Not recommended unless you only want it to last for a couple of years.

Thank you

Elaine, have you looked at the Pottery Barn reviews here? http://www.consumeraffairs.com/furniture/pottery_barn.html

I've had a look at the Carlisle sofa and I have a couple of comments. I don't think the back cushions are large enough and expect that with a little bit of use they will flatten and not fill the back of the sofa properly. Also, this sofa is 45" deep which is a very exaggerated depth for a seat. Standard sofas are 36" deep, with some at 38" and extra-deep at 42". With a 42" deep sofa, which is what I have at home, If you sit upright on it you need a large portable cushion at your back to hold you forward. 42" is perfect for curling up, however, and that's the way I'm usually on it (lounging). 45" seems just too much, unless you are extremely tall people or you have a very cavernous room to fill.

I recommend that you use this sofa as inspiration and have a sofa made that's got English arms, spool feet, two back cushions and either a bench cushion or two seat cushions. If you use a manufacturer like Norwalk, which I highly highly recommend, you have a huge choice of great performing and stylish fabrics and you can specify the colour of the wooden legs. Norwalk has wonderfully comfortable furniture and the frames are hardwood. Their pieces are meant to last and you can reupholster them in 20 years when you get bored with the fabric. They are so worth it.

I'm showing below the CHARLEY sofa by Norwalk (style number 85470) which looks similar to the Carlisle. It's shown with three seat cushions but you can get it with two. If you get a chance to sit on a Norwalk sofa, you'll see what I mean. You'll be saying 'ahhhh' as you relax into it!

I hope this helps.

Cynthia

P.S. I get no recognition for recommending

Norwalk--but I do sell a lot of their furniture to my clients.

Thank you so much! I did read reviews.

I will check out Norwalk!

Cynthia, I'm interested why you recommend two cushions. I've always preferred one or three because with two they always end up looking sloped to the middle (I'm a lounger too and that's where my rear ends up). Maybe I just don't rotate my cushions enough?

I purchased a Norwalk sofa about 22 years ago. Still very happy with how it has held up.

I know someone with the PB Carlisle... They love it! It has held up very well, still look like new with kids and a dog. I have the PB Pearce couch and love it, too. I quickly scanned the link provided above - the majority of complaints are regarding customer service related to discounts? I didn't see any related to comfort or quality of their couches?

bcbman, I recommend two cushions because of the aesthetic look of the finished piece as well as comfort. The wider the seat cushion, the more comfortable it is because the foam has room to depress in the middle. When you have three cushions, they are necessarily smaller and this gives you a much firmer seat. The look of the three small cushions seems dated now, since at the high end, you'll see two-cushion seats only (and this has been for at least 15 years). If you buy a quality sofa there should not be sloping in the middle, but you're right--you need to maintain your sofa by plumping and reversing the cushions ideally on a weekly basis.

Lynda, I brought attention to the reviews because of the major problems with customer service at PB. When you're spending money with a company, you want to feel like you are being valued as a customer. If there are issues, then you want to have confidence that they will be addressed. There are a lot of things that can go wrong when you order furnishings, especially when they are lower priced.

Lots of damage occurs in shipping, which can often be fixed if the supplier cares enough to open, inspect, and detail the piece(s) before getting them to the customer. When the price is very low, there's not enough money for companies to hire people to do this level of service. Instead it's up to the consumer at the end to receive the furniture and look after repairs or ship the whole works back to the company.

For this reason, I only deal with reputable companies who take responsibility for supplying a quality result. This means working with companies like Norwalk who have virtually no quality control problems when they ship out their furniture, and my local resource centre which receives and inspects every shipment before goods are in turn delivered with care to my clients.

I can sell any level of furniture based on what the sample or the photo looks like, but I do not want to deal with all the issues poor quality and poor delivery can bring. My clients deserve better and I don't want the headaches and the time delays that would happen.

That's why I advised against PB and recommended Norwalk as a quality substitute.

Makes sense, Cynthia. I prefer firmer cushions, but I do have trouble finding sofas with 3. Thank you! And sorry, Elaine, for hijacking your thread.

Cynthia Taylor-Luce, do you know if it is possible to order directly from Norwalk?

I am wanting to buy two sofas and love the Barclay sofa with Restoration Hardware. But unlike PB there seems to be sadly a serious problem with quality. I keep reading how over priced and poor quality their sofas are.

I would be interested in learning more about the Norwalk sofas and if they have one similar.

DO NOT BUY THE CARLISLE CHAIR OR SOFA!!!!!! It is the most uncomfortable sofa or chair I have ever sat on. It is not available for return or exchange if you buy it. The back cushions are too small, I had to remove them completely and buy 6 pillows for across the back and 2 on the side to make it marginally comfortable. I have to see my chiropractor every time I sit on it for more than 1 hour. I bought the chair and sofa with the sunbrella performance weave, down option and the single bench cushion on the couch. I wanted to be able to use the sofa as a guest bed because I am in a tiny 2 bedroom condo. It is comfortable as a bed because the seat is very deep, I think this is why it is so uncomfortable to sit on. I also chose the Sunbrella performance fabric because they told me it was the most durable, it is a snagged up mess. Every time my cats walk across the couch they snag the fabric (and I trim their claws regularly). The quality of the build seems to be OK but for the price and the no return or exchange policy I would recommend shopping elsewhere. I found a similar couch at Living Spaces for 1/2 the price!!!!!!!!! Sadly, I did not know about Living Spaces when I ordered my furniture. I also ordered the Manhattan recliner and it takes 2 people to get it to recline. I spent over $5000 for these three pieces and hate them all.

I agree, I bought two carlisle sofas at outlet, so luckily I wasn't out as much money as buying from full price store because these are the most uncomfortable couches ever made! Seat cushions go flat almost immediately and the back pillows are horrible. I've tried restuffing 3 different times and cannot get it right. Both of mine are the downfilled cushions also. Buy something else. I have older charleston and it's amazing as far as comfort. I actually sold one to buy the carlisle. Big mistake! These are definitley just for looks. I also have the restoration hardware deconstructed English roll arm sofa too...it's just for looks too! Seat cushions are too small. Beautiful couch just not comfy! Luckily it's in a formal room that isn't used.

The back cushions are so low that it makes the couch very uncomfortable. No neck support. Customer service was no help fixing the issue. We bought big pillows to fix the problem but the fabric doesn’t match rest of the couch. I would not recommend the Carlisle!!

Nearly every sofa made is 34 to 36 inches in back height, and some are lower, so the Carlisle at 35 is not "so low". Not sure what your problem is really with this particular sofa? I am considering purchasing it so wonder if any sofa would be too low for you, and it would likely be fine for most folks, and me.

Hi, I am thinking of getting the Carlisle sofa in a Boucle. I wonder how it looks? Is this fabric too modern for this English style sofa? If anyone has this sofa in a light color any fabric but especially the Boucle I would really really appreciate it!

I honestly wish that i would have read these reviews before the Carlisle sofa was pupurchased & delivered to me today. This sofa is extremely uncomfcomfortable; because the seat depth is greater than the standard seat depth, when you sit on the sofa, you lean way back. i am very disappointed in this sofa -first time ever with anything from PB. ☹️