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amj0517

Pottery Barn Pearce sofa collection - your experience

amj0517
9 years ago

I was in Pottery Barn recently and asked if they had a sofa that wears well, cleans well, and is good for families with young kids. The salesperson raved about the Pearce sofa. Does anyone here have experience with this collection? Is it really comfortable and durable?

Comments (49)

  • Bunny
    9 years ago

    It's a nice looking sofa in the site photo. But doesn't the wear/clean factor depend a lot on the fabric and color chosen? Can the cushion covers easily be taken off and washed? When you sat on it, was it comfortable?

  • amj0517
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    It was comfortable in the store, but I'm curious if it'll still be comfortable a few years from now, or will it have flattened cushions and pillows. The salesperson recommended Everyday Suede for the fabric. I'm not crazy about the suede, but if it will hold up and look nice then I can get over it (I don't hate it).

    Edited to add link: I found a picture of what I was afraid of. Sounds like it may be bearable with re-fluffing. I'm attracted to the idea that it cleans easily (even if extra fluffing is needed). I'm still interested in hearing first-hand opinions from anyone here who has this sofa :)

    Here is a link that might be useful: Squished cushions

    This post was edited by amj0517 on Wed, Jan 28, 15 at 13:07

  • joycedc
    9 years ago

    rpets: Thanks for that awesome tip!

  • Bunny
    9 years ago

    I don't have the PB Pearce but my sofa and loveseat are similar in design. Once a week or so, I rotate the seat and back cushions: move one to the left and flip the one at the end that comes around to the right. That way the wear is distributed. I'm always amazed how fresh and new everything feels after I do that.

  • lisa_mocha
    9 years ago

    I can't speak to the quality of a PB sofa (yet), however, I wanted to pipe in that I did purchase the PB Comfort Roll arm slipcovered sofa last week. The associate I dealt with from the PB Design Center inidicated that the Comfort sofa is their most popular/most comfortable sofa. The Pearce is also popular.
    I was told the poly will fare better and be lower maintenance. The down is very comfortable, but will require a lot if fluffing as it packs down/flattens out.

    I was also concerned with cushions flattening out, but 1 good thing is that at least you can re- purchase cushion inserts directly from PB if required.

    With children or pets, I would definitely go the slip-covered route!
    We had the Ikea ektorp sofas ( white twill ) with our Chocolate Lab. Sounds crazy, brown dog & white sofa, but the best thing ever. Wash...a little bleach...and like new again. We had repurchased new covers at one time. (Very inexpensive at ikea)

  • amj0517
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for the tips and for sharing your experiences, lisa, linelle and rpets. I think we found our sofa. Now, to figure out the configuration....

  • nancyocean
    9 years ago

    I have the PB comfort roll for over 10 years, it's the best purchase I've ever made, love it so much and it's so comfortable after all this time. I have the sectional, and all the seat cushions can be used in any spot, even the corner piece is not a dedicated corner piece. I buy the down throw pillows because they are comfortable to use, but I wouldn't buy the down cushions too messy looking.

  • Bunny
    9 years ago

    kitchenlover1, do you have the upholstered or slip-covered versions? What fabric/color?

  • nancyocean
    9 years ago

    I have the slip covered version, we have two dogs and my grand dogs visit often. It's in the linen ivory. I've had to wash it about three times now and it comes out beautifully. I do a little spot cleaning in between the major washes. I love the feeling of casual elegance it gives.

  • bookmom41
    9 years ago

    I have the Pearce; the three cushion sofa and the chair with ottoman. Mine are in leather, an option I think has been discontinued, and are around three years old.

    I completely agree that the cushion inserts are way too squishy and not of great quality. The seating cushions have flattened out and the back cushions are malformed--taking on a sort of squashed look with a U indentation from leaning back into them. DH does the unzip and fluff routine, which lasts until someone sits down. And, the cushions can't be flipped or rotated to alternate wear since the leather doesn't wrap around the entire cushion--PB used fabric inserts on the back sides of the cushions. Cheesey, cheesey.

    The bright side is we got this furniture heavily discounted--at the time, we had a credit card that was racking up PB gift cards. Even with that "discount," I would call this set kind of overpriced.

  • lisa_mocha
    9 years ago

    Kitchenlover... So glad to hear you're happy with your sofa. I just purchased the PB comfort sofa with ivory linen slipcover last week and was wondering how it would hold up:) I agree... With dogs, slipcovers are the best!
    Now, just have to wait until it arrives mid-April...

