Friends, I know couches are expensive and it's really tempting to believe you've found a hidden gem - a local family of furniture makers, who keep costs down by cutting out the middle man. The showroom is modest, but full of enough delightful things to make you think "Holy s*$&, I could get a Restoration Hardware type couch for a decent price!" However, I'm here to warn you away. Do not let those things tempt you into ignoring all the red flags. Is the company U Design It Sofa? Or is it what their Instagram account says - "Local Sofa"?  If you do some digging with their business address (11679 Sheldon St #1504, Sun Valley, CA), or search for John's business number (818-381-6338), you'll find numerous business names they've used over the years. When the complaints get loud enough, they rebrand and continue. They do not stand by their work, and I'm out over $2k because of it. Bought a couch and a chair from them, went through the whole design process with John, who was gruff but also charming. Paid the deposit, when the furniture was ready, John came and delivered it himself. Beautiful work. Beautiful! Quickly things went sour, though. The couch stuffing is wildly uncomfortable, and worse, the stitch work was miserable. Buttons started popping off two months later, despite very light use (pandemic era, no guests to sit on couches type of use, here). After TEN buttons came off, I contacted John, but we were in the middle of lockdown. He said he wasn't sure why the string wasn't holding, maybe they used the wrong kind (??!!??), and he'd come repair it when things cleared up. Totally fine, understood, no big deal. Had to harass him to come do the work, but he came himself and restitched the buttons on. Once he was done, I came to look and was horrified to see he'd loosely attached the buttons with thick white string to the couch. The style is tufted, but he didn't pull the buttons tight, so they just sort of flop around on the surface, like weird ornaments. You can't sit on them. Some have popped off again. Before he left, I asked him why he didn't make the stitches tight so that they tufted, like they were supposed to. He got very mad and yelled "That's the best I can do! Okay?" Without another word, he stomped out of my home and left. I tried to contact his daughter, who runs the marketing for this business through social media, but they promptly blocked me and deleted all of my messages. So now I have a 2k couch and chair set, in the tufted Chesterfield style, missing half it's buttons. Run, don't walk. This ain't it. read more

U Design It Sofa - Furniture Stores Near Me - Sun Valley, California

Please see the pictures Enlarge It. John is a scammer. Cost me more than $ 7000. This company should not be in business. Not sure how they managed it this far. He gave me the option to provide my own materials. Then complained that i should have an eye for quality hand work. And my leather was not good. PLEASE enlarge the pictures and see his master stitching work. My grandma can stitch straight than this GUY!!!! The good reviews are probably from his friends and family I think. Also if there's pictures make sure to enlarge you will see that this guy can't do good work. read more

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John is a great guy and has done really, really good work at very fair prices for us a couple of different times now. He and his team first built us a couch. We love it. We've had it for 5 years and it's solid as a rock and still looks great. We recently had him reupholster a set of barstools for us too and he did an incredible job on that as well. Thank you, John! We appreciate your work. read more

U Design It Sofa - Furniture Stores Near Me - Sun Valley, California

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John was great to work with. He came to the house with wide variety samples and gave us a quote on the spot. As a seamstress, I understand how hard it is to take something already made and remake it. John did a great job. He was upfront with me on costs and timing. He picked up the sofa and chair and returned them fully wrapped and protected in just over a week. I love supporting a small business and making the sofa I love last longer. read more

U Design It Sofa - Furniture Stores Near Me - Sun Valley, California

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I purchased a custom so called "chesterfield" style sofa from here and it was probably the worst sofa I've ever purchased not to mention it was the cheapest faux leather although promised it was genuine bonded leather. I would give ZERO stars if I could. First of all, the chesterfield didn't even have the roll over on the back side of the couch like a real chesterfield style. It was flat and I ordered it to sit in the middle of the room and it looked horrible and cheaply made. Then the cheap fake leather was basically deteriorating within a year and cost more than amazingly great quality leather sofas. I cannot believe I gave away my real leather sofa for that piece of crap. read more

