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Hi all. I've been given a quote for a Taylor King sectional for about $11,000. The sectional consists of 3 pieces: Left arm sofa, quarter turn, right arm sofa. We have chosen the Taylor King custom line so we have picked out everything, including a range of fabrics for all of the many pillows. We also upgraded to spring down cushions: my question: is this price outrageous? Thanks for your help.
Who knows? You have to supply specific model numbers and covers to determine...its probably high at $ 11K, but they make a lot of sectionals and its hard to say without seeing the specifics.
Quote:
Originally Posted by drcollie
Thank you so much for your response. I apologize for being vague. I'm working with a decorator and don't really have model numbers and the like. I do know it's the Taylor King line (not King's Court) where you can create your own sectional. She and I picked an array of beautiful fabrics for the decorative pillows--some of which I'm sure were in the 20 or 22 Grade Range. We also picked the 9" fringe. I guess I'm just hoping as excessive as this sounds, it could make sense given the variety of fabrics we're working with. The price does seem quite high-just want to have some assurance that it is possible to come in at that number when you order a custom sectional with all the bells and whistles. (Whether that's a smart decision or not could be the subject of another post. :) )
Here's the thing about using Decorators....
A Decorator has two ways to earn their pay.
1) Charge per hour of service, or otherwise bid a flat fee to do the work.
2) Do the work for 'free' (or at a greatly reduced rate) and you purchase the furniture through them.
Most people use method # 2, because they don't like the idea of paying out $ 80 to $ 100 per hour of time. That means the decorator must sell the furniture to the client at a relatively brisk margin in order to get paid for their work. Compounding this issue is the fact that a stocking dealer such as myself gets a lower wholesale price point from the supplier than the Decorator. And that is how you wind up with an $ 11,000 Taylor King Sectional! I advise ANYONE who wants to use the services of a Decorator to make it clear up front that you will pay them an hourly fee for their time, and either you or they will source the selections from the best possible price source. It may sound more expensive to do it this way, but at the end of the day its usually less.
I don't know the model and fabrics you have selected, but knowing what I do about Taylor King Sectionals, I would imagine you can buy it from a store such as mine for about 60% of that price. Very few Taylor King Sectionals go beyond $ 7K in a Sofa/Wedge/Sofa configuration unless they are done in silks or leather. 20/22 grade is towards the low end of the fabric grades and fringe on the pillows is not very costly. The thing to do is to go on the Taylor King website and select the model you and the decorator are looking at, and get the fabric grades - then you can get a price. However its not fair to your Decorator to simply cut them loose on the deal unless you have that hourly contract in force so you want to discuss changing the way they are compensated for your project.
Here's an example. This T-K Sectional in the link, done with grade 20 fabric and using TWO sofa segments with all the pillows is $ 6,160 plus delivery fees. (photo shows a loveseat segment and a sofa segment). Some incidentals will change the price such as more costly fabrics on the pillows, fringes, etc. but not by a lot.
http://www.taylorking.com/details.ph...type=SECTIONAL
Thank you so much for taking the time to offer your wise counsel about the decorator, and the information about the T-K sectional. Thanks to you, I know better now what questions to ask when interviewing/negotiating with a decorator. My experience has been that they don't want to share with you the price the pay for the furniture, or the amount of their commission. That always troubled me, and I didn't know how to ask the right questions. (I foolishly thought that they had a right to keep their profit margin a secret.) I certainly don't begrudge the decorator the right to make a living-and earn a profit on the work they do, the question is how much should that profit be. If I can get a sofa retail for 6K, but a decorator finds it, designs it, chooses fabric, etc., they should earn something. The hourly rate you describe indeed seems to make the most sense. Thanks again.
I think the hourly or job rate is the only way to go, and the decorators I have spoke with over the years prefer it as well. For one thing, if the client is paying by the hour things stay more focused and there is less rambling discussion - meaning the work goes quicker and more efficiently. Secondly, it allows you to shop to your heart's content for the best deal. And a third benefit is that it opens all styles and product to be used. Decorators can't get discounts on every product line, so they're never going to suggest a product that may be perfect for your home if they can't source it and make a profit on it. By paying a flat fee or hourly wage for their service, its all out in the open and on the table. Good luck!