Quality: ★★★★

 

Pottery Barn is a longstanding retailer of home furnishings.   They produce reliable products that have construction pros and cons.  

 

The website provides a cursory and salesy overview of a few construction attributes, but the devil is in the details.  

 

A large number of sofas are assembled in the US, but utilize materials from abroad.  The joints, frame, and structural foundation is usually solid and sturdy.

 

Based on our reviews and reading consumer affairs and other blogs, most of the complaints are around the fabric durability and quality – tearing, cushion longevity, and fabric feel.

 

Overall, they produce average couches that are higher priced relative to comparable products produced by a growing list of e-commerce retailers and new online brands being established.

 

Design: ★★★★.5

 

Pottery Barn has a versatile selection of couches to meet your aesthetic appeal. They offer an extensive collection of classic, sturdy, sofas and slowly expanding its more modern selection of couches.  The website provides an overview (somewhat salesy) of some of the key attributes around construction and fabric.

 

Customer Experience: ★★★★ 

 

There’s often a tradeoff between customization and speed of delivery.  

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Like other brands in the William Sonoma family, Pottery Barn’s website identifies shipping time and returnability based on the customization you desire.  As you would expect the ability to return the sofa is limited to a few types.   

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On average, most sofas are shipped in six or more weeks and can’t be returned.  Depending on the item, delivery is $200+, and requires coordinating with their shipping department.

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Based on the Pottery Barn consumer affairs website and other blogs, the most common complaints are centered around shipping delays and customer service hold times.  

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Numerous styles and constructions, but the sofa we reviewed was comfortable and supportive.

    

Sustainability & Safety: ★★★

 

Given the large selection of sofas and numerous types of fabrics and finishes, each couch has different characteristics.

 

As a whole, Pottery Barn is taking steps to meet growing customer demands for safe, non-toxic products that they bring into their life.  

 

There is a section on their website that provides an overview of their definition for safe and environmentally friendly products, but you need to evaluate each product individually.

 

Transparency is somewhat limited and there is no easy way to search through the site to identify the couch you want your family to spend considerable time on. Customer service representatives had varying levels of information when asked.