Sofa Shopping

[mcneu]

Hi all.

I've been researching sofas for a few weeks now and was referred to this website by someone on gardenweb. Hopefully someone here can help me with my search.

There is a fairly specific type of sofa that I'm looking for... primarily very firm, contemporary style, dense lumbar cushion, and good quality. I live in NYC and have visited a number of stores. These are the three that have piqued my interest:

Natuzzi Avana: http://us.natuzzi.com/10/16/collecti...2570/65/en-us/

Gamma Hilton: http://www.jensen-lewis.com/pid/00000939/Hilton-Sofa

BoConcept Lari: http://www.boconcept.us/Lari.aspx?ID=94506

As you can see, they all look very similar. I was also able to find another one that visually looks the same, although I haven't found one in person.

W Schillig Ella: http://www.schillig.com/EN_kollektion-us/modelle/12/193

This is what I've been able to find so far regarding these brands:
Natuzzi - possibly still good quality if it's from the Italy line.

Gamma - little to nothing, although their website goes into great detail regarding the manufacturing process. They are handmade but don't seem popular enough to have reviews anywhere.

BoConcept - lots of bad reviews regarding customer service, but can't find much regarding quality.

W Schillig - seems to be good quality but haven't found this particular model to sit on.

They are all in the $10,000 range when priced as a sectional in a high-grade leather. It would really be appreciated if any of you have information to add regarding these brands/sofas or other reputable brands that may have something similar to the sofas above. I've had trouble finding this style from the high-end manufacturers, such as H&M.

Thanks in advance.

[drcollie]

How about this one? I sat on this at last Market Showroom.....a VERY nice piece. Could it be made as a sectional? Most likely. Depending on size and leather, might be a little more than the $ 10K you're finding...

http://www.hancockandmoore.com/produ...productid=2087

H&M is rolling out two new sectional models at Market, I'm going there this Sunday and will take photos - check back next week.

I'm not familiar with those labels other than Natuzzi - and I can tell you that I'd not even remotely consider dropping 10 large on anything made by them. They have a rather poor longevity/performance reputation.

[mcneu]

Thanks drcollie. I will definitely check back for the pictures.

[mcneu]

The only H&M sofa (that I've seen) that appears to have a specific lumbar cushion is the Austin.

[steveshapiro]

Gamma - little to nothing, although their website goes into great detail regarding the manufacturing process. They are handmade but don't seem popular enough to have reviews anywhere.

Gamma's got some very high-quality furnishings, but for a price. I think the fact that they are a bit more expensive, and thus rarer, partly accounts for your difficulty in finding reviews for them. Personally, I used to have one in my den years ago, and it was sturdy though not the most comfortable I've ever had.

[mcneu]

Gamma's got some very high-quality furnishings, but for a price. I think the fact that they are a bit more expensive, and thus rarer, partly accounts for your difficulty in finding reviews for them. Personally, I used to have one in my den years ago, and it was sturdy though not the most comfortable I've ever had.

Thanks for your input. I've been leaning towards the Gamma but have had trouble committing due to the lack of reviews. It's nice to hear at least one person's experience with them.

[mcneu]

How about this one? I sat on this at last Market Showroom.....a VERY nice piece. Could it be made as a sectional? Most likely. Depending on size and leather, might be a little more than the $ 10K you're finding...

http://www.hancockandmoore.com/produ...productid=2087

H&M is rolling out two new sectional models at Market, I'm going there this Sunday and will take photos - check back next week.

I'm not familiar with those labels other than Natuzzi - and I can tell you that I'd not even remotely consider dropping 10 large on anything made by them. They have a rather poor longevity/performance reputation.

Duane,

I'm having a heck of a time finding somewhere to look at H&M sofas in person. I went to a couple of the stores listed on H&M's website today... one of them had zero H&M sofas, the other had one.

Do you know of anywhere near Manhattan that has a showroom with an extensive selection of H&M? If need be, since I would be spending quite a bit on this investment, I would be willing to hop on a train (or even plane) to see a large selection somewhere that has a knowledgeable staff.

Please advise.

Thanks!

[drcollie]

Best to always call the store ahead of time to get a sense of inventory, some H&M dealers might have only one or two pieces on display. In my store, I always try to keep at least (20) - but as you probably know I'm a big supporter of the brand. There is no central database of inventory anywhere, even H&M doesn't know what dealers have on the floor. I really don't know of any 'big' dealers per se in the NY Metro area or surrounding townships, sorry.

Get here (N. VA) by 3:00 a.m. and you can ride down to Market and the H&M showroom with me! lol..... I plan to be there at 8:30 a.m. Sunday morning when the doors open. There will be close to 300 pieces on display. The other option is to take a H&M factory tour where at any given time about 100 pieces are close enough to being finished to check them out.

When I see the execs at H&M tomorrow, I'll ask them to consider designating certain dealers that stock several frames and do volume business with them to be classified as 'Master Dealers' and that would make it easier when looking at the dealer listings. Most they can do is say 'no thanks' to that proposal.

[mcneu]

Get here (N. VA) by 3:00 a.m. and you can ride down to Market and the H&M showroom with me! lol..... I plan to be there at 8:30 a.m.

Thanks for the advice. If I had known last week, I just may have taken you up on that.