Right, I have a couple of pages from an unknown catalog with a picture
of a sofa on it.  It has a brown wooden base, slightly olive-green
upholstry, and cylindrical side cushions.  The only information listed
on the page is the dimensions, and what appears to be a model number. 
Dimensions, as they appear, are:

"W 84''"
"D 37''"
"AH 27''"
"SH 19''"
"OH 34''"

The model number (or what appears to be the model number) is shown
like "R | 2513" - there is a separator of some sort between the R and
the 2513.

20$ to the person who can find out the company that sells this sofa,
and hopefully a means to contact this company.

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Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 17 Jul 2005 09:49 PDT

sandinista...

The model number is likely to be tied to the producer
of the catalog, and it's also quite possible that that
company doesn't have a web presence.

It would be much easier, I believe, to identify the
catalog and the company that produced it, and go from
there.

If you could find a way to post any image(s) of the
pages you have, it might be possible to identify the
catalog.

sublime1-ga

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Clarification of Question by sandinista-ga on 17 Jul 2005 11:16 PDT

That's just it - I only have a few pages from the catalog, so
identifying who made the catalog will be hard.   I've uploaded
pictures of any and all pages I have from the catalog (only a few) -
the first are of the couch - the pictures are extra-big for your
benefit.  http://versiondub.maxmo.net/catalog_photos/ is the URL.

Thanks for your efforts.

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Request for Question Clarification by czh-ga on 17 Jul 2005 15:05 PDT

Hello sandinista-ga,

Thanks for the pictures. Now that we have them, please tell me what is
paramount in this search. Is your goal to identify who issued the
catalog or is your goal to find the sofa? I believe it would be
possible to find this sofa, or something very similar, if what you're
looking for is the sofa. It's a much tougher problem if what you're
looking for is the issuer of the catalog. The more background
information you can give, the more likely that we'll be able to find
what you're looking for.

I look forward to your clarification.

~ czh ~

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Clarification of Question by sandinista-ga on 17 Jul 2005 17:02 PDT

I'm looking for the Sofa, or more exactly, a price on the sofa.  An
architect friend of mine has offered to buy the sofa for me; however I
want to know whether or not he is getting a comission on it; hence I'm
unable to ask him where to buy the sofa/how much it will cost.  The
most important thing is to find out how to contact the company,
certainly; however, being able to find out how to get the couch is
also the point of finding the company so I suppose being able to find
that couch would suffice.

Thanks

Sandinista,

Your sofa appears to be by a company called A. Rudin based in Los
Angeles, California. The photos and the numbers match what you
provided.

Their website is "under development" but does include contact information.
A. Rudin
http://www.arudin.com/

You can see some photos of their pieces, including those you provided,
at a website for an A. Rudin representative.
M-Geough Furniture
http://www.mgeough.com/furniture/arudin2.htm

2513 Sofa
http://www.mgeough.com/furniture/images/arudin/Sofas/2513.jpg

As to getting a price, you should be aware that most furniture
manufacturers will not deal directly with individual consumers. They
will only sell and quote to representatives and designers. You may
need to go through an A. Rubin representative to get a comparison
price on this piece. If you contact A.Rudin, they are likely to direct
you to a showroom that handles your area.

I hope this information is helpful to you.

- Hammer


Search Strategy
----------------
Contacted a furniture manufacturer known to me and asked if they could
identify the pieces pictured.

sandinista...

Man, for a catalogue, they sure aren't advertising much information.
I've never in my life seen such an empty page in a catalogue. Sorry,
but it's nothing I recognize, and a search for the numbers turned up
nothing, either.

You might take the pages to the biggest furniture store you can find. 
Maybe a salesperson would recognize from the style of the photos  - or
of course, from the items -  which manufacturer presents its items
that way.

Thanks guys - I figured this would be a damned hard question.  I'll
probably end up talking to my architect friend, but certainly I'll
head to some furniture stores to see whether or not this catalog can
be identified.  Thanks-

I've been doing a lot of buying lately.  These photos look like pages
from a manufacturer's catalog, not a retail catalog that you would
find in your mail.  The company's name would be at the front of the
catalog and the prices would be in a separate section, or even a
separate book, referenced by the "R 2513" number.

Any good furniture salesperson would be able to give you more information.

I'm also guessing that it is an American manufacturer because the
measurements are in whole inches rather than centimeters or inches
converted from centimeters.

In case it is not obvious, AH = Arm Height, SH = Seat Height, OH = overall height.

BTW, I checked Mitchell Gold website.  Does not look like it is one of theirs.

When I read "An architect friend of mine has offered to buy the sofa
for me."  I assumed that he was indeed a very good friend as was
paying for it.  In which case, the cost would not matter to you.

But now I assume that he/she is using his/her trade credentials and
buying it from a design center of some other wholesale outlet.  I am
also assuming that he/she has given you a price he/she expects to be
paid for the sofa.  So your real question is, "can I sidestep my
friend and get it cheaper somewhere else?"

I think you are justified in expressing to your friend that you wish
to spend as little as possible for the sofa.  If the price is too
high, thank your friend for the offer and keep looking.

Ask your architect friend "I was talking so my friend Bob, and I told
him how much I loved the sofa you showed me.  He asked who made it and
I realized that I didn't know.  Can you tell me?"  If you are being
asked to pay good money for a fine piece of furniture, then you have
the right to know who made it.

The point is this:

If I was to say to my friend to buy the sofa, he would give me a
price.  Now, I have reason to believe that this price takes into
account a comission he would be making.  If I was to ask him what
company makes the sofa and how to contact the company, then he would
know what's up.  The point is, I've done some legal work for my friend
in the past, and I've always known he's been a bit weird about money. 
I want to see whether or not he's cheaping me or not, really.

Sandinista,
Okay, if you know that "he is wierd about money", I can understand.
Normally, I would assume that when a friend who was "in the trade"
offered to help me buy something, he would be able to buy it cheaper
and would pass on some of the savings to me.  So he takes a
commission; I still get it cheaper.
If he has grudged about the price of your legal help, getting you to
reduce it, maybe he thinks that this is an apportunity to do you a
favor in return.
I am still feeling good about people this morning. :-)
Myoarin

Oh no, I did the legal work happily for free - he's my friend,
afterall.  I just have my own reservations whether he will extend to
me the same favor.

Sandinista,
Well, then I can feel certainly good about you!  :)
I hope he does.
Myoarin