I am a firm believer in educating my clients. It's important for me to make sure they understand every aspect of what they wish to do in a project and everything about the products I specify for their homes.
Our discussion for this moment is about furniture. I have had many problems with furniture stores as of late, thanks to the failing economy and poor customer service practices of the stores themselves. This is why I am happy to say that I am now purchasing fairly exclusively from my favorite showroom Nyla Simone Home in Tempe. Not only do they have beautiful merchandise at an exceptional price for the quality; I don't have to worry about my purchases, and that's important to me... Now, onto my subject of discussion...
I work with clients of all budgets, from mid range to high-end. And, for the most part, they understand the value of a quality piece of furniture. However, I have been in a store shopping for my clients and have heard " $ 900.00 for a chair... Are they crazy? I'm in the wrong store." But you're not!!!
Right place, wrong frame of mind. How can you know what a REAL piece of furniture costs, when Ashley and The Roomstore are telling you that you can buy a sofa, loveseat, chair, coffee table, two end tables and two lamps for $ 1,999.00. ( First of all, DESIGN RULE Numero Uno, NEVER MATCH YOUR ENTIRE LIVING ROOM SET TO ITSELF... so 90's!)
The cost of a piece of furniture is largely related to the quality of materials used in it's fabrication. Does that mean that going to that " STUCK UP" furniture store in the North of Scottsdale warrants a sofa costing $ 15,000. NO!!!! There is also such a thing as frivolous mark-up to pay for my Benz. Be careful! We'll talk about that in another blog post.
Chances are the sofa from those lower priced box stores are comprised of a low density foam, an inferior particle board and 1" x 2" frame ( what makes up the bottom of your seating area).
Chances are very good that you will be feeling those springs on your backside in a few years, if they last that long! Chances are excellent that your sofa comes in three colors, purchased by the thousands of square feet to give them "such a great deal that they pass on to you"; that the leather back to your sofa will probably not have a grain match, and if it does, chances are very good that portions of your "leather" are actually a nice quality vinyl. Oops! Are you checking your couch?
I am not saying that there are not some nice, decent quality chairs for under $900.00. But, if you are not looking for a contermporary piece with a simplistic style in a microsuede, you are looking at an average chair of good quality starting at no less than $600.00 and going up to around $2,200.00 (depending on your fabric). Most chair purchases that I make for clients fall within the $800.00 (with a standard fabric) to around $1,600 (with a nicer quality fabric or a C.O.M ((customer's own materials- which means a fabric that I purchase especially for the room from another vendor)).
If you were to cut your seating in half, there should be several layers to your piece. Underneath your fabric layer should be a wrap of dacron or another thin foam sheeting forming the fill below it. Your fill should consist of one or more layers of either a high density polyurethane (as your least expensive option), or another fiber or poly blend product. You should have options for down and some companies offer a hypoallergenic fill for those who have allergies to feathers but still want a down luxury fill. Underneath your fill layers is the construction of your piece. Believe it or not there's wood in there! The frame should be a sturdy kiln dried wood screwed and/ or doweled with thick corner blocks. Under your fill will be a plywood/ spring, open/ spring or even an eight way hand tied configuration supporting the weight placed upon your seat. In an eight way hand tied sofa 3- dimensional coils are hand attached to the bottoms and sides of the frame and tied to eight adjoining coils in that many directions to prevent shift in the piece. It gives an even strength throughout every area of the sofa to prevent "bottoming out" (or a lower sagging) when a larger person sits down or the wearing away in one particular area of a piece. You will find this in the higher quality pieces, but you can also find good quality without it.
Last, but not least, the crowning jewelry of your piece- there is the fabric, or upholstery. You need to consider all that I do when approaching this subject. Do you have children? Pets that might be scratching the upholstery? Will you be eating on it, laying all over it or merely staring at it in the parlor? Will it need a high traffic fabric and should you purchase a stain guard? Any high quality piece will not simply come with a protective coating, you must order it. Many polyester blends, silks, satins, rayon combos will leave water stains when cleaned, as will many chenilles. A solid will show more dirt than a print. A medium- dark color works best in AZ. Something too light will show dirt by getting darker. Something too dark will show lint, dust and pet hair. A high quality leather will not damage when scratched. There is a particular type of leather that is a harder feeling, more rustic leather meant to be scratched and weather with age, but you will not find it at that chain store. That leather is scratching because it is garbage. Don't be fooled.
Of course, I strongly recommend that you do not go it alone. If you are working with a good designer, go with them to the store or allow them to specify what will work best in your space. A showroom will not carry absolutely every product they sell, so if your piece is custom made and you can sit in one piece mad eby the same maufacturer, the others that are made the same will sit the same as well. Do not dismiss a piece because it isn't on the showroom floor. Trust your designer to make the best choice for your room. I have put together some of my best rooms all from a catalog. A real piece of furniture is an investment. I have recently reupholstered 2 sofas that I have had for a few years. Because the pieces are good quality, I saved thousands reupholstering versus buying new... and NO, you can't reupholster your sofa for $500.00. That'll be another blog post. Man, I'm gonna be busy!
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