FURNITURE LUST

[mrssalvo]

Date: 12/30/2005 3:11:35 PM
Author: jcrow
here''s the matching chair. they are from storehouse.

I LOVE storehouse

. My sister just bought a new leather sofa and chair from there and it''s gorgeous.

 

[Odilia]

Wow, as others said, so many things I would love to buy! One side note, Mara, in the red couch photo, I DID buy something - the chess set for my DH!!

I would love a bedroom set, dining room set, etc. etc. etc. But for now I can''t buy too much until we move into a new house. My other problem is I always find my favorite styles at Ethan Allen, which is pricey.

But I will try to attach a piece of furniture my Dad and I saw in Ethan Allen and both loved. It is a secretary - NOT my most useful, functional piece of furniture to buy now! But it was so pretty:

http://www.ethanallen.com/ea/com.ethanallen.ecom.FrameDirectorServlet?top=1&body=1

The picture does not do it justice at all. It was gorgeous in person.

 

[Odilia]

Oops, the link doesn''t take you to the right page. It''s a bombe secretary desk, item # 32-9203 if you want to see it.

 

[Odilia]

Hey, I thought of a question though. I know folks who went down to North Carolina (from PA) to buy furniture. They said it was much cheaper. I thought, surely after the additional shipping it must have not been cheaper, but no, they said even with having to ship from NC to PA it was significantly less expensive, enough to make it worth their going all the way down there to shop. So my question is, does anyone know of good places to get great bargains on good furniture in NC (or elsewhere) etc..?

 

[angel_nieves]

If I could I want this set not the table just the couch and seats. My hubby wont let me due to the fact I work with an animal rescue and we have a 2 yr old son. So I have to tick with my old furniture fro another 2 yrs.

 

[angel_nieves]

pic

 

[angel_nieves]

However I might get a similar bed to this one. I found this photo and fell in love with it however do not know what store carries it.

 

[Mara]

Love everyone's wants and photos!!

MMM, part of what gets me when I shop at PB is that everything is so ridiculously marked up. Esp since it's all made in India or China or Indonesia or some other cheaper part of the world. And the markup is like 50000%. I worked for PB for a Christmas season and the fact that they can drop prices down to 75% off at the end of the season etc just shows how much money they make off us desperate little American shoppers!!

I do have a contact in a design studio store in SF who does home staging and they can get GREAT deals on furniture so I wonder if they would be able to shop directly with the PB furniture maker? If you do find that name/information, let me know and I can ask them...my girlfriend got an amazing deal when she bought her new house and had to furnish it. She loves the dark wood and rattan thing like me too (like that Montego table and chairs) so she got a new bed frame (headboard and footboard), a tall dresser and mirror, 2 nightstands; a full suede couch and matching chair and ottoman; a desk and 2 standing lamps for ...drumroll are you ready for this? $3500! It was an amazing deal, I walked out with 4 piece of french country wall art, but hey at least it was something. They basically can shop with the wholesale manufacturers and then pass on the deals to you and since they have a tiny shop in SF there is not really overhead, and in the meantime they use the pieces they carry in their 'store' to stage homes and make money that way too. What a great little business...they are very successful.

Anyway...I know that they can get us a dining table that seats up to 10 for about $800 for the table and $200 each for the chairs or something like that...so definitely a discount and it's the dark mahogany wood but not sure I absolutely LOVE IT as much as some other things I have seen, so we'll keep looking.

What we actually NEED right now and I am on the verge of buying is a new entertainment center/unit...we have a 'cutout' in our family room wall where it has to go, it's about 90" wide and about 90" tall. Finding something that fits in there that is a unit/center is proving hard, but we don't want to do a built-in because we only plan to be here another ~5 years or so. The closest thing we have found so far is the Gayle EC at PB for $1k and it's a nice low price and very open and clean lines, it's a little modern for my taste but Greg loves it and the room is small and we didnt want anything too cluttery or large and overpowering, so I am about to pull the trigger on this one and get it ordered so we can finally get rid of our $200 Target special that Greg bought 4 years ago when he was single!!

The good thing also is that it's 3 pieces, 2 etagere's and a TV stand so when we do eventually move if we need to take it apart and get a bigger EC for a new house or something, we can use these pieces separately in various rooms for design elements, so it's functional in more ways than just one.

Only downer is that we don't have a flat panel TV yet and our Sony WEGA weighs about what the max is for that glass shelf so we are going to have to reinforce it with some additional wood panels until we do get around to getting a new TV probably this summer!!

 

[pearcrazy]

Date: 1/2/2006 2:19:52 PM
Author: old-fashioned girl
Hey, I thought of a question though. I know folks who went down to North Carolina (from PA) to buy furniture. They said it was much cheaper. I thought, surely after the additional shipping it must have not been cheaper, but no, they said even with having to ship from NC to PA it was significantly less expensive, enough to make it worth their going all the way down there to shop. So my question is, does anyone know of good places to get great bargains on good furniture in NC (or elsewhere) etc..?

