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| I found a few piece of furniture made by Ashley. I didn't find them at "the" Ashley store, but I'm guessing the same company? Anyhow, I'm leary or the quality, especially after reading review on the internet. Does anyone have any personal recommendations? I'm looking at upholstered pieces (not leather).
Thanks! Robbi |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by superchick (My Page) on Sat, Jan 19, 08 at 20:10
| Not sure I have any recommendations, but Ashley furniture quality is on the lower end of the scale. It's a shame, because I've found some really pretty pieces there. I would consider buying something from them if it was just for looks and wouldn't be used much. But if it's something that will be used everyday, you should probably steer clear of them. |
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| Yeah, I'd agree with superchick. I consider Ashley kind of medium low quality. There's nothing wrong with that, as long as you know what you're getting. There are times when heirloom quality is overkill, for example, certain pieces from Ashley might be fine for a basement media room, a sun porch, or any kind of secondary space. I wouldn't hesitate to buy it if I was furnishing an apartment and in that phase of life when I was still moving around a lot and don't really know what you're going to really need or want when you settle down. I know really good quality wasn't important to me until I hit my late 30's early 40's, and frankly I didn't have the money to spend on really good stuff until then. Stores like Ashley fill a niche. Of course, if you're willing to trawl the Craigslist listings and garage sales and so forth, you could probably put something together quite nicely for less money than even Ashley would cost. |
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| It's good for the price, but you get what you pay for. I bought Ashley sets (couches) for both my family room and living room, last June. Living room is hardly ever sat in, and the pieces still look like new. The family room stuff looks years old, and they are barely 6 months old. I've had to add new stuffing to the pillow backs and the pillow tassles were coming apart. The seat cushions are kinda flat and I'm debating whether or not to put in new foam. I'm also debating whether to claim a warranty on them. I probably won't buy Ashley again, but they were VERY inexpensive, and super comfortable in the store. Living room couches I think are better quality than the family room. |
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| I bought a dining room table and chairs at Ashley about a year ago. My husband and I inspected the workmanship at the store and were pleased with it. I was moving into a new home, buying a lot of furniture, and didn't want to spend the entire budget in the dining room. I have built-ins so only needed the table and chairs. The dining room is used with company and on holidays (regularly but not heavily) and I really liked the look of this set. I had seen others that cost over twice the amount I spent on this one. Some were beautiful and I was tempted but I didn't need that. For my family rooms and other areas however I bought Thomasville and Henredon. So I agree with others, it's not bad, and it has it's place. It has held up well so far. Here's the dining set:
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- Posted by lafonda_ranch (My Page) on Sat, Jan 19, 08 at 22:22
| Thanks everyone. That's what my instinct was telling me. I also had another furniture place tell me that, but you never know about sales people. It makes me want to trust the guy that told me that. It's a shame, because their style is nice. Robbi |
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- Posted by moonshadow (My Page) on Sun, Jan 20, 08 at 8:43
| I would do some reading at the Furniture forum here. You'll get an invaluable education on furniture! |
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lafonda, I agree with Mimi. As y'all already know my story, we lost it all in Katrina, so are just now starting over, at the ripe age of 57. It's just the two of us at home, no children, no pets, so try to find bargains or cut corners where we can ..... I bought this antique pine farm table by itself, then went on a hunt for dining room chairs. We are not "formal" people, so did not want anything too stuffy, but did want comfort. I found these chairs at "non-Ashley" furniture store, and was amazed at how well they matched the table. They might not be 5 star quality, but as Billy Crystal used to say in his Fernando L. voice, "but they look good, dahling!" Pretty comfortable to sit on, too.   |
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| While they're still not heirloom furniture (but not everyone can afford or even wants heirloom furniture), I think Ashley's casegoods/wooden chairs are quite a bit better than their upholstery. We had an Ashley chair and ottoman and they were downright garbage. I had to rip the dust cover off the bottom and reinforce the frame with screws because the arms/back (it was kind of a bucketish type chair and a half, arms and back all in one curve) were loosening disturbingly quickly, and replace the seat cushion foam after a couple of years even though the chair did not receive daily use. The nap wore off the microsuede upholstery and it did stain, which microsuede isn't supposed to do. We pretty much relegated it to the dog and cat for the last few years! It wasn't supposed to be moved to this house, it was supposed to go out on the curb, but the movers weren't paying attention; we just unburied it ;-) and gave it away to someone who rather desperately needed furniture and it looked so terrible that I felt quite bad about it, but they're just going to put a throw over it for now. It's not worth reupholstering, even DIY with free fabric! For the level of disposability of that piece I'd go to Ikea and spend half as much. |
