Major Restoration Hardware Fail, Need Quality Manufacturer

[kittonian]

In July my wife and I spent over $20k at Restoration Hardware on new furniture for the house. What I didn't know at the time was the quality of their furniture is absolute garbage, and beyond that virtually every piece they delivered was damaged. We have gone through replacement after replacement (all of which were more damaged than the first), exhausted customer service and had someone direct at corporate trying to handle things (a complete waste of time) and are so fed up we are returning everything and going to purchase from someone else.

The problem is, we can't seem to find anyone that matches two criteria:

1. Makes heirloom quality furniture that will last a lifetime
2. Has the same "industrial style" like Restoration Hardware

We are even willing to look at hiring a custom furniture maker to duplicate (or at least come close in style) to the exact pieces we purchased, but are certainly open to any and all suggestions as to another company that already makes these types of pieces.

Here's a sampling of what we purchased, so you can get an idea of the style:

St James Desk (black)
St James Panel Queen Bed w/out Footboard and two nightstands (distressed white)
Double French Library Shelving - 60" W x 93" H
Lancaster Leather Sofa (Italian Brompton Cocoa) - 96" & 60"
French Upholstered Wing Chair - Black Oak Drifted
Salvaged Wood & Concrete Trestle Rectangular Dining Table 84"
20th Century Iron Vault Coffee Table

[garyniv]

Regarding the sofa, there are a few threads on this forum on the subject: https://www.google.com/search?q=rest...itureforum.com

From Hancock & Moore, which is highly regarded on this forum, the Settlement sofa is the closest to the Lancaster (the deluxe depth): http://www.hancockandmoore.com/produ...productid=1494

There are quite a few H&M leathers, so I suspect you could find some that are similar to the Brompton.

[Ci2Eye]

Regarding the sofa, there are a few threads on this forum on the subject: https://www.google.com/search?q=rest...itureforum.com

From Hancock & Moore, which is highly regarded on this forum, the Settlement sofa is the closest to the Lancaster (the deluxe depth): http://www.hancockandmoore.com/produ...productid=1494

There are quite a few H&M leathers, so I suspect you could find some that are similar to the Brompton.

From my experience, no furniture is perfect. In the last few years, I have bought many brands from many vendors spanning the price and market position spectrum from the upper middle to high end price points and furniture just isn't as consistently made as other goods and seems unusually prone to damage. Don't expect perfection. Although Hancock and Moore makes a good product, it isn't perfect from my experience either. My Breville toaster was flawless out of the box but from what I have seen, it's unlikely that any furniture will approach the level of consistent high quality we've all come to expect in everything from humble toaster ovens to our automobiles. Furniture just isn't like that.

[garyniv]

I think you meant to quote the original poster?
Anyway, I agree about furniture being less consistent than other consumer products, but RH seems to be particularly... inconsistent. Here are some entertaining rants: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeo...storation.html (notice how many new ones there are).

[Ci2Eye]

I think you meant to quote the original poster?
Anyway, I agree about furniture being less consistent than other consumer products, but RH seems to be particularly... inconsistent. Here are some entertaining rants: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeo...storation.html (notice how many new ones there are).

You are exactly right. My comments were directed to the original poster. I would add that I am not defending Restoration Hardware but rather making a broader point that furniture in general is more hand- made and thus by nature imperfect.

[kittonian]

You are exactly right. My comments were directed to the original poster. I would add that I am not defending Restoration Hardware but rather making a broader point that furniture in general is more hand- made and thus by nature imperfect.

Regarding Restoration Hardware, this was not a single damage or quality issue. They have tried replacing the sofas 5 times now and each time the pieces are visibly damaged (visible to everyone including the delivery people) and the hand ties inside have snapped on both the 60" and the 96". The quality is just terrible and it isn't limited to their sofas. I could go on and on, but believe me when I say we have been more than willing to work with RH to get this all resolved to no avail.

I heard a bit of insider news that the RH pieces you see in their galleries are made in NC whereas when you place an order the pieces come from China and the quality isn't even close to what you initially saw. I can't verify if that's true but it certainly holds water to our experiences.

