Tuesday’s Giveaway: Home Reserve

Last week I received a free chair from Home Reserve furniture to review.  You can read all about that and how it came to be here.  I was pleased with the chair, and they were pleased with my honest review, and I asked if they would like to provide a giveaway for my readers.

They have generously provided a $25 gift certificate to be used at their website!  There are some choices that would be covered by the $25.

Throw pillows come in several different shapes and many fabric choices. 

This is the 16” square pillow in Jacinta Spa ($19):

Rectangle pillow in Kiowa Black ($21):

 

Fabric wall art 12”x16” in Miles Citrus ($22):

Fabric wall art 10”x32” in Savory Cocoa ($24):

If you chose to do so, you could put the $25 toward any other choice.  I think the  the designer cubes would be useful.  They all have storage and could be used as a footrest, coffee table, living room toy box, etc.

Small designer cube (17”w, 23”l, 19”h) in Ella Citrus ($49):

The large cube (20x45x15) might work well at the end of a bed (Kia Onyx $71):

Two ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post.

2. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway (leave a separate comment for this one).

This giveaway will be open until Monday Oct. 4 at 11:59 pm.

Be sure to enter Monday’s giveaway, and check back every day this week for more prizes!

Home Reserve Chair Reveal

As promised, here it is: the finished chair.  It is the Laney chair in Eureka Natural fabric.

Eureka is a textured cotton fabric.  It is spot clean only.  However, both the seat and back cushions are reversible for double the wear.  That’s more than I can say for some discount furniture stores (like Ashley) that have one-sided cushions.  Home Reserve does offer many machine washable fabrics, including a selection of stain-resistant fabrics for pet owners.

I’m wondering if I got the last of Eureka Natural, because it is no longer on the website.  Eureka Bleached Natural, a pure white,  is still available, though.   I was originally leaning toward the Tux chair in a  houndstooth, but decided on very neutral since I wasn’t sure where the chair would ultimately end up.  I also changed my mind and went with the more traditional rounded arms of the Laney over the modern arms of the Tux.

Craig is 6’2”, and said after sitting in it that he has a good first impression.

I am 5 ft even, and while I found it a little too deep to comfortably sit with my feet on the floor, that is my reality with any chair.  Curled up like this, as I pretty much always do, I was quite comfy.

I think my favorite feature is the under seat storage.  Seriously, how awesome is that?!  I have since taken three times that many magazines and catalogs from the coffee table, which was in danger of disappearing under the load, and hidden them in the chair.  Think how much storage you would have with a full sofa, or, good grief!, a sectional!  Games, blankets and throws, seasonal decor, canned or paper goods if you lack a pantry…the possibilities are endless!

I think it’s a very good-looking chair!  My Target pillow adds a nice shot of color, but you can order throw pillows from Home Reserve in any of their fabrics, as well as ottomans, wall art, and designer storage cubes.

The seat cushion is definitely firm, but I didn’t find it uncomfortable; granted, I have yet to sit in it for longer than 30 minutes.  The company president said that in the past their foam was too firm, but they have made improvements in the last couple of years.  Based on that, I imagine it will break in a little with use.  I will weigh in on that at a later date.

My overall first impression of Home Reserve is very favorable (and I’m not just saying that because they sent me a free chair!).  Yesterday I gave them good marks for fast delivery, packaging, engineering and ease of assembly.  Today I give them thumbs up for looks, affordability (chairs start at $179; this one would cost $230), unique features, and reasonable comfort.  Durability and long-term comfort will need future analysis.

What do you think?

My Free Home Reserve Chair Is Here!

Background:  I blogged about Home Reserve furniture a couple weeks ago, and had a couple of comments from readers whose experience with it was not great {post here}.  I also had a comment from the president of the company offering me a free chair to try it out for myself {post here}!

