Anyone used Ethan Allen for furniture?

[MommytoEliana]

DH and I are finally starting to furnish our house beyond the hand-me-downs/college era/bought when we were too young to have any taste mishmash of stuff we have, none of which really works in our new house. We were in Ethan Allen a couple of weeks ago and got cornered by one of the design consultants. We had him come out to the house and then today went through his ideas/suggestions/etc. We came up with two options that we like for the family room (our first priority) but I, especially, am very put off by his high-pressure, make a decision now demeanor. He also came across as patronizing, condescending, and not really in tune with the extra considerations that come with having kids (though he claims to be). Now we're trying to decide what to do.

So, have you used Ethan Allen? Do you like their service/products? Is it worth the price premium? Can you request to work with a different design consultant for phase 2 of a project, or is that just not good etiquette? I'm reluctant to even buy from this guy; we just don't click. But I do like the furniture...just not the pressure to make an instant decision!

Anyway, does anyone have any experience with this kind of thing?

[katydid1971]

We bought our dinning room set from Ethan Allen and if I had to do it over again I wouldn't!!!! I am very unhappy with the quality for the cost. We have had problems with the finnish on our buffet. I love the way it looks but I know I could have found something better quality for around the same cost or something the same quality for a lot less money. I do like having someone help with the design because its not my best thing but I'm not buying anything else there.

[LD92599]

Alot of our furniture is from Ethan Allen and we've never had a problem! We love our bedroom set and we just bought a new kitchen set from them as well.

Delivery is always on time; quality has never been an issue.

My dad was a woodworker who made plenty of furniture; my parents always went right to EA when they needed to purchase something because he was pleased with their quality and construction.

[Melbel]

Our post college hand me down upgrades include purchases from Henredon, Drexel Heritage and Ethan Allen. Overall, we have been happy with our Ethan Allen purchases and have never felt pressured by our designer. I would try to get recommedations for another designer and then make the switch. Even if it is a bit uncomfortable, this is a major purchase that you deserve to feel great about. Also, it's not like a hair stylist that you will have to see all the time! For our formal living room, I actually had 3 designers out (my own "designers challenge" with EA, Norwalk and a local store that carries Drexel) and picked a combination of pieces. I also will buy an occasional antique as well to avoid a cookie cutter "I bought the whole room" matchy matchy look.

FYI - Drexel uses down cushions in their upholstered goods, which is very comfortable. Drexel and Henredon offer deep seating which is nice for our tall family. For high use upholstered goods, I would definitely upgrade to inner spring cushions, if possible, because it will hold its shape much better. We have been pleased with our faux suede microfiber sectional sofa in our bonus room for durability with kids.

We used EA for both DS and DD's rooms and have been very happy with the quality. After years of use/abuse, there are still not dings or scratches. It is priced slightly higher than PB (at time anyway) but much better quality.

One caveat - EA and Drexel are now manufacturing many of their goods abroad, often in China, which I feel has negatively impacted quality. My last two purchases, a side table (Drexel) and coffee table (EA). These days, it has become increasingly more difficult to get products, even furniture, manufactured in the USA.

[AngelaS]

We have some EA armchairs we got from a friend and they're really nicely built. I paid to have them reupholstered because the 'bones' were good but I hated the original fabric. :)

[ThreeofUs]

EA is pretty good - but pricey for what you get, imo. If you like the quality and look, try your local craigslist, there's usually a lot of it available. If you want new, check out other options/stores before you buy.

Also, I have to say I wouldn't buy from your salesperson and I would complain about his tactics to the store manager. Most EA salespeople I know aren't like that - it doesn't exactly lead to good feelings or repeat business. Just my two cents, but such people don't deserve my hard-earned money.

[ellies mom]

My uncle works for Ethan Allen so I've taken tours of the factory. I love their furniture and I think the quality is great but I don't own any because I can't afford it.

I would definitely ask for a different designer. You should have to feel like your whole experience has been colored but an over pushy sales person.

