Poltronesofà review: our pointers before buying a sofa or an armchair in store

Poltronesofà sells its sofas and armchairs in its stores: 129 in France according to the Our stores page of its website, and its model pages, such as MONTEFIORE, BORGATA and ARDOLA, refer you to the store to customise and order. These pages give the dimensions, the coverings and the mechanisms, but not the frame or the foam density: these points are to be asked of the salesperson, and delivery, cancellation and the guarantee are read on the order form. In a store, the 14-day right of withdrawal does not apply. We have not tested these sofas: every piece of information about Poltronesofà comes from a page on its website, cited at the end of this page.

The quality of a Poltronesofà sofa: what you can check

We do not assess the quality of these sofas. Their product pages give the dimensions, the coverings and the mechanisms; what makes a sofa last is to be asked of the salesperson, and put in writing:

• Frame: what the structure is made of, and what supports the seat.
• Foams: the density of the seat and of the back, in kg/m³. For a seat used every day, a density of around 30 kg/m³ or more is generally advised.
• Suspension: webbing, springs, or both.
• Fabric: its Martindale rating, which measures the fabric's resistance to wear by rubbing.
• Leather: its type, its thickness and its treatment (see the section on leather).
• Seams: those of the main seat, the most used place, on the display model.
• Guarantee: the duration for each component, and the exclusions, such as foam settling or fabric wear.
• Trial: sit for several minutes, in the position in which you read or watch a film.

Where are Poltronesofà sofas made?

The product pages and the Why choose us page do not say where the sofas are made. The website links Italy to leather: according to the Coverings page, its leathers are treated and dyed in Italian workshops. The footer cites the Italian company poltronesofà S.p.A., without describing its role. If the origin matters to you, ask the salesperson where the chosen model is made, and have it written on the order form.

Poltronesofà sofas: the range, and what a product page states

The range shown on the website

The website shows recliner sofas, sofa beds, corner sofas, in fabric and in leather, as well as armchairs in fabric, in leather and recliners. Some models are put together from elements: the BORGATA product page describes a modular composition. Convertible sofas have their own page: our pointers on Poltronesofà convertible sofas and sofa beds.

What three product pages say, and what they do not state

For another model, look for the same lines on its product page; those that are missing are to be asked in store, with the list in the section on quality.

Fabrics: what the brand says, and the question to ask

The Coverings page announces “More than 200 fabrics that stand up to everyday life”, fabrics that “fear neither drinks, nor children, nor four-legged friends”, and that “undergo tests of resistance, seam strength and colour brilliance”. It cites neither a standard nor a value. For the fabric you choose, ask for its Martindale rating and its care instructions.

Poltronesofà corner sofas: put together and check on a plan

The website has a corner sofa category, and the BORGATA product page states that this model is also available as a corner sofa, put together from elements of 75 to 213 cm. A corner sofa, like an even longer panoramic sofa, is chosen first on a plan:

• Dimensions: measure the length of each side and the depth, to the centimetre, and have them written on the order form with the side of the corner.
• Composition: ask which elements can be added or removed to fit the corner to the room.
• Access: measure the doors, corridors and stairwell, and ask in how many elements the corner sofa is delivered.
• Trial: in store, sit in the configuration you intend to buy, including in the corner.
• Use: in a busy household, look at the seams of the main seat.
• Guarantee: read the exclusions, such as foam settling or fabric wear, before signing.

Poltronesofà leather sofas

According to the Coverings page, Poltronesofà's leather coverings are natural cowhide, treated and dyed “in the best Italian production workshops”. The page does not name a type of leather. The MONTEFIORE product page offers three leathers: GIRASOLE, MACADAMIA and MIMOSA.

Before choosing a leather, ask about:

• The type: full grain, corrected grain or split leather.
• The thickness: in millimetres.
• The treatment: what has been applied to the surface, and what it changes for care.
• Care: the product advised to moisturise the areas of friction, such as the armrests and the front of the seat.

