Any experience with Motioncraft

[njlewis]

I have a room that I want to put an L-shaped sectional in. The dimensions of the L, are 96" x 148". The short side just about requires a 90° corner rather than a wedge, which limits the sectional options. A local interior designer has recommended the Motioncraft 9000 series for us as it has a lot of pieces to be able to customize it to our room.

Our goals for the room are:

Leather
Sectional
Some reclining pieces
Fairly firm cushions with good lumbar support
Tall enough to support your head (We are both 5' 11" tall)

Do you have any experience with Motioncraft and what do you think of their products?

As we are shopping, most couches seem too soft for us. Motioncraft has 3 cushion options, a standard urethane foam core wrapped with poly fiber, an ultra-plush which includes a down layer and a spring pluch cushion that has springs wrapped in foam, wrapped in poly fiber. Do you have any experience with these options to make a recommendation?

Thanks for any insight you may have.

[drcollie]

Motioncraft is a middle-of-the-road maker, neither the best nor the worst. You should be able to get a sofa segment on the long side as they are typically 126" or so but you're going to be pinched on the short side as most sectionals with a loveseat on that short side will be 93" to 96". That 9000 series has a large rolled arm, so if you want to watch the space on that short side, you may want one that has a tighter arm on it such as this one:

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/showthread.php?t=860

I do not like outboard station recliners in a sectional for several reasons:

1) They wear unevenly and faster than the rest of the piece

2) You give up the 8-way hand-tied spring system with any reclining piece.

3) You will have two large cuts in the back of the piece that are unsightly, like this if they are a full recliner model:

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/showthread.php?t=376

If an INCLINER model, you will not have that, but neither will you have a true recliner. Incliners 'shift' the back an inch or two and using a trip lever the footrest comes up.

4) They're heavy!

5) No one wants to sit in the non-recliner portion of the piece when watching a movie, etc.

I think what works MUCH better is to have a stationary sectional and then use a large 38" square or so ottoman to push up to it. You have a better piece of furniture that way, no wear issues, and if you want to snuggle with someone, you both have a place to put your feet up. And if you have kids, they love to sit on the ottoman while playing XBOX, etc.

Standard cushions are always the most firm. Density of the cores can always be increased as well (not all makers offer this). Buy the standard cores and ask for a Plus 1 firmness (be careful not to get them too firm by asking for Plus 2 or Plus3).

[njlewis]

Thanks for the prompt feedback.

The layout we were leaning toward would have been a (from left to right, LAF loveseat, 2 armless chairs, a 90° corner, RAF loveseat.)

We figure that this would give us more options for rearranging if we were ever forced to move.

So, are you saying that the spring cushion would also be softer than the straight foam cushion? I would have expected the opposite, so I appreciate your expertise!

Thanks!

[drcollie]

Correct. Spring cushions cannot be altered in the same manner as the poly-dacs, which can change with density. It would involve changing the wire gauge of the springs, which they are not going to do on one order. However, if you stay with standard cores, and request a plus 1 firmness, the maker can simply call the core factory and instead of say a 24 oz density cushion, will send over 28 oz ones in instead.