We ended up going with Bentwood furniture that is made locally in the PNW. The quality is great and the price is very reasonable but they don't have as large a selection in styles. I don't think they offer any painted furniture. But their mission style stuff is beautiful.

[bethie_73]

I also was put off by Ethan Allen, but the furniture is good quality.

I actually went with La Z Boy. They had a consultant, and we got our furniture scotch guarded and with a warranty. But we only needed living room/ rec room stuff.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I also was put off by Ethan Allen, but the furniture is good quality.

I actually went with La Z Boy. They had a consultant, and we got our furniture scotch guarded and with a warranty. But we only needed living room/ rec room stuff.

Note of warning on the warranties- read the fine print! I never buy warranties but we were afraid the cat would scratch our new sectional so we bought the warranty. We have since voided the warranty b/c it required us to have the sectional professionaly cleaned every 3 months! It cost over $100 each time! Totally and absolutely not worth it to me. I knew about the cleaning stipulation but I had no idea it would be so expensive. Also, I could only clean spots with water. Water alone was useless on some things. Just don't want anyone else to feel like they waster $150 on a warranty.

beth

[MommytoEliana]

Thanks, everyone! Sounds like people have definitely had mixed success with Ethan Allen. We've decided we're definitely not going to be buying from this salesperson--he has somewhat tainted the experience and also hasn't followed through on things as he said he would. We'll be continuing to explore our options with a couple of other stores, and if we do Ethan Allen in the end, we're going to go with one of the other locations in the area (and see if we can choose which designer to work with). I like the idea of a "designer challenge"--good way to do it! And I do think I'll write a letter to the store manager, too.

Thanks again for the feedback!

[Drag0nflygirl]

[QUOTE=bethie_73]I also was put off by Ethan Allen, but the furniture is good quality. (O.K. - the quote went away, but you get the point.)

I actually work for La-Z-Boy. In fact if you search you can find several of my rants about furniture quality and what brands are good, ect. You don't say where you live but La-Z-Boy has college educated designers (not always the case with other stores) in many regions. Ours does an amazing job. We're even happy to recommend things we don't sell. AND our upholstery is still made in the USA.
We actually do sell very high quality wood products as well. Kincaid in particular is awesome and only uses solid wood. With the design program we do everything from bedroom to dining room. O.k. - gonna stop now or I'll go on and on.

[tmarie]

We just purchased a kitchen set and stools from EA and were thrilled with the entire experience from start to finish. That said, I liked our designer and did not feel too "pressured." You have every right to ask for a new designer. (And this is coming from a person in sales! It's part of the business)

Good luck...

tmarie

[KBecks]

Don't buy from him if he's being a jerk. Don't reward that.

I'd either ask to work with another designer or take his plans and buy pieces from other companies. Ethan Allen is $$$ and for that you should receive a level of service that makes you happy.

I would probably call the store and ask who is the manager of the design area and as long as it's not the guy, ask to work with them. Or you could try another EA store.

Do not worry about etiquette at all. This is your money. You should be happy. You don't owe him anything

I don't own any EA furniture, but I have a bedroom set from Hooker, a dining set from Nichols & Stone and a Thomasville leather sofa all for years and I have been happy with those brands. Have fun and take your time finding furniture that will work for you long-term.

I love a lot of EA styling, I know a family with an EA designer relative and all the family's homes are gorgeous.

Check gardenweb, they have furniture forums where people discuss brand a lot (and NC discount buying) for more info on what brands are reliable.

[kcimato]

I'm also going to suggest the garden web forum on furniture. The site is www.gardenweb.com Across the top of the page there is a place for forums, then use the drop down menue to go to home forums. From there check out the furniture forum. There have been many discussions on EA and how their quality has gone down hill in the past few years. It is not the quality it was years ago. Most of it is now made in China.

[pinkmomagain]

All of our furniture in both of our houses is EA and we are very happy with both the furniture and (especially) the design consultants. We have used 3....never pressured us at all, helped with paint colors too, multiple visits to our homes, and even suggested cheaper alternatives for some items at other stores. Sounds like maybe you happened on a bad apple. For what it's worth, the 2 dcs we used were all women.