Please educate me on furniture

[leebee]

I have a friend who when buying furniture measures the pieces and then rebuilds them at home out of boxes. Her space is tricky, so she builds the piece according to her measurements and then puts it where she thinks she'll want it. It's saved her money and hassle in the long run, as she can tell if the couch she loves is going to be too big for her space, or look ridiculous because it's so small.

Mattress buying was tricky for us, as almost everything now is no-flip due to memory foam toppers. We bought a mattress with the smallest layer of memory foam possible and I really don't like it at all. Yes, we laid on the one in the store and I thought it'd be OK... but it's not. We were warned heavily that it's OK to rotate it but flipping it will invalidate the warranty (not sure I care). Oh well. We are out $1000 so this will be my mattress for awhile. Sigh. SO be careful with mattresses, they are probably the best investment you'll ever make and the right mattress is worth the money.

Sofa (and chairs)- make sure you are comfortable. I hate a "deep" sofa, where the seat cushion is so deep that my knees don't reach the edge and therefore my lower legs dangle. I have a friend who loves this- she likes to "cozy down" into her sofa. There's no way I could tell if a sofa would be right or not except to sit in it.

 

[happily single]

I love IKEA for dressers and bed frames. IKEA is the only brand I found that has drawers that close easily. My son is currently using a small dresser I purchased from there over 16 years ago and it’s still in great condition.

 

[Sjm9911]

Ok, my 2 cents. And some mentioned it above. Buy what you need first. Bed, couch , tv. Then look around. No rush to get stuff. I used to go to theift stores, good will, flea markets. If your semi handy you can get quality tables, dressers , etc and fix them up a bit. A coat of paint or stain and varnish will spruce up some stuff. And it will last forever if you find real wood stuff. And like someone else said dovetail draws. All up to what you want to do. If your not handy look for stuff that is in better shape.

 

[jrmasm]

Great deals can be found at antique stores and FB marketplace.

 

[Christine]

I've bought all sorts of quality levels of furniture. The best quality furniture I have ever had was furniture I bought directly from North Carolina. What I don't like about it is that it lasts forever, and I like to change my style more often. Right now, I'm staring at some 25 year old bedroom furniture, high quality, that I bought in NC. It's natural cherry and Shaker style. Very sturdy. But I hate it and it goes with NOTHING that I want to decorate with. It seems to clash with every paint color, no quilt or spread of today's design even looks right with it. No one wants the furniture. I could probably give it away. It hurts my heart to dump it. I wouldn't feel that way with cheaper stuff.

On the other hand, I've bought some stuff from places like Ashley furniture and I feel like it's horrible, even for just like a year.

I've done well with some of the higher priced stuff from Ikea. I agree with the other poster upthread that I love the drawers on Ikea dressers. So smooth and nice and deep. Now if you try to move an Ikea dresser, fully assembled, in a truck or moving van somewhere else, the drawers can break easily. Had that happen a few times. But if you stay put with them, they are great.

I ordered a chaise/chair from Wayfair last year. They use their own "brand names" on the website, but the chair actually showed up, very well built, from a small furniture make in North Carolina. I was quite surprised. Very high quality. Wasn't "cheap" though. Paid about $700 for it.

My coworker bought a sectional from Crate and Barrel. It's really nice. Really sturdy cushions, well built. I have a small sectional in my living room that I don't use. I got it from West Elm. Only place that had a section that fits in my small corner. It's cute, but glad we don't use it all the time. Not impressed.

 

[LuvOrlando]

If you have the means to splurge check out a Lazboy Duo all power sofa, this will be my next one because I can control the feet and back/neck precisely, there will be an extended warranty involved. I had one all picked out but then Covid happened and I just stopped looking.

If you are looking to save money I have an Ashley recliner that has survived 11 years of family punishment. It's dark fabric so I can steam it with my Bissel, so important with kids and some pets. Leather is nice but can be sometimes punctured if kids are allowed to be kids or pets with sharp claws might be an issue. Basement also has an Ashley, no complaints.

