The Furniture Joint

I took a class with Matthew I cannot find words to describe this arrogant, self absorbed «diva wannabe». He talked down to anyone specially the older men who asked questions within five minutes after instructions were given. He’s unprofessional, cocky, very tacky, arrogant and a total rip off.
Do not recommend. Run for the hills as fast as you can!!!

I took the upholstery class from Joint furniture and it was a great experience. I have taken similar upholstery class from other school before spending just about same money with the same concept; means you will make your own ottoman in the class. Overall, I think the class offers a richer content and you will be taking a better quality ottoman to your home. Compare to the other class that I took, they taught me a lot more of professional furniture making procedures so if you are serious about learning upholstery, this is the place you want to go. The instructor Matthew is strict and intimidating, but if you ask questions he will answer the questions and he will make sure that you understand it. I learned a lot from the class so I definitely will take their advanced upholstery class :)

This place is a total nightmare: over priced and does not perform the services correctly. The worst part is the incredibly unprofessional and rude manner in which a customer is treated by the owner.
Matthew Haly is horrible to as someone who is dealing with your personal items and is so arrogant and combative. He is a complete rip off. Please take your items to Wolf Home, they are lovely and do what you ask for.
Truly feel sorry for anyone that has to deal with him. Please find someone else to repair your furniture. Would give him no stars if that was possible.

I agree with the previous reviewer that Matthew Haley is a diva and not in a good way. 3 ½ years ago I redecorated my apartment using professionals decorators. They directed me to The Furniture Joint for a custom made couch. My very expensive couch is now being repaired by another upholsterer because the frame was not strong enough. Keep in mind there are no children in my apartment nor pets.
I contacted Matthew through my decorator (who took pictures of the damaged couch with a camera phone) and based on these pictures quoted me $ 500 for the repair and approximately $ 500 in delivery charges. He had told the decorator that he could do the job at my apt. but when speaking to me that changed. When I asked him how he could quote me on something he hadn’t seen and wasn’t he the least bit embarrassed/​curious that the sofa was in need of repair after less than 4 years he went on a rant saying that he had no idea how I treat my furniture, nor did he make the fabric and since he had made furniture for over 10 years for all sorts of people including celebrities I was rude and he does not deal with people like me. Although, he did wish me a good life.
Refusing to give him one more penny I called a new upholsterer who informed me that short of an elephant sitting on the couch there is no way the frame should have weakened the way it has in such a short time. And he did repair it in my apartment. I would also like to point out that the fabric (velvet) looks brand new thus negating Matthew’s view that it is something I did,.
Things happen — maybe someone else put the couch together rather than the perfectionist Matthew — but to not even come and see what the problem is — really adds to the overall feeling of being completely ripped-​off. I wouldn’t recommend The Furniture Joint to anyone ever!

The furniture at the joint is top shelf. Matthew Haly is a master of his field, his attention to detail and strive for perfection sets The Furniture Joint apart from the competition. So naturally when I decided I must learn upholstery in my lifelong quest to be the ultimate know-​it-​all, I signed up for classes at The Furniture Joint.
Then sh*t got real. Haly’s class isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s much more boot camp than hobby class. Properly upholstering an ottoman is serious work, and Matthew doesn’t let you cut corners or baby you along the way. His teaching style may be a bit tough for some, but it’s effective; at the end of the course you walk away with a beautifully constructed ottoman and a solid base level knowledge of upholstery.
I highly recommend his class… but wear your big boy pants. It’s not an easy 10hrs, but it’s certainly worthwhile.

I took the upholstery class offered by Matthew Haly that was $ 475 for 10 hours.
Pros: 1) You get to take home a quality ottoman at the end of class that was MOSTLY completed by you (see below). Very exciting. 2) The assistant (not the instructor) is very patient and kind even though he doesn’t speak much English. 3) You get a «free» copy of the instructor’s upholstery book. He’ll even sign it for you if you ask nicely. 4) The instructor, Matthew Haly, speaks with an accent (I think he’s from New Zealand) and wears pink. That pleased me.
Cons: 1) When there isn’t enough time to complete all the steps in class, Haly will complete the steps for you outside of class. This causes you to miss some important steps in the building of the ottoman. 2) Haly is such a Diva, and not in the Gaga way! When asked on the first day how long he had been teaching the class, Haly said, I presume half jokingly, too long and that hopefully this was the last class he would ever have to teach. Needless to say, he wasn’t the most inspirational instructor I’ve had. Also, be prepared for derision that is borderline flirtatious (at best) if you are handcraft-​challenged, because even though you may never have loaded a staple gun in your life, Haly will not hesitate to hold up the lesson and wait for you to load it properly yourself before moving on. He may also stare or laugh at you when you ask a question, don’t understand a step, or make a mistake. 3) The supplies for upholstering are expensive so if you plan to continue upholstering after the course, prepare to spend at least $ 400 more to get all the basic supplies you need to apply the skills you learned in class. 4) Most of the time, Haly tells you WHAT to do, not WHY you should do it that way. So you end up learning the steps that are involved in building the ottoman, but you don’t really have a good understanding of how to apply those skills to other projects that you may want to tackle.
All in all, I think Furniture Joint makes good furniture and I am happy with the ottoman that I helped bring into existence. But Haly is not the best of instructors and the class was more stressful than fun. I would recommend spending the $ 475 on quality supplies and a book on upholstering and following youtube or eHow videos instead.