I had a Hooker Office Armoire and then I purchased a smaller Ballard one - the Hooker was huge - for our rental. No question the Hooker was far better made - a piece of furniture that will last through generations. I sold it for only $500 less than I paid 5 years later. However, the Ballard is perfectly acceptable and has held up well. Certain things - like the desk surface - are looser after a couple years use. But the overall structure seems quite sound and the finish was very nice. I think the value of Ballard is that they really do have a selection of furniture that fits very specific needs. It s always possible to find a good furniture deal if you work at it - I got the Hooker at a place that sells all furniture at 30% or more off retail - the very same piece at Crate&Barrel was $1200 more than I paid. So The hooker was a much better value for my money. However, the Ballard was exactly the size and function I needed so it was also a value in a different way.

Upholstered pieces? Never bought them, though I'm tempted too. I have purchased a modular desk system from them which was of excellent quality. Their customer service was awesome when I called a year later to buy a different piece of the system that was actually a small part of a separate package. As soon as they understood what I was asking for, they made it work even though it seemed to involve a bunch of typing sounds on the other end of the line. Maybe you should post in the furniture forum? More of the responses tend to be spam, but you might get an answer. As for Room & Board and Mitchell Gold you would be paying at least Ethan Allen prices, if not more for those.

kswl, thank you, please muddy my water anytime! Your observations are consistent with mine with potential sturdiness. The stripped down version of French country style is what catches my eye. It is simplified, relieved of some fussiness, definitely casual, which is exactly what I want. Plus, I want both cushions to be removable. Picky, huh? lol There is a Wisteria outlet near me and I checked on a chair that I had admired in their catalog. It was rickety. Unbelievably rickety. And still darn expensive to boot! That experience is what prompted me to inquire about this Ballard chair. Thanks for replying! Anyone else with thoughts on this chair?

Just got a new Ballard catalog yesterday, and noticed that they are now emphasizing that ALL their upholstered furniture is US-made. They have some really good looking updated, but still traditional styles. As for cushions - back or bottom. Just be sure that any sofa one buys has cushions covers with zippers on them. Most are filled with poly, or poly/feather, and they will compact and droop - pretty quickly, in fact. When they do, take the pillows/cushions and their covers to a GOOD upholstery shop and have the filling replaced. Bottom cushions of often used chairs/sofas, are best done with springs and a wrap of something with a nice crown. Loose back cushions are a problem with pets - they like to use them as a hammock and they always look like an unmade bed. If they are filled with a 50/50 down/feather fill, then at least they can be fluffed up to look nice. I finally gave up and just had my sofa done with a tight back - looks SO much better. Throw pillows are easy and inexpensive to replace, and the dog doesn't sleep on them the way her predecessors did on those loose back cushions. I'm far happier. What one must realize is that today's upholstered furniture, no matter where it is made, is simply not the quality it once was. People do NOT want investment furniture - a sofa they will keep for 50 years They like change and won't pay for true quality, thus the manufacturers (even ones like Baker), have lowered the quality for price point reasons. If there are no buyers for quality, one must make lesser quality at the price point customers want to pay.