This is the 2nd time I've had custom made furniture made by John and once again, he delivered fantastic pieces ON SCHEDULE! 2 chesterfields, ottoman/center piece, plus 2 wing chairs, all leather pieces for the price of ONE chesterfield! read more

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The mid-century sectional that I bought from John was the best purchase I have ever made for my house. It looks amazing and is incredibly comfortable. I found John's ad by chance, but I am so glad that I did. I had been to some retail stores and I would have had to wait 8 weeks to get the couch. With John, it only took one week. The couch that I bought from John was not only less expensive, but I am so much more happy with it. John was a great communicator and a true professional when he delivered the couch on time. I don't really write reviews online, but I felt compelled because I was so impressed by my experience here. If you are buying a new couch, this is the place to do it! read more

I really wanted to like this place. I ordered a custom MCM style couch based on photos from their Instagram. I was hoping to be able to support a small business and avoid buying cheap garbage furniture from big box retailers and online giants. This isn't it besties read more

Do not come here, John is a scammer. My sister paid almost 1k for her sofa to be reupholstered and she got bamboozled. The stitching was completely mediocre. The seams on the seats do not align. She asked John if he inspected the couch before it was delivered and he said yes. How can you miss a hole like this ? He blamed the fabric and refused to redo the cushions. We've used the same fabric for multiple upholstery projects in our house with no issues. It was not the fabric, it was the seemtress ! Listen to the reviews people. read more

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John built my sofa almost 10 years ago and I recently had him reupholster it to give it a fresh look. Amazing work, I now have a new sofa to last another 10 years. Thanks! read more

U Design It Sofa - Furniture Stores Near Me - Sun Valley, California

6 years ago, John made me this show dropping couch for my living room & today he outdid himself with a sectional for my tv room! I showed him pictures of what I wanted & he made them exactly like I envisioned! The fabric is gorgeous & the quality is exceptional! Have them make your custom furniture & you won't be disappointed! read more

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Not only did we love the sectional we bought from John five years ago, we just had him re-upholster it, so it's like a new sectional at half the price (and with hating the earth a lot less!). Thanks, John! read more

We have used U Design it Sofa 2 times now and love our new reupolstered sofa! John built our sofa years ago and with pets and our young son jumping on the sofa WITH SHOES the sofa needed to be reupholstered. The team did an amazing job. Thanks U Design It Sofa Company! read more

Thank you to John and his team at @localsofa for designing and building our beautiful sectional sofa. We couldn't be happier with his service, craftsmanship, and ability to customize to our needs. We highly recommend him to build your custom living room furniture. Support LA, handcrafted, ethically made, custom furniture. #midcenturymodern #lasmallbusiness #shoplocal read more

U Design It Sofa - Furniture Stores Near Me - Sun Valley, California

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Be warned - John insisted I pay everything up front to upholster my vintage chairs even though I questioned that practice. He claimed it was necessary for the job even though he had a remnant of the fabric! I paid him by check almost $1000. Then the place had a fire. It was terrible of course but John has avoided me and refused to return my deposit let alone reimburse me for my vintage chairs (which are valued at high price by collectors!) I have to wonder - did he set the place ablaze himself? I should have followed my gut when I smelled a scammer who insisted I pay all up front by check. Perhaps the other folks who have been ripped off by them would want to sue together? Word of advice to everyone else - stay far away from this shop! read more

John did an amazing job reupholstering my sectional sofa, it looks amazing, like new! Very clean Lines, fabric was taught and sewn perfect. He picked up the sofa on a Monday and delivered the finished product on the following Monday just as he promised! read more

My wife and I stumbled on this place and we are glad we did. We went in for a simple ottoman and have had a number of full custom pieces made since then. The craftsmanship is top notch with solid wood frames. Endless choices on fabrics and years of experience building furniture. Check out the photos of the beautiful Chesterfield Leather Couch in burnished Oxblood! read more

