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Are odd angles reasonable?
Hi all,
I just received my February purchase of 2 sectionals and a sofa from an internet-based manufacturer of custom items. The pandemic and subsequent quarantine meant that the items were unable to be shipped with the carrier's white-glove service. Upon on receipt and assembly, my wife and I noticed that the front baseboards had a slope downward from juncture at the arms of the sectionals and sofa up to the center of the sofa or the junctions with the other sectional pieces. On a couple of the pieces it was very pronounced. It is the kind of thing that once you see it, you can not unsee it. In conversation with the maker, they suggested that it was a result of the leather stretching and where the leather was bound in the frame. They also affirmed that this was the case on other leather versions of the same item and also for the furniture from another manufacturer. They implied that fabric does not stretch in the same manner and thusly the impact was not apparent in the fabric version.
If that is the case, it seems to be a poor design instead of a compromise for material choice. It seems to me that this setup the piece for a sag at that junction in a few years.
So my question, have you seen this sort of sag before, and would you consider it a reasonable design compromise or something else? I am not interested in doxxing the maker. The sales and customer care staff have been very good as they should be given the price point. Considering that the pieces were sitting at the factory until white-glove service became available again, then again, they have been paid in full for four and a half months.
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Thanks for Reading!
(long-time occasional reader, first-time poster)
-ma
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Re: Are odd angles reasonable?
What's going on here is construction, and I have to ask are the outside arms designed to lift off the piece for installation? Because that's sort of what the build looks like to me. The kickboard (footboard) is not integrated into the vertical of the arm, its a stand-alone segment that is attached to the vertical. so YES - I would expect to see that angling that concerns you because of the construction method. In other words, there is not enough structure there to keep the piece in its plane due to the way its built, it appears segmented in the frame design If the arm does NOT come off and is firmly attached, then it's just not a premium build and is something one expects to see in less expensive units. You don't mention the cost of this sectional but I am going to guess it was under $ 4,500 before shipping?
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As you move up into higher quality builds, you will see the kickboard panel is fully integrated into the vertical of the arms and the upholstery is actually tied around the entire segment. But these are $ 10,000 units and that's what you are paying for at this level. Here's two photos of premium sectionals, one made by Century and the other by Hancock and Moore. See the build difference in that area that you have highlighted and how straight the spring edge is on these two examples? That's in the frame design when they engineer the build.
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I don't think it's from pulling the leather as you were told, I think it's more the actual design of the kick panel joint to the arm. And sectionals are fussy, because they don't have another arm at the corner to join to, so you have to have a solid and tightly integrated frame in order to maintain a nice look on that panel, plus a stiff edge. I also suspect this is plywood made unit which lacks the torsional rigidity and resistant to twist that you get with a solid maple or ash frame. Bottom line, I don't see it as defective as long as you are not in a premium price range.
When I see what you are pointing out, I also think you may eventually experience some sag or front edge softening over time and with use. That's called the spring edge and if it's not stout then tends to begin flexing as you sit on it and eventually fatigues. This forum is all about education and learning what makes a good piece of furniture. Now you know for the next one you buy, study the model with your eyes and see if you can tell how its put together. Once you train your eye to look for those details they become readily apparent. I'd use the piece and not worry about that, I don't think it's correctable by the manufacturer, its just how they designed the build of it.
Re: Are odd angles reasonable?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
drcollie
What's going on here is construction, and I have to ask are the outside arms designed to lift off the piece for installation? Because that's sort of what the build looks like to me. The kickboard (footboard) is not integrated into the vertical of the arm, its a stand-alone segment that is attached to the vertical. so YES - I would expect to see that angling that concerns you because of the construction method. In other words, there is not enough structure there to keep the piece in its plane due to the way its built, it appears segmented in the frame design If the arm does NOT come off and is firmly attached, then it's just not a premium build and is something one expects to see in less expensive units. You don't mention the cost of this sectional but I am going to guess it was under $ 4,500 before shipping?
The arm does not come off. I suspected that a box per section would have been sturdier for this particular style and but that is apparently not how the build was done. As far as the price, for an 80"x110" square 'L' with a 42 inch depth, it retailed around $6100, then I managed a rare 10% discount (they run a publicized discount occasionally and twice in the past year). I would mention how recently the previous discounts were offered, but that might give away their name.
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Quote:
As you move up into higher quality builds, you will see the kickboard panel is fully integrated into the vertical of the arms and the upholstery is actually tied around the entire segment. But these are $ 10,000 units and that's what you are paying for at this level. Here's two photos of premium sectionals, one made by Century and the other by Hancock and Moore. See the build difference in that area that you have highlighted and how straight the spring edge is on these two examples? That's in the frame design when they engineer the build.
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Quote:
I don't think it's from pulling the leather as you were told, I think it's more the actual design of the kick panel joint to the arm. And sectionals are fussy, because they don't have another arm at the corner to join to, so you have to have a solid and tightly integrated frame in order to maintain a nice look on that panel, plus a stiff edge. I also suspect this is plywood made unit which lacks the torsional rigidity and resistant to twist that you get with a solid maple or ash frame. Bottom line, I don't see it as defective as long as you are not in a premium price range.
Thanks for making that differentiation. Their site indicates oak in one section, then laminates (plywood) in another. Watching a tour video, it was plane to see the laminates in use across the different styles of frames.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
drcollie
When I see what you are pointing out, I also think you may eventually experience some sag or front edge softening over time and with use. That's called the spring edge and if it's not stout then tends to begin flexing as you sit on it and eventually fatigues. This forum is all about education and learning what makes a good piece of furniture. Now you know for the next one you buy, study the model with your eyes and see if you can tell how its put together. Once you train your eye to look for those details they become readily apparent. I'd use the piece and not worry about that, I don't think it's correctable by the manufacturer, its just how they designed the build of it.
Thanks for the assessment. I appreciate the second set of (far) more experienced eyes. This experience is a reminder that that the sales showroom is exactly that and not a place for detailed education.
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Re: Are odd angles reasonable?
There’s a tendency in buying furniture for consumers to buy to a price point, you are far from alone. And the industry is absolutely terrible at educating consumers to show they why a piece costs what it does. So what often happens is looking for a style you like, dimensions that work, and a friendly price tag.
The average retail furniture salesperson makes less than $30K a year, so it’s not really a career that makes them want to get up to speed on their product lines. Their job is to get you to buy something - anything - and the best way to do that is on a price point. “SALE” is what gets everyone excited, even if the furniture is landfill material in just a couple of years.
When you buy high quality builds, the construction is first rate and it lasts decades. I just ordered two new Hancock and Moore French Curve Sofas for my own home to replace a pair of twenty-year-old Leathercraft Model 2670 sofas. The new sofas will arrive in August and these two old ones will go to the basement media room for another twenty years. They still look pretty decent after all that Time, with no sag and no frame or spring failures, we are just ready for a change. Here’s a photo of one taken as I type this. The both had new seat core insets three years ago.
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High quality builds cost less per years of service, but that’s a hard message to get across sometimes!
