Love no. 1, infact love everything about that room, love the red walls of course. It is formal looking because the surroundings are. Would look nice in your space. I think no. 2 is too country looking, for me anyway. I like the rest of them also, they are all very similar looking except no. 2. You wont know what fabric to go with until you have your walls painted, right? Have fun!

Ooh ooh I love #1 AND #4 (Martha).... I happen to have a THomasville that is very similar to #2, so I obvioulsy like that one as well but I think that #1 and 4 are the most adaptable/flexible while having style.

Another vote for either #1 or the Martha Stewart. I love skirtless sofas because I think if the legs are nicely turned, it really shows off the lines of the sofa. The PB sofa seems ordinary to me. While it is attractive it doesn't make me go "ooooh". I get the sense that if you put it in a large showroom with hundreds of other sofas you wouldn't be able to pick it out from the crowd. Something about having the legs show makes it special. Simply a matter of taste, though.

I've includede a link to Clayton Marcus sofas, which you might find useful. Their sofas and sectionals are reasonably priced and very well made. We have one of their sectionals and we absolutely love it. Comfortable, attractive, well made and an excellent warranty. It's also made in the USA, although I don't know if that's one of your criteria.

Good luck on your search!

Here is a link that might be useful: Clayton Marcus sofas

#1 - Definitely - Traditional enough to be stylish for a long time - but not too stuffy.

Tuesday

i like #1 and the last one too. the legs and lines are very pretty, what colours are you leaning towards?

Comfort will be the main factor and personally, I don't find the PB sofas to be all that comfortable, especially for the price. So you're not missing anything! To start, peruse the stores with an open mind and sit in everything and you will be able to find what you like and don't like. Eventually, you will narrow it down. Even though you know you like french/english country decorating, don't get stuck on a style right away. The look you are going for will develop in the accessories you place in your home. Since this is the main seating area for watching TV and relaxing, go for comfort first! Bring along mesasurements of your space or better yet bring along a notebook and write down prices,style numbers and measurements of things you liked. You'll be so glad you did!

I like the Martha sofa. You can get much more life out of your sofa if you can flip the cushions and pillows. Let us know what you find.

I love #1 and the last one, especially the last one. Very pretty lines. I've got "new sofa" envy!

I like any of the tight-back sofas. I am not a fan of loose cushions-have one like that and, for me at least, it is much less comfortable than the two tight-back ones we have. Hope shopping was fun!

Here is a thread I copied and pasted a long time ago. It might help.

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Middle to high-end upholstery
Posted by blueDenube (My Page) on Sat, Apr 23, 05 at 12:15
Can someone list middle to high-end upholstery makers?
I read about Vanguard, Temple, Century, McReary Modern, Marcus Claintant(?sp), and so on. How does Vanguard compare to Temple? What is the difference between high-end and middle quality? How can one tell?
Thanks for any information.

Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Middle to high-end upholstery
Posted by: John_WC (My Page) on Sat, Apr 23, 05 at 13:18
Let's start with the basics. A well constructed sofa consists of the following details: 5/4 kiln dried hardwood (like oak), legs that are part of the frame, suspended coil springs that are 8 way (or greater) tied, corner blocks, double dowel, glued and screwed corners and joints, minimum of high density cushions with upgrades available, fabric matched and high quality fabrics available. Avoid sofas that use bands or straps or serpentine for support as compared to suspended coil springs.
What separates high end and middle quality? Materials, craftmanship, quality and scale. If you want to see the best made sofa brand on the market, look at E J Victor. Incredible stuff. Of course, a price tag to match. But you will see the pinnacle of the upholstery market.
You asked for a list of middle and high end upholstery.
Middle: Clayton Marcus, Temple, Jetton, Massoud, Key City, Thomasville, Highland House, Century, Drexel, C R Laine, Michael Thomas, Harden, Ethan Allen, Pa House, Sam Moore, Fairfield, Woodmark, Lexington and Broyhill. And there are many more.
High end: E J Victor, Henredon, Heritage, Southwood, Taylor King, Bradington Young, Hancock & Moore, Hickory White, Hickory Chair and Baker.

RE: Middle to high-end upholstery
Posted by: LizH (My Page) on Sun, Apr 24, 05 at 11:24
I think John_WC's list was very good and should be saved for reference. In addition I would add Sherrill to the middle list since its a very popular line and should be noted. Also I would move Century from the middle to the high end. I think Century's top line (they have several levels) is among the best, certainly competes with Henredon.

