Where Is Your Furniture From – And Do You Recommend?
Here's a fun open thread for today — where is your furniture from, and do you recommend? What do you think are the best places to buy furniture? We haven't talked about grown-up furniture in far too long, so I'd love to hear your thoughts. Fill out as much as you can (brand, style), and let us know your thoughts…
Couch/Sofa:
Armchairs:
TV stand:
Rugs:
Kitchen Table:
Dining Room Table:
Bedroom Set:
Mattress:
Any bathroom furniture (cabinets, tubs):
Patio Furniture:
Other favorite piece(s) of furniture not mentioned:
Worst furniture purchase:
General experience when buying furniture:
For my $.02:
The Best Places to Buy Furniture (IMHO)
Couch/Sofa: Our main couches comes from JC Penney — Furniture Possibilities. We wanted something in a bright teal that was affordable and this one was under $600 — we actually got two about four years ago. They've held up well, all things considered (i.e. crazy boys jumping on them), and only now are we starting to see signs of wear/saggy cushions and things like that. Considering the price we paid I wouldn't be too upset if we have to get a new one in a few years. When we're looking for our “hopefully forever sofa” I think we'll be looking at Room & Board; I've coveted an Ian sofa ever since a good friend got one years ago. (Related: You might want to read our last discussion on how to pick kid-friendly furniture over at CorporetteMoms!)
Armchairs: We just got one from Joybird (the Eliot apartment chair) and love it — it's comfortable and seems really well made. I was nervous to order furniture on the internet but the fact that they send you swatches AND have a 365 day return policy made me feel better about taking the plunge.
TV stand: Can I pass, if I'm embarrassed? No? Ok — the main TV stand we use is one that my parents bought me at Best Buy… after law school. For my HUGE television (back when they were, like, huge boxes). It's gray MDF and dinged and has a general “MEH” aura to it, but we haven't really seen one that has inspired another purchase.
Rugs: We've had, at various points, rugs from Crate & Barrel, West Elm, FLOR, Joss & Main, Zulily, and so forth, and have always had pretty good experiences. One bad experience that wasn't the fault of the rug: the shag rug from Crate & Barrel wasn't a good fit for a crawling baby, so my MIL now has it. (I kind of got stabbed by a bobbypin my babysitter had lost in the rug that I hadn't seen, and shuddered to think what would have happened had my son found it.) The only place I won't buy rugs from is Ikea, if only because I feel like every time I go to the store I see a zillion fuzzballs floating around the store that, when I get to the rug section, I realize are all coming from shedding rugs.
Lighting: Another thing I won't buy at Ikea: lighting. We've just had some bad experiences there, although they were so long ago I'm forgetting the specifics. That said, we've had totally fine experiences from a bunch of random stores like JC Penney, Pottery Barn, Target, Amazon, Joss & Main, so go figure. (I like to drool over the lighting in Rejuvenation, but we haven't found a must-buy piece yet.) Oh, also, I fell in love with Tala pendants after a trip to ABC Carpet & Home and splurged, but be warned: they're very soft, low lighting, so not great for, say, kitchen pendants, where we have them.
Kitchen Table: Ikea for the win! We got a plain brown extension table and have no complaints for the price. Again, this was bought with the expectation that while the kids were small there would be lots of markers and glue projects and accidents and, hey, it has lived up to that.
Dining Room Table: We don't have a separate dining room table at the moment. Years ago I was thrilled to buy an expandable glass-topped table that I had once seen featured on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (the OG version), and it turned out to not only be a pain in the butt when expanded to seat six (something about the placement of the table legs got in literally everyone's way) but having a table with a removable glass topper is not something I'd recommend for people with small kids or messy eating habits — I can't tell you the amount of gunk that would get stuck between the pane of glass and the sides of the table. Yuck.
Bedroom Set: My parents' wedding present to us was to help us pick out a nice set of furniture from Amish Country in Ohio (Homestead Furniture). It's still some of the nicest pieces of furniture we own. The kids' bedroom furniture is Ikea — the MALM line holds up really well (but make sure you anchor it to the wall if you've got kids!); we have one piece from the Hemnes collection that we haven't been as impressed with because the drawers keep coming off their tracks.
