Is a high-quality sectional doable on a modest budget?

[reprh]

I am yet another person who has run across this forum in the course of figuring out what furniture to buy. After reading a bunch, I have questions.

The setup: we have a big (~20x20) living room with a small, ultra-terrible sofa in it. We've been wanting something different for years, but other priorities have gotten in the way. This is the year we're replacing it. We have many regrets about our current sofa, an Ikea model that has basically no positive qualities at all, so we don't want to jump in the wrong direction. Two of us, plus three small kids (1 year old, 3 year old, 6 year old), plus a big room pushes us very strongly towards a sectional. Around 11' x 8' seems ideal, given the layout of the room.

We've looked at and priced out all of the sorts of things that you can price out without hauling kids around to furniture stores: Crate & Barrel, Room & Board, a few online-only places (Joybird and Benchmade Modern), etc, and it seems to us like we can get something that at least seems like the sort of thing we want, in fabric, for roughly $4k-ish, give or take. That's not the absolute limit of our budget, but it's the general range we're comfortable with (an $8K sofa is not an option).

We're not unaware that we would be making some compromises. One of those is that all other things being equal, we would prefer leather. Another is that we know we're not going to be getting the absolute best-made furniture available.

I have seen a few indications on this forum that it might be possible to make fewer compromises, either on construction quality or on the upholstery, than we've been thinking. That is: that higher-end brands might not be quite as radically expensive as we've been assuming, and/or that reasonable-quality leather might be available at less than the double-the-price figures that we've been seeing.

The right answer for us might be to get a middling-quality sectional today, save our nickels, and then get something nicer later. But if a nicer option could be had today, well, that would be preferable.

Thoughts / opinions?

If it's relevant, our style preferences are on the simple/modern end: square arms, straight lines, no nailheads or anything. (I actually love looking at really detailed, traditional-styled furniture, and admiring the craft that goes into it, but I don't love it for myself.)

[drcollie]

Some suggestions:

* Avoid the "Prime Retail" furniture store locations and go to the independents not in the trendy shopping districts. You will get more furniture for your money by not subsidizing national chains.

* Look for Floor Samples, every dealer has them, they often have significant markdowns.

* Don't even think about a leather sectional in that size for that kind of money, its not going to happen. You'll wind up with Bonded, Bicast, or Split leather / vinyl and it won't hold up. You can not get a new top grain leather sectional for $ 4K that is a 3/2 combo. Some slick-talking salesman will tell you I'm wrong and he will fix you up - but trust me, what he sells you will be ready for the landfill in less then 4 years.

* Watch Craigslist for quality pre-owned pieces. A good sectional in leather is $ 8K to $ 12K in your sizes, you may be able to score a lightly used better one for $ 3K to $ 4K.

* Two sofas will likely cost you less than a sectional. That's just the way the industry works. I can put you in a pair of Hancock and Moore # 9840 City Sofas in the JUST IN TIME leathers for a bit over your target price, but a if you wanted the same series in their sectional it would run double the price.

Good luck!

[reprh]

Thanks, that's really helpful information. Even on a broad indication of what a very high quality leather sectional would cost, because that's honestly less than I would have expected based on browsing prices at Crate & Barrel, Restoration Hardware, etc., which aren't really cheaper.

I have to say, it's almost unfair how nice, and how comfortable, even the most inexpensive end of H&M's range (the City Sofa) looks.

The sectional form factor is important for us right now, though, so I think that probably the right thing for us will be a relatively inexpensive fabric sectional for the next few years, and then when the kids are all past potty training and it's not a year when we're planning a trip to Disney and whatever else, maybe look at an H&M sectional in a really great leather.

I have some enthusiasm for leather, from the direction of shoes / belts / wallets, rather than upholstery. So I can't help but be attracted to the idea of a sofa in a nice pull-up leather.

Normally I'm in favor of just saving up and getting the optimal thing, but this terrible, terrible Ikea sofa has really got to go.

(Still can't quite bring myself to close the tabs with the City Sofa pictures in them, though.)

[drcollie]

Myself, I would rather have two H&M leather, high quality City sofas than one inexpensive fabric sectional and I will tell you why. First off, you will get (6) seats out of two sofas, and in a 3/2 sectional you will also get (6) seats, so capacity is the same. All you are giving up is the corner 'turn' and that's somewhat questionable on usage anyways. Plus, a pair of sofas (or sofa / loveseat) gives you flexibility in room layout and design. Also, keep in mind that that the average family moves every 7 years, so if you do go into a new home you have far more placement options with a pair of pieces than a fixed sectional. Those City sofas will go 25 years or more, so bang for the buck there is much more value there than spending same money for a fabric sectional that will need recover/replacement in 8 years. Ask yourself why are you really committed to the sectional format?

FYI, I am asking H&M to put the City Sectional in the JIT program and come in near the price of a pair of sofas - not sure they will but I will keep the pressure on them to do so.

[The18thLetter27]

It would be great to see the City Sleeper sofa (or any sleeper sofa for that matter) on the JIT promo as well.
Any chance you could add this to the suggestion box as well Duane?

[zheng]

I agree that two sofas will be a better idea. Besides all that Duane had pointed out. I think sofa will probably hold up better resale value, and will have a bigger market in case you need sell them in the future.

[drcollie]

I have to take one step at a time, I'm pushing for the City 9840/9839 series sectional to be added to the Just in Time program in the future. I have learned not to overload them with requests! They are going to discuss and review sales on it, even if they approve it I doubt we would see it until a year from now, so these take some time. I do not think any of the sleepers sell enough in volume to warrant inclusion into any of the H&M Promotional programs. In the past ten years, I have only sold one H&M Sleeper sofa as I recall.

[reprh]

Is it possible get closer to my target price in a B-Y leather, or Taylor King fabric sectional? There's some flex in my budget, I just don't feel great when it starts to double.

We're pretty seriously thinking about the City Sofas, and I'm feeling increasingly less good about some of our original alternatives, I'm just trying to map out the options.

The sectional thing is mostly about wanting to all be able to pile on to one piece of furniture, vs. two different pieces, rather than a question of pure capacity. There's probably a case to be made that two pieces are more practical; we're pondering.

[drcollie]

I am not familiar with Lee Furniture construction build and therefore cannot comment on it. Their website does not address how they build it.

Yes, you can get a H&M Sundance sofa in a loveseat/corner/sofa layout. Here's photos of one I did for a customer in 2010 - it was perfect for their room layout, and impressive:

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...hlight=kipling

[reprh]

In terms of styles available - are all of the options in that Taylor King link applicable to the Portfolio program? And for B-Y, is similar pricing available for the Grayson / 226 style, vs. the 172?

Meta question: if I continue to have a long series of "let me figure out what to order from you" questions, do you prefer them to be here on the forum, or via email?