Thursday, August 20, 2020

Velvet & Chinoiserie

Williams Sonoma Home

I have posted about a zillion times over the years about the delicious combination of velvet and Chinoiserie. Velvet is so luxe, but with today's performance velvets, it is also a practical and durable choice.

So today is delivery of my two velvet sofas from Article. My only complaint so far is that they have instituted a contact free delivery, so they dump it at your front door, take a photo, and take off. Seriously? So I get to drag the boxes into the garage and pay my handyman to come over on Friday to unbox them and bring them in and assemble them and get rid of the boxes. Sorry, but I think delivery people with masks and gloves bringing your furniture in and setting it up would make more sense, but what do I know? If you are in the business of selling and delivering furniture, find a way to make it safe for everyone.

Then, as I mentioned before, Williams Sonoma Home lost my glass tabletop to the Mercer table somehow and it has been reordered, and I ordered some clothes from J. Crew weeks ago and they have been sitting at the Jacksonville, Florida postal facility for 2 weeks.

The USPS isn't the only one with delivery problems.

So, I have been waiting 2 months for the sofas and delivery is not going to be ideal, but hopefully by tomorrow they will be ensconced in my home finally.

Have you been having delivery problems? And do you use the word "sofa" or "couch" - it seems to be regional but I am curious.




52 comments:

  1. Your velvet sofas are gorgeous. I say sofa, not couch.

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  2. Couch.Your velvet couches are lovely. The delivery method seems ridiculous! They could definitely wear mask, gloves, and keep a safe distance. I have not had trouble with deliveries, but have only ordered small items. I am looking forward to seeing your couches in place.

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  3. I grew up calling it a davenport.

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    1. My grandmother from Pennsylvania, always said davenport! Haven’t heard that term in years!

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    2. It was a Massachusetts company now defunct and their sofas were so popular that people started using the word davenport to refer to any sofa - in certain areas of the country.

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  4. I grew in Western PA and now reside in LA. It's sofa in both places. I agree - the delivery method for the sofas is ridiculous. The blue one is similar to the new sofas we have on order (Shelton from Ethan Allen) and one I was looking at from Crate & Barrel. Looking forward to the photos of the finished rooms.

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    1. Thanks - read today's post - adding insult to injury!

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  5. Sofa. As for region: born, raised, educated, career Southeast USA. I've got a hunch that Ms. I've Got This [who can mastermind a police-assisted assault on a pair of locked french doors] will coax those delivery people [sofas in hand] right through her own double doors, and have them drop the boxes right there in her foyer, she may even have a fistful of $20s in her pocket to sweeten the deal. I also have a hunch that the lady has a toolkit including a utility knife which is which is how she'll open those cartons. She may even have a screw driver in there which is how she'll assemble the pieces. She's got this!

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    1. LOL. Read today's post. One of the sofas is massive and very heavy - three of us could barely move the box. I am not hurting myself or damaging velvet sofas because they have a horrible system.

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    2. Anonymous, you are too funny.

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  6. Terrible delivery problems here in NYC as well. USPO is the worst but others are not far behind. Their excuses continue to be Covid related but I am not buying it at this stage.

    I would be pissed off too if they only delivered to the front door and left it there for you to deal with it. Yet again a lame excuse for poor customer service...heck, why not give you a discount since they are doing less for the money? Don't get me started...

    The sofas are lovely, but with a cat in residence velvet would be a full time job for us. We did have it long time ago and it was heavenly. Nothing beats a nap on a velvet sofa.

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    1. I thought cats don’t bother velvet because they can’t sink claws into it?

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    2. You would think businesses would be delighted for the business and be geared up for online and delivery and instead it is a disaster. All my deliveries of late have been problematic.

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  7. The velvet sofas are going to look so luxe, can't wait to see them in their natural habitat! :)

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  8. I am excited to see the room! It will be gorgeous. I like the sofa style too.

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  9. Excited for you! Had a chair delivered from Pottery Barn recently and they were prepared to bring it in the house. Same with Ethan Allen with the delivery of an accent table. (Husband always tips for furniture delivery.)

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    1. I suspect Article is trying to save money or they are following Canadian protocol - Canadian company.

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  10. I love velvet too...have two bergeres in peacock blue velveteen. I read somewhere that couch is an older term - sofa is the modern term, and davenport refers to a specific style of sofa. Who knows??? It's all going to be gorgeous, so there!

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    1. Davenport was a sofa company in Massachusetts and became so popular in certain regions, that the term became generalized like Xerox and Kleenex.

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  11. My mother said couch, I say sofa. Would like you to accept me on instagram, please.

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    1. I had my web designer set up Instagram, but am not active on it. I plan to do so, and will make an announcement here when I do. Thanks.

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  12. So GORGEOUS!!!! And I do agree with 'Anonymous" that if you tip them (once they see you are no bigger than a minute) they likely will move them inside. It would be worth it to me to have them inside my home.....as far as assembly, once the carton is opened, you may only need to screw on the legs, which requires no tools. I doubt these are like assembling an Ikea sofa. We say sofa here in Dallas at our house...I don't think I hear couch much but haven't been listening for that. Good luck, Beth!

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    1. I'm already paying my handyman to come tomorrow and my garage is pristine - they will be fine in there tonight. It's the idea of tipping the delivery people to do their job. Not so much.

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  13. 'Couch' in the Midwest unless it's a chi-chi designer trying to justify their upcharge...

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    1. Yes, I grew up in the Chicago area and it was couch.