I have a Raymor Flanigan that is full of pillows, pretty and soft and very comfy for short periods of time but the lack of support often leaves me achy which is why I think we'll sell it and go with Lazboy as soon as Sars-CoV-2 quiets.

 

[ksanftleben]

Give yourself permission to have empty rooms for a while. Or, if you have furniture currently, move it in even if you plan to change it later. It doesn't have to be done all at once. . .. Don't let HGTV or a glossy magazine lead you into rash decisions or overextending yourself. I'd focus on a room or two to get done to your satisfaction first.

What disykat said above! Those are great points. I think that what you should "absolutely stay away from" are rash decisions now that you might regret later.

Other posters have provided good advice about furniture quality and sources, so I won’t duplicate that. But . . . we learned a little about furnishing new-to-us homes over the years because we moved so many times while in the army, and our kids put our school-of-hard-knocks lessons to use when they furnished their first homes. Here some things you might want to consider before you spend a lot of money.

Don’t be in a rush to fill your new place up with furniture. It’s okay if it stays partially empty for a while. Think about how you can make use of what you already have while you are figuring out what you want and, more importantly, what you need. That said, don’t take anything along that you absolutely hate, can’t use, is broken, or don’t need. You’ll save money, time, and/or effort by not moving it. Sell what you can, and donate or junk the rest. Still, if you don’t like something basic and necessary that you already own, it’s probably worth keeping until you get a replacement.

Go through your new house room-by-room and figure out what you’ll need to buy. If the house is already built, visit it and make some notes about what furnishings you’ll need for each room and even smaller areas like hallways. If you can’t get its floor plan, draw little sketches and take measurements. Be sure to include the locations of outlets, windows, and doors. That will make it easier to decide where you want and are able to locate sofas, chairs, beds, tables, desks, appliances, lamps, etc., as well as how big or small they can or must be.

Begin your purchasing/decorating by prioritizing those rooms that you’ll be using most, probably your living room and bedroom. Within those rooms, rank your purchases by what you need most. Since you’ll be spending most of your time in those rooms, be sure to include decorations and accessories, Your other rooms can remain sparce or even empty for a while. Again, don’t rush; take time to find quality furnishings and decorations that you really like. Don’t forget lighting and window treatments, they're important to make rooms feel welcoming and livable. Some people like an eclectic look while others prefer to keep to the same style within a room or even throughout their entire home. While I prefer a unifying style, it doesn’t really matter. What’s important is that your spaces should make you feel good and want to use them.

Once you’re happy with the rooms that are most important to you, start furnishing the others. It’s okay to fill them a little bit at a time. There is no need to buy complete sets or suites, and don’t overlook consignment stores, estate sales, etc, You can get some very nice, interesting, quality pieces there at a fraction of the cost of buying new at physical or online stores. If you do buy new, you can save a lot by waiting for sales.

I’ve written far more than I intended; hope it hasn’t bored you. Best of luck in your new home.

 

[AndreaDM]

We love Arhous, I find their pieces to be very well made and a little more unique than a lot of the big furniture stores. We just bought a new sofa there a few months ago, chose a floor model that was discontinued at a nice discount. I don’t want to have the same old stuff everyone else has. But yeah take your time, don’t buy stuff just to fill a room, it’s ok to have empty spaces until you find what you really want. On the other hand, yes, if something has to be ordered expect it to take several months right now.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I bought a whole house full of furniture a couple of years ago. Figure out what style of furniture you like, that can really help with making sure that all you pieces end up meshing together.

measurements are your BFF. It can get very confusing looking at furniture online or in a huge showroom as the scale of the pieces is often very different than in your own home!

I ended up with pieces from a bunch of different places. It can be really tempting to just get everything done in one place and buy things all as sets but sometimes you can end up with stuff you don’t love or odd pieces that don’t work best for you space.

I never had the right pieces when looking at bedroom sets and I hated the exact same bed and furniture. I ended up with a custom made headboard and then bought the specific pieces I wanted. I always found the two nightstands, dresser and tall dresser that is often in a set, not what I wanted.

