Stickley Leather Sofa Review (Are They Good Quality?)

Stickley is one of the oldest furniture manufacturers in the US. It's founder Gustav Stickley was one of the pioneers of the craftsman styles and the company has forever prided itself on the finest quality.  This quality comes with a price as Stickley's furniture tends to be at the upper end of the spectrum as far as pricing is concerned. 

Based on my research Stickley is an attractive option for customers with a higher budget for leather furniture. The materials and leathers used are of very high quality and each sofa is custom made at their manufacturing facility in Manilus, NY. The price point is on par with other more premium based USA built leather furniture, such as Hancock & Moore.

Stickley was also named to our list of the Top Overall Leather Furniture Brands. 

In this piece, I dive deeper into the Stickley Furniture company, providing more information on their leather furniture and whether consumers should consider it for purchase.

If you have any experience with Stickley Furniture, please leave a comment below or feel free to email me personally at tom@bestleathercouches.com

What's The Background Of Stickley?

The roots of Stickley furniture date back to over 120 years ago, when Gustav Stickley, one of the pioneers of the craftsman style, started building furniture for resale.

Soon, his brothers Leopold and John George joined in the furniture trade, with a focus on high quality, custom crafted furniture.

Following the passing of the Stickley brothers and with the company on the brink of bankruptcy, Stickley was sold to the Audi family, which had been one of Stickley's largest furniture distributors. 

Stickley has been making furniture for so long, that they even have their own furniture museum, based in Fayetville, New York. 

All of Stickley's furniture is hand crafted in its New York based manufacturing facility. Notably, many of the Stickley retail furniture stores sell other competing leather sofas, including Bradington-Young and Hancock & Moore. 

Is Stickley Furniture Legit?

Stickley has been in business in one form or another for over 120 years. It is one of the most well know USA based furniture manufacturers with manufacturing facilities in both North Carolina and New York. Their products are sold direct to consumer via owned and operated brick and mortar 'Stickley Furniture' stores. 

Note that Stickley also sells furniture for other competitors such as Bradington-Young, Century Furniture and Hancock & Moore.

Where Does Stickley Make Its Furniture?

Stickley's furniture is nearly all hand crafted in its New York and North Carolina based manufacturing facilities, however, as with all domestic furniture manufacturers, many of its furniture materials are imported.  Leather Furniture is hand crafted at its Stickley Fine Upholstery facility in Archdale, North Carolina.

What's The Quality Of Stickley Furniture?

Stickley claims that it 'overbuilds' all of its furniture in its advertising materials. So one search for Stickley furniture will find all of its retailers using the same exact copy from Stickley's marketing spin. What does 'overbuild' actually mean? I'm not really sure, but I'm guessing that they are stressing the quality of their products.

If we head over to Stickley's webpage, there is an entire section of their website devoted to details on construction. I must admit, I appreciate this, as most online furniture retailers provide very sparse information on how their products are built. 

Just based on frame construction above, we can see that Stickley is using double doweled 5/4 kiln dried maple frames, which is one of the most notable things to look for in a high quality constructed sofa. Plywood is used when furniture manufacturers want to cut costs, but kiln dried hardwood frames are much more durable, however more costly.

Stickley vs Hancock & Moore - Which Is Better?

Both are excellent products, with both Hancock & Moore and Stickley Furniture using solid maple for its sofa frame construction (not engineered plywood's). In addition, both furniture makers handcraft each and every sofa in their North Carolina manufacturing facilities.

If you have a Stickley Furniture store around you, they do carry both Stickley and Hancock & Moore, so I'd suggest that you go visit in person to compare the two brands. Honestly, can't go wrong with either leather sofa. 

What Sort Of Leather Does Stickley Use?

Stickley offers six different leather types in a variety of over 100 different colors.

All leathers used by Stickley are Top Grain leathers. 

Overall, Stickley's Leather quality appears to be very good, and from my research, it appears that Stickley is using high grade top grain leathers. 

What Do Customers Say About Stickley Furniture?

Despite my impressions regarding overall solid quality with Stickley, I must admit, some of the recent customer reviews are a bit of a concern to me. 

In terms of Facebook Reviews, there are 76 total reviews, with an overall 3.8 star rating (out of 5). There are a lot of recent complaints about customers not getting their furniture within the original delivery window. This is unfortunately not all that surprising to me, as all furniture manufacturers have been slowed down, due to COVID and overseas supply issues. 

Here is one example, and while I can understand shipping delays, it is clear that Stickley's customer service is not doing a very good job in responding to these complaints. 

I have also received numerous emails from upset customers from Stickley, so for now we are lowering the 'Reviews' score for Stickley until we can observe that the company is providing better customer service. 

What Sort Of Warranty Does Stickley Offer?

Stickley offers a limited lifetime warranty on any of its wood furniture, however in terms of leather furniture, Stickley only offers a five year limited warranty on cushion cores and spring units. Leathers are not covered by the warranty. Mechanical devices are covered under a five year limited warranty. 

Do you have any experience with a Stickley leather sofa, good or bad?

Please let us know in the comments section below.