It’s quite hard to decide with so many reviews giving Pottery Barn such low ratings. But with some objective reasoning, I’ll settle this once and for all.
A few months ago, we reviewed whether the Pottern Barn sofa collection was worth recovering or not – click here to find out.
Today, I’d like to review this more personally, and actually come to a sound conclusion by the end of this post.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Price
As with any product, how much an item costs is almost definitely the first thing you’d consider before making the purchase. Sure it’s subjective and relative at times, depending on your disposable income.
At the end of the day though, what we should really look out for is whether it’s “value for money” and whether it has a good price-performance ratio.
Let’s quickly break down average spending if you were to go to Pottery Barn for a sofa.
– Cameron Roll/Square Arm Sofa: $889 – $2,329
– Beverly Upholstered Sofa: $899 – $2,299
– Carolyn Loveseat: $899 – $1,199
– PB Comfort Roll/Square Arm Upholstered Sofa: $1,099 – $3,099
– PB Basic Slipcovered Sofa: $1,099 – $2,999
This is just to name a few of the more affordable ones as the rest are definitely beyond $1,100, which is way above (my) budget. On average and depending on fabric selection, the minimum you need is a $1,000 and could possibly end up spending around $2,000 if you’re going for a slightly fancier fabric.
Many people would say that you pay for what you get, and I truly believe that Pottery Barn sofas would definitely be of decent quality. By that, I mean I’d expect it to last for a good 10-12 years.
For the most part, I just don’t really like the “classic” round-arm look so as durable as they might be – I’m quite hesitant to part with my money just yet (I would go for their discontinued Solano series, however).
Online credibility
Now with Google and social media becoming our main communications and news feed, it’s very easy to purchase things from the Internet as well as review them. As per my previous investigation on Pottery Barn Reviews, I had found that Pottery Barn was a pretty decent furniture retailer a few years back but because of poor customer service, their name had gradually deteriorated.
Reviews play an integral role in determining whether or not to make a purchase with a brand or not. If Pottery Barn doesn’t improve their digital reputation in the years to come, people will pretty much boycott the brand altogether unfortunately.
Aesthetics
The Pottery Barn sofa series are all very standard and while most people would call it classic, I’d call them a little dated.
There was a discontinued series called the “Solano” which I’d definitely call a timeless piece, regardless of which century you’re in I feel strongly that it’ll work in that living space.
A simple, single seat cushion with square arms, but because it’s fairly rounded it just looks very comfy overall. The closest thing to this would probably be to hack a Karlstad and get a large single cushion instead but alas, the Karlstad has been discontinued and is now an endangered IKEA sofa.
Apart from the “Solano”, I’d probably go for the PB Comfort Square series which look fairly close to the IKEA Kivik. If you’ve checked out our Kivik sofa review, you’d know that we’re a strong advocate and when it comes to price and performance – the Kivik is an incredibly strong contender.
The Pottery Barn PB Comfort Square Arm sofa is pretty similar but the most obvious difference would be the width and height of the armrests: The Kivik has very wide and low armrests which can easily accommodate another person to sit on the sofa should the need arise.
Cost of maintenance
So if you do end up getting an upholstered sofa from Pottery Barn, you’ll realise that it’s going to need cleaning by year 4 or 5 depending on how OCD you are (I’m fairly domesticated with a no food policy on the couch).
Well with upholstery, you’re pretty much out of luck – you either get something to hide the stains (like a custom slipcover) or you’ll basically have to throw out the sofa. Such a waste right?
Most people would get the slipcovered alternative, so when the sofa has become thoroughly soiled – all we need to do is pop out the original slipcover to have it dry cleaned or machine washed, whatever the care instructions are.
The thing is, a typical slipcover from Pottery Barn are just as pricey as the sofa. Taking the PB Comfort Sofa as an example, its slipcover can range from $560 to $1,660 which is about half the sofa’s price. At $560 it’s still reasonable, but at $1,000 you can definitely purchase another decent sofa elsewhere.
Conclusion
All in all, even though a Pottery Barn sofa might not have the most contemporary look, and may have questionable post-sales service – it still is not too bad a product, seeing how popular it actually is. It’s even made its way to Australia!
So while I’ll probably never buy a Pottery Barn sofa, I’d definitely consider one second hand simply because it most likely won’t cost as much.
And if you ever need a replacement slipcover for your Pottery Barn sofa, slipcover makers such as ourselves would be readily available to provide some at a very affordable rate.
Wondering what our slipcovers feel like in person? You can order up to eight fabric samples for free to try them out for yourself and see how you like them.