RE: Middle to high-end upholstery
Posted by: carrie01 (My Page) on Mon, Apr 25, 05 at 8:00
John,
What do you consider the best buys in each of the
middle and high end categories?

RE: Middle to high-end upholstery
Posted by: DruidClark (My Page) on Mon, Apr 25, 05 at 12:22
What about Halligan and Wesley Hall for the high middle or low high? Thanks, btw, for the excellent basics description. I'm going to print it out and use it as the basis for my ongoing search for a decent sofa.

RE: Middle to high-end upholstery
Posted by: John_WC (My Page) on Mon, Apr 25, 05 at 17:50
carrie01, best buy in middle is Massoud. Massoud is a small company that makes sturdy sofas that are well tailored. There are many frames available and 1,000 fabrics.
High end best buy is tougher. Depends on price point you prefer to be at. If you want the best, E. J. Victor. If you want a fine sofa for an excellent price point, consider Hickory White, Bradington Young and Hancock & Moore. Hancock & Moore is a specialty manufacturer but does offer fabric; BY makes leather only, if my memory is correct.

RE: Middle to high-end upholstery
Posted by: carrie01 (My Page) on Mon, Apr 25, 05 at 18:14
When you said that Sherrill is a better sofa than Temple,
can you tell me specifically what is better (cushions,
fabric,tailoring,construction)Is Sherril upper middle and
Temple lower middle?

RE: Middle to high-end upholstery
Posted by: Sue_CT (My Page) on Tue, Apr 26, 05 at 1:58
I think fabric choices and cushion options play a large part in dividing upper and middle. All of the middle and high end manufacturer's I believe use all of the same basic construction methods mentioned. Underneath them all, though, you would likely find the kiln dried hardwood, corner blocked, doweled and screwed frames, and 8 way hand tied coil springs that were already described. I think some might use double dowels and others tripple dowels. There might also be some differences in the thickness of the coils, the hardwood used, such as ash vs oak, and the dimensions of the lumber in the frame, although I am not certain. The higher end manufacturer's often offer upgrades of cushions that include down and down blends, for instance. Tayloring can also be a factor. They might be more willing to guarantee exact matches of complicated fabric patterns all the way around a difficult piece, for instance, although I have received different opinions about who is better at that. For instance, no one seems to want to guarantee a good match of a plaid all the way around a curved wing chair. I have been looking a lot a Sherril recently and the Decorator showed me a Sherril fabric that was embroidered that was 450.00/yd. I didn't see anything that high end from Temple. I didn't see any silks from Temple, and they probably don't offer down cushions, although I can't be certain. I was looking at Drexel Heritage today. The sofa model I liked had the upgraded cushions and was priced on sale at 1200-1500.00 from a special collection of Heritage fabrics. The identical sofa when I picked a low end fabric not in the special selections but still on sale and in the same "grade" was 3-4,000.00. The same sofa when I accidentally reached for a "couture" cotton from the Lillian August for Drexel Heritage line (still cotton, though) the decorator did not even bother to price for me because she had priced a chair in the same fabric for another customer that day and it was 12,000.00. The only variable for 1500.00, 4,000.00 and 12,000.00+ was the fabric. High end exotic woods, carved wood, larger deeper sofas requiring more fabric, etc., would raise it even higher. If anyone knows of any additional differences I would love to know also. Leather is probably the same, since you pay for the type and grade of leather and some are much more costly than others.

RE: Middle to high-end upholstery
Posted by: Sue_CT (My Page) on Tue, Apr 26, 05 at 4:12
I thought this reply to a question from Furniture magazine was interesting and appropriate to this discussion:
http://www.furnituremagazine.com/default.cfm?page=questions&process=selectq&questionID=50

RE: Middle to high-end upholstery
Posted by: LizH (My Page) on Tue, Apr 26, 05 at 10:02
Sue_CT
Thanks for posting the link to furniture magazine. I just went over there and inquired about subscribing. Good stuff. As a self-employed decorator, I find that being educated about furniture is a must. You seem pretty knowledgeable...are you in the trade?
John_WC...You really know your stuff re: vendors/quality. Are you a furniture professional? Just curious.
Thanks both for good input.

RE: Middle to high-end upholstery
Posted by: DruidClark (My Page) on Tue, Apr 26, 05 at 13:10
Thanks, Sue, for the excellent link. I'd forgotten about this magazine. It really is a good resource. I asked the editor a question one time, and though it took him several months to answer me, he did get back!
Thanks again.