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| Agree. I put Ashley, Bay Area, and Wickes in the same bucket. |
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- Posted by lafonda_ranch (My Page) on Sun, Jan 20, 08 at 16:21
| It's too bad I'm looking at upholstered pieces! The wooden chairs and table you guys have look great. Bummer. I'll just keep looking. I'm still not sure on the furniture arrangement, so I'm not in a hurry to get anything yet. Robbi |
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| That's just my luck. I bought an Ashley sofa and chair last month. :( |
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| We bought an Ashley sofa and loveseat about 2 years ago. I was amazed at just how quickly they turned to cr*p. The material pilled, the cushions sagged, the frame creaked, and all the throw pillows frayed within about 6-9 months. Now we knew that we were buying disposable furniture, but I thought it would at least last us for 3-4 years. I was a little shocked to see how quickly it went south. |
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- Posted by sheesharee (My Page) on Mon, Jan 21, 08 at 8:26
| greeeat. we bought an upholstered sofa and loveseat back in december. house isn't finished yet so it hasn't been delivered. Quiet honestly though... i've done a lot of searching for furniture and couldn't find anything i liked. it was all plain and blahh. - anything i liked in a resonable price range considering building the house and need appliances etc. good luck on your search! |
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| Working at an Ashely desk which has held up fine, looks nice, perfectly solid though not heirloom. Bought my main upholstered pieces from Ethan Allen and they have held up well. The upholstered set from Value City less so, but actually not as bad as you'd think for the amount of FR abuse it gets. |
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- Posted by never_ending (My Page) on Mon, Jan 21, 08 at 9:35
| Maybe Ashley is lower end but do you really want furniture to last a lifetime? I don't for some things and do for others, and it depends on the use. Couches take alot of wear and tear, but a an affordable wood dining set fairly well made could go for quite a while or at least until you are on to your next decorating level. Heck once I bought a Walmart dinette for $99 and honestly that thing was the best,I still have the chairs, sold the table for $50 and those chairs have no wobble, cracking, and get carted all over. My SIL brought nicely made dining chairs at the same time and they are now kindling- Go figure! |
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| I saw an Ashley dinning table that I could live with for the price, $839 for the table, and 6 chairs. I know you get what you pay for, but I'm tired of waiting to find a used one that i really like. Tried to find reviews on line, and all I could find was very bad responses for Ashley furniture stores. Do Ashley furniture stores sell Ashley furniture? Is it one, and the same? |
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- Posted by superchick (My Page) on Mon, Jan 21, 08 at 23:36
| Bob411-if it says Ashley, it's all one and the same. Ashley stores only sell ashley, but any furniture store may carry a few lines of Ashley furniture. On a side note-I just bought a Broyhill bedroom set for DD2. Now I realize it's not "HENREDON" or some top of the line, but when we uncrated it, the first thing I noticed (besides the "made in China" sticker! UGH) was that everywhere two pieces of wood met, the paint was cracked and in some places, the wood itself looked split. Now, again, I realize it's not top of the line, but I paid $1300 for a dresser, headboard and nightstand. Not that darn cheap in my book. When I complained to the store, she said, "you know, that furniture is just kinda cheap. You should probably look into buying some better furniture..." I'm not sure what you have to do nowadays to get anything decent in furniture, but apparently EVERYTHING is crap now. Except of course, the beautiful Amish furniture that's made by hand and cost 100x more than what I can afford!! :) So, I guess in a way, I have to agree with previous posters. If you don't care if it lasts a lifetime, just get what you like and be done with it, regardless of where it came from! |
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| I guess I can live with the folding table for a while longer. |
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| I've never purchased any upholstered furniture from them, but I did purchase a bedroom group from them about 6 months ago and I have no complaints so far. |
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| My DH and I wandered into Ashley for the first time yesterday. He (we both, actually) fell in love with the desk/bookcase set. It's $1700 plus another 17% off. The desk was so heavy, we couldn't really lift it.
