A Tale of Three Sofas

Good, Better and Best: When and why you might select furniture from different qualities and price points.

Last year I completed a whole house furnishings project in Falmouth that included multiple levels of quality, lead times and function. I always like to have an upfront discussion about budgets, quality expectations and when the clients are hoping to be able to have the project completed. In this particular case, they knew the house couldn’t be fully furnished by the summer, at least not with a unique design scheme and custom furnishings. But they did want to have a playroom area ready to go, so when they did visit their toddler had a place to hang out with Grandma. The second priority was an office space with a comfortable sitting area and the last priority for time but biggest concern for quality was the main living room.

This presented the perfect blend of good, better and best furniture to meet the needs and expectations of the family.

An inexpensive sofa for the right reason

The first level of furniture being the goods that you can get delivered next week. These items are usually made by the dozens, not the best construction, come in 5 colors and won’t last forever. They are sent to regional warehouses for their retailer and are ready for local delivery. They fit the bill and do their job just fine.

This is the type of sofa my clients agreed on for the playroom, their first priority. Their main goal for this room was to get it done. It didn’t need to be super unique and, since they fully expect it to be used and abused by kids, they didn’t want to worry about how much they spent on it. I selected the sofa from a local furniture retailer who could tell me on the spot what sofas they had available in which fabric, and when it could be delivered the following week.

This sofa came in standard dimensions, it was available in one steely blue fabric (which I designed around), its cushions are foam core with poly wrap. The construction is described as kiln-dried hardwood solid and laminate boards precision-milled to make a solid frame. It has a sinuous spring support system, plastic removable legs and was made in the USA. Um, okay, the bonus is that it was made in the USA!

Because my projects are full service design, I received the delivery of this sofa. The delivery guys were on time and very courteous. While I was telling one guy where the sofa was going to be placed, the second guy was coming up the walkway with the sofa on his back. I kid you not, this guy was carrying the 7’ sofa on his back, steadying it with one hand. And no offense to him, but he was no body builder. This sofa was a lightweight in the construction category and that’s why it comfortably fit in the “good” classification.

I kid you not, this guy was carrying the 7’ sofa on his back, steadying it with one hand.

Better Quality, Better Features

The next priority was a room that could wait a bit longer to be done, the office. They wanted a sofa seating area, but higher quality for more comfort. The way we approached this space was to be able to use the sofa in the living room as a placeholder, and then switch it into the office. I targeted a vendor that could be made in 8-10 weeks. This was going to allow for more fabric options and a higher quality of construction at a mid-range price point.

The sofa I selected at this level comes with about 120 fabric options (and some of them high performance fabrics), higher quality of construction (still sinuous spring and poly wrapped cushions) of solid wood materials for the frame, and exposed stained wood feet. This sofa came in a few configurations and could be available in 6-10 weeks (let’s roll our eyes for unreliable pandemic lead times.) This sofa allowed for some design flexibility and my clients wouldn’t have to wait 6 months for a nice quality piece.

When this sofa came in for delivery, two men were needed to carry it. Which is what I would expect for a better quality sofa. It was hefty and solid construction with full fill cushions. I would expect it to comfortably do its job for the long run and then the grandkids can decide if they want to get it re-upholstered when they take over the house.

Best option for custom designed rooms

The living room was where the design required the most customization to maximize the seating potential. The clients were willing to wait for the right piece of furniture to complete the space and they wanted it to be of the highest quality construction to hold up to the high traffic needs of the summer house. I went to a custom vendor for this piece and designed a sectional with dimensions that fit exactly within the space to make use of every inch available. This custom vendor in North Carolina has hundreds of styles available and will even customize existing styles with new details. I am able to select a fabric from any fabric vendor so my options on fabrics were limitless. I could bring in unique details with additional trims, and even the wood feet could be selected by species and specific stains.

At this level the frames are made from kiln dried hardwood with joints double doweled and corner blocked for maximum strength. The deep seating coils hand tied in eight different directions make up the seat deck. The seat cushions are constructed of an inside core made-up of tiny individual covered coils surrounded by ultra cell foam. This core is then surrounded by a thick layer of down and feather blend encased in a channeled “down proof” sewn cover. Down blend is standard for all back cushions and accent pillows. They are constructed of a mixture of fiber, goose down and feathers encased in channeled “down proof” sewn covers. (Hypoallergenic options are also available!) A lot of thought goes into these pieces of furniture and the lead time 24+ weeks (once fabric is received) reflects that process.

When this sofa came out for delivery the guys were already exhausted from loading it onto the truck from my receiving warehouse. They removed all the heavy seat and back cushions. They used a hand truck and two guys to wheel it to the door and then they hauled it into the house. Each part of it was heavy and solid and the guys did not want to move it more than once. (Please tell us exactly where you want it before we put it down.) Everyone is excited by its presence. This is what I expect from the “best” category of furniture.

Not every room needs to have this level of furnishing, but this is why I really like to have the budget and quality discussions at the beginning of every project to set up expectations and make sure everyone is on the same page. Often times clients have no idea how much they want to spend on furnishing a whole house (more on budgeting for your project here) but it is essential to communicate what you want to achieve in the end. My goal is to always present a completely finished room that looks great and exceeds your expectations.

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Thanks so much!
Molly