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Painter - I bought quality couches and chairs (I've since added to them) with the first good couch and chairs I bought - they have been reupholstered and reworked many times now - classic lines and they have held up beautifully over the years...we had a family of boys and the cheap couches I initially bought when they were small wore out quickly - the good things held up great....I just hate to see someone buy cheap and then have to replace within a few years because of quality issues.
I agree that dresser quality is important, although I have some Ikea solid pine dressers that I once used in a guest room that is still in perfect condition - they are now in basement storage used to storing bedding and linens. I also bought a two dressers and an armoire from Z Gallery - expensive but everything fell apart within 5 years.....just be careful of quality - get dove-tailed drawers and solid wood construction.
Painter - I bought quality couches and chairs (I've since added to them) with the first good couch and chairs I bought - they have been reupholstered and reworked many times now - classic lines and they have held up beautifully over the years...we had a family of boys and the cheap couches I initially bought when they were small wore out quickly - the good things held up great....I just hate to see someone buy cheap and then have to replace within a few years because of quality issues.
I agree that dresser quality is important, although I have some Ikea solid pine dressers that I once used in a guest room that is still in perfect condition - they are now in basement storage used to storing bedding and linens. I also bought a two dressers and an armoire from Z Gallery - expensive but everything fell apart within 5 years.....just be careful of quality - get dove-tailed drawers and solid wood construction.
How can you tell something is "well made"?
I bought a couch from Montgomery Wards... a Simmons couch that I thought was a mid range price... $800 on sale 9 years ago. It was junk in 5 years. The bones of the couch was in good condition, but the cushions, and fabric covering was shredded. It was not mishandled... just normal wear and tear. The couch fell apart at the seems of the cushions.
Maybe I should have paid more???
Bought Lazy boy recliner leather that was junk in 3 years... the mechanism went on it. It was still under warranty. The repair guy sung praises to Barcalounger recliners.
So next we bought a Barcalounger in microfiber. 2 years later, the chair still works etc. but that microfiber in wheat color is CRAP. I will never by microfiber again!
I bought kids dresser from Value City furniture because the dresser seemed to be solid wood etc. What I didn't know was the "wood grain" was really some sort of laminate that peeled off when it got wet. The humidifier on the dresser was the source of water. I wasn't expecting a long run on that furniture... maybe 5 years but in less than a year...
I would like to buy new furniture that can at least last 10 years.
My mom had furniture that lasted 20+ years... first few years was in plastic (early 70's ) and was reupholstered once... but she got 20 years... finally got tired of the style.
Does the store make a difference? I am looking at Gardner White and Art Van, thinking better quality things will be sold there.
Last edited by kcam213; 11-17-2008 at 07:18 AM..
Reason: more info added
Cattknap, Understood and I agree to what you are saying but for a couple just buying a house and trying to furnish it is alot of expense. Most people tire of the upholstered peices before the wood peices and they will keep the table long after the side chair. Now I do have upholstered peices that I have redone time and time again, but for what it cost I could of replaced it and not been without for over a month. Also the other point is the style you buy at 30 you probably won't like when you are 50. Example: I have a client that bought a hugh sectional, top of the line & custom ordered, they kept it for 10 yrs and hated every inch of it. I went with a camel back, had it for many yrs and instead of spending 1200 to reupholster I donated it and spent the cash on another style.
I wouldn't waste your time looking online -- honestly, I did that and half of the stuff I loved online looked cheap in person and most of the online catalogues are only a portion of what is in the stores. I would go through your phone book and look up every single furniture store in it online. If from a couple minutes on each store's website you don't reject it, go in person and check it out. Keep notes on price range, quality, style, selection, etc., so you'll have a running list of the stores you love.
I just picked up a bunch of furniture for our new home too. If you can wait until after Christmas, most places will be slashing prices really heavily. Here are the places we've bought:
1) Craigslist: you really have to shop and spend some time here, but there are some really great deals. We picked up a really nice table set, couch, bed and some coffee/end tables from a family that went into foreclosure. They were really upscale and lived in a golf community and had to let everything go. We ended up getting the bulk of our furniture from the. Lovely couple and it's sad to see them let go of it.
2) EBay: I primarily pick up home decor stuff on eBay. Lots of genuine imports at good prices. We picked up some dessert dishes from Thailan, bamboo chairs from Phillipines, etc. There are lots of nice furnitures, silverware and just about everything else on Ebay.
3) Overstock.com: as mentioned by the other poster, Overstock is a good site and has some nice deals. Their shipping is low and depending on where you are - no sales tax.
4) Amazon.com: another nice place with lots of assortments. We went to the local Home Depot to check out some outdoor patio furniture, including a swingset/chair, hammock and outside table. We ended up getting a metal swing set/chair from Amazon. Amazon's prices were much better and looked more sturdy since it was made of metal.
Well new furniture would be expensive.. I purchased used furniture for bedroom , for hall I'd brought new one in living room.. why don't you go for used furniture.. it comes in budget and can be resale as well..
I dont know where you live but here in Indianapolis we have several fantastic consignment or used furniture stores. No junk in these. 62nd Street Furniture and Resale on the far west side are filled with well built carefully selected furniture for terrific prices. If you want to see photos of 62nd Street's selection type and prices, go to Facebook and put in the first part of their name.
Example: A $3,000+ retail dining room set for $700-900. Some wonderful antiques to mix in and some midcentury modern too.
It is rare but last month I had the chance to buy a new high quality leather sofa for $1000 (1/3 retail) and three matching leather chairs ($300 each) at a local thrift store. I would probably not run around checking but this one little place is high end and previously had Ethan Allen pieces that I bought.
A moving company can even be hired for a couple of hundred to move the furniture if you dont have friends. We hired one to take all the furniture in our house that we were giving to mom for her new apartment and move it to her new place. Cost $350. Cheaper than buying all new furniture. We had collected it over the last two months.
Try hard not to fall in love with retail furniture as it depreciates faster than cars when bought.
Cattknap, Understood and I agree to what you are saying but for a couple just buying a house and trying to furnish it is alot of expense. Most people tire of the upholstered peices before the wood peices and they will keep the table long after the side chair. Now I do have upholstered peices that I have redone time and time again, but for what it cost I could of replaced it and not been without for over a month. Also the other point is the style you buy at 30 you probably won't like when you are 50. Example: I have a client that bought a hugh sectional, top of the line & custom ordered, they kept it for 10 yrs and hated every inch of it. I went with a camel back, had it for many yrs and instead of spending 1200 to reupholster I donated it and spent the cash on another style.
I love that line, it is so true.
The taste I had at 30 is definetely not the taste I have now, and no, I am not telling my age....
but somehow at 30 I was way more fussier and picky and anal..............yet now I get to it, sooner or later, and if there are imperfections now, I actually like it........I can handle a scratch on a table or a knicked arm, I get over it really fast these days........................and doesn't seem to bother me...
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) and was reupholstered once... but she got 20 years... finally got tired of the style.
