I began looking for new living/family room furniture in August 2020. I spent a lot of time looking at sofas and accent chairs at Pottery Barn/CB2/Anthropologie/Article/etc. - they all had huge delays. Someone told me to look at on . After looking at several different accent chairs/sofas, I decided to take a chance by purchasing two of these cream chairs + another Stone Beam sofa and ottoman (you can see part of the sofa/ottoman in the third and fourth photo ps below - it is the Faraday sofa in Light Grey) because I needed something ASAP.
The chairs (and sofa) were purchased on 9/28/20 - and arrived in around a week. Delivery of the sofa was a bit of a mess - they just dumped it in the driveway blocking my car. The chairs were brought to my front porch. They were wrapped and packed securely in boxes. The only assembly required was attaching the four legs - which were located in a zippered compartment on the underside of the seat. The chairs had a couple smudges on them - I called and they offered to send new ones immediately. I didnt want to have to deal with having the old ones shipped back + have new ones delivered. agreed that I could first try to remove the marks, and if I wasnt successful, the chairs could be exchanged later. The marks/smudges came off easily by vacuuming + using a clean white towel.
First, if you are thinking about purchasing these chairs (or the sofa - or the Faraday sofa as I did), and if youve never had down or down wrapped cushions (like these are), they require different maintenance than high density foam cushions (fyi - never purchase a sofa/chair with foam cushions that arent high density or you will not be happy). Down settles, and needs to be fluffed + rotated in order for the cushions to wear well. This applies to high end sofa/accent chairs also - not just ones at a lower price point. I like down wrapped cushions because they (i) are not as high maintenance as full down cushions, and (ii) dont require months of breaking in (like high density foam typically does) before they are comfortable. I dont remember whether they made any noise (some reviews have noted this as an issue) when brand new, but if they did, it must have been negligible because no one in my family recalls that being an issue.
Please note: I do not do fluff/rotate cushions daily - however, I do try to do it every week (and sometimes rt before having visitors over). Both the seat and the back cushions can be flipped - which will help the cushions wear better. Also, one of my chairs receives a bit more use than the other one, so I have switched the cushions between the two chairs a couple times during the past 20 months. I think my cushions look pretty much the same as they did when new re: how the cushions fill out the covers. They do not look/feel saggy.
Second, I saw there are reviews from customers who have had issues with pills on the fabric. I did not notice any pilling issues until about 2-3 months - after I was looking through reviews because I was thinking about possibly purchasing four of these chairs (in leather) for my wine room - and saw some negative reviews with photos showing pills on the fabric.
I did some research on the issue of fabric pills, and discovered that this is a COMMON complaint with upholstery fabrics that use man-made fibers. There is a LONG discussion thread on Houzz in which many people have posted comments about having this same exact issue with their Pottery Barn sofas (other brands have issues also) - this particular thread was mostly about PB. There were many photos of sofas/chairs (only a few months old) that had horrible pilling (and saggy cushions). People were very upset - especially because of how much $$$ theyd spent (THOUSANDS of dollars more than the price for these chairs). While PB did replace a few of the sofas/chairs, 90+% were told that this is normal wear (not a defect) - and told to use a fabric shaver (sometimes they provided the shaver - not really much considering you can purchase the one PB recommends for around $10!). I looked at other brands also, and all of them consider this regular wear and tear.
Personally, I would not expect a sofa/chair to start pilling after a few months (or even after 17-18 months when I saw that mine had some piling). Many retailers post on their websites that pilling is a normal part of many upholstery fabrics. They tell their customers that some of the shorter fibers are expected to work their way to the top of the weave/become loose (while still having some fibers still attached to the fabric) - and when that happens - friction will cause them to ball up + twist together with threads from clothes (thats why they will appear darker/lighter depending upon the color of the underlying upholstery fabric). This happens more with man-made fibers (like nylon/polyester/blends) because natural fabrics (like linen or cotton) shed their fibers easily, which makes the pilling less. Also, you will see more pilling if a fabric is made from multiple types of fibers when one fiber is weak and the other fiber is strong (for example, a poly-cotton blend fabric). The weaker one releases more fibers - and the stronger one holds the pill in place (vs. it just shedding off the furniture - like how a linen duvet can sometimes shed when new - and you find it under your bed).