What I get from this thread is that this will probably hold up well, but the upholstered furniture won't. Is that a fair analysis? Here is the link for those who can't see the picture. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Desk/bookcase
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| Just my two cents, but I agree with Never Ending here...you just never know. I bought a little kitchen table and chairs at Montgomery Ward for $100 when they shut the store down years ago, and it's still holding up great! (Part of me wishes it would give out so I could buy new!) |
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| I asked in a local furniture store about Ashely pieces. It is the same company, but the pieces in the Ashley store and the pieces they sell to other stores are two different lines. I recently purchased two Ashley wing chairs (from the local furniture store) to use with a round dining table and also purchased a red loveseat from the Ashley store to use in our den. All the pieces look nice and were very inexpensive for a more expensive look. I have only had them for a few months so I don't know how long they will last. I don't expect to be using them in 20 years, but that's OK. In general, I find that furniture is not the same quality as it used to be. It is similar to clothing...nowadays we throw them away instead of restyling or repairing. |
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| Do Ashley furniture stores sell Ashley furniture? Is it one, and the same? Bob, I think it is. We were hit by Rita 3 wks post-Katrina, and many people in our area were in a BIG hurry to settle w/ their insurance...(mostly we were in shock) and some of them went to Ashley to hurriedly replace the things that were lost. We didn't need to buy anything other than a freezer, but I did get to look at a good bit of new Ashley furnishings. Personally, I don't care for it but for some it's the only option, and style-wise they come out OK. But having said that, after going to 2 furniture stores yesterday and poking around a bit I am shocked at the poor quality of even the nicer lines. Our last few things have been from the unpainted furniture store (oak) but even there I see some plywood panels making their way into construction. Bottom line, we are not doing well quality-wise, at least here in the south. I'm sure in fancy places in Houston or New Orleans good things can be found, but it's sorely lacking to average buyers. Susan |
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We just have one piece from Ashley so far and it's not that old, BUT our dog has jumped on and off it and it looks like brand new. Here's a pic I just posted for another purpose. It's from the Casa Molino line:  |
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| Liptonjl, your couch is part of the same collection as the desk and bookcase. I love it! Cute puppy! It is pretty sad to see the way things are made today. Although, not wanting it to last forever is a pretty good rationale. Some of my favorite pieces have been the least expensive. Anyway, I think we'll probably get this. We'll take another look at it this week just to make sure. Thanks everyone. |
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| When we moved to our new house 2.5 years ago, we had made some money on our old one and were finally able after 13 years of marriage to buy some furniture that did not come from a garage sale or thrift store. I have been happy with most of our purchases except the dining room set we bought at Ashley's. We bought the floor model of the table because it was being discontinued and it was about $500 off of the original price. Thought we were being thrifty. For the table, 8 chairs and the china cabinet we paid about $2300. I know, you get what you pay for-but it looked so pretty and was in our budget and seemed sturdy! Within 2 months the finish on the table was buckling and warping with usage. It is very noticeable! Now 2 of the legs are almost completely separated from the table. You have to be very careful if you move it. The arms on the arm chairs have to be tightened all the time. And when both leaves are in, the center of the table has virtually no support. I am not happy! We tried to resolve with the store but they wouldn't do anything because is was the floor model and "as is". It is a very sturdy looking set-it is in the mission style and to our inexperienced eyes it appeared to be wood, so we thought we would be fine, but we were wrong.We can't refinish the top because it is veneer, and very thin at that. I would never buy from them anything that will be used on a daily basis. That is jmho, of course, but we did better with our thrift store finds! Btw-Hi! I am a long time lurker and I registered so I could chime in on this discussion! |
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- Posted by tropicalparadise08 (My Page) on Mon, Feb 25, 08 at 12:23
| I have Ashley furn. A breakfast table, server, bar stools, sofa, loveseat & recliner that I love. Everything has held up well but I do not have children. I purchased the breakfast set from an Ashley store & had serious problems with them. When I purchased the living room furn. I went to a local furn. store that I'd dealt with previously & purchased from them. It was the same furn. |
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- Posted by walkin_yesindeed (My Page) on Mon, Feb 25, 08 at 12:48
