Havertys is known for its classic and transitional furniture collections that balance timeless style with accessible, mid-range pricing, making it a go-to for furnishing entire rooms with a cohesive look. In contrast, La-Z-Boy is famous for its world-class recliners and focuses primarily on comfort, ergonomic design, and durable, family-friendly seating.
Let's break down everything you need to know to choose the right furniture brand for your home.
Havertys: The Versatile & Well-Crafted Home Brand
Havertys is a long-standing furniture retailer that offers complete collections for the home, emphasizing quality craftsmanship and enduring style. The brand appeals to customers who appreciate traditional and transitional design aesthetics and are looking to invest in durable, well-made pieces without the luxury price tag. Their showrooms provide a curated experience where you can see entire living room, dining room, and bedroom sets working together.
- Product mix: A wide range of home furniture, including sofas, sectionals, dining sets, beds, mattresses, home office furniture, and decor. Havertys is particularly strong in offering coordinated collections.
- Style/vibe: Classic, transitional, and modern farmhouse. Designs prioritize elegant lines, understated details, and versatile appeal that can fit into many different interior styles.
- Price point: Mid-range and value-focused. Sofas typically start around $800, and full dining sets often range from $1,000–$3,000. It's positioned as an accessible step-up from entry-level brands.
- Quality: Havertys uses solid and engineered woods, with many pieces featuring kiln-dried hardwood frames for durability. They offer performance fabrics and high-density foam cushions on their upholstered items.
- Sales: Holds frequent sales events, especially around major holidays like President's Day, Memorial Day, and Black Friday, often with discounts on entire collections.
- Return policy: Offers a customer-friendly return policy, usually within a few days of delivery, aiming for customer satisfaction.
- Delivery & Assembly: Full-service delivery and home setup are available for a flat fee. Their teams will assemble furniture and remove packaging materials.
- Services: Offers complimentary in-store and online design services to help customers plan their spaces and choose coordinating pieces.
Havertys is an excellent choice for shoppers who want stylish, reliable furniture for their entire home and value the convenience of curated collections.
Shop Havertys: havertys.com
La-Z-Boy: The Name in Comfort & Ergonomics
La-Z-Boy is practically a household name synonymous with plush recliners and supreme comfort. While founded on its patented reclining chair, the brand has expanded to offer a full suite of living room furniture, including stationary sofas, sectionals, and chairs. Their core focus remains on ergonomic support, long-lasting durability, and customizable comfort for everyday life.
- Product mix: Primarily living room seating, including their iconic recliners, sofas, loveseats, sectionals, and sleeper sofas. Many of their sofas and sectionals have options for built-in reclining mechanisms.
- Style/vibe: Casual, cozy, and comfort-driven. While they offer various styles, the overall look often features plush cushions, soft lines, and an inviting, family-friendly feel.
- Price point: Mid-range to upper-mid-range. Classic recliners start around $400, while sofas generally begin at $1,000, with prices increasing based on features and upholstery choices.
- Quality: Renowned for sturdy frame construction and a durable, patented reclining mechanism. They use high-resilience foam cushions and offer a vast selection of performance fabrics and top-grain leathers.
- Customization: Extensive customization options are a key feature. Customers can choose from hundreds of fabrics and leathers, select cushion firmness, and add upgrades like power reclining, heat, and massage.
- Sales: Offers promotions throughout the year and bundle deals, especially on matching sofa and recliner sets.
- Return policy: Flexible return policies, though policies can vary by store location and for custom-ordered pieces.
- Delivery & Assembly: Provides in-home delivery and setup, ensuring products are correctly assembled and functional upon arrival.
La-Z-Boy is the definitive brand for consumers who prioritize a comfortable and relaxing seating experience above all else, especially those seeking ergonomic features.
Shop La-Z-Boy: la-z-boy.com
Havertys vs. La-Z-Boy Comparison
Price Comparison
Overall, Havertys tends to be slightly more budget-friendly across the board. Their sofa entry point is around $800, which provides great value for stylish, reliable furniture. They focus on delivering a quality product at a competitive mid-range price a family can afford.
La-Z-Boy's pricing starts a bit higher, with sofas often beginning at $1,000. This price reflects the engineering work in their frames, the quality of their reclining mechanisms, and the premium comfort components like high-resilience foam. While you might pay more, you're paying for specialized comfort technology and durability.
Style & Aesthetic
The style difference is one of the most significant distinctions between the two brands. Havertys focuses on classic, timeless, and transitional styles. Their furniture features clean lines, refined details, and a more structured appearance, making it easy to create a polished and curated look in a dining room or living space.
La-Z-Boy’s aesthetic is overwhelmingly dictated by comfort. Their designs are typically more casual and cozy, characterized by plush, overstuffed cushions and a bulkier silhouette designed for relaxation. While they have introduced more modern, streamlined designs, their core identity is rooted in creating a kick-back-and-relax atmosphere.