I posted a reply to this question on Diamond Hangout.

 

[moremoremore]

I'll have to try to ask my sister again about the manus...but I bet they have a bunch companies...and I bet they mostly make exclusive designs for pb...Like I know the Chandler Collection makes some of the pb quilts and bedding and drapes, but even if you have a retail license you have to order a $1000 opening order or something...and almost all of the designs there you don't see on pb b/c they must be exclusives for pb...

Instead, how about getting the entertainment center and a nice light lcd tv hehehehe?

You can carry it around yourself it's so light.

I really don't need the table so I'll let it go. For now. I really want and actually a tall chest/wardrobe for the spare room and new area rugs for the foyer and den...

 

[butterfly 17]

Well, I didn''t actually order the set yet. I can''t decide if i should do it or wait since we also only plan to live here another 5 years. We plan to relocate once my husband retires, which is a little less than 5 years for now, so I don''t want to spend alot and then decide later, that I want something else.

Plus, I worry that my daughter may damage the furniture, she is only five.

Oh, one other thing i would love to get would be a nice wrought iron and glass table for my kitchen, but I can''t find one that I really like. I am constantly looking for one online, but the only company I have found that sells many different styles is Hillsdale. The problem is I can''t tell from the pictures if the quality is good or not.

I love Ethan allen furniture too and I got my bedroom set, dining set and livingroom set from them. I did have to replace my table and buffet when I first got them though, because they arrived damaged and when they sent out a person to fix it, I was not happy with the way it was fixed. They did let me use the furniture until the replacements were ready.
They take a long time too, about 16 weeks.

 

[monarch64]

Hmmm, methinks I should seek out my old childhood friend (from Brownie Scouts and on) who now is pretty high up on the Pottery Barn ladder here in Chicago...I met up with her again this past summer at my 10 yr. high school reunion. Maybe she knows a little something on how to get good PB deals, which I could share with all you PB fans, myself included! I''ll let ya know, she is going through a divorce right now so I don''t know exactly where she''s living, but if I find her you better believe I will grill her about it!

 

[Mara]

PB and WS have their headquarters here in SF and you better believe everytime I saw an eCommerce job pop up, when I was in eComm Marketing, I was all over that like white on rice!! But of course so was everyone else here in the BayArea....esp all the home decor hungry gals like me. When we worked the seasonal gig we got 40% off everything, even sale items, it was SO AWESOME...but not furniture, that was only for the perm employees. Alas I was not cut out to do retail...so after the season was over that was it but you better believe I bought out the store before I left.

I pulled the trigger on the entertainment unit tonite, it'll arrive first week in Feb, yahoo!! I also bought some of the cutie little dark baskets in the images so that we can store our DVD's and the like in a neat, fashionable manner. Talk about insane, the shipping was something like $150 just for the unit...sheesh. That is one thing I don't love about PB...ridiculous shipping prices AND they don't do any discounts or coupons unless you have their credit card. Which I am most certainly not getting...recipe for disaster!!

OH and the other thing that is on my list for this year is a 8x10 for the downstairs living room. I got a FAB deal on a PB $800 rug for the upstairs family room, it's the 5x8 hand-knotted wool rug in a green and I got it for $200 on eBay....what an amazing deal, brand new and the gal shipped it in time for Thanksgiving. We adore it...so now I am on the hunt on eBay for a PB 8x10 that has some reds in it for the downstairs. It's amazing what a rug can do to liven up a room!

 

[butterfly 17]

OH and the other thing that is on my list for this year is a 8x10 for the downstairs living room. I got a FAB deal on a PB $800 rug for the upstairs family room, it''s the 5x8 hand-knotted wool rug in a green and I got it for $200 on eBay....what an amazing deal, brand new and the gal shipped it in time for Thanksgiving. We adore it...so now I am on the hunt on eBay for a PB 8x10 that has some reds in it for the downstairs. It''s amazing what a rug can do to liven up a room!

I got a great deal on ebay as well on a Pottery Barn kids rug for my new baby''s room. I got the PBK Natalie rug 8x10 size. It retailed for $599, but with tax and shipping, it came out to over $700, close to $800, I believe, so I went on ebay and did a search and found someone selling it for $399, but shipping was $90.
I submitted my best offer of $200 and they accepted!!!

It came brand new from the PBK''s in Tyson ''s Mall in Virginia and I even called up the number(there was a receipt on the plastic wrap, but only the shipping showed up) to find out if they were an outlet and they told me no. I even made the saleperson I spoke to look up the item number to tell me the price and sure enough, it was $599.

I still can''t figure it out!

I will order my other daughter a new rug from ebay once I figure out what colors I want.

 

[Ann]

Date: 12/30/2005 2:26:56 PM
Author: jcrow
mmm- your glasses look like the ones from crate and barrel.

if we don''t find our dream glasses- looks like these will have to make our list instead

try CB2 website.

 

[moremoremore]

BTW, I was in PB tonight and coulnd''t believe the poor quality of their tables. ick.

