OP here: I probably am overthinking it (did my spouse post that?), but thanks for the feedback, particularly from the poster that has the same sofa!

Anonymous wrote:The quality of the sofa is probably fine.

However I went to school with the three women who founded Egg and unfortunately found them unpleasant enough I'd never want to throw a cent their way.

Good call that will be impactful.

The quality of the sofa is probably fine.

However I went to school with the three women who founded Egg and unfortunately found them unpleasant enough I'd never want to throw a cent their way.

We bought the sectional version of the Emmy from DWR last year. Have had it for about 9 months now. Absolutely love it. Seems really sturdy and well-made. It's also incredibly comfortable. We get compliments on it all the time.

So it seems the designers generally have some cachet. DWR is cashing (cacheting?) in on that to make money: from parent co Herman Miller's recent earnings call with financial analysts....

"One of the pillars for accelerating profitable growth in our Retail business is joining with leading designers to launch higher margin exclusive designs. Through our partnership with Egg Collective – a firm led by three award-winning female designers – the Emmy sofa is already our top selling sofa line since its launch in the second quarter of this year."

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:-J5SbGCyfN0J:https://www.hermanmiller.com/content/dam/hermanmiller/documents/investors/q3fy20_conf_call_script.pdf+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

I looked at the designer bio. It's interesting.

Egg won a Best New Designer award at the 2012 International Contemporary Furniture Fair and was included on Forbes magazine’s 2014 “30 Under 30” list. The studio was also commissioned to design a seating area for the New York City Ballet’s David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.

Agree with the above, but DWR is slightly more name brand than other retailers. Names can just mean a layer of mark up, but ideally, also a reputation behind the product. It seems like the sort of midrange you're targeting OP, like you say there are still more rarified brands if one's looking to pay for cachet.

I don’t think anyone on this board can tell you whether the price is justified. You either want a $5000 sofa and can pay for it and will enjoy it and get use out of it, or you won’t.

Anonymous wrote:OP here: thanks to previous posters. I'm willing to pay for better quality than the links above, and even room and board, just want to know what I'm getting. For example, on the other end of the spectrum might be something like this Baker sofa (around $11K):

https://www.bakerfurniture.com/living/seating/sofas/combed-sofa-mcu1800s

My question is where the Emmy fits in on this spectrum and whether I'd be paying too much of a DWR premium. If so, where is the more mid-range sweet spot? If not, how is the DWR price justified? Thanks.

I think you’re overthinking this.

OP here: thanks to previous posters. I'm willing to pay for better quality than the links above, and even room and board, just want to know what I'm getting. For example, on the other end of the spectrum might be something like this Baker sofa (around $11K):

https://www.bakerfurniture.com/living/seating/sofas/combed-sofa-mcu1800s

My question is where the Emmy fits in on this spectrum and whether I'd be paying too much of a DWR premium. If so, where is the more mid-range sweet spot? If not, how is the DWR price justified? Thanks.

That’s on the high end for what I’d pay for a sofa. More like 2-3k.

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That’s basically what a nice sofa costs. DWR is just a retailer. You could call and ask who manufactures the sofa and where. If it has a hardwood frame the rest is really just design preference. People used to say hand tied springs were the best but I think there are other options that are just as good. Different cushion fills have different trade offs. Fabrics obviously vary and affect durability.

We really like the design of DWR’s Emmy sofa. The rub is that it starts at $5K (though gettable at $4250 if we wait for the next sale). The sales rep claims these are very well constructed sofas, but in fine DWR hit or miss: sone lives are very well made, others cut corners, so don’t want to take their word for it. Does anyone have any experience with this sofa and its construction quality relative to the price? How does it compare to other well made furniture that would be available from designers or independent furniture stores (Lee, Sherrill, Taylor King, Hickory White, etc)? I’d be interested in a well made sofa from those brands via an i dependent retailer if it was better quality for the price and in the same style neighborhood (a little low slung, low back, loungy): any particular models by this or other brands that anyone here would recommend?

https://www.dwr.com/living-sofas-sectionals/emmy-sofa/2516377.html

We’ll probably just but the bullet and pay up because we haven’t found anything comparable in style/feel (there are one or two R&B sofas that are a distant second), but appreciate any help kicking the tires on it before we do.