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The best furniture purchase I have ever had! I was in need of a couch for a new house and I was moving in 3 weeks. I looked online and in retail stores but the only sectionals I liked were anywhere from 2-4 months for delivery. My sister recommended John and U Design it Sofa as they had built 2 custom couches for her as well as re-upholstered an antique chair. I have seen all three and they are beautiful so I gave John a try. He came to my house and worked off photos I had from a sofa I liked and found online. He suggested a few changes/improvements to the design that I love now I have used it for a couple of weeks. He finished the custom built couch in 2 weeks AND came in about $400 less than the retail store I found the photos from!!! I am more than pleased and have gotten compliments from everyone who has seen the couch. Go see John right away if you are in the market for the perfect sofa and don't be afraid of the cost of a custom built sofa, his prices are so affordable. I will never go anywhere else for any future furniture needs! read more

U Design It Sofa - Furniture Stores Near Me - Sun Valley, California

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After reading the Reviews on Yelp, I traveled to wonderful Sun Vallet to see what this was all ,about. Upon arriving to the showroom, I was greeted by John. We discussed what I needed, and he helped select fabric, filling etc. All went well. He promised a 4-5 week deliver. He did indeed deliver on time. The item was FANTASTIC. I basically took in pictures of what I wanted from a brick and mortar retail store, and he replicated the item, with better filling, at 1/3 the cost. Sure, maybe John isn't the most personable guy around, but he delivered the item on time, better than expected, and I highly recommend. He is a no nonsense fella, and so am I, so I'm OK with that. I will definitely use again. read more

I bought my sofa from here thinking it was a great deal for a handmade sofa and because of all the great reviews for them. I can't argue that they're a great deal, they truly are, however I can say you get what you pay for. Some things to note when you buy a couch from here. Looking at the pictures they seem great, in fact when I received it I was still very pleased with it but there are some major design flaws that you should be aware of. First of all the tufting here is horrible and should be avoided as the buttons on my couch started popping less than a week after receiving the couch. They were willing to replace the buttons but every week the buttons kept popping off and after a while driving to Sun Valley (over an hour drive) just wasn't worth it anymore. Although they give you a guarantee on the couch, they give you attitude when there's a problem with it and don't really care about customer satisfaction. There was not one week where a button didn't pop off so I ended up cutting off all the buttons. The reason all the buttons kept popping? Well they weren't placed in sturdily and were just there for aesthetic purposes. Also, the seam on this couch is just skewed and off and the fabric sage and bunches up in areas because of the fit. Look the couch is cheap but there's a reason it's cheap. If you're looking though for a piece that you'll be happy with in a couple of years I wouldn't go here. Knowing what I know now, I would have gone somewhere else. read more

The photos say it all. (edit: I can't attach photos to my review, hmmm.) Not happy. Not a good re-upholstery experience. I'm aghast at the bad craftsmanship. I just picked up my chairs and called someone else to get them reupholstered again. U Design It is cheap, and I guess I got what I paid for, cheap looking chairs. I don't mind John's personality, but the fact he delivered such bad workmanship makes me think he/they just don't get it. I thought they knew design, but if they did, they'd never redo my chairs the way they did. read more

I highly recommend these guys. They are a family owned business where everything is custom made. I moved to LA into a 500 sf apartment from a 1000 sf live work loft. Lets just say that none of my furniture would fit into my new place, so I had to find furniture of the right scale. I saw this couch on Craigslist and thought it would be perfect for my new apartment. It was designed as a chaise, which is exactly what I wanted for my space, but the arm was on the wrong side. I visited their showroom where John (the proprietor) explained to me about his business. I picked the sofa from the pic and told him it was a little big for my apt and about the arm being on the wrong side. He said that everything is custom made, so he could put it on whatever side I wanted it on. He made it a little smaller too. I got to pick out the fabric and everything and it was ready in just 3 days. AWESOME! The price tag was even better. $500 or so bucks and it was mine. Not bad seeing that you can buy a piece of crap sofa at Ikea for the same price and this thing was custom made! I love supporting small businesses and even more so when I get quality work from them. read more

See above. Sofa was completed & delivered, but then John said he wasn't going to unload it into my apartment after I had made certain that was what I purchased. He said he had bad knees & a bad back so he couldn't help but what do you know, he was able to for an additional $20. Sofa is adequate, service atrocious. read more

