CL couch and chair - thoughts/advice?

10 years ago

Looking for advice. I came across this couch and chair, I will see them in person tonight. Solid walnut, they look well constructed, I like the simple lines. I'm thinking they might work in my modernist cottage/lake house (which won't be built for another number of months, possibly a year, so this is hardly urgent, but ..)

Obviously they need new foam and fabric, so a totally new upholstery job. Any ideas how much that might cost?

Also, what should I be looking for in order to properly gauge the quality of the pieces?

Thanks! Oh, price is $450 obo for both.

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Comments (11)

User
10 years ago
They look very well made and I like the clean lines . Knowing what you have in your home I can see why you would like them. The supports look to be in good shape. Do you have someone that can cover the foam to make the cushions? With the right fabric they will be stunning. A good clean/wax of the wood and you will be all set ! c
joaniepoanie
10 years ago
I love them.....BUT...just a warning....we had a set like this when I was a kid in the 60's and it was not comfortable to sit on for any length of time...see how thin those cushions are? And I remember the cushions would sag down between the slats. I would only consider them if I could put a much beefier cushion.
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joaniepoanie
10 years ago
Sorry, forgot to add to my previous post.... but also not comfortable leaning against the wood arms.
Circus Peanut
10 years ago
If they're by John Stuart (France & Co), they might be worth the price; otherwise, I'd doubt that the build quality merits $450 with basically no cushions. If you're in love I'd offer $275.
andee_gw
10 years ago
As someone who has been pricing fabric and sewing lately, I can only say that the cushions are going to add substantially to the price, even if you were to make them yourself. So I agree with with coming down quite a bit on your offer.
maddielee
10 years ago
I have to agree, my parent's Danish Modern set (much like these) was not comfortable for sitting.

ML
gsciencechick
10 years ago
This looks very similar in shape and fabric type to our mid-century Drexel sofa, although we have wood trim vs. a full wood arm. Our fabric is green but looks like same texture pattern. Pal might know more if he is around.

If you are a shorter person, this size of sofa will work great. If you are larger, probably not.

The frame looks fabulous. If you know you will spend the money to re-do the cushions, try to get them to come down in price.
sochi
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks everyone. I went to see it tonight, no brands or markings of any kind. The frame is in fabulous condition, it really is lovely and appears to be very well built.

The points about the comfort (or lack thereof) of these pieces are interesting. Could I improve the comfort somewhat with higher quality foam I wonder?

I'm not in love with the set, but I certainly do like it very much. My goal is to buy most things I need (and don't already have) for the cottage used, so I check on-line regularly. Upholstered this will cost more than I would like to spend, so perhaps I will keep looking.

Thanks again everyone.
Tmnca
10 years ago
It looks very uncomfortable to me, I personally wouldn't pay that much for it.
egbar
10 years ago
can't attest to the sofa unit but we had the same chair in my house as a kid growing up and I kept it, It has now been passed down to my daughter. The bottom supports were some sort of plastic strapping which had finally deteriorated and is sagging. make very sure you have the support at the bottom or you will be re threading all those straps and trying to fix them back in the slots they came from. We ended up putting a piece of fiberboard or plywood over the chair seat and setting cushions over that.
It is just the right size for a reading chair, allows wiggle room, has better support than those soft deep cushions they use on the more plush type furniture. I even like the arms! I like the look, and that chair's useful life is far from over with the addition of the support under the (3rd set) of cushions. daughter has and loves it in her apartment now.
best wishes.
nanny2a
10 years ago
As some of you might know, I have a business making cushions and chair covers. Just to give you an estimated cost on new foam and labor to make covers for the couch and chair, youÃ¢ÂÂre looking at a minimum of $650. ThatÃ¢ÂÂs just to replace the foam for a 90Ã¢ÂÂ long couch, with three seat pillows measuring 30x30x3, 2 backs at 45x30x3, and chair of 30x30x3 seat with 30x30x3 back cushion. ItÃ¢ÂÂs just Ã¢ÂÂapproximateÃ¢ÂÂ figures, and doesnÃ¢ÂÂt include the fabric cost, which naturally could vary considerably, depending upon what you select.

I just wanted to give you some ballpark figures to consider. If those were the actual sizes of the replacement foam, then youÃ¢ÂÂd be needing approximately 14 yards of upholstery fabric to add to your cost, too.

You need to consider those costs, plus the cost of the furniture itself, to figure out if itÃ¢ÂÂs worth it, to you. Without a doubt, all that foam needs to be replaced with new, premium quality foam and batting.