Mattress: We just bought a mattress a few years ago and I'm not impressed with it — I'd love to hear if you guys have any favorite mattresses.
Any bathroom furniture (cabinets, tubs): We haven't bought any tubs but I still love the Ikea/Godmorgon furniture I picked out for a mini-bathroom redo — I loved that that the cabinet had full-extension, soft-close drawers, and the mirrored cabinet has a ton of space (we actually got two of them).
Other favorite piece(s) of furniture not mentioned: We have a small side table from Ballard Designs that I really like — it's got tiny circular mirrors all over it and a general antiquey gold geometric design. The only problem is that the geometric design is open metalwork and my kids keep shoving tiny toys there, but hey… anyway that was my first purchase from Ballard Designs and now I drool every time I get a catalog. Oh, also, when we redid our kitchen a few years ago we used all Ikea cabinets and drawers and I liked the price, features like full extension drawers/soft close cabinets, and I liked that they were versatile enough to be changed out for other Ikea cabinets/doors if we wanted to down the line.
Worst furniture purchase: Gaaah our china hutch. We bought it before we had kids and it's this huge clonking piece that takes up too much room and, frankly, is lousy furniture — the drawers don't pull out all the way, the wood veneer is flaking off every time it gets dinged, the “dramatic mood lighting” lights are somewhat unpredictable. We got it from Macy's (along with a matching credenza) when we were newlyweds and we regret both pieces now — they were on sale but we still probably spent close to $3000 on both pieces. Very disappointing and we haven't been back to Macy's for furniture purchases since. (To be honest, getting all the wedding china was also a mistake, but that's a discussion for another post — here's our last discussion on what to put on your wedding registry.)
General experience when buying furniture: We've definitely had a mix of high and low, and honestly we've had better luck with the “disposable furniture” pieces than we have with the “forever” pieces. I have strong opinions on a lot of Ikea's offerings, obviously — we've also had good luck with random chairs from Ashley Furniture in terms of comfort/durability/price/style — they're also sold through Joss & Main and JC Penney in case you prefer those shopping experiences. We love browsing at places like West Elm, Crate and Barrel, CB2, and Pottery Barn — but I often feel like the same style of furniture can be found elsewhere for less money, once you know what you're looking for.
Readers, over to you — where do you think are the best places to buy furniture? Are you browsing for anything this Labor Day weekend? Do you buy furniture over the internet, or do you prefer to see furniture in person? What furniture stores do you implicitly trust or turn to first for style — and which ones are in your “yuck, I'd never buy furniture there” lists?
Stock photo via Deposit Photos / londondeposit.
Couch/Sofa: Just bought a new one from a bargain furniture outlet in our new town for $700 delivered. The delviery guys also took our old, broken courch away for free. It’s a cream sectional from the Property Brother’s furniture line. For the price, I’m not expecting it to be our forever couch, but it’s soooo nice to have a new one after living with my law school apartment couch for way too long.
Armchairs: From Wayfair, purchased on super sale ($125/each) when I bought my first home over four years ago. Minus the cat destroying them in the last year, they’re still holding up great.
TV stand: $50 from Target. Had one in white in old living room, sold it with the house, and rebought the same one in brown/wood when I got the new place.
Rugs: Large wool area rugs from Homegoods (TJ Maxx sister) for under $200. They consistently have the best large area rugs for a great price.
Kitchen Table: Wayfair solid wood for under $200 still going strong after four years.
Mattress: It’s about time to replace our Stearns and Foster, which was way too expensive (I think $2700 for a Queen seven year ago?) and did not hold up that well. Definitely looking for a new brand.
General experience when buying furniture: It’s not reflected in my current large furniture items, but I’ve also had great luck on Craigslist and small “antique” stores (where the stuff I like is usually from the 1940s-1950s and therefore not truly an antique).