Some of the pieces here come out nicely done, but others look cheap in real life. Not only was I unwilling to take a chance on what my finished product might look like, I was extremely dissatisfied with the unprofessional way in which John conducts his business. 1) His emails are curt and have such poor grammar and spelling that I literally could not understand the message he was trying to convey to me at times. 2) Although I can appreciate, as he explained to me, that English is not his first language, if he cannot send an intelligible email in English, then he should hire a fluent English speaker as an assistant. 3) We made an appointment to meet at his warehouse, so that I could see some of the fabrics and designs in person and he didn't even show. Later, he told me that he was down the street and only 5 minutes late to our appointment due to traffic. If that had been the case, I would have definitely run into him, since I was at the warehouse for 20 minutes! 4) I STILL wanted to work with him, so I continued to wade through unintelligible emails and short responses, but in the end, decided I'd be better off doing business elsewhere. read more

I really don't see what some of these reviewers are so negative about...kind of makes me wonder what the rest of their lives are like. I got John's name and number from a carpet cleaner I used (Clean Nest, by the way...) and he quoted me half the price of another upholsterer. I went to his factory in Sun Valley, chose the fabric...I was offered other fabrics at an additional cost, but I didn't need anything fancy. I made my choice, no "upsell" no issues at all. He came to pick up chairs the next week, promised a few weeks in shop, and brought them back yesterday. Everything looks terrific; my once mauve colored chairs, nearly 45 years old, are now teal blue to pick up some color in my living room. I NEVER ran into a problem with John as a few here have said. Maybe these are the kinds of people John doesn't want to deal with...or anyone else for that matter. Perhaps their lives are filled with negativity...you get back what you give. Thanks John, for a very painless and pleasant experience. I wish I had more chairs for you to do. read more

Update: About a week after we posted our earlier reviews, we finally received a call back from John. He sited a family emergency as reasoning, and said he had to suddenly leave town. While I can fully relate to having to drop everything and be with family, I also know that in the business that I run, it is my responsibility to alert clients of closures or a change in their products or appointments. It certainly would not be okay for me to disappear and not contact my clients or respond to messages within 24 hours, much less upwards of 14 days. We finally spoke with John when he returned to town and to work, and set up a new delivery date of two and a half weeks after the original delivery date. When we were at the warehouse and set up the original delivery, we specifically checked that "they" would deliver the couch and bring it up the stairs to our third floor walk-up apartment. We went over it a few times, just to be sure: "...And you'll bring it up the stairs? Stairs aren't a problem, right?" John assured us there would be no problem and that was that. Fast forward to the delivery and John was the delivery guy. How was this one person going to bring a sectional couch up three flights of stairs? Well, he didn't want to. He was just going to drop off the merchandise. He remembered nothing of our conversation and agreement. Thank goodness my boyfriend was home for the delivery and not me alone, because he had to help John get the couch up the stairs. If it were just me, what would we have done? I certainly would not have been able to lift said couch up three flights of stairs. So now we have the couch and we do love it. It's comfortable to sit and lay, and it's the perfect size and color for our cozy apartment. The sectional pieces weren't connected so we had to purchase a connector to attach them (so they wouldn't move apart), but other than that we are super satisfied with the finished product. I run a small business as well, and above all the talent and passion I have for the product I sell, it is my superior customer service that keeps clients coming back. I was hoping that was what we would receive from John and "U Design It Sofa Company" when we first walked into the warehouse that day, but sadly it was not. All in all, the product is great and we are happy with our purchase; however, we will not be using this company again for our future custom furniture needs. read more

John's been making mid-century modern furniture, since...well...the mid-century! He made me a perfect florence knoll style sofa in marigold tweed. I even got to pick the wood finish of the dutch frame. Originally, I'd thought of buying a similar sofa from Thrive, but got sticker shock. That's why I'm so glad I found John, because his quality is excellent and the price was really reasonable. For the cost of a "better" IKEA sofa, I got a hand-made, custom piece. I also didn't have any issues with his customer service. All my interactions with him were positive and he delivered my sofa on time and as specified. Thank you John for a great experience. **** Update: Just saw John again to pick up some matching bolster pillows. It's been 3 months, and I haven't had any issues with my couch. None of the buttons or the seams have come off, and it settled in nicely. read more