My chairs are actually used - not just in the room to look nice. I do not have little kids, but I do have a daughter who has moved back home for a bit - and she is not careful about how she uses my furniture (and has used one of the chairs fairly often). Also, while I put a blanket/linen sheet down prior to allowing my little dogs on the sofa/chairs, there are times when one of daughters dogs (one has a yorkie, the other has a bulldog) has jumped up on one of the chairs when no one is looking. The only issue Ive noticed is that bulldog hair is wiry, and will actually becomes embedded into the fabric, so in addition to vacuuming the cushions, Ive had to use a a strip of clear packing tape to remove his fur (I even had to use a tweezer to remove several pieces). This issue is not unique to bulldogs or the particular fabric used on this chair.
HOWEVER, after seeing photos of the amount of piling that some people have experienced, I am very happy that I decided to purchase the Faraday sofa/ottoman! I wanted to purchase the Westridge sofa - but it was temporarily out of stock. I liked the shape/thickness of the arms better than the ones on the Faraday (although I dont think the Faraday arms look as thin IRL as in s photos). Ive had some health issues which have caused me to use my sofa A LOT more than someone typically would over the past 1 1/2 years. The sofa has washable slipcovers (although theyve changed the description to provide that its not washable). I think its a cotton denim material - super durable and zero piling. It it has the same down wrapped seat/back cushions as the Westridge chairs - and even with tons of use - they look the same as when initially delivered. These cushions have been slept on many times by me/my sister/my daughter/my other daughter + her husband together one night (in the middle of renovating multiple rooms so two of my bedrooms are being used for storage), and its comfortable. Ive slept on one of the chairs (using the Faraday ottoman for my legs) - its comfortable also.
For the money, these chairs were a great buy. While not the same as a high end piece of furniture, they are comparable to PB/CB2/Anthropologie/etc. for quite a bit less money (plus wait time). If you want chairs/sofa that will be used a lot - I would not buy anything that has this type of blended fabric unless you are okay with shaving your furniture! Supposedly, the pills should stop after several shaves based upon my research - hopefully, thats true for those people who have experienced a lot of pilling.
Hope the above is helpful!
Timeline of photos (Im editing this because the photos did not post in the correct order):
1. First day that chairs arrived - photo of just one chair with two pillows on it .
2. After owning furniture for about 2-3 months - photo of one chair with armoire on right side.
3. At six months - photo facing both chairs - has floral arrangement I made on table between chairs.
4. At 14 months - photo that shows both chairs + part of Faraday sofa - without wood coffee table.
5. At 18 months - photo that shows both chairs + part of Faraday sofa - with wood coffee table in photo.
6. Within the last month (not great but Im not home and cant take a new photo - but arms had a little piling - Ill replace later with a current one!). Red floral arrangement on table + can only see arms of chairs.
7. Yesterday - most used seat cushion - shows pills on cushion before I tried my new fabric shaver I purchased from !
8. Yesterday - most used seat cushion - taken right after using fabric shaver for a few minutes with pills removed.
9. The fabric shaver I used. The Conair Fabric Shaver appears to be the most recommended one (I think PB recommended it), and one by Gleener was recommended by a retailer (cant remember which one) - but after looking at options, I purchased this one because it (i) is operated by plugging it in vs. batteries/rechargeable batteries, and (ii) has a large lint collection bin. People complained about the Conairs bin being way to small (took longer to finish de-piling stuff + threads became lodged in blades). Also, people complained about how many batteries they went through with the battery operated Conair version. Conair also has a version with a rechargeable battery, but the battery drained fast. While it still could be used while recharging the batteries, I dont think the cord was as long as the Beautral cord, plus I think the the blade surface area is also larger on the Beautral vs. the Conair. I didnt really research the Gleener shaver because it didnt have near as many stars/reviews (as the battery operated version of the one I bought).