59 Comments
by Rosemary
I initially purchased two same size sofas about 16 years ago with washable velvet Slipcovers. They held up well except for the foam cushions which eventually went flat. The back cushions also lost all shape. These were both the basic square PB styles. I could have ordered new inserts but opted to purchase two new sofas. I ordered two new ones still in velvet but this time upholstered and in two separate styles. I ordered both in down fill. When I received the first thing I noticed was how extremely hard the cushions were – so hard I immediately developed severed hip and pelvis pain. I called customer service who said I needed to break them in. I said well okay. Six months later I called again as they continued to be very hard. At that time I was told sorry but it’s too late. I was shocked to say the least. I went to the actual store I bought them and the manager never called me back. I then went to a different location and got nowhere. I continued to call customer service after I ended up in doctors office for pain. Eventually I was sent a merchandise credit for a lowly amount. I never asked for that but wanted comfy insert cushions instead. How did a merchandise credit help that. I ordered a bench cushion out of my own pocket to see if I got something more comfy. I did not. Subsequently no one will sit on them that’s how horrible they are. I then had an upholstery guy come out and he informs me one is down fill and one is not but both ridicously hard. I inform pottery barn that I paid for down but only one sofa was down but both very hard. They pretty much discount my call. I still trying to resolve two years later. I’m not giving up. I am writing to CEO. In the meantime I feel most sales folks at the retail stores are very good but customer service is horrible and they obviously do not stand behind any inferior product. I will never buy another sofa from them now ever recommend based on how I was treated and the inferior insert material used. I was a very loyal and good customer. I feel I was robbed or over $4000!
by Leslie Estes
Thank you for your article. It helped me make a final decision not to go with PB again.
After experiencing a six month nightmare trying to get PB to exchange my new ottoman’s organic slipcovers that arrived saturated with a chemical fragrance, and reading this article, I have decided not to buy the matching PB sectional.
I am very allergic to chemicals, including fragrances like Febreze, which is why I purchased the organic fabric option. But PB, who is owned by Williams Sonoma, simply does not stand behind their furniture. It is actually made by a company called Sutter. WS kept promising someone from there would get back to me, but they never did. If I had not created an extensive email chain between reps promising to help me I would have been out of luck. By the time someone finally helped (just today!) I was required to show “proof” I had been trying to resolve this for the last six months. Meanwhile I couldn’t even keep the slipcovers in the house or I would go into an asthma attack, so I’ve been living with a “naked” ottoman in my living room all this time, lol!
Long story short — PB was a terrible experience and one of the reps I spoke with told me they had been having complaints about “some kind of chemical smell” in some of their slipcovers. I think the fragrance they sprayed over my so-called “organic” slip covers was simply an attempt to mask this other chemical smell. Nice, huh?
So now I’m back to looking for an organic fabric sofa (without added flame retardants) that doesn’t break the bank. My organic BP Comfort Roll Arm large sectional (without the ottoman) priced out on sale at about $4200 delivered. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
by Sam2
I have to disagree with most of the negative reviews. We adore our Pottery Barn sectional sofa. It was expensive and we feel it paid for itself many times over. Our friends have had two to three sofas in the time that we have had ours. It’s been 12 years now, and although I am ready for a new one, it still looks beautiful and will be easy to give away. We still receive compliments all the time.
Our cushions have down fill. They have kept their shape. We chose the microfiber upholstery and ink or anything else our children put on it wipes off with a wet towel. We used this method and vacuuming to clean it for the first half of its life. After that, we had it professionally cleaned which was a mistake. After that the stains no longer came off with a simple swipe, but we do take the cushion covers off and wash and dry them in the washing machine. This makes the entire sofa look brand new.
We will purchase another Pottery Barn sofa. My only hesitation, is I am ready to try the Sunbrella fabric or tweed instead of the microfiber. I fear it will not clean as easily but change is a good thing. Cheers to something being made with quality in the USA!
Lastly, in response to the shipping charges, we always have our items shipped to the store and then pick it up ourselves there for free. The store will do this for you because they want the sale rather than you ordering it online. We also always use a coupon, so be sure to sign up for emails in advance of your purchase.
by Alex Ford
Does Pottery Barn provide access to the factory to obtain replacement legs when the love seats have screw-in legs? We just got one of their love seats, 95″, and the instructions coming with it show four legs with wheels and four legs (rear) without wheels. We were informed that the wheels are merely a fashion look and are not really functional for the Tallulah Grand Sofa (turned leg). The model shows only two wheels and the material with the sofa shows four wheels. I would actually prefer all turned legs, which would require obtaining two turned legs to replace the wheel legs. This is a small thing, but it is in the area of customer service. The other thing was that while chatting up an associate/employee with no one else in the store, another employee came over to interrupt our conversation. She had that, “no fun in this store,” attitude. But after all, if they are not selling you something, they might as well be on a break, right?
by Dina
Hi Everyone.
I purchased a Tyler sofa (2 of them actually).
I paid over $5k. They did not do well. The bones seem ok but the cushions sag and are a disaster. On top of that, if you have cats, its NOT a good choice at all. The material was DESTROYED – which is no fault of theirs but I honestly should have gone with my first choice and repurchased the ikea EKTORP couches which I LOVE and are soooo inexpensive. You can change out the slipcovers and wash anytime.
Also, we put a piece of plywood on our sofa under the slipcovers and it stayed firm and fantastic. Could have lasted another 10 years easily if I didnt have to have a “change”.