The best mattress I’ve ever had is from Tuft and Needle. Got it on Amazon for $600 and was able to make $100 monthly payments. It’s just the right amount of firm and soft. I can’t feel my husband when he gets into bed.
We looove our Tuft & Needle.
Agree! I adore my Tuft & Needle mattress. 3 friends (with wildly different needs/living situations) had recommended it, & I’m glad I listened. Comparable price to all the other expandable mattresses (Casper, etc) but amazing quality.
Room and board whenever possible, ikea when not.
Couch/Sofa: We bought ours overseas in HK when we were there – it’s a low profile leather tufted couch and I cannot WAIT to get rid of it. The buttons fall off all the time. It was really hard when we bought it – and now is too soft – the buttons aren’t comfortable, and I just really want a giant loungey cushy couch with a huge ottoman. THis is more office couch and I regret buying on looks.
Armchairs: One of those sling chairs from Ikea, and a huge leather armchair from Macys, which I love because it’s super sturdy and I can curl up in it.
TV stand: We had one custom made abroad from rosewood – it’s one of my favorite pieces with hideaway cabinet doors and it’s a beautiful color. We’ll use this forever.
Rugs: Bought from an oriental rug merchant – I tend to like traditional patterns so this is still the best place for me to get a nice rug at a decent price. Pro tip – these rugs are better to buy abroad since they’re cheaper but make sure you check for the origin. Good rugs also fold up into nothing, so an extra piece of luggage and you can check it!
Kitchen Table: n/a
Dining Room Table: have an expandable MCM piece – it’s a solid piece, but I probably overpaid for it because we just moved and really needed a dining table and I was freaking out over West Elm prices for a table and hubby nixed Ikea. I suspect a big solid wood ikea table would’ve been a better choice for us, but I still really like the table. I just overpaid for it.
Bedroom Set: we…don’t have one. we have the metal frame on the bed, no headboard. two dressers from various antique shops that are holding up beautifully. free west elm nightstands that now have peeling veneer from a couple that was getting rid of them. we’re looking at upgrading to a king soon, and will probably add a headboard from wayfair or somewhere then.
Mattress: sealy – from 1800mattress almost 10 years ago. i only paid 300 and change for a mattress and boxspring and consider it a solid purchase. next time, we’ll be looking for a harder mattress though.
Any bathroom furniture (cabinets, tubs): we retiled our bath but haven’t replaced any real furniture
Patio Furniture: I’m on the side of purchasing cheap here. We bought the applaro set (table, bench and 2 chairs) from Ikea, and it’s held up ok, but not great. it’s outdoors in socal, and it’s getting brutally beat up by the sun and an unusually wet winter. slats are starting to sag already, which is sad. I think we’ll opt for metal next time for durability.
Other favorite piece(s) of furniture not mentioned: we have great kitchen stools from the Amazon line – I’m really impressed and they’re super comfy. pricey, but very nice. Target has cute lighting that we bought for the bedroom (scones) and dining room (chandelier from the ford collection). we also had a work desk made abroad in a beautiful rosewood and that’s one of my favorite pieces.
Worst furniture purchase: probably the really expensive library set (bookshelf) from container store. I wanted an expandable bookshelf that we could add to in the future, and this seemed like the best freestanding option but it’s SO EXPENSIVE and I probably could’ve just bought some cheap bookshelves and switched to wall mounted shelves when we moved into a house.
General experience when buying furniture: I once bought a couch from Macy’s and delivery was delayed for 8 months and then we moved so we never got it. I will never buy anything from there again. We’ve shifted to mostly buying antique now but I”m really interested in seeing if any of the online furniture stores develop out to more viable and reliable options, in terms of quality.
We have the metal frame/platform, too. My mom sews and we have almost too many pillows, and have enough other furniture and windows that a headboard is almost pointless.
I do really want a headboard though – we lean in bed against the wall and read a lot, and I don’t like extra pillows on the bed. I’ve seen some great DIYs, where a pillow is secured to a dowel rod and mounted to the wall. Still cushy, but they are changeable!