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  14. "...they dump it at your front door, take a photo, and take off." They must have a liability exemption given the heavy rain showers we Floridians have daily. Leave boxes outside, the rain soaks the contents, how are they not liable for such reckless delivery practices?

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    1. They cover themselves because they set up a 4 hour delivery window with you and you are agreeing to accept delivery.

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  15. What makes the Williams Sonoma room so inviting is the play of soft and hard. I get that you don't want a rug, but the brown wood floor, rug, soft furnishings, wicker and plants soften the otherwise hard edges of the occasional furnishings. You might want to add wicker and plants to your decor to soften it. Think about it.

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    1. You must have missed the two wicker S chairs I already got and the 9' palm I am adding.

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  16. I say sofa. I recently ordered an antique buffet on eBay and they brought it in the house and set it just where I wanted it. Of course on eBay, you pay a small fortune to have furniture delivered.

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    1. I say sofa as well. Williams Sonoma Home will be white glove delivery as well for my dining table. Article just eliminated it because of Covid. I think the customer should have the option.

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  17. Sofa. Thanks for all the Homegoods inspiration.

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    1. I say sofa too. Couch reminds me of "couch potato." Glad you are enjoying my finds.

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  18. I'm on the west coast and we said couch. Growing up my mother had a pair of loveseats in the living room. Loveseats suited the square shape of the room. Sofa sounded a little bit old fashioned and might have been said by someone who put their flowers in a "vahz".
    A Davenport was a stand up writing desk. Interesting that it was a type of couch.
    I also noticed that you said toilet room. We would have said W.C. or water closet. Probably because I grew up in an Edwardian house and the toilets were almost always in a separate room of their own.
    As far as the furniture delivery goes I would have chilled bottled water for the delivery people and a tip ready if they would carry the furniture into the house.
    Love the Williams Sonoma picture. I'm looking forward to seeing how you put your beautiful pieces together.

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    1. Read my post today - the delivery was the worst! I grew up with couch in the Midwest but sofa on the East coast.

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  19. I live in Kansas, but I grew up in southern Oklahoma. Both places "sofa" not couch. This delivery thing is rather dicey! Just yesterday my rattan cart from Serena & Lily arrived and fortunately my 72 year old husband could unpack it and haul it upstairs where I am using it a bedside table. Any heavier, I dunno! I'm the one with the tool box and who knows how to use it. My husband and father-in-law were lawyers. My husband's grandfather was an electrician. I said between two lawyers they couldn't change a light bulb! I have found WSHome and RH white glove delivery to be excellent. And when the RH guys put together 3 large bookcases that were almost 9' tall and put in the shelves to my liking, I did tip them. That blue velvet sofa is going to be glorious!

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    1. My late husband was a lawyer and couldn't change a light bulb. I too was the one with the tool box. Guess where that is now? Don't get me started/Sandbagger. Wait until you read my post tomorrow on the delivery. A nightmare.

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  20. Sofa.
    Yes, everything I order is maddeningly delayed. And because I'm mostly enscounced at home, I've ordered a lot.

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    1. Wait until you read my post tomorrow - unbelievable!

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  21. Used sofa growing up in WI and still do
    Daughter however picked up couch growing up in VT
    So her two young children in MI use the word
    couch as well
    My grandmother in WI used Davenport
    Forgot to mention in an earlier blog that I liked your flying pig on your dresser or some say vanity

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  22. I use the word Sofa. Home Depot delivered a new Fridge and they came into my house. Everyone wore masks and I was aware of my social distance while they were in my house. I've had issues with deliveries of items purchased online. Particularly with Talbot's. I've had to complain multiple times and now just don't order from them till this mess is over. I think some companies use COVID as an excuse for their BAD service. If they are not careful, they will be closed for business.

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    1. I agree and it's getting frustrating. Read my post tomorrow!

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  23. I took some interior design courses at a local college. The professors told us the correct “professional” terminology was “sofa.” And, it’s a “lighting fixture” not a “lamp.” A lamp is what most people call a “light bulb.” 🙄 I love your new home and decor choices! ❤️

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  24. Ha! That was one of my inspiration pictures when I was planning the renovation at our Florida home. I actually didn’t go with velvet but instead went with a off white linen. But I used the blues and aqua with all of my blue and white. Love, love, love this color combo in Florida. Can’t wait to see your new sofa!
    Michelle

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  25. Love the William Sonoma Home picture. Just beautiful.

    That's ridiculous, Beth. People who are in the business of selling large objects, such as furniture, need to adapt in order to service their customers. That's part of running a business successfully. I've had food delivery people ring my doorbell to deliver. After weeks, my housekeepers have returned. They wear masks, gloves and I provide disposable shoe covers for them. I'm always fearful of ordering large objects such as furniture, online, because I worry they will not turn out to be what I thought they would be, and I don't want the hassle of returns. I have ordered clothes, shoes, small appliances online, always being mindful of the return policy, and I've had to make many returns because it was the wrong item, did not fit, or was not what I expected.

    I used to say couch, but now say sofa - that seems to be the most frequently used terminology. I love all of the performance fabrics that are available now!

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    1. I had wrongly assumed based on comments on their website the the "policy" was loosely enforced by the delivery companies and with a generous tip they would at the minimum bring them inside. It never occurred to me they would dump them and run. Really outrageous. I plan to do a post reviewing Article here and also a negative review on their website, so I will at least warn others. it was very stressful and a huge hassle.

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