Where do you buy your funiture?

[cinmell]

We're buying a house and we also have to buy a diningroom set, livingroom set and a bedroom set ! We went to a few furniture stores yesterday and saw some things we like but some of the bureaus seemed cheaply made. Where did you buy your furniture and how has it held up over the years?

 

[Melrosgirl]

Ethan Allen for the most part now. I just bought a new couch and matching chair from the Martha Stewart Signatures line (made by Bernhardt). It was from a local furniture store here. Quality is right up there with Ethan Allen and it was a few hundred less. (Still expensive though, unfortunately. $1500 on sale for the couch).

Well made furniture will last you a long, long time. I like to buy real wood furniture and like it to be made in the USA if I"m going to pay those pricey prices.

 

[Mamu]

Some of my furniture comes from a local furniture store, sofa, chairs and mattresses.

The rest I've purchased at yard sales, antique shops or auctions. For the same reason you listed, poor quality.

All my pieces are solid wood, including the drawers. I love oak and mahogany. Some pieces are in good condition, all I need to do is steel wool lightly, touch up with a stain and varnish. Some pieces need more work they need to be completely redone.

I see reproductions in furniture stores for sometimes a thousand dollars more then what I paid.

This is not for everyone I agree. I recently redid a spare bedroon over. Twin and 1/2 Pinapple Post Bed $25,( The furniture store did have a pinapple post twin bed and the wanted $1250 without mattress, the quality of my bed is 10 times better and theirs was only a twin mine is a twin and 1/2) had to lightly steel wool and touch up a few spots, custom made mattress $850. Antique Queen Anne Chest $35 lightly steel wool and touch up. Marble top lamp table $45 just wash and polish. Reading chair purchased at local furniture store $350. 2 tier night table $10 total refinish.

As you can see the most expensive pieces were purchased at a furniture store. Yet there is nothing that my local furniture store has that can compare to the quality of the pieces of furniture I've redone.

 

[jipsy]

We're buying a hand

Antique stores, flea markets, etc.

 

[JustHolly]

We've just been through that and we're having the same problem finding a dining room set. We are looking for casual but not "cheap" looking, but not too expensive. That said, its no wonder we haven't found one yet.

What we did, was we looked everywhere, but I did some research on the Internet with some of the better furniture makers, ie Bassett, Lane, etc. Then, you can "Find a dealer near you" and go check out the stuff in person in your area. We found the perfect bedroom set from Bassett this way. We were even able to find a local dealer who was more affordable than even the Bassett store.

Good Luck finding your furniture!

Holly

 

[jipsy]

Another thing you can do: Find someone local who is a custom woodworker. Take him or her pics of furniture you like and ask them if they can build it and how much. You might be surprised - the price is usually about the same or sometimes even less than what you would buy it at a store for and it is much better quality and solid wood. You can pick the wood, and the stain, and make any changes.

 

[cinmell]

Originally posted by jipsy


Antique stores, flea markets, etc.

Oops, we're buying a house not a hand. Fixed it!

 

[cinmell]

Originally posted by jipsy


Antique stores, flea markets, etc.

Oops it was early when I posted so bare with me , we're buying a house not a hand. Fixed it!

 

[~Sparkly~Zoe]

Estate sales, older relatives wanting to help out.
Most of my furniture is early american mix-n-match!

 

[Desnik]

When we first started out we bought Seamans furniture
It has actually held up pretty well. DH even redid our bedroom set, painting it so it feels like we had 2 different ones. It is cheaply made furniture though. We also have to buy all new furniture. Bedroom sets for us and the kids, livingroom and dinning room too!! We plan to buy most of the stuff at Pottery Barn(we absolutely love their stuff) and also some things in local Antique stores, there are a ton just 'round the corner!!! Actually we went antiqueing(sp?)the other day and found some really great dining chairs. Exactly what we wanted. DH is going to make a table to match. He's so handy LOL!!!

My mom bought most of her furniture at Hoffman Koos and it has held up pretty well. Her couches material is made out of silk and with 5 grandkids they have taken a beating!! They are still going strong!!

 

[ducklite]

We're building a house in Florida that we'll be living in part time, so we've been doing a LOT of looking and shopping lately. Almost everything is going to be Ethan Allen, for a couple of reasons. I like the designer we're working with there. Even though yes, he is a "salesman", he's not pushy, and when I tell him I want to wait until something goes on sale, he calls me when it does. When I told him I was buying one large piece elsewhere because EA didn't really have what I was looking for, not only did he understand, but he also gave me a valuable piece of advice about something to look for to make sure it was well built.

I like that he's taken the time to learn my tastes, he took my floorplan and put it into the computer, and we have a couple areas that we aren't sure what to do with, so he's been plunking pieces into the diagram and mailing the printout to me for ideas, but never pushing.

Yup, I'm really happy with the service I've gotten from Ethan Allen, and think the quality of the furniture is very good and it will last forever. To me it's worth paying a little extra for.

Anne

 

[DVC-Don]

Ethan Allen here too. Currently waiting for a new leather couch we ordered that should be in any day now. All the bedrooms are now Ethan Allen and quite a bit on the first floor now too.

 

[lil mermaid]

Another vote for Ethan Allen. We are expecting our new dining room to arrive by next week!

The service that we have received from our local EA store has been great. We buy a piece or two at a time and our sales person will call us when things that we want are going to be onsale. They also offer a free design service, where they will come to your home.

We also buy some things at Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel - particularly accents/accessories. Also, a few things from consignment stores. We go to the ones that are in wealthy neighborhoods!!