And funny thing is, i was in Target, and I swear, they have this new Indonesian furniture thing going on and if anyone likes that PB table, they had a STUNNING version that was SO well made. Solid. So beautiful. But small. Under $300. I couldn''t beleive it. Their furniture is generally very crappy to tell you the truth...but this was just solid and beautiful. You''d have to see it to believe me

 

[monarch64]

MMM, really! Thanks for being out and about and scouting out the quality for us PB online buyers! I was surprised when reading your post, but I have no problemo buying Target stuff if it turns out to be great quality.

Question: what do you think of Pier One furniture? We bought a bedroom set from there almost two years ago and have been very happy with it quality wise. We get tons of compliments on it but I''m just wondering if this was happenstance and we should bother with buying from them in the future. (Our bedroom set was a very quick, uneducated purpose just for something to throw in our new house, which had a super tiny staircase to the upstairs and master bedroom--house was built in ''48 so queen size boxsprings would not fit up the stairs when we moved, prompting us to rush out and buy king size bed and furniture because kings come with twin size box springs!)

 

[moremoremore]

I was shocked at the target table. Just stood there with my mouth open...

As for P1 I don''t really know...I didn''t even know they had bedroom furniture...I think the fact that it hasn''t let you down in two years really says something! I think you''d have to see each piece individually and evaluate it that way!

I''m very impressed with Broyhill Furniture wood furniture. So many looks and SO reasonable. I dare say cheap compared to other makers and the quality is right on the money...I got two distressed end tables and a large armoire from them and they rock.... I''m also not into the price tags but I have a Thomasville piece that is just so "sound"...and solid....I actually got it on sale at a very good price and I guess considering the quality it was a good deal....

 

[Ann]

I saw an ad in Domino mag ( luv that one) about the Target furniture.

Apparently they only have it for a short while, gone when it''s gone.

I''ll go look soon!

 

[moremoremore]

I really like Domino Mag! It looks just as nice in person I bet...It''s small and low but so cute.

 

[jcrow]

well, these are the closest glasses i found. they are from crate and barrel.

 

[jcrow]

and

 

[butterfly 17]

I figure I would post the other thing I was lusting after. Since we moved to our home 4 years ago, I have been wanting a new kitchen table, but nothing too expensive. In particular, I wanted a wrought iron table with a round glass top and not too many companies make them.

I finally found a company that makes a lot of different styles called Hillsdale House. Anyway, I could not decide what I wanted and which one to get because the light fixtures in my kitchen are gold and glass and the hardware on my cabinets are gold as well, but I did not want a gold dinette set.

then, I found out that they make a black set with golden highlights and unfortunately, no one around here sells that company but Fortunoff''s and they only had two styles, but not the one I like and I didn''t want to get it and find that I did not like the color.

Anyway, I have been debating about getting this set for months now and one day I did a search and found a company selling their furniture and they had the set I wanted and they were having a super after Christmas sale.
I decided to just get it then since the sale was so good! I got it for only $638 with the baker''s rack included.

I was a little apprehensive about the quality since the set was so cheap, but I got it and put it together and it is perfect for my small kitchen.

Here is a picture from the storewebsite-

 

[butterfly 17]

And here it is in my kitchen. I removed the top shelf of the backers rack so that the TV could fit and put the microwave on it.
I need to get a nice center piece for it, but I am not sure what to put.

 

[butterfly 17]

And here is what it looks like from the dining room.

I have not removed the plastic off the chair cushions yet!

 

[Odilia]

Okay, I am a slowpoke in both furniture and jewelry.. but the furniture won the race. Actually was holding off because I keep hoping we''ll move, but finally I went ahead and bought it. Got this Bombe secretary today:

 

[Matata]

Loooooooove the Bombe secretary. I''ve had my eye on this sofa for 5 months. Want it in chocolate, green, red or paprika color. Looks like I''m leaning toward the modern side this time around. Can''t afford new furniture for the new house until I sell the old house. I am not a patient person.

 

[Allisonfaye]

Date: 1/2/2006 2:19:52 PM
Author: old-fashioned girl
Hey, I thought of a question though. I know folks who went down to North Carolina (from PA) to buy furniture. They said it was much cheaper. I thought, surely after the additional shipping it must have not been cheaper, but no, they said even with having to ship from NC to PA it was significantly less expensive, enough to make it worth their going all the way down there to shop. So my question is, does anyone know of good places to get great bargains on good furniture in NC (or elsewhere) etc..?

Check out Boyles.com in nc. I purchased an entire master bedroom - king headboard, armoire, triple dresser, two nightstands and a lingerie chest that I loved. I saved about 20% buying here.

They have so many different manufacturer''s. Ours was Drexel Heritage. All of ours are from the Accents Francais collection and I love it.

 

[Allisonfaye]

This is what some of it looks like.

 

[Allisonfaye]

Old fashioned girl:
There was a Drexel Heritage store here so I picked it out in person, got all the prices and called down there to see if they could beat it. It was a slam dunk. They easily beat it and when you are spending that much $$, 20% is worth it.