Hmmmm, lazy boy must be the biggest junk retailer out there...wonder how they stay in business with such a bad reputation? I agree the quality may not be what it was years ago. Well, Pennsylvania House isn't what it once was either. Folks are complaining about Ethan Allan too! It seem there is some sort of anger towards Lazy Boy though.... That having been said, we just furnished out family room with a reclining sofa and loveseat as well as 2 - $600 leather rocker / recliners from Lazy boy. We are happy so far. As far as them being constructed of cardboard, funny the cutaway model in the store shows wood. When I flipped mine over, again wood. As far as you not liking the fabric, I would say if it matches the swatch in the store then you are stuck with it; thats the risk you run on a custom order. We are awefull at making decisions from small swatches. That is why we bought a color we could see in the store, in full size. Further, we told the stuff that is not special order is returnable. Now if your fabric is off color (maybe the dye lot changed) or stuffing is lumpy, then I'd assume you could get a refund with little argument. Did you ask? I am sure there are high quality pieces out there. I am not convinced that a $1000 recliner is that much better than a $600 one. It may be a LEXUS brand vs a TOYOTA brand issue where you are likely paying for a bit more quality and a name. I know my parents bought there furniture 40 years ago for life. Quality was good enough to re-appoulster evey 15 years. Perhaps folks hear can reccomend brands like that...and what they cost. Ask yourself though, will you want the same style sofa for the then next 15 years? Will you want to pay to have it re-appoulstered down the road? Most folks figure to get 7 - 10+ years out of their heavily used (with kids) furniture and are happy. Other less used rooms even longer. If I get less out of my Lazy Boy I will certainly be disapointed but I will still be perpelxed as to what brand to buy next....and if that extra 20% in price is actually going to buy me something that lasts years longer. Good Luck and if the chair is truely defective then opt for a refund. Take a good look underneath before they cart it away. You will then better off judging the next one.

Scientifically speaking, leather tanning and thickness determine durability. Chrome tanning leaves leather smooth and treatable with "paint" dyes, but also dries out and makes the leather more brittle and open to scratching. Oil tanning enhances long-time strength, keeps leather more supple, and helps resist scratching. It also helps ward off staining if you maintain it with neatsfoot oil. Light-colored leather, microfiber, or chenille will all suffer staining and discoloration from use. It comes with the territory, so expect it, and count on it to disappoint you when it comes to maintaining it, color-wise. Chenille is more loosely woven and more porous than either microfiber or leather, and tends to lose stitching and pick, due to the looseness of weave. Also, if you have asthma or allergies, it is simply not a choice at all. Ultimately, porosity determines how stain-resistant any material is. Polished microfiber, if thick and stitched properly, can outlast chrome-tanned leather, because the leather can crack with time. You can retard cracking to some degree by regularly wiping it down with wipes made for the purpose. Polished microfiber looks like leather and resists stains better. But as it wears, the shininess wears off, and it develops a surface nap. You can wax it or rub it down with mink oil to make it shiny again. Be sure to wipe it afterward to keep the treatment from getting on your white linen clothing (lol).

I was raised to buy rather high quality. Kindel, Baker, etc. And when we did our current house 7 years ago, I spared no costs in finishes, furnishings, lighting etc. In retrospect, I think that was really dumb. It is not nearly as satisfying as it might sound to just buy whatever you want, period. I think it is more satisfying to get things you like AND to feel as though you made sound decisions. No matter what I can afford, when I overspend I am spending money that I could otherwise give to charity or leave to my heirs. So being able to afford something does not at all justify wasting money, in my book. At seven years, my primary house it kind of dated already. For example, most of my faucets are shiny nickel. Today, I would choose natural brass. I am sure that as time goes on many things I chose will start to look "wrong". It is nearly impossible to avoid. We are looking at buying a snowbird home, and right away if the colors are warm tones like off white and cream, I don't like it. I want it all to be grey and white. No doubt in a few years that will change again. Already a grey kitchen is more au courant than a white one which displaces the creamy taupey ones which displaced the cherry ones. So I'd rather spend less and replace it when I feel like it, with most things. I would not spend so little that something does not wear or function, but really so much in decor is totally overpriced.

No worries about our conversation yesterday. You had to feel very torn apart dealing with me, the salesperson and your husband all at the same time-lol.. My hint on narrowing down swatches that I think helps is to take two of them. And between those 2, decide which one you like the best. Once you decide on that, discard the one you don't like. Put another swatch with the one you like and discard the one you like the least. Keep doing this until you get through the swatches. If possible, I hope you will have the opportunity to look at them also at night. Other thing is what are these swatches for? Both window and fireplace chairs? And if you like the blue, don't be concerned that you have it in another room. It's in another room and personally I like to take one color, if not more, and use it in each room to tie them together- even if it is a different shade of that color or even if it is in an accessory. And even if you are anxious to get this done, don't settle if you aren't feeling any of the samples. If you love the sofa fabric, you can always get that ordered as the fabric is neutral enough and then you can look at more fabric samples or go shop other stores for the chairs. Shopping for the chairs you can always do on your own and when you have it narrowed down, then drag hubby to the store. In my livingroom, not one piece is the same brand. The kitchen I was talking about is another Houzzer kitchen I'm helping with in a new house. Though I am putting the plans together for a huge remodel and additions to my house. Though at the snail pace I'm going it may be another yr before the work begins. I'm not very motivated as the job is going to take about 8-12 months and I will have to move out. The house is 19 yrs old and I knew when I bought it 3 yrs ago that it had very good bones but would need help to realize it's full potential and beauty. And that it needed more than lipstick..