  • cozyplace
    9 years ago

    I looked at that sectional and loved it. Pottery Barn has great quality items and you will probably be very happy. I ended up with a LazyBoy sectional and it's held up great and I love it. But if the Pearce was still on a great sale when I needed to buy I would have bought it instead. And I do love their down pillows. So soft and squishy and comfy!!!

  • nancyocean
    9 years ago

    Lisa_mocha, hope you love it as much as I do. The slipcovers are a little difficult the first time you put them on, there's Velcro on the side arms and if everything isn't lined up they seem too long, but like anything, there's a learning curve. It says you should only wash in front loader, but I don't have one, and wash in regular machine, but agitate on gentle. For stains, I use a spray and wash, I wouldn't use bleach, it would whiten them too much. I dry them a little in the dryer and then lay them flat to dry smoothing them out with my hands. This way there is no ironing, and yet they look ironed. The main slipcover can a be put back on when it's still slightly damp. Putting them in the dryer for a short time shrinks them slightly so that they fit more snuggly, but don't overdo it and if they are slightly damp, they will fit around corners more easily.

  • lisa_mocha
    9 years ago

    Thank you for the tips kitchenlover:)

  • Bunny
    9 years ago

    kitchenlover, could you post a photo of your sofa? I love the idea of slip covers, but worry that it would look too shabby (chic).

  • derryriddick
    3 years ago

    I bought the Pearce sectional sofa in August - the slipcovered version - and it is HORRIBLY UNCOMFORTABLE. The sofa seat is 7 inches lower than the one in the store and the cushions feel hard like boat cushions. I complained for three months and they replaced it. The new sofa is the same. Now I have no recourse and have to live with it. DO NOT BUY THIS. The sofa in the store which I sat on is nothing like the ones they sell you.

  • Michelle Vega
    3 years ago

    OMG, that awful. I’ve been seriously considering this sofa.

  • HU-940574698
    3 years ago

    Don't get the Pottery Barn Pearce sectional. It's sold as a performance fabric, but stains and fades when you blot it with water. And they've ignored our complaints. Don't buy from them.

  • torychristensen
    3 years ago

    I have the rolled arm Pearce sectional. My mom found it used a several years ago and bought it for us as a housewarming gift. At the time it was very gently used and in great condition. We’ve spent a LOT of time on this couch over the last 7 years so I feel like I can give an experienced review now.

    Fabric: Ours is covered with the oat performance everyday suede. I’ve found the fabric cleans really well in the washing machine at home. We have dogs and cats so this is important to us. I remove all the cushion covers, close the zippers and wash and dry them on gentle cycle. To help protect it, I’ve also bought extra of the same fabric by the yard to lay across the tops of the seat cushions (I’ve been meaning to actually sew them into a more fitted cover but haven’t gotten around to it yet.) Other than a pen falling between the cracks of the cushions and bleeding into the cover, there are no stains on this couch, even after my husband fell asleep with a chewing tobacco pouch in his mouth that fell out while he was sleeping. (Ew.)

    Cushion covers: Here’s where there’s been a bit of trouble. Hopefully this has changed over the years, but the zipper slides on the outer covers do NOT hold up. They split in half and break off. This has happened gradually, usually noticed after washing the covers while replacing them. Not because they’re under the strain of putting the cushions back in either. I’ve found other reviews for these specific zippers citing the same issue. I ended up opening the end seams and buying the same style zipper slide to replace the damaged ones and haven’t had any trouble since.

    Seat cushions: They seem to be made from a quality foam and still feel dense, supportive and comfortable. They don’t feel like they are slowly disintegrating like the cushion in a previous couch we had.

    Seat cushion wraps: I don’t know know who decided that blending poly fill with down and covering seat cushions with it was a good idea. I’m here to tell you it’s not. At least not with whatever fiber fill PB chose. The fill knots together and over time, sitting on the cushions pushes it to the outer ends of the channels. This means that every few months, if you’re being diligent or maybe just once or twice a year, you have to take the covers completely off the foam cushions and separate all the lumps and bulges by pulling them apart by hand. In a couch the size of ours, this can take a long time and makes my fingers pretty sore.

