"Real" vs "fake" decor... (room, wood, dresser)

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by 2cold

Faux brick never, ever looks good.

We used a thin sliced brick to cover a repaired foundation on our old house (the rest of the foundation was brick. It matched very well and most people could not tell it was not original unless we pointed it out. That is not reall faux brick, it is real brick sliced to about 1.4 inch thick. Ths plastic panels just look like plastic panels. You would be better off just painting brick on the wall if you woant something that is just sort of representative of brick.

[nowitsshowtime]

The only thing I'm concerned about is flooring and counter top.

I have plenty of people that like the laminate look better, in one of our rooms, but the rest we refinished the old hardwood floor, and I think it looks 100 times better. It has so much more character, less cookie cutter, and down the road can easily throw laminate over it if the buyer wants.

Counter top I also think is always worth it to go with something nice over formica. At least a corian top. The cheap lamiante flooring is definitely what turns me off the most. High end is somewhat acceptable.

[funisart]

"Real" generally holds up better than "fake" and can be refinished.

Our homes have always had hardwood and tile. I also prefer a brick exterior because it is less maintenance. When we were first married (like many newly married couples) we mostly furnished with hand me downs. Over the years, almost 40, we have been able to collect and replace these with quality pieces that we love. We have an eclectic, modern, but mostly uncluttered-comfortable decor. We prefer leather. Easier to keep clean, especially with pet hair. Our dining room table has been refinished 4 times, and it looks like after our granddaughter gets out of toddler-hood, we will refinish the top again. My studio is furnished with Ikea Varde free standing kitchen cabinets. Not considered by many as quality, but very sturdy and practical--mostly "real." Sometimes I wish the floor in the studio was a cheap laminate that I could mess up and replace. It is tile and I have to keep it covered.

I am an artist, so we only hang, and collect originals. With the exception of photography, I would only buy hand pulled prints. There is a lot of good art out there by local and regional artists. Or do your own. A wall of framed kids drawings can be wonderful. Do it yourself spatter paintings can be fun too!! Watch a film on Jackson Pollock and go to town!! Do your own colorfield painting--on a gallery wrapped canvas, and you don't even need a frame.

Don't get me started on Correlle ware. We got two sets for wedding presents-they refused to break so we finally had to sell them in a garage sale. I prefer thin glassware--but use nice plastic ware around the pool/spa area. No fun accidentally breaking a glass in the spa.

[sheena12]

Originally Posted by Chango

For example prints vs real paintings, or plastic vs glass, veneer vs solid hardwood, ect.

Does it make a difference to you?

Is it silly or mabye even a bit "snooty" to insist on the "real deal"... or is it better to go "fake" for price or even better damage control with kids or pets running around?

Yes but I might differ that certain prints are better than "real" bad art.

No partial board or anything like that.

[jamiecta]

I'm a big design nut with high-end taste but a strict budget. I always weigh the functionality, the style, and the durability with home goods as well as the room of the house.

For something like furniture, there is nothing like paying a little extra for well-constructed hardwood frames and high-end fabric when it is a MAIN piece. But if it is a chair going in guest bedroom that gets used once a month, there are great options at half the price that don't have to hold up as well.

Take Ikea for example. I think their options for some things like dressers and wardrobes are FANTASTIC. Some old-fashioned people may turn their nose up at a dresser made with laminate and lacquered plastic. However, a clothes dresser doesn't get that much wear and tear from a loading standpoint. So, I can go buy a solid walnut dresser with dovetail joints etc. for $1500 or I can go to Ikea and get a sturdy laminate (much better than say Walmart type laminate) dresser for $400 that has non-slam, slow-closing drawers and that I can bring home myself without getting a friend in a truck to haul. When put together it looks really, really nice too. Their kitchen cabinets are similar. It may not be real wood but it has 5x the functionality that the standard builder-grade cabinets have even if they are a real wood because they put all their focus on function (storage, usability, efficiency) vs worrying about the actual materials.

So, you really have to weigh more than just real vs fake.

[Sheepie2000]

Actually, jamiecta, I bought this dresser HEMNES 8-drawer dresser - black-brown - IKEA from Ikea to use as a sort of buffet in my breakfast area and it's solid wood, not laminate, and only $299.00. It's perfect for table linens and dog treats! I agree with you completely about weighing the form/function/cost/quality. The same thing will not always be the most important in every case.

[A Nonny Mouse]

We are rocking the vinyl siding, Pergo, and Corelle here in Ye Olde Colonial. My furniture is all real wood, though.

[glamatomic]

It does make a difference to me. I believe that you should live within your means, but 'fake' when it comes to some things really irks me.

I've been house shopping the last few months and having solid, hardwood floors (even if they're hidden under carpet, as long as they're in good condition and ready to be polished I can deal with that!) is very important to me.

I don't care so much about real paintings vs art prints... but I'm super particular about my art prints- they have to be all good quality and block mounted and not your run of the mill BB&B, or Big Box store stuff. Eventually I'd like to start collecting local art... but that'll be a ways down the track.

As for furniture... I can't STAND fake furniture. Cheap, junky, flat pack Ikea or Walmart stuff makes me cringe. Why bother with it?

For less than what you'd spend at Ikea, you can get perfectly good second hand furniture made out of solid wood. All of my furniture is from the 1950s, all solid, real mahogany and cherry- and believe me, I probably spent less than I'd spend on junk at Walmart (yay for Craigslist!).

The only 'fake' I'll deal with is if it's some awesome 1950s or 1960s formica in an original retro kitchen. Then I'll totally be loving it

[Kibbiekat]

Get what you can afford. period. I have a much bigger issue with people spending money they don't have, than I do with people who have art prints or cheap furniture.

[jamiecta]

Originally Posted by glamatomic

It does make a difference to me. I believe that you should live within your means, but 'fake' when it comes to some things really irks me.

I've been house shopping the last few months and having solid, hardwood floors (even if they're hidden under carpet, as long as they're in good condition and ready to be polished I can deal with that!) is very important to me.

I don't care so much about real paintings vs art prints... but I'm super particular about my art prints- they have to be all good quality and block mounted and not your run of the mill BB&B, or Big Box store stuff. Eventually I'd like to start collecting local art... but that'll be a ways down the track.

As for furniture... I can't STAND fake furniture. Cheap, junky, flat pack Ikea or Walmart stuff makes me cringe. Why bother with it?

For less than what you'd spend at Ikea, you can get perfectly good second hand furniture made out of solid wood. All of my furniture is from the 1950s, all solid, real mahogany and cherry- and believe me, I probably spent less than I'd spend on junk at Walmart (yay for Craigslist!).

The only 'fake' I'll deal with is if it's some awesome 1950s or 1960s formica in an original retro kitchen. Then I'll totally be loving it

Have you ever actually BEEN to an IKEA? Ikea and Walmart in the same sentence is almost sacrilege. They are worlds ahead of Walmart. Definitely not junky. Like I stated before, I am extremely picky with furniture and houseware and I have had nothing but positive experiences with IKEA when I have used them (for myself or designing for others).

And yes, I agree that you can get good second-hand furniture for cheap. I LOVE vintage pieces.

However, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. My house is a mixture of high-end custom pieces, goodwill or sidewalk used/vintage solid-wood pieces, Ikea for items where I needed functionality for a good price, consignment store finds etc. Second-hand furniture looks good, but rarely does an entire house look good with second-hand furniture unless you get really, really lucky. Finding the right mix is key imo.