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I personally like Ethan Allen. Other have complained that it's expensive but depending on where you live and if you furniture shop -- it's not that bad. And they give you the free design service. We purchased all our light fixtures from them for our last home and they were beautiful and very affordable (only they took a long time to get there!). It doesn't hurt to check them out. I had them design a room for us but didn't buy the rug through them because I wanted a round rug for that space and they didn't sell it and the designer was fine with--even offered to help me shop on her day off.
wow, I didn't know Ethan Allen offered a design service. What does that entail? You said they design an entire room for you for free? Any fine print that goes along with that? Does Pottery Barn do that or any other ?
I hear some negative comments on RC Willey here. I have a few pieces myself from RCW. I loved the bedroom style and color I got, but dissapointed with the quality. My dresser drawers don't come out! Moving really sucks with that. Any additional comments on this too? Thanks.
We have found great deals at a PB Outlet store though. We got a $1200 buffet for $250 that had a tiny 1/2" long superficial scratch on the top which disappeared with some stain. The buffet right next to it had the side kicked in and was for $400 so go figure how they price things at the outlet. You do have to go early and often before you find the gems that don't have damage.
I love the look of Pottery Barn. Their catalogs can help you pull a complete room together especially since you can now get the same paint
I do agree with the poster who says it's mostly veneer though. Definitely not furniture that you would pass down to your kids. I'm thinking of trading my Pottery Barn breakfast table for an unfinished piece that I can finish myself. It'll be real wood.
I love the look of Pottery Barn. Their catalogs can help you pull a complete room together especially since you can now get the same paint
I do agree with the poster who says it's mostly veneer though. Definitely not furniture that you would pass down to your kids. I'm thinking of trading my Pottery Barn breakfast table for an unfinished piece that I can finish myself. It'll be real wood.
It probably is mostly veneer. I'm not too worried about it.
As for handing it down,I think it depends on the piece, and depends on the kids.
I think most kids will readily accept hand-me-down furniture at first...whether or not they keep it is another story.
We have a huge solid oak dining table in storage right now. We had some great times with that table. But it just seems so heavy and clunky now, and our kids are far from settled down. How long are we supposed to hang on to it?
I do have other nice pieces to hand down.
I personally like Ethan Allen. Other have complained that it's expensive but depending on where you live and if you furniture shop -- it's not that bad. And they give you the free design service. We purchased all our light fixtures from them for our last home and they were beautiful and very affordable (only they took a long time to get there!). It doesn't hurt to check them out. I had them design a room for us but didn't buy the rug through them because I wanted a round rug for that space and they didn't sell it and the designer was fine with--even offered to help me shop on her day off.
We've had Ethan Allen for 20 years...I have the Ethan Allen my parents had fifty years ago...it is good solid furniture that will last forever...you can refinish it...recover it...and it holds up! Customer service is excellent. One time they event took back a chair I had custom ordered and didn't like just to make me happy. I've never seen a single problem with anything over the years...it's practically indestructable. It's classic
The upholestered funiture is VERY well made. Most of it is by Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams or McCrery Modern. Same goes for Crate & Barrel, Restoration Hardware, etc. The only thing that is different is the fabric.
If you're in Carolina, you can go to the MG+BW outlet to see a wider variety, but the frames from store to store are 100% identical.
When it comes to case goods, I think that Pottery Barn has gone very downhill in recent years. Much of their stuff is MDF and veneered.
IMO, Crate and Barrel carries much better furniture. They will tell you who manufactured any particular item, and you can read up on it. For instance, C&B carries several pieces by Maria Yee. Her stuff is FABULOUS. VERY well made.
C&B also carries 5 pieces by Environment Furniture. To order pieces from them in High Point, you're looking at 4-5 months. They are truly 'ooooh, ahhhh' pieces.
Room and Board also carries some Maria Yee pieces, as well as, other solid wood stuff (along with some veneered, too.)
I had purchashed a TON of stuff from Pottery Barn, and then cancelled all of it after visiting the stores mentioned above. (I didn't visit R&B, but have ordered from their website...very pleasant to deal with.)
If you 'have' to have something from PB - go for it. But as others have mentioned, there are better options out there.
Thanks for the headsup about Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams or McCrery Modern, though McCreary Modern did not get the best writeup on GardenWeb.
