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The Pottery Barn decor look is great, as is the look of their furniture. But you should absolutely not buy from the images. Visit one of their stores and actually look at it, sit on it, pull the drawers out, turn it upside down and give it a thorough once over. Pull the pillows off and see how the seams are finished. Figure out if the support is thin plywood or solid woods, thick or wimply coiled springs and deep or thin padding.
I bet once you do that odds are at least 50/50 you will leave without buying it. Same for Levinger. Same for much catalog furniture.
For the same amount of money you would spend there, you can get far better made furniture elsewhere.
It really is too bad, as their look is a winner, but their beauty is only skin deep. They cut corners where you can't see it, just like WalMart. Sad.
The Pottery Barn decor look is great, as is the look of their furniture. But you should absolutely not buy from the images. Visit one of their stores and actually look at it, sit on it, pull the drawers out, turn it upside down and give it a thorough once over. Pull the pillows off and see how the seams are finished. Figure out if the support is thin plywood or solid woods, thick or wimply coiled springs and deep or thin padding.
I bet once you do that odds are at least 50/50 you will leave without buying it. Same for Levinger. Same for much catalog furniture.
For the same amount of money you would spend there, you can get far better made furniture elsewhere.
It really is too bad, as their look is a winner, but their beauty is only skin deep. They cut corners where you can't see it, just like WalMart. Sad.
I love Ethan Allen and Pottery Barn furniture both are well made and a good price when you compare to RC Willey crap furniture. We bought a full bedroom set and dining room from Ethan Allen 6 yrs ago and is still going strong no drawers have jiggled apart and still strong and tight at all the joints. Legs on table and chairs are not loose.
Bought a sectional Pottery Barn sofa and love it we got the canvas material and it has down wraps around the pillows is very soft and comfy well made and very heavy.
Norwalk also makes fine quality furniture.
Good Luck to you on your search!
For the same amount of money you would spend there, you can get far better made furniture elsewhere.
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Exactly what furniture is far better than PB that costs the same?
I'd really like to know, because we are not by any means through decorating.
We still are looking for a king-sized headboard/bed.
I would never just buy furniture from an image in a catalog.
We went to the Pottery Barn store.
We handled it roughly: applied my fingernails, banged on the tables, bounced on the chairs, jiggled the drawers, peered underneath etc etc.
I am happy with the dining table/chairs and the console we bought.
Sure they are selling a look: PB is an attractive lifestyle-retail commodity, but I would not put them in the same category as WalMart or Levenger.
Is it the finest possible quality? Of course not.
Is all PB stuff created equal?
A savvy consumer would say no--some items are better put together than others. You have to look, see, and touch.
Certainly I am glad we got our two choices on sale. Paying more does not mean getting the best.
I have a beautiful old roll-top desk I inherited from my grandma, also an intricately woven Nantucket lightship basket: these things were slowly, carefully made, have been around for half a century or more, and will be around after I die.
Will our Pottery Barn dining table still be around decades after I kick the bucket?
Yes, I think so. Will *every single PB item* last for centuries?
No, but IMHO the same could be said of Ikea or Crate and Barrel, not all of those creations are created equal, either.
The large case piece I ended up purchasing - solid cherry buffet and hutch - was from the Bob Tiimberlake Collection by Lexington Furiture Industries.
The Leather Sofa and Chair was from Braddington and Young.
The Office suite was from Vermont Precision
The Bedside chest from Asher Benjamin
The Cherry Classics Chairs were from Madison Square.
All are now 2.5 to 4 years old and look pristine.
Still in the market for a headboard, reading stand and dining table.
I recently started redoing the windows and was able to find the $120 per panel Pottery Barn velvet lined drapes for an average of $47 each on eBay. I bought aa panels for under $600 instead of $1400.
Everyone's taste is different of course, as is what they look for in a piece of furniture. I didn't handle any of the pieces roughly but was very aware of the ways corners are cut in the business. All my pieces are solid wood, with no plastic or metal pieces hidden in drawer runners etc. Drawer bottoms are fitted in supporting slots, not stapled etc. I am a pill, but I am a very happy one. I was a hard bargainer, too, but I am quite sure LaChance Furniture (main supplier) would be thrilled to see me walk though their door again tomorrow. They have earned my respect, and vice versa.
The Pottery Barn decor look is great, as is the look of their furniture. But you should absolutely not buy from the images. Visit one of their stores and actually look at it, sit on it, pull the drawers out, turn it upside down and give it a thorough once over. Pull the pillows off and see how the seams are finished. Figure out if the support is thin plywood or solid woods, thick or wimply coiled springs and deep or thin padding.
I bet once you do that odds are at least 50/50 you will leave without buying it. Same for Levinger. Same for much catalog furniture.
For the same amount of money you would spend there, you can get far better made furniture elsewhere.
It really is too bad, as their look is a winner, but their beauty is only skin deep. They cut corners where you can't see it, just like WalMart. Sad.
I saw this beautiful storage unit there (made up of lots of different components) that cost over $5,000 when I could get something made of REAL wood at a real furniture store.
I personally like Ethan Allen. Other have complained that it's expensive but depending on where you live and if you furniture shop -- it's not that bad. And they give you the free design service. We purchased all our light fixtures from them for our last home and they were beautiful and very affordable (only they took a long time to get there!). It doesn't hurt to check them out. I had them design a room for us but didn't buy the rug through them because I wanted a round rug for that space and they didn't sell it and the designer was fine with--even offered to help me shop on her day off.
I wanted to also post that I purchased a dining table and six dining chairs from Pottery Barn seven years ago. My dining room table, which has a concrete top, has been through three moves and is doing great. It looks great and I get tons of complements on it. The chairs are not faring so well. They are wicker and are not meant for every day wear and tear with four little kids (unfortunately, our new home doesn't have an eat-in kitchen so we use our dining room exclusively). We also purchased a slip covered sofa and chair from Restoration Hardware at the same time. The sofa is in great shape but one of my kids spilled fish tank cleaner on the cushion and it leaked through the slip covers and ruined the sofa underneath. I was so devastated. Overall--we love our Rooms To Go sofas more than the Restoration Hardware one that cost twice as much.
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) collection of furniture.
. I was so devastated. Overall--we love our Rooms To Go sofas more than the Restoration Hardware one that cost twice as much.