Poltronesofà armchairs and recliner sofas

On the recliner sofas page, the position is adjusted by lightly touching “the buttons of the external control on the armrest”. The MONTEFIORE product page announces two electric recliner movements; the ARDOLA product page describes an electric recliner armchair in leather, 74 × 93 × 102 cm, with tall metal legs.

Trying a recliner in store

• The movement: extend the recliner fully, empty and then seated, and listen to the motor.
• The covering: check that the mechanism engages without rubbing the fabric or leather.
• The base: ask what the mechanism rests on; it needs a rigid frame.
• The guarantee: have the guarantee for each moving part written on the order form: motor, headrest, reclining.

According to its page, the Plan Assistance, offered as an option, covers the mechanisms from the 3rd to the 5th year: electrical parts, opening and bed mechanisms, levers, recliner notches, movable headrests.

Choosing an armchair

The armrests are the most heavily used part: look at their covering and the creases it forms. In fabric, ask whether it is water-repellent or washable.

Ordering in store, delivery, guarantee: what you need to know

The MONTEFIORE, BORGATA and ARDOLA product pages refer you to the store to customise and order, and the form on the Contacts page is used for “the management of orders and after-sales service”. What commits you is the order form you sign in store, with the conditions that come with it.

The order form: what it should state

• The model: its name, its configuration and its dimensions.
• The covering: the name of the fabric or leather, and its colour.
• The delivery date: a firm date, in writing.
• Delivery: its price, and whether installation is included.
• Payment: the sum paid when ordering, and when the balance is due, before or on delivery.
• The guarantee: the duration for each component and each mechanism.

Cancelling an order placed in store

The French Consumer Code (Code de la consommation) gives 14 days to withdraw from a contract concluded at a distance, following telephone canvassing or off premises (article L221-18). In a store, this 14-day right of withdrawal does not apply: ask for the cancellation conditions in writing before signing.

Also look at what the order form calls the sum paid. Unless otherwise stipulated, sums paid in advance are a deposit known as “arrhes”: each party can go back on its commitment, the consumer by losing the deposit, the professional by repaying twice its amount (article L214-1). If the form speaks of a down payment (“acompte”), ask what that changes in the event of cancellation.

On delivery: noting your reservations

• When unloading: check the condition of the sofa before signing the delivery note.
• In writing: note any reservation on the delivery note: seams, covering, rigidity.
• The mechanisms: try each one; it should engage without rubbing the covering.

The guarantee, the Plan Assistance and mediation

The Plan Assistance page places this plan after “the legal guarantee of the first 2 years”. The website also offers a “Download your guarantee” link: read this document before signing, to know what is provided for the frame, the foams, the covering and the mechanisms, and what is excluded.

The Plan Assistance is an option, bought with the sofa or a second cover. According to its page, it covers, for the covering, accidental damage (holes, burns, scratches, tears, scratches by animals, stains listed in a brochure), and the mechanisms from the 3rd to the 5th year. It is managed by the partner Uniters and includes a cleaning kit. Its price is not stated on that page: ask for it in store, with the list of the cases covered.

In the event of a dispute, the Mediation page names the ANM Conso mediation service, a “partner selected by Poltronesofà France”, and free of charge.

Poltronesofà prices and promotions: what you can check

Poltronesofà's current offers are shown on the Promotions page of its website, with their end date and the models concerned. That page states that the prices “are exclusive of delivery or collection charges”: ask for the price of delivery before comparing.

• The struck-through price: when a seller announces a price reduction, the reference price is the lowest price it charged during the 30 days before the reduction (article L112-1-1 of the French Consumer Code).
• The configuration: note the price of the exact configuration and covering chosen, not only that of the model.
• Time to think: a time-limited offer is best judged outside the store; a signed order form commits you.

Poltronesofà stores

According to the Our stores page, Poltronesofà has 129 stores in France; the up-to-date list, with the addresses, is on that page. In store, try the seat and, for a recliner, the mechanism. A store can also be judged by what the salesperson writes on the order form: dimensions, covering, delivery date, guarantee.

Poltronesofà or another option: depending on your project

Other brands to look at

Other brands also sell sofas in France. We have put together buying pointers on Château d'Ax and on Natuzzi.