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That's a great looking sofa...

looks like they're affiliated with Caligaris. Which is a good company.

i have been to their store in seattle! although i have never purchased a large piece of furniture from them (only a piece of art & small home stuff), i was impressed by their level of customer service. maybe check what their warranty or return policy is in the event that you are not satisfied.

I actually own two of these chairs from Alchemy. http://www.alchemycollections.com/servlet/ProductView?command=cp&supplierID=660&commodityID=22300

The quality is good (for my chairs) and I'm a happy camper. I think they oversee the manufacturing of their products in China..so the order can take for-freaking-ever because they are shipped in containers back to the US.

Alchemy does have a showroom in Seattle - I walked past it once not too long ago...

The sofa pictured above is from a Chinese company called Camerich which specializes in "inspired by" versions of Italian contemporary at very reasonable prices. While I have never had a chance to purchase anything from Alchemy, the Camerich line is available at a few stores in the Los Angeles area so I have had a chance to see examples of the line up close. For the most part, I have been impressed, particularly given the price point, which is more akin to CB2 than B&B Italia (one of the companies that has clearly "inspired" them). For the most part, the proportions and measurements are almost identical to the high priced Italian item, so there are typically none of the strange proportions when "inspired" companies take liberties with their inspiration. The details are typically well executed, but not perfect. Brand new and out of the box, I don't think most people would know that you hadn't just spent $10,000 or more at DDC. People well versed in these lines would probably not be so confused.

That said, I have no idea what the longterm lifespan of a Camerich sofa is like. They don't feel cheap or rickety in the showroom the way some upholstered goods from CB2, Ikea, or even Bo Concept can. There is a wide variety of interesting upholstery fabrics. They don't do COM, but if you are looking to hew closely to the Italian inspiration, there are more than enough choices to satisfy. On the downside, there is a very, very long lead time unless the store happens to have the size and color you want in stock - something on the order of 3-4 months. While many of the upholstered pieces are upholstered in removable slipcovers for easy cleaning, you can't order just a spare slipcover to change up the color of the sofa on a whim.

So here is my crazy, crazy, crazy suggestion which you should take seriously. Go to Seattle (or to the Camerich boutique at HD Buttercup in Los Angeles) over a weekend on a cheap ticket. Sit on the sofas, check out the fabrics. There may be details that bug you that wouldn't bug most people. There may be a sofa style or fabric that strikes you in person that would have never occurred to you while web shopping. Sofas should last you 10 years, minimum. This is not something that should be purchased on a whim the way you might with accent furniture. You are going to build a room around this thing, so you should make sure you are marrying the right sofa, in the right fabric. As you will be waiting a few months for delivery, it is better to spend a little up front to make sure you will be happy, rather than have the delivery man present you with an expensive disappointment, four wasted months and the task of now finding a buyer for that sofa you don't want.

Oh, one more thing. HD Buttercup is having their half yearly sale right now, so they may actually have this sofa on the floor on sale. I know I have seen it there before, but I have no idea if they still have it. You might want to give them a call as I think the sale ends this weekend.

www.hdbuttercup.com

i bought our couch online and it's awesome. take the plunge!

One last, last thought. The sofa pictured above is inspired by the Flexform Long Island sectional. You can usually find a good selection of Flexform upholstered pieces at your local Poliform showroom. As the proportions are typically the same for the Camerich pieces, it might be worth a trip to Poliform (or another store in Manhattan that carries Flexform) to sit on the source of the inspiration and to see if the seat height, size and proportions work for you. Its not the same as seeing the actual sofa you are buying, but it at least gives you a way of judging whether you are in the ballpark.

I just bought a large sofa from Alchemy, and though I haven't gotten it yet (it arrives at the end of the month!) I was in their showroom in Seattle and checked out a lot of sofas, and was very impressed!

Having been to the showroom, I can tell you that they have a rather limited selection of fabrics, but the quality is great and if you find a fabric that you like, I recommend them warmly!

Property Furniture in SoHo on Wooster St carry Camerich. They only have like one piece on the floor now since they're a new dealer but you can ask them to see if they'll be bringing in the sofa as shown in the photo. It's now called the LazyTime.