    Back cushion inserts: The back cushions are split into two horizontal channels, one stacked on top of the other. If you slouch against the back cushions (like I tend to) they can lose their shape and are hard to fluff up again.

    Frame: In the last year, or maybe just over, I’m beginning to notice that the sections we sit on the most (an end cushion and the corner cushion), the springs don’t seem to be holding up as well and these sections can sit a bit lower.

    To sum it up, it’s been a pretty good couch and served us well. We’ve napped on it for hours upon hours and spent days binge watching tv shows. There is some maintenance involved but overall we’ve been pleased. If, however, we’d spend full retail on these sofas brand new, I would be frustrated with some of the issues that have arisen.

  • Amy Bruney
    3 years ago

    Purchased the slip covered PB Pearce sectional a year ago. Loved the look, but hate it a year later. The down cushions are too soft and even though I constantly rotate and try to fluff them, they just sink in and don’t retain their shape. I wish we had the option of foam cushions. It now hurts my back to sit on it, so we are getting something different. White cushion slip covers wash up nice as long as you hang them to dry. But for a the money we spent, over $4k, it should hold its shape better.

  • tlbb
    3 years ago

    I have a different PB sofa (Jake) and it feels completely different that the one in the store. I've had it less than a year and it creaks every time I sit on it. I believe the frame is cracked. I should call customer service, but I DREAD the thought of dealing with them. Pottery Barn is way overpriced for the quality. I would not buy from them again.

  • brecarroll
    3 years ago

    I purchased the Pearce sofa with chaise about two years ago. I absolutely would not recommend anyone buy this sofa. The performance fabric has been good but the comfort is horrible. It was fine for the first few months but now feels like we are sitting in a hole. We are sitting on large pillows so we can tolerate it. I called customer service but was told because I didn't complain in the first year there was nothing they could do. The sofa is in a winter home so only used part time and it is just my husband and I who use it. I am so very unhappy with this purchase, we are trying to decide what to do. Thinking of putting it on Craigs List, and purchasing a more exensive, higher quality piece, NOT from Pottery Barn. I think Pottery Barn does a great job marketing their furniture, we all get fooled into thinking the quality is better than it is.

  • Amy Bruney
    3 years ago

    Same exact problem with ours. Just over a year and we are shopping for a new sofa. wish there was a way to buy firmer cushions😓

  • bookmom41
    3 years ago

    Updating my post of 5 years ago on this thread. Upside—the leather is still in decent condition, considering the heavy use in our family room by teens, adults, dogs and cats; lots of scratches, , the welting shows wear, but no tears or worn-through spots. Structurally, perhaps surprisingly, it is still solid. Downside—crappy cushions and major sagging in the middle. My husband put a piece of plywood under the seat cushions, so now it’s firm. I agree that Pottery Barn does a great job with marketing an image and their goods are overpriced for the quality.

  • brecarroll
    3 years ago

    My husband found replacement no sag (zig-zag) springs on Amazon. We are going to put new springs between all the existing ones and hope it brings the "base" of the sofa back up so we don't feel like we are sinking into the sofa. When we pulled back the dust cover on the bottom of the sofa and looked inside we could not believe what a piece of crap this sofa really is! Pottery Barn should be ashamed to sell this for the price they are asking!! I worked in a furniture store for years and know how furniture is made, I did not expect it to have 8 way hand tied springs for the $2500 I payed for it but I was shocked at how poorly the frame was built. We actually also found lots of discarded fabric remnants, foam etc. which should have been discarded inside the sofa and a very sloppy job on the inside. My only recourse is just to let everyone I know not to buy Pottery Barn upholstery!

  • serenar96
    3 years ago

    brecarroll that does not make me feel very positive. We have had our Pearce for almost a year and half and my husband can't stand sitting on it because it hurts his back. The seat cushions have really gotten soft. We chose this sofa because the seat cushions felt firm in the store (the sales person assured us it had been there for weeks and was constantly being sat on, she herself has one that us years old and in great condition etc etc). I also said I needed a family friendly material and ended up with the EverdayLinen...not pleased. It requires professional cleaning, liquid does NOT bead up like it did on our swatch or in the Crypton videos and seems to attract all the dirt. It looks dingy and we don't eat or allow pets on it. Very disappointed. I have started a complaint with PB, we'll see what happens. Honestly if they could provide firmer cushions we could live with the upkeep of the fabric.