| My understanding is that you have to be really picky with Ashley. I've heard cautious approval of some pieces in their "Millennium" line. But overall, their upholstered stuff has a bad reputation; their case goods are slightly better but frequently can't stand up to much wear. I bought an Ashley bed for DS1 that turned out to be MDF covered with wood-patterned paper. Part of my early education about furniture buying. The guys set up the bed in DS's room, and I began making it. Had to climb up on the mattress to put the fitted sheet on, and suddenly sheet, mattress, and I had fallen through the frame of the bed: even the "planks" used to support the mattress weren't real wood! We returned it. Saw a pretty Ashley bunk bed in a store yesterday, but the salesman recommended I buy another bed, which was solid pine, no veneers. Much less money, but it'll hold up better, he said. Bottom line: caveat emptor. A lot of new furniture is crap, but Ashley seems to be particularly crapulous. |
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| I agree that the Furniture Forum here offers a great education. Furniture today is not what my parents had. I was particularly dismayed over the weekend in my search for a new breakfast table and chairs. DH and I visited our local Drexel Heritage showroom. Chair comfort is of particular concern to me as I have some back issues. Anyway, I asked the saleswoman if their furniture is still made in the US (I assumed at their prices it would be). I was shocked to hear all of their casegoods are now made in China, but upholstery is still made in NC. I guess that is why the table was $1,400 and each chair-frame only, before fabric was $659. I need 6 chairs! Also , no indication of type of wood anywhere! I think it will be either Nichols & Stone or Hickory White for me as my children are almost grown and I am looking for some forever pieces for this area. |
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| Oh boy! Very enlightening! We were not necessarily in the market for a desk right now but could always use it. My DH still wants to go back and look at it again closely. I'll will certainly let the sales lady know what I have learned. |
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- Posted by LilG(glhuckaba@yahoo.com) onSun, Jul 3, 11 at 15:01
| Well, I am very disappointed, although not surprised. Ashley "fine" furniture?? I guess not. The store in which I was shopping in Conway, AR is not an Ashley store, but it has 4 out of 5 stars in customer reviews so I thought maybe the salesman would be more trustworthy than most. (I hold most furniture salespeople suspect, b/c my brother was in the furniture business a long time and I know that they are, very often, working on straight commission--so the heat is on to sell, sell sell. Oh, and the markup is about 200%.) Anyway, I've looked and looked for something I could afford as I'm getting a king bed for the first time in my life. The salesman "assured" me that the Ashley king bed (B522058) was "solid mahogany except for the center panels, because you can't curve solid wood"--turns out it's apparently a lie about the mahogany (I already know he was lying about curving wood--yes, you can but it's very, very expensive and I don't think lower-end furniture manufacturers can afford it--so they use veneer over mdf.) Anyway, the final 2 straws were the post(s) about (a) slats breaking under the bed--that will void my mattress warranty so no way can I afford for that to happen and (b) the difficulty of changing the sheets--having to climb on the bed itself. So, I'm now looking at a Vaughan-Bassett bed instead. Does anybody have any experience with THAT company? I just do not want to spend another decade plus on a metal bed frame and, like another has posted, I can not afford the Amish-made bed I REALLY want. Thanks so much, everybody, for being so honest and helpful with your experiences! |
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| I purchased a bedroom set from Ashley's nearly two months ago. As I was changing the linen today I noticed a rather large nick about the size of a quarter on the edge of the sleigh bed. I paid $2500 for the set which was on sale for half price. Their furniture is of a low quality that looks great in the store under good lighting. But when I got the furniture it had several nicks and dresser was returned for another piece two weeks later. The furniture is over priced to begin with and the quality in the dumps. I would never buy anything else from them. I hope that anyone who is thinking of buying from them would think again. The furniture looks good and that's about all. It is made in Vietnam and they don't care about what they send to us. And Ashley furniture said they are not responsible for anything not reported within 72 hours of delivery. Most people won't find everything wrong with furniture in that short time frame. We need to boycott them, run them out of business for selling that junk. |
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| We have a sofa and loveseat from Ashley, as well as twin bunk beds from there. I agree that they are not the fanciest or most expensive pieces. However, we have had really good luck with all of them! We have had the upholstered pieces in the mancave for three years and it is holding up great. Will it last forever? Probably not, but hopefully when the time comes to upgrade we will have more money to work with! :) In the meantime, the furniture looks great, and I got it for half of what I would have paid elsewhere. |
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