Thursday, April 24, 2014

Belgian Linen Slipcovered Furniture (Restoration Hardware style)

{our living room sofa}

Buying grown-up furniture has been on the "once we're in the new house..." list for about seven years.  We moved into our new (empty) house in July 2013 and by November it was time.  We needed a sectional for the den as well as sofas, chairs and ottomans to dampen the echo.


For years, I've been carrying around tear sheets of Restoration Hardware Style / Belgian linen slipcovered sofas.  And since our den (photo above) was literally designed and built to have a sectional placed under the window, that was the piece I started with.

I visited the lovely furniture shops in our town and surrounding area.  I showed them my inspiration photos and looked at catalogue after catalogue.   Many of them offered set modules to build with but didn't offer customization of sizing and details like pillows, skirting and filling.

So I decided to stop beating around the bush and go to the source:  Restoration Hardware.  Excited to make the day trip to midtown Toronto (a rare occurrence), I was ready to see row upon row of favourites from my dogeared RH catalogue.  I was ready to find the perfect sectional.

Boy, was I disappointed.  The showroom had a minimum of pieces on display in dim lighting (for effect?).  Since there weren't any sectionals on the floor, the salesperson showed me my options on their website using an iPad...  Long story short, RH was not our answer in the sofa department:  we couldn't get the width/length we needed and their furniture prices in Canada are higher than I was willing to spend.  (I will, however, continue to buy certain items from RH such as shower curtains that I've been very happy with.)

{fabric samples from our supplier}

From there, Josh started digging around.  He has the Midas touch when it comes to working a deal so it wasn't long before he found a custom furniture manufacturer in California that was interested in selling directly, as long as we placed a wholesale size order.  Their pieces are 'bench made', meaning each piece is made by one person.  They specialize in custom orders so we were able to look at their basic pieces and design from there.  We chose 40 fabric samples (from their selection of 300+) to have couriered to us (photo above).  There were loads of Belgian linens to chose from!

The design/fabrication/shipping process took about four months, with the shipping container stuck in customs for a large portion of that time.  It was a fun day with the truck finally arrived:

{Receiving the truck load} 

We loaded it all into our living room:


And then started to move it around the house.  The living room sofa:


Living room chairs (old furniture in background - nowhere to put it until basement is finished!:


Had to get one of these leather club chairs:


For the girls' room:


We also had our photographer friend take some photos of the new furniture just in case we need some clean photos in the future.  I've shared some of them below.  Just what we need, another business.  Right? 


















24 comments:

  1. Welcome back!!! I adore, adore the furniture!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gorgeous collection of restoration furniture which is use for house, office and other commercial uses.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow this post give truly quality information. Really very useful tips are provided here . thank you so much medical technologies technicians major

    ReplyDelete
  4. You left me hanging!!! I found your blog and went back to the very beginning and read the whole thing. Then it was done. I haven't gotten to see the completed house. I'm so sad. I check every day. Are you done with your blog now? I don't want to keep checking and have to be sad when I don't see a new post. Please don't be done!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's a new post Jo! Thanks for following along...

      Angela

      Delete
  5. Any chance I can have the contact information for the furniture maker?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi Dennis D,

      We have a manufacturer that sells directly to us - not a retail outfit.

      Angela

      Delete
  6. Does that manufacturer have a website?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Angela:

    Are you selling these sofas, or are you able to pass along the manufacturer? I may be interested in placing a wholesale size Order

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sandra,
      Stay tuned, we are hoping to start selling them. Are you located in US or Canada?

      Angela

      Delete
  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Angela,
    I live in Ontario and would love to know more about the sofa - I've been on the internet for hours looking at sources for a down wrapped bench seat sofa. Are you selling?

    ReplyDelete
  10. A number of us know all relating to the compelling medium you present powerful steps on this blog and therefore strongly encourage contribution from other ones on this subject while our own child is truly discovering a great deal. Have fun with the remaining portion of the year.
    _____________________________________
    Bench seating upholstery

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Dear,

    i Like Your Blog Very Much..I see Daily Your Blog ,is A Very Useful For me.

    Insideoutvictoria offers a variety of slipcovers for sofas, sofa Slipcovers Toronto & Canada. Our unique slipcover system allows you to change your cover.

    Visit Now - http://insideoutvictoria.com/slipcovered-furniture/

    ReplyDelete
  12. sets rather than taking out individual items of furniture such as coffee tables, sofas, chairs, and bookshelves; Indeed, there are a number of advantages to doing this.
    Demir Leather

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great, this post gives lots of quality information. Really very useful tips are provided here. Buy all types of furniture from the best wholesale furniture supplier.

    ReplyDelete
  14. wow great to know about slipcovered furniture thanks for sharing this amazing post
    Very Good content bro nice to see a such a fantastic talent keep growing keep hustling bro, once again thanks for sharing this valuable article for us if your looking for furniture checkout as now

    Wholesale Furniture Shops In Chennai
    Home Furniture Chennai
    Furniture Shops In Adyar
    Best Furniture Shops In Chennai
    Furniture showrooms in chennai
    Teak Wood Furniture Chennai
    Wooden Furniture Chennai
    Furniture Shops In Chennai
    Furniture Stores In Chennai


    ReplyDelete
  15. Thank You, from seller Lemari hias Kaca
    Thank You, from seller kursi tamu mewah
    Thank You, from seller kursi tamu mewah
    Thank You, from seller meja rias jati
    Thank You, from seller meja rias jati

    ReplyDelete
  16. Really Awesome very nice post. You are Expert in your profession. It's a very interesting in post. I appreciate you keep do posting.
    “2/3 seater sofa in UK”

    ReplyDelete