has down-proof ticking surrounding the actual down itself. As for 'packing down', it sure does take a long time for that to happen, I've seen down cushions routinely go thirty years, much longer than the coverings and frames in some cases. Almost all cushions are lifetime warrantied from all the major premium makers these days, thats not unique to Bassett. Cushion suppliers warranty them, so the furniture makers pass that along to you. Most the time, you only have to pay the UPS charge for a new cushion and they rarely want your old one back. Here's the three basic cushion types, simplified: Qualex (Foam): Just as it sounds, wrapped with a fiber ticking. Better foams can be quite durable and comfortable. For most leather furniture, this is the best choice. They retain their shape and form well. Semi-Down Cushion (Down Wrapped). You have the foam cores, and then 1" to 2" of goods feather down is wrapped in the ticking and surrounds the foam. Usually a nominal upcharge. Spring Down (Marshall Unit). A high tech cushion that replaced the full-down cushion in most applications. A Marshall Unit is a series of small grids (waffle-like) each with a small spring about the size of a pencil inside every individual grid. The down is them placed inside each grid with the spring in each one acting as a shock absorber. There are hundreds of little grids and springs in a typical sofa cushion. All is then encased and wrapped with another layer of down encased in ticking. Marshall units are expensive to make as you would imagine, and carry a premium upcharge. The benefit is all the comfort of a down cushion, but the cushion will return to about 80% of its height after being sat upon, and doesn't need to be fluffed back up like an all-down cushion. It always pains me to hear of an upholsterer throwing out a Marshall unit cushion to replace with conventional, unwrapped foam during a re-upholstery procedure. Rarely have I ever seen a Marshall unit break down, and you cannot simply go do the crafts store and buy one. Most will last through three or four upholstery jobs just fine. They are custom made and usually only available from the manufacturer IF they are still making that specific model frame. Hope that helps explain it some. Duane Collie The Keeping Room

I was wondering the same thing. Disappointed that nobody responded here.