I have some old sofas and am looking for some ideas on how to restore them. I can easily buy new ones but I still need to keep them since there is something special about them. Does anyone have some photos of restored house sofas i can see? am skeptical about the whole thing and am afraid of ruining them. i wanna do it myself.

I was asking about the company named RESTORATION HARDWARE..you might want to begin a new thread about restoring a sofa, at least if I am understanding you correctly.

All I've ever ordered to dat from RH where a set of six parson's chairs 11 years ago that have held up a amazingy well (still really look brand new) and some silk drapes for my Bedroom. Delivery was a bit slow, but no complaints with quality. Recently I purchased a set of towels from an RH outlet and they also look great, but have never been used (saving for new house), so only time will tell how they hold up. I will say that looking at some of the furniture in the outlet, i was surpised to see that some of the case goods looked kind of cheap. It may have just been the staging and furniture overload, but I would be reluctant to order anything else again sight unseen.

Coincidentally, I had ordered, on sale, 2 of their Madelaine dining chairs. They arrived a few days ago. One was broken, badly cracked, and the other had some scrapes on the paint. They are made in China and are quite good looking and comfortable enough. But too much trouble to order and have to mail back for me to take a chance on the RH Modern dresser that I like in their catalog. I am sending the chairs back and am now leery of ordering any other furniture from them. Two chairs arrived; one was broken. Not a great record.

It took me forever to decide on bedroom furniture and once I saw the smythson shagreen collection from RH I felt in love. I ordered 2 of the nightstands larger size and the 8 drawer tall dresser. They look amazing, but the drawers dont close. They barely line up. RH sent me three different sets and put the final one through inspection only to have the same thing happen again. They ended up taking all pieces back and gave me my money back, but just be aware. It looks like they really need to work on the manufacturing these items better. For the money you pay you would think the quality would truly be first quality but they were anything but that. I'm hoping they can get it right but it may take some time. :-(

Pathetic. I just rejected the third Shagreen bed. Luckily this time the mover found the defect in the footboard in the street before moving it upstairs. RH is unable to make and deliver this product. Shagreen covering was either detaching, gouged or the piece was crushed upon delivery. Do not bother with it.

Most of the big furniture stores import their wood furniture from Asia. Room and Board being the only exception - all of their furniture is manufactured in the US. Much imported furniture is not solid wood - MDF with thin veneers that easily chip. There are still some casegood companies manufacturing in America, but they are going to be carried by smaller boutique stores. I would find a local furniture store near you and and get a salesperson to help you find what you're looking for from a reputable manufacturer. You may have to give up on the Shagreen, I don't know any American manufacturers that make Shagreen casegood. But honestly, it's a trend and you'll get many more years from furniture made of wood.