  • Amy Bruney
    3 years ago

    Same exact problem. Going to try the plywood under cushions before we start shopping. I do like the slip covers, they clean up well.

  • brecarroll
    3 years ago

    serenar96 when we took the dust cover off the bottom and I looked at the back support it's no wonder your husband won't sit on it!! There is only one strap going horizontal (across the hole back) and one strap per cushion which runs veritical. One of our vertical straps was in two pieces that weren't even connected, so obviously the only support we have for the one back cushion is one horizontal strap. We did end up buying the no sag springs and putting them in the bottom of our sofa, it has helped but can 't believe I actually HAD to put more money into this piece of junk!!

  • serenar96
    3 years ago

    Well we finally heard back from Pottery Barn after sending 3 follow up emails (their initial email said I would be contacted within 48 hours to provide pictures of our issues and potentially have some investigate in person and never heard anything) and was told sorry, your sofa is over a year old. You can buy replacement cushions (did not even provide a link) or contact a company called Furniture Medic to "restore your beautiful couch". I'm so angry. I was worried about having issues after purchase and was assured that Pottery Barn service is top notch and they don't need furniture warranties for this reason. well considering we are a family of 3 and average sized, I think it is completely unreasonable that such an expensive purchase would be disqualified from repair/help due to average wear and tear after only 15 months of use. I really wish I would not have waited to contact them since we were definitely having issues within the 1 year time frame, but honestly, I'm not convinced I would have gotten anywhere.

  • brecarroll
    3 years ago

    I'm convinced PB doesn't care! There's enough complaints on social media and sights like this, they have to be getting lots of complaints about this. They could fix it if they wanted to. I am so done with PB! They have beautiful stores, great merchandising and locate their stores in high end malls to fool consumers into believing they sell quality.

  • veronica jones
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    I am so bitter about buying this crappy Pearce "comfort" sofa. Like others here, today I was told to call someone who cares (Furniture medic) about these collapsed, miserable cushions on the 4000 couch I've owned 1.5 years. "Because you didn't contact us within a year..." - oh but I did, I contacted customer service repeatedly thru my online account -all messages ignored. Finally found an email and they responded only to say "no luck." I will never EVER buy anything from Pottery Barn again. I have stuffed pillows under the cushions so I don't feel like I'm sitting in a bean bag, but still not sure of a real fix. RUN from PB furniture, it is complete trash and customer service is non existent.

  • serenar96
    3 years ago

    I wanted to give everyone an update just in case someone was still considering the EverydayLinen. I asked my local store about cleaning. They said to just call a professional upholstery cleaner. I then looked at the Crypton website and they specifically mention Stanley steemer. Our fabric has become very dingy and if we are going to be forced to keep this absurdly expensive piece of junk, I want it to at least be clean.
    When they arrived they said the cleaning code on the sofa says dry clean only. Once again, how is something marketed as "family friendly" and needs to be dry cleaned??? Part of this is my fault as when I read the back of the sample card, it says slipcovered sofas are dry clean and upholstered are to be consulted by a professional cleaner. What it means is that the seat covers have to be dry cleaned and the rest steam cleaned, except the cleaners I had come over were not comfortable even cleaning the upholstered parts of the sofa due to the fabric content.
    I had also read on here that someone successfully machine washed their covers. Now that I have investigated further there are apparently different types of this material that has different cleaning requirements. We are beyond frustrated with every aspect of this sofa.

  • Amy Bruney
    3 years ago

    I have the canvas like white slip covers. I have washed the seat covers a few times, but not the back cushion covers or the frame covers. I’ve had good luck by washing in warm, gentle cycle and hang to dry, only putting them in the dryer to unwrinkle. Has worked ok so far. But I’m with you, an expensive piece of crap. Now have plywood under the seats for support, somewhat better, but gee whiz!!!! Only 18 months old.

  • ajs317
    3 years ago

    Looking at the Pearce and PB comfort sectionals. For those of you that have issues with saggy cushions, do you have the down option or the memory foam? At least the PB Comfort comes in the memory foam option so I’m wondering if that might be better.

  • Amy Bruney
    3 years ago

    We have the Pearce with down cushions. 18 months later having major buyer remorse. For a sofa that costs over $4000, you shouldn’t have to put plywood under the cushions to have them not sink to the floor. Think hard before buying their product. No customer support at all.

