Unbiased Review: Leather Pottery Barn Recliner 2 Years Later
A brutally honest, unbiased review of the Tyler Pottery Barn Recliner, its pros/cons to consider, if it’s worth the money, and why it’s not for everyone.
Our living room got a new addition in the form of Pottery Barn recliners 2 years ago, and I’ve never been so happy to lose a battle over furniture with my husband.
I’m constantly asked about how we’ve liked these recliner chairs as we have lived with them the past couple of years. So we’ll dive into our brutally honest, unsponsored review.
Rug | Coffee Table | Recliners | Lamps | End Tables | Fan | Sconces | Tree | Basket | Statue Planter | Pillow | Blanket | Fireplace Screen | TV
For four years, we stuck with our IKEA Stocksund chairs that served us well.
As comfortable as they were for the inexpensive price tag (they were great as far as IKEA goes), Robert had been dying for a recliner from Day 1.
How to Choose a Good Recliner Chair
Everyone’s opinion will differ, of course, because everyone’s style, comfort preference, and way of living is different.
When furniture shopping, consider the following for the perfect recliner chair:
- Aesthetically pleasing – a chair that won’t disrupt the decorating style in your room
- Comfort – considering how the chair feels in sitting, reclining, and lying positions
- Ease of use – fits into your lifestyle needs with features like a swivel, rising, power, or stationary
- Longevity – selecting quality upholstery made of a performance fabric or top grain leather that will last versus an upholstery that stains or damages easily
- Price – often recliners are priced to “get what you pay for”; consider if price or quality matters more to you and where you can compromise on your budget or features you want in a chair.
Why We Chose a Pottery Barn Leather Recliner
We bought the Tyler Square Arm Down Blend Churchfield Camel Leather Recliner without Nailheads because it ticked all of those boxes for us. Our recliners were delivered in July 2021.
- Low profile so they look like armchairs rather than recliners when in the upright position.
- Comfortable with soft yet supportive down blend cushions you can sink right into.
- High quality materials of top grain leather and down blend for super longevity.
- Classic design with clean lines that will stand the test of time and fits into many interior design styles.
I wanted to give us time to break them in and see how they held up against our rough and rowdy bunch before completely formulating an opinion on them.
There are some things we love about these Pottery Barn recliners and some things we’re not so keen on.
RELATED: You can see more of our favorite modern recliner chairs here.
If you’ve ever had the Tyler recliners on your wish list, I broke down our totally unbiased, brutally honest review in a pros/cons list.
We bought these leather recliners ourselves, and my opinions are unbiased about them.
Pottery Barn Recliner Pros
Comfort
This recliner is legitimately the most comfortable high-leg recliner I’ve ever sat in.
We were able to “test drive” the Tyler recliner in the Pottery Barn store. The moment we tried it out, we knew it was perfect.
Supportive, Soft Cushions
The down blend cushions are so soft that allow you to sink in with just enough support. I highly recommend visiting a local Pottery Barn store so that you can try them out in person before deciding to purchase.
Soft Leather
The leather feels like butter! We chose the color Churchfield Camel, which is a warm, caramel brown made of 100% top grain leather.
Sleek Design
I love that the high leg design with the tailored clean lines make these chairs look modern and don’t scream “I’m a recliner!” the second you walk into a room. They look more like accent chairs with the square legs.
They’re not bulky unlike many other recliners out there so they don’t take up nearly as much space but are still roomy enough to be comfortable.
Chair Delivery
I have heard of others not having the same experience as we did, but our white glove delivery service couldn’t have been better.
The delivery team showed up on time on the day we scheduled, set up our recliners, double checked everything with us, and went on their merry way. No issues.
It’s possible ours was so smooth because we live near a major furniture hub in the Charlotte, NC area, so if you live far away from a distribution facility, your experience may differ.
Pottery Barn Recliner Cons
Wear Over Time
Leather Patina
If you are a perfectionist, do not get these recliners. This is one of those chairs that requires you to embrace scuffs and natural wearing of leather.
Our 11 year-old and 5 year-old kids have not been easy on the leather, despite us setting rules with them that they are not to horseplay on them or eat/drink on them. Our Yorkie mix dog hasn’t been gentle on them either, so they do show signs of use.
But we also knew they would show signs of life and have a rich patina over time. We’re okay with that.
Maintenance Tip: To increase the longevity of your leather and improve its appearance with wear, use a leather protector care kit every 1-6 months, depending on how often you sit in your chairs.
Cushion Sagging
Over time, the cushions can start to look a little frumpy.
Because they are down blend, the seats need some fluffing from time to time and have a softer feel. But the upside is down blend cushions tend to last longer than regular foam cushions because they are higher quality. Even with down, they still have great cushion support.
Limited Reclining Features
There are only 3 positions on this particular Pottery Barn recliner. If you like to have complete control of your recline, this one might not be the best choice.
Power Recliner vs Manual Recliner
If you want a wide variety of reclining positions, there is a power version that provides more versatility with that.
You need a little bit of arm strength to force the seat back into recline since it is a push back style without a hand lever (again something the power recliner version can resolve).
If you’re looking for a recliner well suited for someone elderly or very little strength, I’d steer clear of the manual one. It’s hard to keep in a fully reclined position sometimes without a bit of extra force.
Size
For anyone taller than 6′, the height of the chair back could be an issue. Thankfully, most brick and mortar stores carry this chair so you can try it out in store before buying.
UPDATE: Pottery Barn now makes size options for a Tall Recliner (41″) and an Extra Tall Recliner (45″).
The standard size isn’t at all a problem for us, but the size could be a deal breaker for others. Robert and I are both about 5′ 7″ and our heads just rest on the back of the chair.