Review after 20 months of use
I began looking for new living/family room furniture in August 2020. I spent a lot of time looking at sofas and accent chairs at Pottery Barn/CB2/Anthropologie/Article/etc. - they all had huge delays. Someone told me to look at on . After looking at several different accent chairs/sofas, I decided to take a chance by purchasing two of these cream chairs + another Stone Beam sofa and ottoman (you can see part of the sofa/ottoman in the third and fourth photo ps below - it is the Faraday sofa in Light Grey) because I needed something ASAP. The chairs (and sofa) were purchased on 9/28/20 - and arrived in around a week. Delivery of the sofa was a bit of a mess - they just dumped it in the driveway blocking my car. The chairs were brought to my front porch. They were wrapped and packed securely in boxes. The only assembly required was attaching the four legs - which were located in a zippered compartment on the underside of the seat. The chairs had a couple smudges on them - I called and they offered to send new ones immediately. I didnt want to have to deal with having the old ones shipped back + have new ones delivered. agreed that I could first try to remove the marks, and if I wasnt successful, the chairs could be exchanged later. The marks/smudges came off easily by vacuuming + using a clean white towel. First, if you are thinking about purchasing these chairs (or the sofa - or the Faraday sofa as I did), and if youve never had down or down wrapped cushions (like these are), they require different maintenance than high density foam cushions (fyi - never purchase a sofa/chair with foam cushions that arent high density or you will not be happy). Down settles, and needs to be fluffed + rotated in order for the cushions to wear well. This applies to high end sofa/accent chairs also - not just ones at a lower price point. I like down wrapped cushions because they (i) are not as high maintenance as full down cushions, and (ii) dont require months of breaking in (like high density foam typically does) before they are comfortable. I dont remember whether they made any noise (some reviews have noted this as an issue) when brand new, but if they did, it must have been negligible because no one in my family recalls that being an issue. Please note: I do not do fluff/rotate cushions daily - however, I do try to do it every week (and sometimes rt before having visitors over). Both the seat and the back cushions can be flipped - which will help the cushions wear better. Also, one of my chairs receives a bit more use than the other one, so I have switched the cushions between the two chairs a couple times during the past 20 months. I think my cushions look pretty much the same as they did when new re: how the cushions fill out the covers. They do not look/feel saggy. Second, I saw there are reviews from customers who have had issues with pills on the fabric. I did not notice any pilling issues until about 2-3 months - after I was looking through reviews because I was thinking about possibly purchasing four of these chairs (in leather) for my wine room - and saw some negative reviews with photos showing pills on the fabric. I did some research on the issue of fabric pills, and discovered that this is a COMMON complaint with upholstery fabrics that use man-made fibers. There is a LONG discussion thread on Houzz in which many people have posted comments about having this same exact issue with their Pottery Barn sofas (other brands have issues also) - this particular thread was mostly about PB. There were many photos of sofas/chairs (only a few months old) that had horrible pilling (and saggy cushions). People were very upset - especially because of how much $$$ theyd spent (THOUSANDS of dollars more than the price for these chairs). While PB did replace a few of the sofas/chairs, 90+% were told that this is normal wear (not a defect) - and told to use a fabric shaver (sometimes they provided the shaver - not really much considering you can purchase the one PB recommends for around $10!). I looked at other brands also, and all of them consider this regular wear and tear. Personally, I would not expect a sofa/chair to start pilling after a few months (or even after 17-18 months when I saw that mine had some piling). Many retailers post on their websites that pilling is a normal part of many upholstery fabrics. They tell their customers that some of the shorter fibers are expected to work their way to the top of the weave/become loose (while still having some fibers still attached to the fabric) - and when that happens - friction will cause them to ball up + twist together with threads from clothes (thats why they will appear darker/lighter depending upon the color of the underlying upholstery fabric). This happens more with man-made fibers (like nylon/polyester/blends) because natural fabrics (like linen or cotton) shed their fibers easily, which makes the pilling less. Also, you will see more pilling