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Thread: Love seat & chair: Please advise!

  1. #1
    jh901 Guest

    Default Love seat & chair: Please advise!

    Hi- new to "fine furniture" and I've been shopping at a local retailer which carries H&M, Drexel Heritage (DH), Henredon, etc. I've more or less settled on the McDermott medium profile 65.5 (Length) love seat from DH. The chair is also a DH ("Darien" swivel). An interior designer spent much time with me explaining the construction of the love seat frame and springs. Also learned about the cushion seat cores, of which I like spring down. We also picked out fabric for the love seat, chair and pillows.

    I have the following questions & concerns:

    1) Price

    Pricing has been challenging for me. I usually like to see an MSRP or "sticker", if you will. I'm looking at $3,500 delivered for these two pieces, roughly a grand for the chair and $2,500 for the love seat. How can I get more comfortable that the price is fair?

    2) Frame

    Seems that H&M uses 1-1/2" thick wood and triple dowels whereas Drexel uses 1-3/8" double dowel. Does this sound right? What type of wood should I expect or is that even known? Also, what about claims as to the kiln drying process? Other factors such as the joints (mortise & tenon expected?), etc? Center support system? Are these the things that separate the fine stuff from Value City (in regards to the frame)?

    3) Concerns with spring down seat core?

    4) Fabric

    What questions should I ask about the fabric we've selected? Does DH have a good reputation?


    Many, many thanks. I will be reading other posts to get up to speed, but it would be nice to have some specifics in this thread. Appreciated!

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Love seat & chair: Please advise!

    The biggest problem with Drexel Heritage currently is that their parent company, Furniture Brands International, recently declared bankruptcy. If the DH furniture needs to be special ordered there is a very real possibility that it will never be made or delivered. This same situation exists with the other FBI companies as well (Henredon, Thomasville, Broyhill, Lane.) If you are buying furniture from any of these brands that is in stock at the retailer there should not be any concerns.

  3. #3
    jh901 Guest

    Default Re: Love seat & chair: Please advise!

    Quote Originally Posted by simplyjeff View Post
    The biggest problem with Drexel Heritage currently is that their parent company, Furniture Brands International, recently declared bankruptcy. If the DH furniture needs to be special ordered there is a very real possibility that it will never be made or delivered.
    Appreciated. It is a special order so I'll be sure to investigate. Aside from that, hoping I can get some feedback on my original post.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Love seat & chair: Please advise!

    On pricing, the industry 'standard' (if there is such a thing) is discounts around 50% off MSRP should be an everyday price point for most brick and mortar stores. If you can get that, you're in pretty good shape.

    The difference between a 1 1/2" and 1 3/8" Solid hardwood frame is inconsequential to longevity and performance. More important is quality of the underlying webbing against stretching and maintaining its tightness and that supports the springs. Mortise and Tenon is the highest level of joinery in all of wood-working, but takes considerably longer to do that a double-dowel construction. You generally will not find M&T in upholstery frames as it would make them too costly. D/D, screwed and Glued is the highest form of build in most pieces, though there are firms like Karges that will do the M&T construction if you're OK with a $ 15,000 sofa. http://www.karges.com/?pg=showroom&cat=15

    All solid wood is Kiln-dried unless you are getting the materials from Home Depot or Lowe's. It's part of the drying process to make sure its stable and suitable for build. A few places still air-dry the wood, but that takes about 5 times longer.

    Spring down cushions are great.

    Value City furniture is pure crap. You can read about that in the Archives about what makes good vs bad pieces, I can't re-type it all out here.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  5. #5
    jh901 Guest

    Default Re: Love seat & chair: Please advise!

    Very much appreciated! How do I get the MSRP on a specific loveseat, such as Drexel Heritage McDermott D63-LS (fabric)? I understand that there are add-ons and such but aside from spring down seat core and 8 way hand tied springs, my special order (pending) is fairly straight forward. I'd like to become comfortable with the $2250 ask price. The retailer doesn't have this 65.5 length piece on the floor so I can't just walk up and see a price tag.

    Interesting point about M&T construction. I was thinking that this (<---wiki link) was how the dowels would be used.


    As for the kiln-dry aspect, I was interested in the moisture content standard that fine furniture manufacturers demand.
    Last edited by jh901; 09-23-2013 at 09:04 AM.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Love seat & chair: Please advise!

