Michael Thomas quality

[pugfarm]

Hi all,

I have been researching furniture for quite a while now, and learned a tremendous amount from these forums. I really appreciate this resource. Our local furniture store carries a lot of Michael Thomas items and they speak highly of the quality. I have not been able to find much information about this manufacturer. Does anyone have an experience/insight as to whether or not this is a quality maker?

I am debating jumping up a step and buying Taylor-King or Hancock & Moore but if Michael Thomas pieces are quality then that is a better price point for us right now.

Thank you!

[needstuff]

Interesting, I was looking all over for a store in my area that stocked their furniture, and never found one.
They seem to sell mostly through decorators, both here and where I previously lived.

I was interested because I own four Miles Talbott (MT subsidiary, possibly more economical line?) living room chairs, purchased when we lived elsewhere through a decorator, that are comfortable to us and have held up for the twelve years we've owned them, and we were looking to buy a compatible couch. (Already purchased by now, not MT).

Their website gives construction details that seem to have most of the "good" buzzwords: as far as I can tell, anyway.* A review of some old Gardenweb posts: Someone puts them at "middle range". then somebody else goes on to say that the sewing of their upholstery was done better than (high end) Southwood, and, for that matter (high end) EJVictor. And their frames were heavy and sturdy too.

Also from Gardenweb: They allegedly produce some of the furniture for Calico Corners, but these are done to Calico Corners spec and are different from MT's own labeled products.

(FWIW my chairs are more comfortable to me than anything I sat on in Calico Corners, and are not the same style either).

So that's all I can tell you. Mostly hearsay.

* addendum: I just checked the current website and there may be some changes, or I misremembered. I thought they previously had a lot of description of their cushion construction. I don't see that anymore. Also I've seen references from various ads about their use of "kiln dried hardwood frames", but I actually don't see much about their frames on their current website.

[pugfarm]

Thank you very much for the reply, needstuff. From what I was told, Miles Talbott is run by Michael Thomas' son, and the companies are merging (have merged?) to become The MT Company. Supposedly this is due to the father's age. I could be wrong but I believe Miles Talbott was more focused on fabric whereas Michael Thomas focused more on furniture.

I did check their site as well. Like you, I could not find any details on the frame quality or construction. The retailer I'm working with clarified it is all hardwood framed, but no information as to whether or not it was kiln-dried (which I used even for my trivial construction projects). They do use 8 way hand-tied springs and I believe all of the furniture is American made. http://www.themtcompany.com/about-us/construction/

I understand that, for the price, I'm not going to get H&M excellence from MT. However, from what I can gather, MT is a very nice middle ground as it does adhere to some of the key industry standards for well-made furniture. Also, just as a thought, I was also told that their furniture is carefully hand upholstered, which is why the fabric patterns will match perfectly on pieces you purchase from MT. The retailer I was working with pointed out a pair of MT chairs and sure enough the stripes on the patterns lined up perfectly on the arms of each of the chairs.

From what I have seen I am pretty pleased, but it is one thing to be told all these things and another to be able to verify it via research and expert input. This is especially true when you're preparing to spend $5,000-$6000. If I had any furniture at all I would go straight to H&M or another top-end manufacturer but I have many rooms to fill so I will have to stick with mid-level quality for right now.

[needstuff]

Maybe this guy will fill in the blanks:
http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...omas-Furniture

[drcollie]

While I have not looked at this brand to see how its made, I can tell you that their website does not mention solid hardwood construction and usually if makers are doing that - they want you to know about it. Over 90% of all USA-Made upholstery is plywood-based today, so solid hardwood is the exception, not the rule. All hardwood has to be kiln-dried, to that's a given - to use it otherwise would mean warped frames and unsteady chassis. Good luck in your search.

[pugfarm]

Thank you, Duane. I was able to find a number for the MT Company and I spoke with a very helpful employee. When I told her there was no mention of solid hardwood construction on the website she thought that was a huge oversight and immediately took down my contact info. She called me back, probably a little disappointed, and let me know that some of MT's furniture is constructed with kiln-dried solid hardwood. The rest is made from hardwood laminate. I got the impression most of it is the hardwood laminate because the site does not specify, nor does the catalog from which she read me the construction details. Moreover, the details for each individual piece mention all the specifics except for frame construction. Therefore, I would guess very few items actually have kiln-dried hardwood frames.

I will likely be in touch with you in the not too distant future, Duane. I am also in VA and when I am ready to buy some great furniture I'll give you a ring.

[drcollie]

I'm not surprised by that, only a handful of makers are using solid wood frames these days. There is a MAJOR cost savings in going to plywood (typically referred to as 'engineered hardwoods' in most sales and web descriptions). Like in most things, you get what you pay for!