U Design It Sofa - Mid-century perfection: Custom made sofa with marigold tweed and cherry wood base. The pillows are button tufted front and back. - Furniture Stores Near Me - Sun Valley, California

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BUYER BEWARE!! This place actually deserves zero stars. I went here after my friend bought a sofa from John and was raving about the great deal she got. Here was mistake #1! Even though a friend recommends something, you should always do your own research and look at the furniture on display carefully. I had been looking for a sectional for a couple years and was too overly excited when I heard I could get a custom sectional for less than typical retailers. I raced over there and quickly pulled up Yelp before entering. I saw that they had 4 stars and didn't bother to read the reviews. 30 mins later I had spent nearly $1500 on a sectional including delivery. I paid a 60% deposit that same day. (Some would consider that mistake #2) The quality is awful and he will not give you your money back. He will try to fix the poor quality but will come back with the exact same thing. After a lot of arguing he will offer to make you something new but why would I want something new if it will be the same horrible quality??? Save yourself a ton of stress and do not go here. I ended up buying another sofa at Floor Plan LA and love it. read more

Amazing craftsmanship and customer service! Delivered and set up! Lots of styles to choose from. read more

U Design It Sofa - Beautiful custom sofa! Thank you for an incredible job! - Furniture Stores Near Me - Sun Valley, California

So glad we found these guys! The owner John is very nice, and a straight shooter. We got a beautiful mid-century style sofa, ottoman, and armchair all for under $1500, such a great deal! They were done in 3 weeks and are gorgeous and sturdy. Highly recommended! read more

i definitely dont recommend you to buy any sofas from this company.. i had very bad experience and bad service from john.. not even a week when the buttons started to pop out .. and when i told jonh he gave me attitude and was willin to come and fix them 2 weeks after.. by then i didnt even want to see his face and he told me to bring the sofas is workplace when i live like an hour away from sun valley.. not happy with the sofas, oh and he also keep on sayin that the fabric of the sofas is very resistant and blah blah blah, my sofas started to unstitch in less than 2 weeks... ' read more

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I had john design me a large mid century sectional. he drew up the design exactly to what I wanted and custom built it for me. his materials are all top quality microfiber and has a huge selection of colors. lifetime warrenty on the wood framing. took him about 8 weeks and they delivered it and set it up. it was worth the wait. the couch was 11' x 12'. it was a big couch and a great price. most places wanted more money for a smaller couch and cheaper material. I'll be talking to him more about chairs sometime soon read more

U Design It Sofa - Furniture Stores Near Me - Sun Valley, California

John's the man. Built my sofa exactly to my specs and delivered on time. Price was great and workmanship is out of this world. Highly recommended!! read more

U Design It Sofa - Love it! - Furniture Stores Near Me - Sun Valley, California

I originally wanted a Joybird but didn't want to wait 6+ weeks so we started looking elsewhere, called a couple places but everyone else wanted 6 weeks. U Design It said depending on the fabric, could be made in as little as one week so I made the drive from Orange County. Was well worth it! They made a slight variation of their floor model (based on a photo I provided) so that it would look like the joybird I had been eyeing. Was even able to upgrade some features but still spent less. I will say... there were some small imperfections in the stitching on some of the floor models, I decided that once it's in my house, nobody would notice so I went ahead with it, especially after looking closely at Joybird pics on their IG... my sofa came out way better than some of the stuff I see on their IG. So, if you are looking for a fancy storefront, you will not find it here but who cares.... I love love love my sofa and it was a screaming good deal and didn't take forever to get... doesn't get much better. Added bonus, it's comfy too. read more

