Simon Li Furniture is a China based furniture manufacturer and is a division of Trayton Furniture. Simon Li is sold through authorized furniture retailers, typically lower end brick and mortar furniture stores such as Jordan's Furniture and Macy's. It is also one of Costco's furniture partners.
Based on my research, Simon Li's furniture is fairly low quality, yet the price point is attractive for those with a very limited budget. Designs are a bit old school and not all that modern, but for some it good be a low cost option. However, don't expect the furniture to last for very long.
In this piece, I dive deeper into the Simon Li Furniture company, providing more information on their leather furniture and whether consumers should consider it for purchase.
If you have any experience with Simon Li leather chairs or sofas, please leave a comment below or feel free to email me personally at tom@bestleathercouches.com
Summary:
China based furniture manufacturer with a good selection of leather furniture at a very affordable price point. However, the price point is due to the fact that Simon Li uses lower grade materials and frame quality and suspension.
Key Features:
overall
Quality
Value
Warranty
Reviews
What's The Background Of Simon Li Furniture?
In 1997, Simon Lichtenberg (hence the Simon Li) wanted to combine the beauty of Danish design with Chinese craftsmanship and started producing affordable furniture for other brands such as Ikea. In 2004, Lichtenberg developed the Simon Li brand with a goal to produce high quality leather upholstery at the best value for consumers.
Today, the Trayton Group, which is the company that Lichtenberg founded owns and operates three furniture manufacturing plants in China. The bulk of the furniture from Trayton is sold under the Simon Li brand.
Is Simon Li Furniture Legit?
Yes, Simon Li is a global furniture company that is owned by Trayton Group, a Shanghai based furniture manufacturer. The company, based on various reports, has revenues exceeding $100 Million. Simon Li's brands are sold in furniture stores throughout the US, including Costco.
Where Does Simon Li Make Its Furniture?
Simon Lee Furniture is manufactured in facilities based in Shanghai, China.
Simon Li manufacturing facility in Shanghai, courtesy Simon Li Instagram account
What's The Quality Of Simon Li Leather Sofas?
Based on information from Simon Li's website, the company uses "the finest cowhide leather", noting that 'Top grain is used for all the important surfaces on the product". Note that this means that Simon Li is basically using the 'splits' for the non-seating or visible parts of the sofa.
In terms of the sofa frame construction, Simon Li uses plywood's (inferior to others that use hardwoods), that are responsibly sourced.
As an example, here is the Cole Leather Sofa from Simon Li which based on the description, uses "top grain leather in all seating areas with matching split leather on outside arms and back".
There is also an inferior suspension used on Simon Li's sofas, with 'European styled basket woven webbing seating suspension', which is a much lower grade option compared to US based manufacturers that use 8-way hand tied suspension systems.
A Cole Leather Sofa from Simon Li
Another example is the Ridgewin Leather Power Reclining Sofa, which I've had a lot of questions about and is one of the more popular sellers at Costco.
As advertised on Costco's website, the sofa has 'pocket coil seat cushions', a 'plush pillow top seat', and 'top grain leather with vinyl match on the sides'.
Simon Li Ridgewin Leather Reclining Sofa, sold at Costco
It's the leather match which allows Simon Li to build this sofa at a much lower price point (only $1700) to full leather sofas, however, the lack of quality upholstery can manifest itself in other parts of the sofa build.
Thus, generally speaking Simon Li's quality is not all that great, but the price point is what makes it attractive to many consumers.
Top rated products
What Do Customers Say About Simon Li Furniture?
There aren't a lot of reviews online about Simon Li, the brand or company, but we can take a look at reviews on the Costco website to get an idea of what some of the flaws or features might be.
The Aleena Leather Power Reclining Sofa has the most reviews on Costco's website with over 2000 reviews, good for a 4.5 star rating. I was actually quite surprised at the love for this sofa! This is just one of many glowing reviews, and I don't believe these are filtered by Costco. Most of the negatives are about shipping and delays, not about the actual sofa itself.
This loveseat is just perfect. The cushions are firm enough to give us support without being hard. The reclining angle is excellent, goes down pretty far, almost to a flat bed size, and the headrest rises to support the neck! Most recliners don’t have a rising headrest, which makes the seats very comfortable. The pebbled leather is a beautiful chocolate brown.
What Sort Of Warranty Does Simon Li Offer?
Simon Li offers a one-year limited warranty on leather upholstery, with a limited lifetime warranty on the frame, with a 3-year limited warranty on the seat and suspension. The warranty is ok, but I would hope to see a longer warranty on the suspension system, given the lower quality of the craftsmanship on Simon Li's sofas. Buying through Costco would be recommended and not through other furniture retailers, given their more liberal return/warranty policy.
Do you have any experience with Simon Li Furniture, good or bad?
Please let us know in the comments section below.
I purchased my Simon Li loveseat and couch from Mathis Brothers in October 2021 and in January 2022 the foot rest Motor went out on the loveseat and The warranty department at Mathis Brothers came out and repaired it, now in July 12, 2022 the other foot rest on the same loveseat is broken, I called customer service and they’re willing to send out another technician to repair this motor I stated to the supervisor this is unacceptable, i’m waiting for a response.
We've had our leather sofa for about 5 years now and it's still performing well. Its still comfortable and looks good. The stitching is holding up and the cushions are still plump. So far we're satisfied.
I had a Simon Li leather sofa. I would not recommend this brand at any price point. Within the first year the down was poking through the leather. It made little white holes all over the bottom cushions. Within two years the cushions were completely gone. We removed the bottom dust cover on the sofa, to see if we could repair it ourselves. There were elastic straps holding the cushions, which offered no support at all. The plywood was broken and splintered in so many places. Some of the wood was not even attached. When we removed the bottom dust cover there was fifth and junk that fell out every where. This was a nasty piece of junk.
I purchased a Simon Li recliner at a national department store. I love the design, comfort and reclining function. Problem developed with seat covering which was supposed to be leather. Turned our not to be so as the “leather” finish simply washed off.