Hi All,

This is a long-overdue review for my experience shopping with the Keeping Room. Duane worked with me over the course of several months, sending leather samples overseas, promptly responding to endless questions in detail, and giving much welcome advice to a first-time purchaser of "real" leather furniture.

When it came time to place my order, I appreciated Duane's honest advice -- after listening to my needs and color preferences, he actually steered me towards the class II hides I was looking at rather than the more expensive class III hides I was also considering. When we hit problems with my door size, Duane personally called H&M and figured out some very reasonably-priced custom workarounds.

As Duane knows, we had a few hiccups with the delivery service (NOT a Keepingroom company). What really impressed me was his very hands-on approach to sorting out the problem -- personally calling the owners of the delivery company, arranging for H&M to send out dyes to help repair the damage, etc.

Some 6 months after getting my pieces, I can say that the furniture (which I picked on Duane's recommendation without actually sitting in the sofa) has exceeded my expectations. I recently ran across some H&M stuff in a local shopping center, and can also say that I'm very pleased with the prices Duane offers -- at least 30% less than what I'd pay if I went with a local shop.

In sum, my experience with Duane has been very positive, and I'd recommend him to anyone looking for good leather furniture. I know there's been some discussion of local vs. long-distance retailers. I think Duane's level of service really narrows the gap between these options, and frankly, I have a hard time believing many local retailers would offer the level of service Duane did if something does go wrong with a local sale.

Pics of my pieces are below. Happy to answer any questions anyone might have about my experience!