The cushions that Bradington-Young uses are sewn in a muslin ticking. Any feathers are completely encased inside this bag and sewn to the ticking than that is slipped into the leather cover. I never heard of that effecting some one with allergies in my 27 years in the leather furniture industry, but anything is possible, some people are highly sensitive, so you never know. The ultra down is a nice option because it has a innerspring core , surrounded by foam with a layer of fiber feather and down added to the crown of the cushion. This cushion holds up nicely over time, but you will find their quaalx foam or poly foam will sit a tad firmer. I have been selling the line for over 16 years and the married line is perfectly fine, the only difference is strictly in labor and sewing and material costs. This is cheaper overseas. So the hides can be cut and sewn over there to save on labor rates in the US . Labor is many times more expensive here in the US plant. Building of frames and upholstery are done in the US plant. The only drawback is the placement of scars and markings on the hide. Since it comes in to the plant pre-done they upholster what they have, versus cutting and sewing done in the plant where there is more control . Most of their business is not cut and sewn hides, they have over 200 leathers that are done domestically. And they also have a import program from China called Seven Seas, but this is limited to a few married colors only.

meg711, I do have occasional quality control issues with B-Y, but not enough to put me off the brand. Admittedly, I have a keen eye and am quick to find minor workmanship faults, probably because I work with this stuff six days a week and believe that premium furniture must meet a certain expectation in the craft. If they cannot work to a certain standard, then they should market themselves as middle of the road, rather than a premium brand. One thing for example that annoys me on B-Y is their bun feet are connected to the sofas and chairs by means of a single screw-in stud that 'spins' into an inset in the frame. Makes it easy to get on and off for delivery, but the metal insets sometimes fall out of the frame and then you can't get the leg on without making a repair and calling BY for a replacement inset (requires special tools to install). H&M's bunfeet are screwed on with (3) Square Drive wood screws per foot. Takes longer to get them off the piece, but they always go back on. No company is perfect. However I find Hancock and Moore to be the most consistent in delivering high-workmanship goods. If I were to rate them, H&M would get a 9.5 on a 10 scale. Leathercraft whom I also carry, would get a 9.0 Bradington Young I'd rate a 7.5 overall. Southwood a 7.0 Flexsteel a 6.0, etc. (they are middle-of-the-road, however) Bentley Place and King Street are not married cover unless is specifically states so (your dealer can tell you). So those are selected, marked, cut and sewn in Cherryville, NC. Its all relative to price paid for the goods, of course. Duane

I had a similar problem in a 1930 9-room Dutch Colonial that I bought in 1976. I took the realtor's advice on how to correct it. You need to install telescoping poles at the point where the sagging is the deepest. To spread the weight, so that the poles don't sink into the ground or into the beam of the house, you need to use thick steel plates, about 12 inches square, one on the ground below the pole and one above the pole so it is between the pole and the beam. That's really a 2-person job, but I did it myself because I was young then. Once you have the poles in place, you need to turn them to lengthen them GRADUALLY to give the added stress time to distribute throughout the house, or else, you could have breakage of windows, window frames, plaster walls, etc. We found that we were able to correct the sagging to a degree that satisfied us. But you will always have some sagging in these older houses. That condition comes with the territory. Some say it's part of the charm of older places. I say it's a pain in the you-know-what.

I agree, it's gorgeous! You might want to try Here - the Furniture Forum It's managed by a former Garden Web poster, Duane Collie, who has a furniture store in VA and sells Bradington Young. He is VERY knowledgeable about his products.