[renovating]

Originally Posted by pchhillar

I will appreciate if people could share their experiences with furniture stores in Ct. Any reviews on Raymour in Newington??

A coworker told me that costco has good furniture too...any input on that?

I have no idea about Costco furniture...but Raymour appeals to the younger, hipper crowd. Their furniture tends to be more trendy. They are middle of the road for pricing.

I, too, am a fan of Ethan Allen...their furniture is very high quality. Ethan Allen has come a long way in the last 20 years...they have appeal and pricing for everyone now and they even carry some really nice casual lines now. They are no longer outrageous prices and strictly formal furniture.

Many furniture companies have websites that are interactive and you can see how their furniture would look in a room you design. I would recommend EA, Thomasville, Bassett, Broyhill and even the very pricey Drexel Heritage. We bought our dining room set from them...an investment we have never regretted and get so much pleasure from, especially at the holidays! We will never have to get another dining room set in our lifetime.

HomeGoods is great for accent pieces and a table or chair here or there.

Sorry, but Bobs and Pilgrams are junk to me. Furniture should last...even with kids.

I recently was very hesitant to buy Ikea furniture but it turned out to be a great decision. I love it...I bought a sleeper sofa, chair and tv stand for our home office turned into playroom for the younger kids. The sofa and chair are slipcovered and I actually bought 2 different colors for them! The kids eat, jump, play on and with the cushions and so far they are holding up and they cost hardly anything, at all. I would recommend Ikea, as well.

Macy's and JC Penney seem to have a great selection and different styles, too.

[stewarthaas]

Pilgrim Furniture is good.

Never get from Bob's though.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by renovating

Sorry, but Bobs and Pilgrams are junk to me. Furniture should last...even with kids.

I do not agree with you about Pilgrim Furniture. I have checked what they offer and most of it is very good. They are national brands that are the same as other stores recommended offer. We just bought a set there last year and we are very pleased.

As for IKEA, I do not find their furniture to be well made at all. To me it is mostly furntiure that someone starting out would buy to furnish their first place until they can afford better quality. Plus their furniture tends to be contemporary while we prefer traditional. To each their own I guess. Jay

[TobinJ]

I think it really depends on what you're looking for...La-z-Boy has some nice recliners but I find their sofas to be uncomfortable. We found our very comfy sofa at Raymour and Flanagan. I wasn't a fan of Puritan for sofas or dining room furniture...in fact it reminded me of Bob's showroom. Ethan Allen makes nice furniture and we own some pieces...if you're buying something you want to keep a while or pass down (nice dining room set) this is the place to find it. Our coffee table is one of those Bob's flip up tables...good thing we got the warranty it's been replaced 3 times in 5 years due to a piece of wood falling off the bottom. You might try Kloter farms if you like rustic farm house type furniture...their stuff seems solid but we don't own any.

[Dusty Rhodes]

Good Furniture Places in Connecticut

UH, that would be like Living room, Dining room, Den, Bedroom, and to a lesser extent, Kitchen

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I do not agree with you about Pilgrim Furniture. I have checked what they offer and most of it is very good. They are national brands that are the same as other stores recommended offer. We just bought a set there last year and we are very pleased.

As for IKEA, I do not find their furniture to be well made at all. To me it is mostly furntiure that someone starting out would buy to furnish their first place until they can afford better quality. Plus their furniture tends to be contemporary while we prefer traditional. To each their own I guess. Jay

I agree Jay. We just purchased a bedroom set from Pilgrim and also looked at Bobs. Bobs was cheap in every way - we found glue and the wood was flimsy. We were impressed with Pilgrim - the furniture had no glue and it was quality construction. All the drawers had dovetail joints. We looked at Raymour but because we know three separate people who have had delivery issues (damaged), we opted against it. Plus we liked the set at Pilgrim better. They offered three years interest free for any set over 3k and had to put down delivery and tax.

I also agree with you on IKEA - stay away.

[renovating]

Originally Posted by JayCT

As for IKEA, I do not find their furniture to be well made at all. To me it is mostly furntiure that someone starting out would buy to furnish their first place until they can afford better quality. Plus their furniture tends to be contemporary while we prefer traditional. To each their own I guess. Jay

You know, a year ago I would have agreed with you...until I bought from them. We bought with the mentality that it is so reasonably priced that if it proves to be junk, we didn't waste too much. We have friends that love their stuff and sold us on it. And now, I love it, too. I am a Pottery Barn junkie and the Ikea furniture that I bought blends in very well with my PB furnishings. My home is also more traditional than contemporary...

I have no idea if people buy Ikea because they can't afford better quality or if they are just looking for a bargain but I will tell you the day we went it was packed with shoppers! It seems a popular place to shop. Is it EA or Drexel quality? No, I don't think so, but it certainly is worth what I paid for it. To each his own.

[renovating]

Originally Posted by TobinJ

. You might try Kloter farms if you like rustic farm house type furniture...their stuff seems solid but we don't own any.

I have never been to Klotter Farms as I live in the other part of the state but I have seen their ads on tv and it has always piqued my curiousity..do they have a large showroom? Do you know if it is anything like the Old Saybrook Country Barn? Which is a really great place to toodle around.....

[mels]

People think everything at Ikea is crap but it really isn't. They have some low end cheap stuff as well as some better quality stuff. Their mattresses, believe it or not, are great if you get the higher end kind (not the cheapest ones they sell) and you will save tons of $$ over Sleepy's and others. I've been sleeping on mine for 2 years and still love it. A friend of mine has a couch from there that has withstood three children under 10 for the past 7 years and it still looks great. Most of their stuff is no more junky than the national brands you will find anywhere else, you just won't pay the premium you will elsewhere. And you have to like modern Scandinavian furniture, of course.

[TobinJ]

You know I viewed Kloter's selection at the home show and Big E so I can't comment on their show room. The furniture was nice and well made tho.

As a Raymour customer I can say I didn't have a problem with delivery but I always try to schedule early morning delivery and service appointments...later in the day after they've had a problem or gotten backed up companies tend to be more off-schedule/late.

I should also mention that we had a Bob's leather living room set before we bought our present Raymour selection. It was well made and sure it wasn't Jennifer leather or La-z-boy but for the money it was a nice set...we decided leather wasn't cozy enough for us anymore and sold the set to someone on craigslist. Bob's shipping and their service (when they come to evaluate if we get a replacement table) persons are nice and typically on time. Another point about Bob's is that most of their furniture is Pine with a hardwood veneer or stain. Sure it is tehnically solid wood but not hard wood. A room mate of mine had a bed from them identical to my Sealy tho...

Ikea is what it is...they have some nice organizers, shelving, glassware but agree with other opinions it's just a bigger selection of Sauter build your own furniture...I'm passed the point where spending 3 hours on a bookshelf is a good use of my time but I had some Ikea/build your own stuff in my college days.