Furniture

[guccirush]

My husband and I are just starting out and need to furnish our townhouse. But with me being a full time student and he being the military, we are obviously on a budget. We don''t want to purchase too many disposable items (ala ikea) but things need to be "affordable." Does anyone have any recommendations on furniture stores to explore? I do prefer online just because of the added convience.

Thanks so much!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

We got our first sofa at Value City Furniture. It was under $600 and VERY comfy/well made. Around here we have sofa express, rooms to go, and ashley''s furniture which are all budget friendly and offer payment plans. I actually saw some nice furniture at Pier 1 the other day but didn''t look at the price. Sam''s Club also sells furniture but again I have never looked seriously there so I don''t know the prices. Hope this helps!

 

[door knob solitaire]

I have a passion for modern contemporary lines, and unfortunately there is rarely anything in budget friendly that I like. So, I just look. he he.

I do think that Home Decorators http://www.homedecorators.com/ is a wonderful place to find that certain something that you can''t find elsewhere. Offered in many different finishes and fabrics and matching accessories you may find a theme you want to carry through and it may help you with a direction. Lots of shelving and cabinets and console tables. Sometimes one simple piece can really do wonders.

We have a Garden Ridge it is a craft type super store. Many forget they offer furniture pieces, rugs, chairs, bar stools and unfinished pieces you can finish yourself. Don''t know if you have one. Another option many forget is Tuesday Morning. They get in really nice pieces...usually in small quantities but they have enough flair and uniqueness that one piece may help your budget look less frugal. Bedding is also great there...mirrors etc. Pier One...and of course the non budget Pottery Barn and Crate Barrel.

The reason I like local over Internet is the savings may be lost on shipping. But I rarely buy off the Internet so I am sure other pros can fill you in on secrets.

What style are you thinking you want? That may help others suggest more.

DKS

 

[guccirush]

Thanks guys! My style is kind of eclcectic...I don''t care for really modern looks, I like a home that feels a little more homey I really like a lot of the things places like pottery barn carry and then add my unique treasures that I have gotten from a lot of traveling. I don''t know if you ever have watched the Diane Keaton movie "Somethings Gotta Give," but her Hampton''s beach house is my ideal retreat!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Oh DKS I forgot about Home Decorators. I have two storage pieces from them and LOVE them. I like clean/modern lines too. Their stuff is a great price and easy to put together. Target has some nice looking (not sure of the quality) furniture too.

 

[lumpkin]

Don''t be afraid to shop at garage sales and places that sell consignment furniture. Gently used can be GREAT! Our bedroom and dining room furniture were gently used and we got great, solid, well made furniture for less than we could have bought the heapy cheapy stuff. Even upholstered furniture can sometimes be had in great shape. We had a formal sofa in our living room that we rarely rarely rarely used, and when we needed to make the living room into an office we ended up donating it. It absolutely killed me because I loved that sofa, but we just didn''t have any place for it and no one would give us more than a few hundred dollars for it, if that, and it was originally a $2500 sofa.

 

[zoebartlett]

Pier One''s sitting furniture isn''t THAT great -- I''ve never owned any but I used to work there and found their sofas to be too uncomfortable for use over a long period of time. Plus, they used to cut corners anyway and not have the colored fabric cover all of the sofa cushions. For example, there was a greenish sofa there once when I worked there and when I flipped over the cushions, I noticed that the underneath part had small purple and white polka dots. Weird. It was like they had run out of material or something. Plus, Pier One''s other furniture is often overpriced, in my opinion. Some is nicer quality than others but still expensive. Not to be a downer but it could be something to think about. Definitely check out the quality before buying.

I''m not sure where you''re located, but in the northeast have Jordan''s Furniture, Bernie and Phyl''s, Bob''s Discount Furniture (which CAN be nicer than the name would make you think and I know Bob''s is all over the place). We also have Homegoods for tables, entertainment centers, rugs, etc., but not sofas.

I''ve never bought furniture online so I can''t speak about that.

 

[laine]

Don't give up on Ikea completely! They do have some nicer furniture thats real wood rather than veneered (and a little more costly, but still reasonable) and their Ektorp sofas are nice and got good reviews from consumer reports.

Ikea is great to browse online, but you need to go to the store to check out quality--some pieces are awful, some are great.

 

[teetee]

Since you said you like Pottery Barn, have you looked at the furniture section at Target? They have some nice pieces that are reasonably priced. I think the quality is better than IKEA. A couple of years ago, I purchased an end table and console table from there to compliment my Pottery Barn bed and it looks like they were a set.

Another place I like that is similar to PB is Room and Board www.roomandboard.com. They are located all over the US and have reasonable delivery charges.

 

[Mara]

Ikea does have some upholstered items that are more traditional aka overstuffed and affordable and very good quality for price. I got their PB knockoff couch years ago for 1/2 the PB price and it lasted me 3-5 years no problem.

In terms of tables, chairs, etc..check out Target for some basics, Pier 1, Cost Plus World Imports. Home Decorators online, if you like the French Country look I love Ballard Designs online and in catalogs, they have some affordable things and great wall decor.

Also I was just at Marshalls for a laptop bag and they had the most amazing leather dining chairs for $129, regular price was like $250 each. And they were really nice! They also had a bunch of random odds and ends for furniture like end tables, bedroom nightstands etc. So your local discount store might have one or two things you can mix and match with. For things like home decor that's cheap, Target and Marshalls, Loehmanns kind of thing too. I love getting candles and holders and things like wall prints or funny home decor (just got a big ceramic green pear for like $12) at places like this.

Lastly don't rule out eBay. There was this big french country wall clock I wanted in Ballard's catalog but it was $170 and I found the same clock on eBay for like $75. There are alot of Ballard things on eBay as well as PB overstock stuff. So check it out. Oh and of course CraigsList!! I got a $200 PB champagne gilt huge rectangular mirror on there for $70 and I just had to pick it up and it was in mint condition (it's a mirror so it just hangs on the wall, not really getting wear and tear that way). There are always a bunch of PB things on our local CraigsList like leather chairs and couches, dining tables, etc for less than 1/2 retail.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[TravelingGal]

Craigslist! If you can be patient and don''t mind the hassle, there are tons of bargains to be found. I go to the furniture section and do searches for the nice suburbs in town (I live in L.A.) Often people in these swanky areas are moving and have great stuff...and for some reason they don''t need to sell it at high prices. A lot of the stuff is in great shape, as they are selling because they are moving, not because it''s old.

There''s junk out there too, but if you can look for things piece by piece, it''s worth it. I think it''s also great because you can check it out before you buy, and choose not to if you don''t like it!

 

[Independent Gal]

Good quality furniture like signed jewelry pieces, is something I never hesitate to buy second hand. It lasts for ages. So, I recommend considering second hand since you can get very high quality stuff for IKEA prices if you know how to look. How to find it? I have two tips for you:

When I was very young, money was SERIOUSLY tight for my mom and what she did to furnish our home was she watched out for contents sales and garage sales in rich neighbourhoods in our city, and bought furniture from those. Of course rich neighbourhood doesn't NECESSARILY equal taste or quality, but the chances are higher on at least the quality part of it.

Second, use craigslist. Lots of people sell nice stuff on c'list (though there's plenty of junk too!). For instance, my fiance just sold a bunch of good quality furniture that way because he was moving in with me. Or if people move to a new town they sell stuff rather than pay for a mover. Just search for good brand names: Design Within Reach, Room & Board, Roche Bobois (oooh, that would be lucky!), etc.

Hope that helps!

ETA: Great minds, T'Gal!

 

[guccirush]

Thank you all for your help!