I had two couches, a regular bench and 2 storage benches made by John and I love all of them. To be honest, it was not a totally smooth process. I don't have time for details right now, but basically John took several weeks longer than he estimated in the beginning and he didn't seem to keep the notes I gave him on my orders so some things were not exactly the way I had asked for. And I think he rushed my order because I was pressing him hard on an exact deliver date and the craftsmanship on just the one couch was less than excellent. He remade it for me without hesitation. It's perfect and totally beautiful. I see a few reviews that say they can't get in touch with John. I believe he is a good man and an honest, if not perfect, businessman. He was relatively easy for me to get in touch with and if he is consistently not answering, I think it's because he's just too busy. I do not think he would take your money. The whole reason I saw those bad reviews was because we're ready to buy another couch for the office I'm decorating and I'm considering special ordering from John again. I wanted to see the pictures again for design ideas. This time I will be extremely specific about what I want and I will probably send my notes to John several times just to make sure he is totally certain about what I want. I will also expect to add a few weeks to my completion date. It's an amazing thing to be able to custom order furniture with the fabrics that you want. I picked out some funky combinations that look amazing. I'll try to post pix soon. John is good. I would happily order from him again. And, he's reasonably priced. read more

Over the moon with my new couch! And looks more expensive than what I actually paid for it - a beautiful dark blue - almost Navy - microfiber kinda velvet-y shiny chenile-ish fabric. Very comfy - good enough to sleep on! (I opted for the single seat cushion.) I feel like I am copying design goddess Emily Henderson for a fraction of the budget she has. And John and his man very kindly delivered it all the way up to my walk-up - the same day I purchased it! They even brought my old couch back DOWN to the neighbors on the floor below me! My stairs are a bit narrow and windy - but they got it up un-scathed - thanks to the plastic wrapping they put on it. I wasn't even sure the couch would make it up my old-timey Echo Park stairs. (I actually chose to buy the floor model, which had only been on the floor less than a week. Hey - If it ain't broke!) Skip IKEA couches and come here for a little bit more money and a LOT more style. I can't believe I almost bought an IKEA couch just to save a couple hundred bucks on some banal eye sore. You're gonna be looking at your couch for years to come. Now I just have to upgrade everything ELSE in my apartment because the couch is definitely the best looking thing in the place. John clearly works hard and has been doing this a long time. Very nice and respectful guy. read more

John was fantastic! Our sofas are incredible. I brought him pictures of love seats from Macy's and the Roberto set from zgallerie. He made the sofas exactly like the designer ones for SO much less!!! I highly recommend him and will be using him again soon!!! Thank you, John!!! read more

U Design It Sofa - Furniture Stores Near Me - Sun Valley, California

I was really pleased with the service and the sofa. John was very friendly, professional and responded to calls quickly, even when he was on vacation. The sofa is beautiful. It was fun designing it myself. The only thing I'd say in the negative column is that the sofa isn't as cushiony as some I've sat on, but it's mid-cenutry modern so the pillows aren't as thick as on modern-style sofas. John and another man delivered it and they walked all the way up to my 4th story walk-up apartment with the sofa. For the price, this is a great deal. You'd pay as much for some Ikea sofas and these are hand-crafted and made to order. Definitely worth it! read more

We were looking for a sectional sofa that had to be made to order due to my short stature and couches out there are all one size. U design it sofa co was the second company we were serious about and are so glad we didn't go with the first one. The first company was double the cost and we felt very pressured to add this and that on to the cost.At U Design It Sofa Company We got just what we wanted at a very reasonable price with excellent workmanship. The sofa is even more beautiful than we expected and John was easy to deal with. Thank you for your beautiful, comfortable and perfect fitting sofa. Debbie H Woodland Hills read more

We were so lucky to find John - we needed a long sectional to fit in our new living room, but were really picky about the color and style - never realized a custom piece could compare to the price of pre-made furniture!! John was incredibly nice and flexible with our budget, too! The whole process was seamless and sooo much better than buying from a regular furniture store!! John kept us updated the whole time by txt, which was extremely convenient. He even delivered it for a small fee. We LOVE our new couch and are so glad we could support a hard-working local craftsman, too!!! The quality of his work is absolutely amazing for the price! It seems the negative reviewers didn't check out his shop before buying. We are SO happy with our purchase! I highly recommend stopping by John's shop if you're considering a custom furniture piece!! read more