Pottery Barn is very popular but they generally don’t have reviews on their site and reviews you find online are mixed. There are a fair amount of critical reviews around fabric pilling within the first few weeks, sofas sagging, etc. For that reason I have not purchased a lot of big furniture from them. There are some die hard PB fans, so I’m probably not making friends... I just ordered a lounge chair from crate and barrel and am excited to receive it. Crate and Barrel has reviews on their site, which made shopping online easier for me. PB’s shipping date for some things I was looking at was estimated May/June, so you may need to shop somewhat based on availability, as stated above. I’ve found having a Pinterest page showing the styles, colors and accents has helped me get a vision for a room that I could then work toward and have been happy with the result. Good luck!

I love the pottery barn sofas! Down cushions? Hell to the yeah. It’s the only thing I’ve ever really ended up purchasing from there. When I moved into my college apartment, I got a sofa and love seat that were just abused for years of college shenanigans. Then my parents stored them for me when I lived overseas and they went into my apartment when I moved back. When I moved into a bigger townhouse, I decided I wanted rid of that couch that had been through some things over the last 10 or so years. The loveseat stayed in my guest bedroom for another few years until I moved in a Pilates reformer.

I went through 3 fancy sectionals with cup holders and recliners and hated them all. They’re impossible to move to clean under/behind. They’re fine for sitting but super uncomfortable if you want to lay down imo.

The first pieces of furniture I bought for my new house were a pottery sofa and loveseat. I missed them so much and I have zero regrets. The down cushions do get a little smooshed but if you fluff and flip them it’s not some noticeable

 

[FigmentSpark]

All leather is NOT created equal. Do some research on what type of leather you are buying if that's what you like. You want leather that will last years, not just a year or two.

Measure your room, if you can. Know the maximum size of furniture you can put in it, but also can get around hallways and doors (into a bedroom, for example).

We bought a beautiful armoir for one bedroom that was such a tight fit into the doorway (turn around a bannister) that we had to put it on rollers to avoid scratching any woodwork.

Also, when buying our sofa/loveseat combo, the salesman was trying to get us to upgrade "for only $20 more dollars" to a slightly bigger model. I knew it wouldn't fit, so my answer was "only $20 more dollars and $20,000 for the renovations to the room so it would fit". Don't get talked in to something you know won't work and know what will work before you shop.

Know which pieces you want to last a lifetime and which you know you will replace a few times in the future. For example, if you know you want a special dining set and that it will be a 'once in a lifetime' purchase, you can spend more and buy quality. But maybe your coffee tables are something you'll replace every 5 years, so you don't want to invest as much in them.

If you are having a house built (as it sounds like you are), ask for samples of the finishes, like a small piece of rug or tile and even a chip from the counter top, if it might need to coordinate in color so you can see what colors are already in the house. You can take your samples with you when you shop. Remember, a "grey" rug, could be many shades of grey and, depending on the light, might actually change in sunlight (through a large picture window, for example) and evening "frosted white" lightbulbs.

Good luck. Have fun. Take a break when you're overwhelmed.

 

[MillauFr]

DW and I bought a La-Z-Boy (our Sister In Law calls our stuff "redneck luxury") reclining sofa and loveseat 12 years ago and it's still as good as new

It is only classified as "redneck luxury" if you get one of their recliners with the built in beer cooler....

 

[fab1976]

We just bought living room stuff from Lazy Boy. We went with their stationary stuff vs power reclining etc etc. We ordered at the end of August and it was just delivered this week, almost 5 months later. Just as a heads up on how long stuff is taking!

 

[DVCjj]

After being married 55 years (yikes) I learned my lesson about how your tastes change over the years and not worth it to spend tons of money on the 'fad' of the day (and I don't mean cheap).. As my mother once said, "everything comes back in style if you wait long enough". Her words have come back to haunt me in more ways than I wish to admit. (we didn't get along that great).

When my mother and mother in law died, we struggled...and I mean struggled to get someone to TAKE their expensive at the time, well built, good condition furniture. (And pianos and organs are the absolute worst to try to get rid of). So many calls to anyone...charities, churches, friends, family...you name it.

