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Kova Atelier

Buying Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have a showroom?
No. That is deliberate. A showroom is a cost the customer pays for in the price of the piece, and it only helps the customers who live near it. What we do instead: free material samples sent to your home, and a thirty minute video consultation with someone who can answer anything a showroom would.
Can I see the piece before I buy it?
Order free swatches. Real material samples, sent at no cost, so you can judge colour and texture in your own light. Full aniline leather in particular reads completely differently in afternoon light than it does on a screen. And book a consultation. Thirty minutes, video, with someone who knows the pieces. No cost and no obligation.
Where is it made?
In Europe, by a family run workshop that has been building upholstered furniture for over thirty years. The leather comes from Italian tanneries. The Harris Tweed is woven in the Outer Hebrides. The wood is natural hardwood, certified under European Union directives.
Is it really handmade, or is that marketing?
Every sofa is upholstered by hand, by a team of three hundred people who have been doing this work for decades. The deep buttoning in particular cannot be done any other way, because each button has to be pulled by someone reading the material in front of them. The frames are machine cut for accuracy. Everything after that is done by hand.
How do I choose between In Stock and Made to Order?
Choose In Stock if you want it now. Those pieces are ready and ship from our warehouse in Greensboro, North Carolina. Choose Made to Order if you want a specific material or configuration and can wait while it is made for you. Same craft either way. The only real difference is timing and choice.
Do you offer financing?
Yes. Klarna, Affirm and Afterpay are available at checkout. With these, your order is paid in full upfront on our side and the provider manages your instalment plan directly, on the terms you agree with them. On a Made to Order piece you will see both options clearly at checkout: 50% deposit today with a card, or paid in full with flexible financing.
Do you ever have sales?
Occasionally, and when we do it is a real event with a start and an end. We do not inflate a price so we can mark it down later, and you will never find a countdown clock on this site that resets every week.
Do you ship to Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico?
Yes, quoted separately. Email info@kova-atelier.com with the piece you want and your address and we will send you a delivery quote.
What does the 50/50 payment mean?
For Made to Order pieces paid by card, you pay 50% today to begin the work, and the remaining 50% is charged automatically on the date shown in your confirmation. The deposit becomes non refundable once the change window closes and production begins. At that point the hide or the cloth has been cut for your piece and cannot go back on the shelf. You can change or cancel free of charge within 48 hours of ordering. Tell us at info@kova-atelier.com and we will make the change before anything is cut. We state this at checkout, in your confirmation, and here, because we would rather over explain it than surprise you with it.
What if my delivery arrives damaged?
Check the piece before the delivery team leaves. Look it over and note anything you see on the delivery receipt. That receipt is what protects you. Then send photographs to info@kova-atelier.com within 14 days of delivery and we will repair, replace or refund it. Keep the packaging until the matter is closed. After 14 days we cannot tell our damage from the world's, and neither can you.
How does made to order work, and why does it take 10 to 12 weeks?
Made to order pieces are upholstered in Europe only after you place your order, not pulled from a warehouse. That process, plus scheduling delivery to your home, is why made to order pieces are delivered in 10 to 12 weeks.
How does delivery work?
In Stock pieces are ready now, shipping from our warehouse in Greensboro, North Carolina. Most orders leave within a few business days. Delivery is 299 dollars for the first piece and 149 dollars for each additional piece, anywhere in the continental US. Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico are quoted separately.
What does the warranty cover?
The frame carries a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser, non-transferable if the piece is sold or gifted. Leather is covered by a separate two year warranty against defects in material and workmanship. Natural characteristics of full-aniline leather (scars, wrinkles, grain variation, patina from use) are not defects and are not covered, and neither is damage from cleaning products, steam, or heat.
What is the difference between leather and Harris Tweed?
Leather is a smooth, wipeable hide finish. Harris Tweed is genuine hand woven wool fabric from the Outer Hebrides, the only fabric in the world protected by its own Act of Parliament, with a warmer and more textured look. Several Kova pieces pair both in the same piece, tweed and hide meeting at a single seam.
How should I care for my Kova Atelier piece?
Wipe leather clean with a soft, slightly damp cloth and keep it out of direct sunlight. Vacuum fabric and Harris Tweed pieces regularly with a soft brush attachment, treat spills right away with a clean dry cloth, and avoid harsh chemical cleaners on either material. Our full Care Guide covers each material step by step.
What if I do not like it when it arrives?
In Stock pieces: 14 days from delivery, a 10 percent restocking fee, you pay return freight, and the piece comes back in its original packaging. If it is returned because it did not fit, the refund is issued as store credit instead. Made to Order pieces: 48 hours to change or cancel for free, after that the 50 percent deposit is not refundable because the materials have already been cut for your piece. Bespoke commissions are final: no returns, exchanges or cancellations.