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LeatherTrend in made in Tijuana, Mexico

I've had great experiences with RH furniture. I can't really say the same for Macy's. The problem w/ Macy's is that you're just as likely to get poorly constructed junk as you are to get decent quality. RH deals with a few select companies (most in the US) who build solid furniture (all kiln dried hardwood frames, 8 way hand tied springs, USA made). How is the LeatherTrends sofa constructed?
Check out Mitchell Gold. They make alot of the upholstery for the catalog stores and are running a 20% off sale right now. You can even shop online. The Lucas looks very much like the Maxwell, but you may have to upgrade for down. It costs about $2400 plus $300 shipping.

The sofas offered at companies such as Restoration Hardware, william Sonoma Home and so on are made by a couple of different companies. I found out that some of the sofas that are sold by Restoration H. are made by a company, Richter Designs, in CA- you might try the LA showroom and compare prices- Good luck. Hope that helps. SJB

There is some good info in the thread below about the Richter Designs version of the Restoration Hardware Maxwell Leather Sofa. Homeloft carries it and calls it the Mavericks. Doesn't help everyone around the country, but if you're in San Diego, they've got it for like $3200

Here is a link that might be useful: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/furniture/msg120404323112.html

I purchased the Maverick sofa and chair from HomeLoft last November '07. The first thing I noticed when they arrived was the smell. It was not the smell of leather, wax or oil. More of a chemical smell. I called Homeloft and asked what I could do. They said that it smells like that for a while and then it goes away or people get used to is. It is now May '08 and neither has happend. It gives me headaches and makes me sick to my stomach. I don't even want to be at home. I have never experienced this before.

Has anyone else had this problem? If so, any ideas of what I can do about it? Thanks!

We are homeLOFT, the retailer. We're sorry to hear about your issue. We've shipped hundreds of pieces of the Mavericks nationwide, and we've yet to have anyone have a "smell" issue.

Often, when leather is new and unpackaged, it will have an odor and will always somewhat have that "leather" smell, but there should not be an overwhelming odor that lingers for months. We've now put you in touch with the manufacturer, so that perhaps they could offer some insight, but they have not heard of this problem before either. You now have the manufacturer rep's direct email address in the cc field of our reply to your email about the issue. Hopefully, they can offer a solution or advice. We're stumped as we've never before had a complaint of what you are describing.

We just received 2 of the Mavericks Sofas and 2 Chairs about 4 weeks ago at our home in New York and they are just perfect!

tapdancerabq: I did notice a kind of new furniture smell, which I remembered was the case with the last leather sofa I purchased, but nothing abnormal and I can't say I notice it anymore. Maybe you could clean it or use some leather cream?

jw92075: Thanks for making sure everything got here ok! We're in a 7 story walk up here in Manhattan and we were worried they wouldn't want to carry it up, but the Sun Delivery people were professionals. (I tipped them:) ) If we ever make it out to Sunny California, hopefully we'll get to meet ya! Thanks again

I purchased the Lancaster sofa from CascoBayFurniture.Com and it is really nice. The transaction went very smoothly. No problems. They also carry a Maxwell look-a-like which I am thinking of getting for my beach house. If anyone is interested this is the best looking look-a-like I have found at the best price I have seen anywhere. Down cushions. Brompton Cocoa leather. Hardwood frame. Looks good.

Here is a link that might be useful: CascoBayFurniture.com

I purchased the Lancaster sofa from CascoBayFurniture.Com and it is really nice. The transaction went very smoothly. No problems. They also carry a Maxwell look-a-like which I am thinking of getting for my beach house. If anyone is interested this is the best looking look-a-like I have found at the best price I have seen anywhere. Down cushions. Brompton Cocoa leather. Hardwood frame. Looks good.

Here is a link that might be useful: CascoBayFurniture.com

I started looking for furntiure before the economy disaster , I have been dying to get the Lancaster we finally found it and on sale Check out Maplesleather.com
it is on sale this month, i signed up to receive their sales email and was thrilled when we drove up to sit on the furniture. It is just like Restoration hardware but the real deal , no import made from China and the cushion was even more comfortable. They had the same brompton leather but I choose the sale leather capetown which was softer and not as waxy. Best of all you can customize the size , I wanted an 89 inch sofa and the gal there was so helpful, she spent 2 hours with us going over everything.

Here is a link that might be useful: maplesleather.com

I did not want to pay Restorations prices. There was another on line company that offered what seemed to be similar to the Maxwell or Lancaster at 1/2 the price but when I got the paper thin leather sample and saw that they only offered their versions with sinuous wire and not 8 way hand tied springs I was concerned that I would be unhappy. Then I found the leather shoppe and their Lassiter model. This is the real deal. The thick leather, and 8 way hand tied box spring. Not to mention double dow construction. But what sold me is the fact that the manufacturer is Palazzo custum leather. One of the best furniture makers in North Carolina. And the price.... Oh the price.... A litte more the 1/2 of Restoration.

Here is a link that might be useful: The leather shoppe Lassiter

RH has a Mother's Day sale going on now at their website:
Save $100 on every $500.
Offer valid only for purchases made from May 4-10, 2010. Use code RHMTR15 to redeem by phone or enter at checkout when ordering online.

Here is a link that might be useful: RH MOTHER'S DAY SALE

RH is so overpriced! Look here first, they kinda give a brief overview of what they did.

Here is a link that might be useful: Restoration Hardware

That really sux if true that RH moved the manufacturing of the Maxwell sofa to China. I have a few Room & Board pieces and solely bought them for the fact that they were made in the USA. Sure, a bit more expensive, but I was willing to wait and save the money so I could make the purchase. They are able to make these sofas for less in China because the labor is less experienced and the companies from this region often cut significant corners. A good documented example of this is Chinese made drywall ( http://www.chinesedrywall.com/ ), which may not exist in every situation but tanning leather requires the use of a lot of chemicals and needs to be properly to make sure they don't enter your home.

$.02,
goethesf

Here is a link that might be useful: Chinese Drywall problems

@willychristianson.. Just to clarify regarding Bari.. From the Bari website link you provided: "Due to their incredible popularity, we have commissioned the original designer of the furniture to make several more styles.."

Now, to unpack this statement, you need some history.. Richter designes produced the original RH sofa designs. www.richterinc.com. When you go to that website, you will see that it was acquired by Robinson & Robinson and was rebranded "EnergieDesigns, a division of Robinson & Robinson." This is a company out of San Diego, that holds several lines, including the LeatherTrend brand, which is manufactured in Tijuana, Mexico. Look hard on the Bari website- you won't see references to the Bronti being made in USA. You will also see the mfg listed as Ferraro, which I can't find anything on outside of the Bari website. I don't own this sofa, but I'd really like to see the little white tag under the center cushion, and who made it/where it came from. The buyer is to assume that if it isn't made in China, it must be made in the USA. But you don't see that on the Bari website. Only references to "old world craftsmanship, artisans, etc." And we have a retailer in town with what appears to be the exact same sofa on the floor ($3k), with an R&R tag and Mexico origin. Other retailers of Maxwell clones make references to made in "North America." I haven't decided how I feel about the ethics of marketing one less-than-fully-disclosed import as an alternative to another import (IF, in fact these RH clones are coming out of Mexico). Just sharing a little research-

I've noticed while shopping for a leather sofa that many companies sell the same product made by the same company but call it by a different name and say its exclusive for them. If you search farraro leather it shows the same Napa or sedona sofa at different companies such as RH and leather furniture expo