RE: Middle to high-end upholstery
Posted by: Sue_CT (My Page) on Tue, Apr 26, 05 at 14:09
Your welcome for the link. I am not in the trade, just like to understand where my dollars and pennies are going and what I am really paying for. That way, I can get quality and still get good value. I know many people who can't afford a lot and buy cheap sofas for 799.-899. that last a few years if that, and then look awful. I know people that have paid that much at local discounter with a 99.00 deliver fee. I can have an eight way hand tied sofa shipped from NC to CT for 949.00. Just doesn't make sense to me. Also, my father had a job making furniture when he was young, about 40 yrs ago, and my uncle did Upholstery for many years. They didn't talk about it much, but my mother knew when something wouldn't pass muster and my Father wouldn't let it in the house. She would point out why my Dad wouldn't find it acceptable, like poor pattern matching or cushions that didn't fit correctly. I guess I learned early not to accept poor quality.

RE: Middle to high-end upholstery
Posted by: chickensoup (My Page) on Thu, Apr 28, 05 at 22:51
Hi John WC,
I'm curious why Southwood ranked so high on your list. I recently scrutinized a lot of upholstery during my NC trip. Of course I couldn't pull off the fabric to inspect the frame, but I judged by the quality of what was visible. It's safe to assume that if the product looks sloppy on the outside, it's sloppy on the inside as well. Quality of Southwood's sewing was poor: the skirts were lined with flimsy material, edges of the fabric weren't finished, skirts were sloppily stapled onto the frame. In contrast, the sewing of every piece of Michael Thomas' upholstery I inspected was absolutely neat and done with care. Even better than EJ Victor's, on that count. MT's frames felt substantially heavy too.

RE: Middle to high-end upholstery
Posted by: QBerkeley (My Page) on Wed, May 4, 05 at 0:32
Another thing to look for in quality upholstery is sanded frames. This factor may seem pointless, but you want sanded frames so that nothing catches on the frame whenever someone sits on the chair or sofa. There is always movement throughout the piece of furniture when you sit down, all the way down to the frame. If it is not sanded, the padding will catch on rough spots on the frame, and in turn, will prevent the fabric from being able to move smoothly. Cheap upholstery usually wears from the underside (like along the arms) out, not the other way around although it may appear to be from the outside in.

RE: Middle to high-end upholstery
Posted by: Sue_CT (My Page) on Wed, May 4, 05 at 3:02
How exactly are you supposed to know if the frame is sanded? You can't see it and I havent seen even one manufacturer mention it in information about the construction. If it is not even mentioned by the manufacturers that DO it isn't likely to be brought up by those that don't. It makes some sense, I just dont know how you know this on every sofa you look at.

RE: Middle to high-end upholstery
Posted by: QBerkeley (My Page) on Wed, May 4, 05 at 18:32
A dealer should be able to tell you if a frame is sanded or not. Just ask them. Anyone who is reputable will take the time to learn the lines they sell, and all of those lines' selling points. If they can't tell you (or won't tell you), it isn't sanded!

RE: Middle to high-end upholstery
Posted by: blueDenube (My Page) on Fri, May 13, 05 at 13:40
Thank you all for responding. John, that's a very helpful list. How is McReary Modern stack up? I am looking into Room & Board. Also, has anyone heard of M&M upholstery?

RE: Middle to high-end upholstery
Posted by: BSEO2BeInTxs (My Page) on Thu, Jun 23, 05 at 1:33
I would add Stickley to the list of high end upholstery. I do not particularly like the Mission look but when I was searching for a new sofa, I found that Stickley had some really beautiful traditional and contemporary pieces. It took 14 weeks to receive the finished product (not unusual) and it is beautiful. The cushion options were good to have as we like a firmer cushion. Henredon does not offer the cushion options that many other high-end manufacturers offer. I'm considering a daybed by Barbara Barry (for Baker) but am not thrilled that there are no finish options. Does anyone have experience with Barbara Barry upholstery or Baker upholstery that would be helpful?

I'm so glad y'all like #1! That's the one I keep going back to. I can now say I've been to Pottery Barn and I'm not sure what I expected, but I expected something more. I really like #1 in person and the good thing is the picture above is the standard fabric it comes in, which I think will work for me. Any other fabric would have increased the price. Getting a lighter colored sofa still makes me a little nervous, but there is a texture to it which helps it to not look completely solid in color. Bassett has a sofa similar to PB's and I actually think I like it better than PB's, but of course it was more expensive than #1. Now, I just need to decide on my paint color and save up some money for the sofa. At least I feel like I'm starting to make a little progress.

