Re: Best Home Furnishing Living Room Collection
Your largest single item cost in a sofa or loveseat is the cover itself, the leather. After that, the frame and then the mechanisms. Cost cutting measures are to first use cheap leathers, or go with bi-cast or bonded leather, and then vinyl the sides and backs. For the frame, its going to cheaper grades of plywood (solid hardwood is for only top tier brands) and then mechanisms can be sourced from China for pennies on the dollar vs USA-made ones.
I have pretty high demand standards as a dealer. If I wouldn't buy it for my own home, I won't sell it in my store. I have come to learn over the years that is not the best business model, because a smart businessman covers all aspects of the market and has something for every person that walks in the door, you make more money that way. My model is Old School, but I tend to not have unhappy customers who feel they didn't get value for their dollar, or the performance out of their purchase. So for that reason I don't sell the low end and even mid-level products - they have too many negatives. Understandable, they are marketing to a price point so they have to make the cuts to get there. My product line is top tier or upper mid-level.
Bradington Young is my go-to company for trying to stay price-friendly in motion furniture. If you stay with manual models and GR 1 hides (still all Top Grain) then about $ 6K for the pair. They will go way past 10 years though. Take care of them and its more like 30.
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
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