Also, no one said absolute perfection. We're going for no dents, tears, or ties snapping on us. Shouldn't be too much to ask when spending this kind of money. We've had two La-Z-Boy couches for almost 20 years now and they are still in perfect working order. Didn't pay half of what we paid RH.

The Hancock & Moore stuff looks nice but I also found https://www.leathergroups.com/shop/L...ther-Sofa.html which seems to be an exact replica with much better construction. I welcome any opinions on these guys if you or anyone you know has worked with them.

Still trying to locate another coffee table and dining table. Those seem to be very difficult to find in the same style. We absolutely love both RH pieces but again, terrible quality. Their 20th Century Iron Vault coffee table is actually powder coated sheet metal (not iron) that dents and chips in two seconds (even scratches when you vacuum it). The dining table base that is flawless in the store, is wood filler patched with holes all over it (and they've tried 3 different ones, with the last two coming with bug infestations).

[wisejd]

The Hancock & Moore stuff looks nice but I also found https://www.leathergroups.com/shop/L...ther-Sofa.html which seems to be an exact replica with much better construction. I welcome any opinions on these guys if you or anyone you know has worked with them.

.

I took at look at your link on the Langston Sofa and can't see any evidence of "...with much better construction". I would think if you are seeing this Sofa as "an exact replica of H&M..." you may be setting yourself up for additional less than expected outcomes.

[kittonian]

I took at look at your link on the Langston Sofa and can't see any evidence of "...with much better construction". I would think if you are seeing this Sofa as "an exact replica of H&M..." you may be setting yourself up for additional less than expected outcomes.

An exact replica on the Lancaster sofas we purchased from Restoration Hardware. The much better build quality is comparing to RH not H&M.
Here's a link to their blog where they show the build process for their customers:
https://www.leathergroups.com/blog/c...ure-order-feed

Also, Canadel was recommended to us by some Houzz users and after using their UD tool I was able to put together a very nice looking (potentially as it's only been online thus far) dining table and chairs. However, there seem to be some mixed reviews about them and was wondering if anyone could shed some additional light.

[wisejd]

With the H&M extra 5% off going on now, you might want to give Duane a call at The Keeping Room and get a quote on a Hancock and Moore Sofa where you are guaranteed not to be disappointed in the style or the quality. Based on the style you have stated that may fit nicely into your room, you may want to look into... (The Charter Sofa)

[drcollie]

Here's the deal with the trendy stores (Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Arhaus). Yes, they're very popular because they go into high profile locations and have slick marketing. Their overhead costs are through the roof and in order to not charge you a gazillion dollars by selling you quality products, they MUST use off-shore or lesser builds to make margin. While their prices seem 'reasonable' compared to a regular furniture store, the build is not. For me to have the nice locations they do, my overhead would be close to 6 times what it is now. And those 'free' catalogs they send out probably cost them close to $ 20 per household, they have to be paid for as well. Guess how I would make that up? Only two ways, much higher retail prices (which can be commercial suicide) or buy cheaper product and make it look nice.That's the meat and potatoes of it. Ever notice why main stream, high quality furniture stores are not in the cool mall locations and town centers? Because the rent it way to high to sell premium brands.

So, if you want the design but don't want the poor quality, on the metal goods you have to go to the High Point Market during the two Furniture Mart Weeks each year and find the originals. From what I can see, the trendy stores go there and copy the original designs shown there and then tweak them a bit - then they show up in their stores six months to a year later. Your goal is to find the original maker of the goods you like. Its a needle in a haystack sort of thing, though. There are thousands of booths at Market, its huge. But what you want is probably there - somewhere.

On that company doing the build on the clones -their 'construction' blog goes from frame to covered - they skipped the whole step of showing us the interior suspension and the photos are so far back I can't see any detail. That's a pretty odd looking frame, doesn't look like any I've ever seen so I can't figure out their suspension but I suspect its Pirelli Webbing, it appears to be made wrong for a top of the line 8-way hand-tied spring-up build. And while I can tolerate a chair in Pirelli webbing, no way I would want a sectional or sofa done that way. I'd not get overly enthusiastic about that company based on what I see in their blog...but I could be mistaken, too.

Good luck in your search!