I am had quite a bit of furniture just done by a local upholstery shop and am delighted with the results.

I was able to specify exactly what I wanted in terms of both style as well as dimensions. For my arm chair in my bedroom, I was measured so that depth, height etc. were all perfect for my body.

I went to the shop and tested various options to see what kind of cushions I wanted.

In terms of quality of the final product, I think my quality surpasses that of the standard middle of the road pieces available. I specified the construction of the frame as well as that the springs were to be eight way hand tied which is considered to be the best.

Patricia, I'm seriously considering COM with manufacturer as well. I've sent online requests to a couple of places listed as the dealer on Lee website, but haven't heard back yet.

Any idea how the pricing works in this case?

Helen,

I'm happy it worked out well for you. Did you get your chairs from a furniture shop that customizes chairs or was it a independent local upholstery shop that also makes chairs per customer requests?

I got a sofa, chaise and chair done by a local upholstery shop and as I wrote everything was custom. I also had the same place reupholster some existing chairs and also redo the upholstery of my new dining chairs in fabric I selected because the fabric choice was limited. I could have done COM with the store but it was cheaper to buy the chairs with their upholstery and have them redone by the local upholstery store

Years ago I had my sofas done by COM by the sofa company because I didn’t like their fabric selections.

The quality of standard retail furniture is not as good as it was years ago. I was shocked when I was told that furniture from stores like Pottery Barn is only supposed to last for seven years.

I specify and purchase Lee Industries for my clients often. I work through Witford showroom. They will work with public and across the country. You can contact them directly and use COM fabric. There is an up charge for COM vs one of Lee's graded in fabrics. So, if you are going with solids, you may want to consider their fabric options. Pricing will be MSRP plus COM up charge. May seem pricey but Lee makes very good quality furniture. Check out my blog about them: https://www.ljacobsendesign.com/craftsman-and-artisan-sculpted-furnishings

I've done both. Having ones local shop make the furniture can be wonderful - very high quality - but very few shops can actually build a frame or do this. One also needs to truly know what one wants - cotton or synthetic batting? Foam or horsehair? Spring units in back? It's very much like custom building a house - a TRUE custom house.

But I've also order a lot of COM furniture from Lee with very good results. One can also do COM trim, and Lee offers many different cushion fillings, and the option of nail heads on some of the furniture. For a mid-price furniture line, one can make things very custom, but at an affordable price. It's why this line is a favorite of designers.