Quality & Construction
Both brands offer quality products designed to last. Havertys builds its furniture with kiln-dried hardwood frames and durable fabrics, ensuring their pieces hold up to everyday use. Their construction is solid, reliable, and consistent with good industry standards for mid-range furniture.
La-Z-Boy sets itself apart with its patented mechanisms and focus on ergonomic support. The construction of a La-Z-Boy recliner or reclining sofa is engineered for extensive, long-term use, and their frames are built to handle the stress of movement. They also tend to use high-quality foam and offer premium upholstery like top-grain leather, often backed by robust warranties.
Product Selection
Havertys is a full-line furniture store. You can furnish nearly your entire home there, from the living room and bedroom to the dining room and home office. This makes it an ideal one-stop-shop for homeowners who want a cohesive feel throughout their space and prefer to buy from matching collections.
La-Z-Boy is a seating specialist. While they have expanded their product line, their core expertise and widest selection are in recliners, sofas, and sectionals. If your primary goal is finding the perfect comfortable seating for your living room or den, La-Z-Boy offers an unmatched variety of options.
Shopping Experience
Visiting a Havertys showroom feels like walking through a well-designed home. The floor is set up in vignettes and collections, helping you visualize how pieces work together. They also offer complimentary design services to help guide your selections.
A trip to a La-Z-Boy showroom is centered on experience and testing. You're encouraged to sit, recline, and test the features of their seating. Their highly trained staff can walk you through hundreds of customization options, from fabric choices to power upgrades, to build the perfect chair or sofa for your body and needs.
Sustainability & Ethics
Both brands are taking steps toward more responsible manufacturing, but La-Z-Boy is more vocal about its certifications. Many La-Z-Boy products use materials certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and GREENGUARD Gold, ensuring lower chemical emissions for better indoor air quality. Havertys focuses on responsible sourcing and durability - creating pieces that last longer and stay out of landfills - but places less emphasis on specific eco-certifications in its marketing.
Which One Should You Choose?
The right choice comes down to what you value most: timeless household style or specialized seating comfort.
Choose Havertys if:
- Your priority is a classic, traditional, or transitional style that will not feel dated in a few years.
- You are furnishing an entire room (like a dining room or bedroom) and want to buy from a coordinated collection.
- You value a great balance of quality, style, and accessible mid-range pricing.
- You appreciate in-store design services to help create a complete look.
Choose La-Z-Boy if:
- Ergonomic comfort, lumbar support, and relaxation are your absolute top priorities.
- You specifically want a high-quality recliner or a sofa with reclining capabilities.
- You want to fully customize your seating with specific fabrics, finishes, and features like power or heat.
- You are furnishing a casual family room, den, or home theater where comfort is key.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Havertys or La-Z-Boy cheaper?
Havertys generally has a lower entry-level price point for its furniture, with sofas starting around $800. La-Z-Boy's furniture, especially its signature reclining pieces, often starts at a higher price due to the complex mechanisms and specialized comfort features.
Which has better quality furniture?
Both brands are known for good quality, but they excel in different areas. La-Z-Boy is considered a leader in frame construction and reclining mechanism durability, making its motion furniture exceptionally long-lasting. Havertys offers solid, well-crafted traditional furniture construction with durable materials across its entire range, from dining tables to bedroom sets.
Does La-Z-Boy only sell recliners?
No. While they built their reputation on recliners, La-Z-Boy now offers a wide variety of stationary (non-reclining) sofas, loveseats, chairs, sectionals, and even some case goods like coffee tables and consoles.
Which brand is better for families with kids and pets?
Both brands offer performance fabric options that are stain- and wear-resistant. However, La-Z-Boy is often preferred by families due to its focus on casual, "lived-in" comfort and its extremely sturdy construction designed for heavy use.
Can you customize furniture at both stores?
Yes, but to different extents. La-Z-Boy offers extensive customization on its upholstered furniture, with hundreds of fabrics and leathers, different cushion options, and add-on features like power and heat. Havertys offers some customization in a more limited capacity, typically allowing you to choose from a curated selection of fabrics for certain pieces.
What style of decor does Havertys suit best?
Havertys excels in traditional, transitional, and modern farmhouse aesthetics. Its collections are designed to feel timeless and elegant, fitting well into homes that favor classic and polished interior design.
Are La-Z-Boy recliners worth the money?
For most consumers focused on comfort and durability, yes. La-Z-Boy recliners are renowned for their quality construction, ergonomic support, and long-lasting mechanisms. They often come with strong warranties, making them a worthwhile investment for comfortable seating.
How long should I expect furniture to last from these brands?
With proper care, furniture from both Havertys and La-Z-Boy should last for many years. Many consumers report their La-Z-Boy furniture lasting over a decade, especially the reclining mechanisms. Havertys' well-built pieces are also designed for longevity, holding up well to the rigors of family life.
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