My sofa has what yours does on the front of the cushions, but the top back is smooth. There isn't that long stitch running along the top. I found this article and I guess it explains why to a point. Guessing it also has to do with the type of fabric we chose.

https://www.bydesignthestore.com/furniture-comfort-wrinkles/

It maybe the angle of the photo, but the seat cushions don't look the same size to me. The one on the right looks less firm.

"Is this acceptable or within the tolerance of upholstering? Interested in your thoughts?"

Who made the couch? Is it from Big Lots, custom, or somewhere in between? Price point matters.

Is this yours? 4,995.00?

https://patrickstreetinteriors.com/products/custom-upholstered-sofa?pr_prod_strat=e5_desc&pr_rec_id=5ac383c4c&pr_rec_pid=4350450073669&pr_ref_pid=4350429823045&pr_seq=uniform

It a not uncommon shape or style, but it sure looks identical on a G search

Thx, everyone. Same firmness in each of the cushions. The one on the right was sat in for a short while and probably the reason for the difference. No, mill, the sofa is not from any of those stores, it’s an ROWE sofa. This is a second home and the sofa was close to $2000.

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Oops, sent too soon I wasn’t finished. It’s a Rowe sofa, and Jan, thank you for the article. I do understand softness versus firmness as a trade-off with wrinkles. I like a tight back sofa, but I just was a little concerned about this lumpiness it’s more apparent in certain lights.. Maybe a furniture manufacturer can chime in.. This wouldn’t be a problem if the back of the sofa was against the wall, but it’s floating in this large great room facing the kitchen. I hadn’t planned on putting a sofa table behind it although I do have one and I may end up doing just that. I’ll wait to hear from the manufacturer, but anyone else, please let me know your thoughts.

It may be from where they had plastic shrink wrap around it before it got to you. Waiting on the manufacturer to answer is the best right now.

Rowe used to be good quality but they have gone down hill significantly in the last ten years. I would not find it acceptable if I had a custom upholstered sofa or a high price sofa. But unfortunately for a $2k sofa, I think this is now somewhat the norm for a manufacturer like Rowe.

I tried to find a pic of yours on the Rowe website but could not. If you can, use the 360-degree rotate feature and then screen shot the back of the sofa. Go to your dealer and tell them you are not satisfied and you want the back of your sofa to look like it does in the picture. If the deal doesn't budge then go to Rowe yourself. This might not yield anything but it is worth a try. Who knows?

I tried to talk my neighbor out of a Pottery Barn sofa but she ordered one anyway and she has this exact problem with it. She complained to Pottery Barn and they offered her a $100 gift certificate, which seemed like a slap in the face.

A 2k sofa was a darn decent sofa 30 years ago!!. It is now, often not much more than good looking junk, and I don't care where it comes from. It is not POSSIBLE to create a good sofa at that price now, anymore than it is possible to make a good automobile for 8 grand. Enjoy the couch while it lasts,: ) Turn the cushions, rotate, flip, vacuum regularly, you'd have to do that at any price point.

Brutal truth and fact. Apologies included.

Why to this? Unreasonable desire.

It is what most believe they should pay, can pay, or want to pay. You have to pay more, and still do a lot of due diligence when you do pay more.

I have a Rowe sofa and two chairs in my vacation home. They are quite nice and well mAde but they don’t get a lot of use. We only use the house maybe 3 months out of the year. I’d never buy them for a heavily used family room in a primary residence.

As Jan says, $2K for a sofa these days isn't an indicator of good quality. It's probably a made in China import developed for mass market. (Sorry.) I would find a furniture retailer that carries Lee Industries or Hickory Chair, both of which are made in the U.S. in North Carolina. But be prepared to spend anywhere from $4K to $8K, depending on the fabric you pick.

Rowe is made in Virginia, USA

However, there is just as much junk now produced in the USA as anywhere else.

Cheaper foam, cheaper, lighter springs, drop in springs that originate in China.....no guarantee that it is kiln dried hardwood, or doweled ,screwed,glued frame.

The upholstery industry and the folks who DO the actual placing of fabric on a piece, the sewing of cushion covers, the fillers who get that foam INTO the cover?? The Pandemic killed many of them in the deep woods many reside. Just as many retired. It takes years and years and more years to become skilled and many who were at it for decades are now retired or they died. No, I am not kidding.