  • serenar96
    3 years ago

    @ajs317 the Pearce only has one option (down wrapped foam). I would make sure the foam you are getting is high density and do some research on how it recovers after being sat on.

  • brecarroll
    3 years ago

    I have the Pearce sofa, I don't honestly think it is in the cushions, that would be a relatively easy fix, just replace the cushion insert. It is more a construction issue with the base of the sofa not being well made and the support/springs in the base are not strong enough, over a short amount of time they sag.


  • Denette Lickiss
    2 years ago

    The only good thing about our pottery barn sectional is the slipcover: somewhat challenging to remove and replace, but the white canvas washes well otherwise, the Pearce rolled arm sectional is a piece of crap. 3 months in, the cushions were so flat, you could feel the bars between the sections (see phote below to see how the front edge of the doublebseat is bowed) the bottom has sunk in so much it is difficult to get up, especially for older family members the back cushions have absoli no structure and do t hold yheir shape at all it was a the most expensive sofa ive ever purchased, and the most disappointing ☹️☹️ these are photos of what i yhought i was gettng, vs the reality of what i have 3 months in - its much worse now



  • brecarroll
    2 years ago

    If you complain to PB in the first year I think they will work with you on resolving the problem. After the first year they will not do anything for you.


  • Denette Lickiss
    2 years ago

    Pleased to report an update! a few weeks ago, i echoed several negative reviews of the Pottery Barn Pearce sectional sofa. after contacting the company and sharing my experience, I am pleased to report that they are making it right! my faith in their customer service has been renewed and strengthened. while I hope they're able to correct the quality issues with this beautiful sofa in the future, I am delighted they are standing by their customer. In the meantime I look forward to trying another sofa with better reviews. I appreciate the positive comments about the PB Basic styles, as im leaning that direction And again, their slip covers are amazing! I will always be a fan!

  • Joan Camara
    2 years ago

    DO NOT BUY! My Pearce sectional is 2 years old and looks terrible. The cushions appear to be the problem and I am pretty sure the couch you sit on in the store has different cushions than the ones you end up purchasing. The Sunbrella up charge was not worth the money and looks terrible. I have no pets and the grandchildren occasionally visit so my sectional is not getting abused by any means. We will be consulting an upholsterer regarding replacement cushions to see if we can salvage this situation. I will never give Pottery Barn another dime of my money.


  • serenar96
    2 years ago

    @Joan Camara. We replaced the cushion inserts (super annoying considering the cost of this sofa), but it is now ACTUALLY comfortable. We went through an upholstery shop. I still don't know how people clean the arms and backs of dry clean only furniture when spot cleaning with water isn't enough though.

  • Justine Lunsford
    2 years ago

    Our cushions are horrible as well!! Less than 2 years old. Its like they put 1/2 the stuffing needed. I’m glad to know restuffing worked. Ive been thinking about doing that as well.

  • Joan Camara
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    So happy we used a professional to replace our stuffing with the proper density foam and got rid of Pottery Barn’s cheap foam and feathers. it’s now a brand new sectional but was not cheap to fix, $800. Best money ever spent and not a dime went to PB for their overpriced crap.

  • HU-377236479
    2 years ago

    I am so glad that I found this forum! I had sat on the Pearce sectional in my local store and thought it would be our next sofa. The configuration that I wanted was going to run about $7,000 which is why I didn’t purchase. I have a Clayton Marcus sofa that was purchased in 1988. It has been recovered one time and it has survived raising triplets and multiple jack russell terriers. May I ask which furniture brands of sofas/sectionals people would recommend?

  • jill_forehand56
    2 years ago

    My Pearce square arm, down blend wrapped, performance basket weave arrived this week. It is a good looking sectional but it is very uncomfortable and everyone who has sat on it has commented on how hard the cushions are and how the fabric feels like burlap.
    I have always had a good experience with PB but I am concerned this won’t break in like the one I sat in at the store. Wanted to share.

  • HU-366384866
    last year

    My boyfriend and I both bought the Pearce sectional in everyday suede. This was about 8 or 9 years ago, so I dont know if the quality has changed. We are both very happy with our purchases. We did get the down wrapped cushions, and yes, they slump a little after time. I just used a down pillow tucked inside the cushion cover and that was an easy way to add volume. We have spent hours on these couches and so have our dogs!!

  • Miranda Hanson
    last year

    I

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