Is Cisco Furniture Really Worth the Wait?
Lead times for upholstery are outrageous right now, believe me, we know, and we’ve done our research. Even RH and Pottery Barn are up to eight months, and that’s just what they are quoting when they receive the order. It could be longer. So when I tell you that it will take 11 months to get anything from Cisco, you shouldn’t be surprised. The big question we get asked is, “Is it worth the wait?” The simple answer is yes, yes, it is. I would even go so far as to say hell yes, it is!
There are three reasons I’ve been carrying Cisco Home furniture for almost 15 years: Craftsmanship, Design, and Values. First, let’s discuss how it’s made. Each piece of furniture is hand crafted from scratch. It’s literally a pile of wood, metal, foam, and fabric before we tell them what to make based on your specifications. One craftsperson ushers the piece from start to finish. Because no machines are used to make the furniture (when I say hand crafted, I mean hand crafted!), each piece has its own individual personality which makes it a work of art.
As for the quality of materials, Cisco makes heirloom quality furniture that you will have for as long as it suits your taste. Every piece is made with kiln dried hardwood like Maple or Alder. There is no pressed board or laminate wood like you find in mass produced furniture. All the wood is sourced from FSC certified companies within North America and frames are reinforced with double dowelled stress joints, counter sunk screws, and corner blocks. They build the support option into each frame as opposed to dropping in a support option that came from off the shelf. All of which makes every piece stronger than most. Natural fabrics are their go to options, but they do offer some performance fabrics. They can also change the length or depth of a sofa if you need to fit a certain space.
Their design is timeless. Ranging from modern to transitional to classic, their designs are nuanced and beautifully executed. Compare their designs to anyone and you’ll see what I mean: the proportions are spot on, the pillows are part of the personality of the sofa and not just an afterthought, the lines are clean and the curves gentle.
Finally, their values are closely aligned with mine. Owner Cisco Pinedo loves his family as much as I love mine. Though he goes so far as to employ his, where mine won’t have anything to do with the stores. His daughters, wife, brothers, and many more work with him. He loves food. At every market you can find him in the kitchen feeding all his customers. He believes as I do that bringing people together around food creates fellowship. The company gives back to the community. Cisco has started two non-profits to give back to his community. META (Making Education The Answer) provides young Latinx people in Southern California college scholarships and educational mentorship and the other is Refoundry, a group that provides formerly incarcerated people the skills and opportunities to achieve financial independence. And, since starting in 1990, Cisco has been sustainable. Before anyone else they were using FSC certified wood, organic materials, and natural fabrics. They even were founding members of the Sustainable Furnishings Council. When you buy a Cisco sofa or chair, you are doing right by the planet.
If all that is not enough, I will tell you that Cisco is a better product and can even beat RH’s prices. Compare the Louis 78” sofa from Cisco and the 72” Cloud Track Arm sofa from RH. They are a similar shape, and both have the extra side pillows. However, the Louis can be slipcovered or upholstered. The RH sofa with their membership price would be $4,346. The Louis in the Essentials collection would be $3,936 every day and $3,543 during our upholstery sale, which has been extended through the end of March!
So, you can see that my love for Cisco runs deep. It’s a company that I wholeheartedly believe in and think you would too if you had one of their beautiful pieces in your home. If you’d like to learn more then please stop by the store to meet with one of our team members or email hellothere@redbarnmercantile.com!