I looked through the website and choose several fabrics I was interested in, and Sandy, the customer service rep,  overnighted the swatches to me.  I ordered the chair on Monday Sept. 13 and yesterday afternoon it arrived on my doorstep.  That’s an eight day turnaround; pretty quick considering they cut out the fabric specifically for you and don’t work weekends. 

 

Everything was vacuum-packed into this one box.

The hardware was bagged and labeled; there were even some extras enclosed.  In addition, they  included a pair of gloves and a sanding block in case there were any rough edges.  We only used it once.

All the wooden parts are very visibly numbered.

The instructions were easy to follow, and all the parts fit very well and without too much effort.

Craig did most of the assembly, and he was extremely impressed with how well everything fit.  The video says the parts are computer cut with 20/1000 of an inch tolerances!  They fit together like a puzzle, and all the holes for the screws were positioned correctly.

From the look of the wood, you might think it’s not very strong, but this is not cheap particle board.  From the website:

“The frames are made from aspen, an engineered wood panel of the type that builders use on houses. We’ve had our products tested in a laboratory and everything carries a five-year warranty. Very rigid and solid, our sofa will support over 2,000 pounds.”

I should mention, however, that 3 of the 4 arm sides did have a break in this very narrow area.  It was not a support piece, though, and in fact once assembled was itself supported by the piece that fit in it.  The warranty says they will send out replacement parts if anything breaks during the 5 yr period, but I’m not concerned that this will have any affect on performance.  (Update:  Sandy contacted me and offered to replace these pieces.  I didn’t accept because I really didn’t think it was an issue, and she assured me that any time during the 5 year warranty I can get replacements if I choose.)

Assembled arms (upside down) and frame:

The fabric pieces were conveniently packaged in the order called for in the instructions.  While snug, they were not difficult to put on.  Though not technically a slipcover, you can take the fabric off for cleaning (some are machine washable, but not all) and can order new cover sets to change your furniture’s look.

Well, this is really long, so I’m going to save the final reveal and review for tomorrow.  Up until this point, I give Home Reserve an A for fast delivery, packaging, engineering and ease of assembly.

Tomorrow:  the final product!

For a 3-minute video on how it’s all made and packaged, go here and click on the How We Make Your Sofa video on the top right.

How Cool Is This?!

So, yesterday I posted about Home Reserve furniture.  I got a couple of comments from people who had less than stellar experiences with the furniture itself.  I also received a comment from Blaine Wieland, the president of the company.

He said they have made improvements to the foam in the last couple of years, and offered me a chair so I can try it out myself!

I spoke with Sandy, the customer service rep, and I can choose any chair, in any fabric.  She is overnighting me a bunch of fabric samples that I chose.  At least until I get them and can see the fabrics firsthand, I am leaning toward the Tux chair in Sundance Latte, a small houndstooth.

I will be sure to keep you informed!

Home Reserve Furniture

Yesterday I rediscovered a company I first looked at a couple years ago…Home Reserve furniture.  There are several styles to choose from, and many fabrics.  It’s made in the USA, prices seem very low (sofas start at $299, chairs at $179), the pieces all have storage under the seats, and you can change the upholstery inexpensively.  I’m intrigued.
There are tons of glowing customer reviews on the website, but I found good reports in several other places too.  The website allows to you choose the style and view it in any fabric.
Tux chair in Kia Turquoise, $251

Brook Loveseat in Jacinta Black, $356

Standard Ottoman in Kirby Black, $129

Of course, there are lots of solid fabric as well.  Some are machine washable.  Price varies with the fabric.
Here are some actual customer photos that I took from the website.  (I hope I’m not breaking any rules here; I assume they are public domain.)




The furniture is shipped to you in boxes, and you assemble it yourself (reminds one of IKEA, no?).  Now obviously, this is not high-end stuff, but I think most of us are not really high-end people, ya know?  At least I’m not.
So, what do you think?  Do you own any Home Reserve furniture or know someone that does?  I’d be very interested in some reviews from people I “know”.