I'll end it this way. My older DD/DSIL have excellent taste. Everything has been the top line of Ethan Allen, Crate and Barrell, etc. etc. Even for their vacation condo (where I am right now). Suddenly for one of the bedrooms, they shockingly went recently with simple white IKEA. All the pieces. It is wonderful. She's thrilled with how much she likes it. She says she is definitely putting it also into a guest bedroom back home. She can afford whatever she wants and thinks the IKEA looks the best. I do too.

To the OP: Just keep in mind what you like today you most likely will not like tomorrow. You may actually hate it and the style.

End of story.

 

[kirstenb1]

I really like Bassett. We've bought plenty of furniture from them over the years. Very comfortable, and has worn well. You sound like you're kind of overwhelmed with all this right now. Do you have a friend or co-worker who you could bring along? I have a friend who's an interior designer and realtor, and I run any color choices by her.

 

[Sjm9911]

As my mother once said, "everything comes back in style if you wait long enough". Her words have come back to haunt me in more ways than I wish to admit. (we didn't get along that great).

So funny! Made me think of this totally unrelated story...lol.
My father was cheap, not frugal, just cheap. He had bathing suits from the 1960s 1970s on in 80s and 90s. He would say the same thing, , he was waiting for them to come back in style. And they did. Big floral print bathing suits , lol.

 

[MrsPete]

Don't cheap-out on your sofa and living room chairs. They'll get a great deal of heavy use. Go with leather -- it'll last so much better. Our Bassett sofa and loveseat just passed the 20-year mark, and they are just starting to look worn. We're not replacing them until we move because we're probably going to have a smaller living room and will want something smaller.

Tables and chairs can be a lifetime purchase, especially if they're solid wood and can be refinished. Tables and chairs are also very easy to find used. My husband bought our solid oak dining room table before we were married (30 years ago). It needs refinishing but is still serving us well.

Don't skimp on your mattress either -- that makes a difference in how you feel every day.

It's fine to skimp on end tables, entry tables, and headboards.

Buy basic styles and bring in color /trends with accessories.

 

[teller80]

I can't speak to quality, but I'd advise you to think if you actually want a couch. I don't think I'd buy one again, nobody likes sitting in the middle. Instead I'd buy two loveseats. Good luck shopping!

 

[piccolopat]

Don't forget to look at estate sales, FB marketplace, etc. A lot of very good quality, solid wood furniture can be fund there at a fraction of the cost for new. Look for dovetail joints and easy to open drawers. I would avoid anything upholstered unless you knew the home didn't have pets or smokers. Don't skimp on your mattress. For your living room, if you look at leather, make sure it is not bonded leather as that inevitably starts to peel and then there is nothing you can do with it. Decide on what styles & colors you really like and go with that rather than the trend of the day. You want to enjoy your purchases for years to come and not regret it when the next fad comes around.

 

[KayMichigan]

The only reason I'd be a bit nervous about buying previously owned furniture these days is the possibility of bringing bedbugs into the house.

 

[DisneyOma]

We bought new furniture when our kids were 2 and 5. I could have pushed the loveseat over with one hand because there wasn't any quality. We had the 4 pc set for a year and then my 3 yr old son at that time, jumped to hard and cracked the frame, on the couch. The material covering the set was really nice but the wood constuction was poor. Live and learn-never again. When I look at furniture outside of good furniture stores whether its Home Goods, Marshalls, Hobby Lobby I always do the WEIGHT test. Next to nothing ever passes!

Hobby Lobby sells furniture? I've never been in one, but I thought they were a craft store?

OP - just don't buy anything from a discount furniture store. We have "Bob's Discount Furniture" around here in New England. It's crap. We have Jordan's, Cardi's, Bernie and Phyl's, etc. That's where I'd start to look - or in whatever city you are in, the midszed to large furniture stores that don't scream discount.

Of course, our house is mostly filled with old family pieces. My favorite is Stickley, but we have some Moosehead (no longer made) that is really nice too.