I'm sure Sabrina will agree.......you inspect any, and I mean ANY new piece at the door on delivery. Or the complaint here is as good as.............yup. Nothing.

This is a second/vacation home that gets very little use. The home is not rented, used by my family, maybe 2 to 3 months total out of the year. I have another Rowe sofa similar to this one and it is 12 years old and looks as good as the day it was delivered. We have additional rooms for relaxing, a large loft, and a study in addition to the great room so the great room is not used as frequently as those rooms with more durable fabrics.

It doesn’t look terrible so I’d accept it and move on.

Twelve years in the upholstery market? A veritable lifetime!

Enjoy it, and move on:) Its a vacation home. If you bought it from a local store? Call them if you like. Nothing much is going to happen......

It may be a blessing in disguise - because from a Feng Shui perspective, I would not ever have a sofa floating in a space without something to back it. And oftentimes, a sofa table could be that choice. But it could be a bookcase or a sideboard or other cabinet, etc. Just depends.

Personally, the chances of me floating a sofa, under most any conditions, is slim to none. I need a wall for the sofa. Especially for a primary sofa. But if I absolutely had to float it - a sofa table (etc.) is a necessity.

Do they have anyone that would come out and fix things like this? We bought a leather sectional from Lazy Boy and they sent someone out when we had a few wrinkles I wasn't happy with. The tech also let me know that within a year from purchase they will come out and add more filling and fix anything we weren't happy with. So right before we reached our one year mark we had the tech out and I showed him everywhere we wanted more filling. I know many people look down on Lazy Boy but we have been really happy with our sectional and their service. We had a lazy boy previously and it now sits in my daughters apartment.

“I know many people look down on Lazy Boy... ”

People look down on anything that they can. It makes them feel important.

Also - there is a lot of ignorance - some of which might stem from misinformation.

There are various misconceptions about certain name brands equaling value and quality - price equaling value and quality, etc. Sometimes it might be the case, sometimes it isn’t.

An owner of an antiques shoppe in NYC told me many years ago: “Some people think a thing has more value, if it costs more.”

And btw, I am really beyond tired of all the ignorant (at best) disparaging comments made here regarding China and items that are made in China. Which many in the USA would have zero in their homes, if it were not for China. While you are at it - throw your iPhones in the garbage, too - since you think so little of items made in China. Buy American. The OP did.

I have another Rowe sofa similar to this one and it is 12 years old and looks as good as the day it was delivered.

That sounds about right. They are not making them the same as they did then. I used to buy Rowe too. What a shame.

I concur, now knowing that this is a vacation home: Let go of the issue. Float the sofa with a small table behind it, and at least enjoy how lovely the lines of the arms are. (I'd love to see a show down between @Freedomeplace1 and Rita Konig, whose number one rule is to float a sofa with a table behind it!)

Thanks, Kendrah. Would not be much of a showdown. Sorry. :)

Live and let live. At least she tells people to put a sofa table behind it. From a Feng Shui perspective that helps a bit.

Eastern Feng Shui is absolutely not into floating sofas. I did not make the rules. But the thinking behind it makes total sense to me. And I am not trying to rewrite the tenets. So I would have no interest in engaging with Rita Konig.

I purchased a Flexsteel love seat and matching long sofa many years ago after extensively researching many sofa brands. No rippling on my sofas. They are high quality too. I am still quite happy with my choice of sofas.

I am not an expert, but I have reupholstered a few pieces of furniture. There is an art to stapling foam + dacron + fabric, smoothing while you go. You need strong hands too. Maybe the dacron layer was too thick, maybe the fabric was pulled too tight and will loosen up with usage? If it’s really bothering you, take your photo to an upholstery shop and ask for their advice, The shop would have to remove the outside back to address this issue. Another thought: Reddit has an upholstery sub reddit that has some professionals that stop by and might offer some advice. Love the sofa!

Fold a really pretty decorative throw over the back, fringe ends pointing at floor and couch seats.

Move on, it's now fine.: ) as you can see.........it IS a design element as well as perfectly functional in this case.