They’re also really heavy so it’s hard to move furniture.
High Price
In the end, this is definitely one of those you-get-what-you-pay-for kind of furniture purchases. For this specific Pottery Barn Tyler square arm recliner we chose, it currently costs $1,999 for one chair (at time of this posting).
These recliners were a splurge for us, but the down blend cushions and top grain leather make them worth the price due to their longevity.
However, Pottery Barn runs sales very frequently and typically the best time to buy is during the Buy More, Save More sale for 25% off.
Warranty
Please note that the biggest negative of all is Pottery Barn does not offer a furniture warranty. Pottery Barn does, however, offer a 30-day money back guarantee.
Furniture companies like La-Z-Boy, on the other hand, have a lifetime warranty that covers mechanical parts, spring assembly, and frame parts for recliners.
The reason we chose Pottery Barn is because I much prefer the style of their recliner designs, and so far, after over 2 years, we’re still happy with the quality.
Overall Pottery Barn Tyler Recliner Chair Review
All in all, we are really pleased with our decision to buy these recliners. I will say movie night at our house has never been sooooo comfortable!
(By the way, you can see our brutally honest review of the Samsung Frame TV here too.)
Here is how the recliners looked in our living room after 1 month.
And here is how the recliners look in our living room after 2 years.
Do you have a recliner you absolutely love?! Tell me your recs or personal leather recliner reviews in the comments so we can keep this post going as a helpful resource.
That yummy warm leather does make it feel a touch more like fall in here, which I love. And really, it might be the only fall decorating we do this year with all of the construction still happening in the front of the house.
More Product Reviews for Your Living Room
Frequently Asked Questions
According to Forbes, the top rated recliner brands are West Elm, Pottery Barn, Latitude Run, Raymour & Flanigan, and Ashley Furniture. La-Z-Boy is top rated by Consumer Reports.
Quality recliners last about as long as sofas: 7 to 15 years. Leather chairs can last up to 20 years, especially ones made of heirloom quality leathers.
Power recliners usually last longer than manual recliners because of their gentle, controlled movements that create less wear on the mechanisms over time.
I purchased the Tyler Leather recliner with nailheads roughly 3 years ago and absolutely loved it. I worked part time at Potterybarn years ago and always planned on buying a leather chair from there when I could afford one. However I recently discovered that the hinges to recline the chair have been tearing up the cushion. I emailed their customer service, but because I was outside my 1 year warranty, there was nothing they could do and they pointed me to either a furniture repair place in my area and/or gave me some sku numbers for buying replacement cushions. Honestly am quite disappointed in the response I received as the chair is quite expensive and you would think for the price it would be quality made and last more than 3 years that kind of wear would occur. My next step is to go to the store to see if I have better luck, will reply to this post if I have better luck going that route.
Thank you for such a great review. The Wife (Liz) and I just (today) ordered one of the PB Tyler square arm recliners (vintage leather midnight) w/oxidized stain nailheads. I so excited to receive it. We are expecting it sometime late Nov early Dec. While we were there in the PB store (Orlando) we also ordered the Big Sur (slipcovered) loveseat with the double chaise and matching ottoman (32×32) We’re both very excited to receive everything. Again, thank you for your great review, I really enjoyed it.
I took delivery of two of these PB Tyler recliners (similar color leather) in July after waiting for months on delivery. I choose them because of their compact footprint and look to suit our small room. And yes, I sat on them in the store, but only for a short time obviously and not for 2 hours or anything. However, I must say I am very disappointed with the comfort of them after using now for over a month. My partner feels the same way. In the first recline position while watching a movie etc I find myself constantly shifting to try get comfortable. My lower back actually hurts from using them, and that’s never happened with any other furniture I’ve owned. Also the seat cushion is not that padded and you don’t really sink into it in a good way. And I find myself regularly trying to smooth it out after use to make it look less disheveled. Now I figure I need to buy lumbar cushions for them to try get comfortable on them. Also, it is difficult to keep down in the fully reclined position – that’s another big problem I have with them. In the upright position they are not comfortable either as the back seems too straight. All in all, I would certainly not buy these again and would not recommend them at all. To be honest I am very disappointed after spending almost $4000 for two armchairs (incl delivery) that I thought would be an upgrade in comfort from the 25 yr old armchairs that I replaced. In hindsight, the old ones were much more comfortable- ? Its never a good sign when reviews are not allowed, as is the case on the Pottery Barn website. Now I know why! It has put me off buying anything there again to be honest. I am toying with the idea of trying to sell them, such is my disappointment with them.
Oh, No! I hate to hear you are disappointed in the chairs. I will let you leave your review here for others to consider when thinking to purchase. I am really pleased with ours so far. But, I know they may not be for everyone.
We been in the market for a small sofa, do you the space. This is the exact color I was looking for. I found the exact sofa I’ve been looking for, but it’s way out our price range. Still looking. Will keep you informed on what we select. You space is totally breathtaking. I love EVERYTHING ABOUT IT! Thanks for
Ivory,
have you checked out Downeast Basics Home collection? They have a sofa/loveseat that is a beautiful cognac color and might have the look and price range you are looking for. We purchased the sofa, loveseat and chair in a fabric (when that was offered) several years ago. It has held up wonderfully.
I bought a recliner from club furniture that is identical to the Tyler from PB but the leather we choose doesn’t show distressing (it was an upgrade). We’ve had the chair for 3 months but so far no sagging in the cushions at all but probably to early to tell yet. We love love it! It was made in USA too so hoping that means quality.
do you remember the name of the recliner at club? PB is 6 months lead time!