Curious where all you Hackrs buy furniture? Industry seems to be all over the price with price not always equating to good materials/build quality. Any tips for better quality stuff without breaking the bank?
Vintage furniture stores, Craigslist, estate sales. Some of Ikea’s more expensive items are actually quite respectable. Waiting for sales at conventional retail furniture stores.
If you live in NYC, there’s always giveaways happening on trash days.
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IKEA
Love it, hate it, it stands abuse and lasts many years.
Either that or Ethan Allen, Pottery Barn… hehe
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Depends on your taste but even the “expensive” retail stuff from Thomasville, EA, PB, C&B, Arhaus (less-so) can be junk that was shipped overseas. Arhaus has a good % of pieces that are unique/reclaimed but usually not what you are looking for, or your aesthetic.
When I lived on the east coast I bought a good amount direct from Asheville that was made there, even that is dwindling, and nothing I’ve seen from there recently would work in my house.
Also for retail, all your games of coupons + cashback + ebates + etc will never approach the discount that Interior Decorators get from those stores (usually 20-30%), without any haggling, and sometimes they can help filter out the junk. I hired one years ago who more than paid for herself in discounts and not having to choose colors, lamps, etc. EDIT: One rookie mistake to avoid it buying from their personal collection. Mine also did staging, had storage units full of stuff, and I really liked a couple lamps and pictures she had that worked perfectly in that house. Long/short they looked brand new but were pushing 10 years old and I effectively paid today’s retail for a decade old stuff. Even though I have most of it and it held up, get what you paid for, don’t pay their bills for funsies.
I know someone with a relative new Burrow couch that aged insanely fast, almost as fast as a friend’s Casper mattress. There aren’t any new Internet brands I’d consider these days.
A few years ago when my back was worse, I had a reupholster put memory foam cushions in my existing couch - “next time” I change anything (colors or move) I’ll probably have that livingroom set just reupholstered. So many “nice” and “expensive” new couches I’ve been on that the filling settled and lost all support in a couple years. I’d rather control the materials inside and out (assuming the general shape works).
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Depends what style you like/want and where you live. There used to be a Macy’s outlet near me and most furniture ended up being 75% off. Just needed to research the makers and note the quality. Design within reach has 4 outlets across the country. Pottery barn has outlets in many places along with restoration hardware. Personally I’d look at west elm furniture reviews before shopping at pottery barn.
don’t ever buy from Rooms To Go, City Furniture, or Ashley Furniture.
Also keep in mind the RV of furniture may not be 0%, but it’s closer to that than 10%. Take a look at Offer Up and FB MP
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Appreciate the feedback. It’s such a weird market, where almost everything is imported and unless you really know what you’re doing, it’s difficult to gauge quality based on brand and especially difficult to gauge quality just based on online pictures/reviews.
Never thought about thinking about the RV of furniture and how low it is, or perhaps re-upholstering quality pieces since you at least know the materials being used.
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I happen to have a couple very excellent reupholsters within a few miles of me, they have really nice materials and if I need something specific (different leather for my ottoman) there is a place for that near them.
(Don’t judge) this Basset couch I am sitting on, I custom ordered around 2006, IIRC it was $2k then. When I changed all 4 cushions to memory foam inserts around 2018 it was something like $75 each, in the moment I thought it was scandalous but it was a game changer.
If you gave me a $3k budget for a couch today, and said I had to completely start over, I’d rather find something in the shape I like on OfferUp for $200, pay the upholsterer to pick it up, and $1-2k to redo everything but the frame and know it will look good and hold up.
My folks retired around 2005, they decided to buy all new everything from places like Thomasville and Ethan Allen. The stuff that did not arrive, damaged or did not require some kind of warranty claim to touch up after it was delivered looked amazing, but after five years, not so much or wasn’t comfortable. I don’t even know what the piece of furniture is called, the wide, tall glass hutch buffet thing you would put in a dining room. IIRC they spent over $5k on just that, they had to pay someone to remove it, it looked fine but the giant feet had dry rotted and split, couldn’t be repaired by EA. It has never moved from where it was delivered. They are on at least couch #4, every 2-3 years it’s either indented or materials have worn unsatisfactorily.
It’s impossible. My partner thinks I’m weird b/c of how I buy EVERYTHING on-line (he almost never buys anything on-line).
But the one thing I don’t even CONSIDER buying on-line (unless I’ve seen it in-person first) is furniture.
Unless you’re spending “a fortune,” most of what you’ll find new today is crap, IMHO. If you have quality pieces that still have good bones, refinishing/reupholstering/etc. is def something to consider. But make sure you also look up reviews for the person refinishing/upholstering your stuff and talk to them. One guy I was considering for refinishing a wood table w/ GORGEOUS grain said he was going to finish it in a “cappaccino” color. I seriously had to refrain from telling him to go f*ck himself.
It’s not that low, if you buy quality pieces. And I also rarely buy stuff new (except for, say, a couch or mattress). But the used market might be different in LA.
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Room & Board is the best entry level nice furniture. Most pieces made in America. Lifetime return policy for many big pieces.
I returned a custom sofa five years after delivery, no questions asked. We just woke up one day and it’s wasn’t plush anymore.
For dirt cheap stuff, ikea has some limited real hidden gems. Only in real wood though. Particle board is trash. Check out Skogsta line.
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it would be easier to narrow down where to point you if we knew what you wanted to buy. there are certain manufacturers for wood furniture, sofas, etc…
Macys usually has quality stuff and you won’t break the bank. I’ve had no issues with their sectionals/sofas and neither has any of my family.
Good sales during holiday weekends too.
Ashley Furniture has good looking stuff but I find their quality is not as good.
Pottery Barn, West Elm, Ethan Allen etc is so over priced .
Sorry but IKEA is junk. I only go there if I need stupid shit for the kitchen/bathroom like accessories or a cheap set of dishes/glasses. It’s throw away furniture . Good for dorms or something you’ll use short term (particle board)