Laurie

Lovin' the last one!

Good for you...keep us posted!

Msrose, you may want to try a Macy's furniture outlet if you have one in your area. They have great deals and some of the pricing can come close to Bassett but you could wind up with a better quality sofa. I'm suggesting this because two of your selections were Bernhardt and Martha Stewart. Good luck with your furniture shopping and remember to have fun while doing it!

I love #1 BUT we had such bad luck with the Bassett sofa we had about 10 years ago, that I would never buy another one from them and certain wouldn't recommend them. Around the same time, my neighbor bought the same sofa, different fabric, and hers didn't hold up any better than mine. That said, the sofa we bought was one of the less expensive choices that Bassett had at the time. We had actually picked out a much more expensive sofa, but the saleslady failed to place our order. By the time we discovered the mistake, the sofa we had selected had be discontinued. The inexpensive model was the closest we could find to the style we wanted. Maybe if yours is a more expensive model it will hold up better. Good luck.

Totally Confused

totallyconfused - Thanks for the warning. This probably is one of their less expensive sofas. In what way did you and your neighbors sofa not hold up? It's so hard to know what will last and what won't. I bought a sectional years ago from Dillards. It was fairly cheap and that thing held up beautifully. The sofas I currently have are from La-z-boy. They were more expensive than any sofa I've bought before and the cushions have not held their shape at all.

deborah - I'm not sure if we have a Macy's outlet, but I'll certainly check on that. Do you think Bernhardt and Martha Stewart is a better quality than Bassett? The Bernhardt website said that Macys and Dillards carries their furniture, so I checked both their websites and unfortunately they don't show either one of the sofas I posted.

Laurie

I really like the looks of #1 also. I think it can be dressed up or down depending on what else you put in the room. I hope that one works out for you!

I love #1, 4 and 5 but I would take any of them. I have a similar style in my great room but ours are not very comfortable. I'd be most interested to know which one of your choices is the most comfortable. Please keep me posted.

Are you thinking of using a darker color on the wall? The light sofas and your mirror choice for the fp would really stand out against deeper hued walls IMO.

Love your tastes.

msrose, the problems with my Bassett sofa were with the cushions and the fabric. My sofa had a semi-attached back, which was always lumpy and the seat cushions would flatten out and become lumpy in a very short period of time. I think Bassett replaced the seat cushions 3 or 4 times before they finally said no more. They did come out one time and add more fiber fill to the back cushions. They pretty much told me I would have to continue to do that on my own for the life of the sofa.

As for the fabric, it did not wear well at all. On one arm, they had not extended the padding out to the end of the arm and the wood of the frame cut through the fabric. Also, the seams they used to join two pieces of fabric were so tiny that they ended up pulling apart. Bassett wouldn't cover any of the fabric problems and I ended up paying a furniture repair company over $100 to deal with the seam issue.

My neighbor had similar issues with the cushions.

I had heard bad things about La-z-boy (after I bought mine, of course), but so far mine are holding up pretty well. I do have to give the loose back cushions a "restorative massage" once a week or so to get them back in shape, but once I do that they aren't too bad.

Totally Confused

I love number 1. Msrose, are you the lady who has the lovely bedroom done with the toile drapes? I want to find a photo of that bedroom bedroom to send a friend, along with that inspiration photo that was used. I was explaining to her in order to reproduce an inspiration photo you really need all the elements and the one I'm thinking of that was posted on here is done to perfection. Thanks so much.

sidney - I'd like to go with a medium toned paint color, which actually feels dark to me after being used to off white walls.

totally - Oh, that makes me so nervous. I just love that sofa, but I would hate to end up with an experience like yours. I'm going to have to give this alot of thought.

greatgollymolly - I think that's me you're talking about :)

Here's my inspiration photo:

Here's my room:

I am still working on, but I've gotten a little side tracked lately. I have some brown toile plates to put up. I want to get a fabric covered table for the left side of the bed and a chart for the area to the right of the dresser, plus a few more pictures.

Laurie

I meant a "chair", not a "chart".

Oh thanks Msrose, that's the beauty I was looking for.

I like #1 the best.

I had a Bassett sofa for about 15 or 16 years and never had a problem with it. Mine had a bed in it also. The cushions were still firm which is the way I liked it and it survived 4 kids. My daughter did chew a hole in the material so she could make a bigger rip and that was one of the reasons that I got rid of it because I didn't want to get it reupholstered and got tired of the surefit slip cover.

dd50 - Your daughter chewed a hole? How funny.

Laurie