    Quote Originally Posted by jh901 View Post
    How do I get the MSRP on a specific loveseat, such as Drexel Heritage McDermott D63-LS (fabric)?
    Ask your dealer.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  7. #7
    jh901 Guest

    Default Re: Love seat & chair: Please advise!

    Quote Originally Posted by drcollie View Post
    Ask your dealer.
    Well, when I ask for the price they give me their price. I'll work on this a little more. Meantime, if we take the leap of faith that DH is in the same league as Taylor King, then is $2,400 about right for a 65" love seat (mid-grade fabric)? This price includes roughly $200 extra for the better springs. I think it might include the 7% sales tax, but I've got to confirm that.

    Speaking of fabric, what should I ask about the fabric we've chosen? Any hints as what to look/feel for, etc?

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Love seat & chair: Please advise!

    Quote Originally Posted by jh901 View Post
    Well, when I ask for the price they give me their price. I'll work on this a little more. Meantime, if we take the leap of faith that DH is in the same league as Taylor King, then is $2,400 about right for a 65" love seat (mid-grade fabric)? This price includes roughly $200 extra for the better springs. I think it might include the 7% sales tax, but I've got to confirm that.

    Speaking of fabric, what should I ask about the fabric we've chosen? Any hints as what to look/feel for, etc?
    I realize you are new to the site and for the most part members and retailers who keep this site active are generous with their time and knowledge of the industry. However, let me as a long time contributor and not an expert or retailer give you some further insight to this site. Duane is the owner of the site and of a retail business. He gives many hours of his time educating those who frequent Myfurnitureforum.com. He is however not a personal buying agent or consultant. He has replied to you inquiry regarding structure, building methods, spring systems, cushions and suggested you speak with your dealer about list price. Now you are soliciting more time for expert opinion regarding pricing for your deal based on assumptions that have no validity. You also ask for assistance regarding evaluation of the fabric you have chosen, again with no details other than it's a mid grade. This site is not an open free buyer's service. I suggest if you have uncertainty regarding this purchase you cancel the order (as suggested by Jeff another industry insider and owner of a manufacturing and retail furniture company). If you want to pursue the order with the risks associated then do so. If you need buyers agent or consultant then hire one. If you can not trust your dealer with these questions maybe you should consider another retailer.

    Larry
    Last edited by cuse69; 09-23-2013 at 07:55 PM.

  9. #9
    jh901 Guest

    Default Re: Love seat & chair: Please advise!

    My intent was never to abuse the generosity of the site membership, including the site owner. Upholstery quality and related pricing is not transparent and I've gone about exercising my natural curiosity in order to demystify it. Let's not pretend that it's typical for a brick&mortar retailer to sell a product at 50% of MSRP. I don't see where it is irrational for a discerning consumer to have a few simple concerns.

    No one is obligated to reply to my questions and I won't be bumping the thread "demanding" answers. If I get 'crickets', then I get the message.

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Love seat & chair: Please advise!

    Quote Originally Posted by jh901 View Post
    Well, when I ask for the price they give me their price. I'll work on this a little more. Meantime, if we take the leap of faith that DH is in the same league as Taylor King, then is $2,400 about right for a 65" love seat (mid-grade fabric)? This price includes roughly $200 extra for the better springs. I think it might include the 7% sales tax, but I've got to confirm that.

    Speaking of fabric, what should I ask about the fabric we've chosen? Any hints as what to look/feel for, etc?
    Your price range is about right for that piece, not knowing the specific frame or fabric to be used. The cover of a piece can affect the price greatly, however. As to a general discussion on fabrics, there are books hundreds of pages long that go into detail about the available spectrum and that exceeds the scope (or what I'm willing to type out!) of this forum. Very generally though, when I want to give a fabric a quick once over I do the following:

    * Hold it up to the window and see how much light you see between the weaves. Less light, tighter weave = better
    * Stretch the sample. You don't want stretch.
    * 100 % man-made fabric contents tend to "pill" over time. Blends of natural material and man-made are better at resisting that.
    * Hold the fabric to your cheek. Avoid scratchy-feeling ones.
    * The very best fabrics (again in my opinion) will be cotton/wool/linen blends. Those also happen to be rather expensive materials.
    * Silks should never be placed in sunlight or subject to hard wear.

    Hope that helps
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

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