if a fabric is made from multiple types of fibers when one fiber is weak and the other fiber is strong (for example, a poly-cotton blend fabric). The weaker one releases more fibers - and the stronger one holds the pill in place (vs. it just shedding off the furniture - like how a linen duvet can sometimes shed when new - and you find it under your bed). My chairs are actually used - not just in the room to look nice. I do not have little kids, but I do have a daughter who has moved back home for a bit - and she is not careful about how she uses my furniture (and has used one of the chairs fairly often). Also, while I put a blanket/linen sheet down prior to allowing my little dogs on the sofa/chairs, there are times when one of daughters dogs (one has a yorkie, the other has a bulldog) has jumped up on one of the chairs when no one is looking. The only issue Ive noticed is that bulldog hair is wiry, and will actually becomes embedded into the fabric, so in addition to vacuuming the cushions, Ive had to use a a strip of clear packing tape to remove his fur (I even had to use a tweezer to remove several pieces). This issue is not unique to bulldogs or the particular fabric used on this chair. HOWEVER, after seeing photos of the amount of piling that some people have experienced, I am very happy that I decided to purchase the Faraday sofa/ottoman! I wanted to purchase the Westridge sofa - but it was temporarily out of stock. I liked the shape/thickness of the arms better than the ones on the Faraday (although I dont think the Faraday arms look as thin IRL as in s photos). Ive had some health issues which have caused me to use my sofa A LOT more than someone typically would over the past 1 1/2 years. The sofa has washable slipcovers (although theyve changed the description to provide that its not washable). I think its a cotton denim material - super durable and zero piling. It it has the same down wrapped seat/back cushions as the Westridge chairs - and even with tons of use - they look the same as when initially delivered. These cushions have been slept on many times by me/my sister/my daughter/my other daughter + her husband together one night (in the middle of renovating multiple rooms so two of my bedrooms are being used for storage), and its comfortable. Ive slept on one of the chairs (using the Faraday ottoman for my legs) - its comfortable also. For the money, these chairs were a great buy. While not the same as a high end piece of furniture, they are comparable to PB/CB2/Anthropologie/etc. for quite a bit less money (plus wait time). If you want chairs/sofa that will be used a lot - I would not buy anything that has this type of blended fabric unless you are okay with shaving your furniture! Supposedly, the pills should stop after several shaves based upon my research - hopefully, thats true for those people who have experienced a lot of pilling. Hope the above is helpful! Timeline of photos (Im editing this because the photos did not post in the correct order): 1. First day that chairs arrived - photo of just one chair with two pillows on it . 2. After owning furniture for about 2-3 months - photo of one chair with armoire on right side. 3. At six months - photo facing both chairs - has floral arrangement I made on table between chairs. 4. At 14 months - photo that shows both chairs + part of Faraday sofa - without wood coffee table. 5. At 18 months - photo that shows both chairs + part of Faraday sofa - with wood coffee table in photo. 6. Within the last month (not great but Im not home and cant take a new photo - but arms had a little piling - Ill replace later with a current one!). Red floral arrangement on table + can only see arms of chairs. 7. Yesterday - most used seat cushion - shows pills on cushion before I tried my new fabric shaver I purchased from ! 8. Yesterday - most used seat cushion - taken right after using fabric shaver for a few minutes with pills removed. 9. The fabric shaver I used. The Conair Fabric Shaver appears to be the most recommended one (I think PB recommended it), and one by Gleener was recommended by a retailer (cant remember which one) - but after looking at options, I purchased this one because it (i) is operated by plugging it in vs. batteries/rechargeable batteries, and (ii) has a large lint collection bin. People complained about the Conairs bin being way to small (took longer to finish de-piling stuff + threads became lodged in blades). Also, people complained about how many batteries they went through with the battery operated Conair version. Conair also has a version with a rechargeable battery, but the battery drained fast. While it still could be used while recharging the batteries, I dont think the cord was as long as the Beautral cord, plus I think the the blade surface area is also larger on the Beautral vs. the Conair. I didnt really research the Gleener shaver because it didnt have near as many stars/reviews (as the battery operated version of the one I bought).