I think everyone has different ideas about what they want out of furniture; different wants and needs.
We have a Room and Board coffee table and a small Crate and Barrel kitchen table that we purchased many years ago (at the actual stores), and they are holding up well.
We are looking for a new bed, this is probably the last bed we are ever going to buy; we are taking care with this particular purchase. There is one in Restoration Hardware that we like, but I am not about to make a purchase like that online.
The Environment Furniture line is a bit minimalist for my taste, but I am sure it is crafted to last. Maria Yee's pieces seem a bit more accessible. Thank you so much for posting about them, this helps us in our search.
My husband is the guy who wants an "ooh and ahh" piece while I am more interested in the day-to-day reality of how well it functions.
Thanks for the headsup about Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams or McCrery Modern, though McCreary Modern did not get the best writeup on GardenWeb.
I think everyone has different ideas about what they want out of furniture; different wants and needs.
I hear you!
I 'thought' I wanted a sofa made by one of those companies until I went to the outlet. While the quality was what I would consider very good, the comfort level of most of the items I sat on wasn't there. The seat height was too low and the depth was too deep. Visually, they were stunning...just not as practical as I needed. The MG+BW beds at the outlet, however were STUNNING, and I suppose the comfort factor would depend on your mattress.
I ended up getting a sofa by Lee Industries. There's a local design store that carries Lee items: Expressions Furniture? Expressions Design? (or maybe it's just Expressions..) They're in Raleigh.
Crate and Barrel carries the new 'eco sofa' by Lee Industries. (I love it...and I'm sitting on it right now.) Of all the casual slip covered sofas I sat it, it was the most comfortable. While I was waiting for C&B to open in Charlotte, I wandered into Design Within Reach, and fell in love with an upscale slip covered piece there (for my living room). To look at it, you would never think it was slip covered, nor would you think it was comfortable...but it's SUPER comfortable. Even my 72 year old dad loves it. (Style AND comfort...what more could you ask for? Oh I know...free shipping, no sales tax, and a SALE price )
Quote:
Originally Posted by cil
We are looking for a new bed, this is probably the last bed we are ever going to buy; we are taking care with this particular purchase. There is one in Restoration Hardware that we like, but I am not about to make a purchase like that online.
Certainly not unless they have a VERY liberal return policy (ie They'll come pick it up, pack it up, and take it out for little or no cost, and no restocking fee.) That's the great thing about Room and Board. They are very cool about returns. Crate and Barrel isn't bad, either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cil
The Environment Furniture line is a bit minimalist for my taste, but I am sure it is crafted to last. Maria Yee's pieces seem a bit more accessible. Thank you so much for posting about them, this helps us in our search.
I agree with you about EF's line. For me, it works in the dining room, and for occasional pieces. It wouldn't cut it in the bedroom. But me loves me Santomer dining table. It's an oooh ahhh.
Maria Yee? What can I say? Total elegance. I can recognize piece by her that I've never seen before, even from a picture. Aside from Crate and Barrel and Room and Board, you can also get her stuff at HighFashionHome.com and Lofgrens.com. If you see on any other site "bamboo timbre" - that's a Maria Yee piece. Her website is MariaYee.com (nice online gallery, and her bio is amazing.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by cil
My husband is the guy who wants an "ooh and ahh" piece while I am more interested in the day-to-day reality of how well it functions.
I ended up having my bed custom made - for nearly the same price as a prefab bed. It's very simple in style, but it's simplicity (to me) makes it an 'oooh, ahh', and it's VERY sturdy. Plus I was able to get the exact dimensions I wanted.
I ended up having my bed custom made - for nearly the same price as a prefab bed. It's very simple in style, but it's simplicity (to me) makes it an 'oooh, ahh', and it's VERY sturdy. Plus I was able to get the exact dimensions I wanted.
It's funny you say that, because this bed we are thinking about is the only time I can remember actually seriously considering getting something custom made.
We did have some hand-finishing done at our former house for bookcases, but never anything high end like a bed.
I agree, it could be the same price, but you get what you want and you certainly *know* what you're getting! Something to ponder.
I guess we'll have to sleep on it (bad pun I know.)
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Critique on Ethan Allen
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