All of my furniture was picked out by my mom and dad, b/c they have experience in these things, and did not want me to get cheap stuff that would break in a year or 2. So I think they got a lot of it from Stickley and Ethan Allen, other then my LazyBoy reclining chair, which they got from Lazy Boy. Dad told me he got my bed set and matteress from a guy he knows in Conecticut, but he did not tell me their name. I wanted to get stuff at Crate and Barrell and West Elm, but they said no b/c it was not what they would want for their place. Since Dad bought my place, I figured he would furnish it and in case I got married and moved out, he would have his own place in NYC to sleep when he taught late classes. That has not been necessary, as I have NOT found a worthy man to marry me, let alone move in (or out) with me. FOOEY! I am still hopeful a decent man will materialize, and wisk me off of my feet and take me back to his castle (or coop or condo, I am not particular any more ) where we could live happily ever after!!!! YAY!!!!!!
Anyone here tried a Ruggable yet? No kids here, but I do have two small furbabies so finding rugs that i don’t care about having pet accidents on is difficult. All the ones I really like are too expensive (in my mind) to have in a pet-friendly house. Wanted to see if anyone else has tried them since they are supposed to be pet/kid/life-proof and the top layer is machine-washable.
No, I’ve never had any trouble getting pet accidents out using the Kids and Pets cleanser. Machine washable does sound good though!
So, I’ve thought about it many many times. But here is what holds me back – the base part of it (that the rug part sticks to) is exposed when you’re washing the top unless you buy two top parts. At that total price point, I’ll just keep on keeping on with my regular rugs.
my friend has one and in terms of qualityit’s a slight step up from an outdoor carpet. It just looks… a little cheap and feel like we are walking on a heavy cloth/tablecloth.
I have a runner in my kitchen and like it. That said…it is relatively new, and I haven’t washed it yet. I do agree that it is very thin. But for the space/function, that is totally fine. I don’t want something overly fluffy in my kitchen. But we needed something to protect our new wood floors.
I just saw someone recommending on one of my special needs moms groups for her 15yo who still has accidents.
I have one. I put it in my den/family room. For better it worse, we eat in there regularly and my three year old has his cheek on the floor when he’s playing trains. It’s good for this purpose but it’s essentially an alternative to a playmat-type thing rather than a nice rug.
I just purchased one recently for my “home office/library.” So far, I love it. the floors are brick pavers which I like very much but have been looking for a rug to match the brick and the drapes for a long time. I haven’t had to wash it yet but it looks very easy to do. I paid about $180 for a 5 x 7 rug and pad. It does not look like an oriental or Company C or any other number of expensive rugs, but it looks nice and I think will be very easy to clean (3 indoor cats, all of whom like the rugs rather than brick or tile floors for their puking!)
I’m lucky to come from a long line of woodworkers, so much of my furniture is handmade by my family members (plus an end table I made!). Other than that, I am an avid estate sale-r. I have a mental list of what I’d like to change up and am always on the hunt. Most weekends are a bust, but I’ve gotten some really nice, quality pieces at estate sales. Many in my area aren’t my taste (very very formal styles), but more and more mid-century modern sales have been popping up, and those can be right up my alley. If I can’t find something at a sale, I’ve had good luck at West Elm and surprisingly at the regional value-furniture-type chain. I don’t have pets or kids so do not tend to be especially hard on furniture.
Caveat– My mattress (a Serta hybrid) came from an actual mattress store, bought new.
Couch/Sofa: I have two from Structube (Canadian store, kind of a slightly upgraded IKEA with an MCM vibe). They were pretty cheap and look nice so I’m fine with the fact that they will only last a few more years.
Armchairs: none
TV stand: none (no TV)
Rugs: Mix of Wayfair and some nicer rugs (Moroccan wool one purchased at a Museum, Persian one in my living room was a gift from my MIL). Rugs are my favorite and like that I don’t have the same as everyone else (we used to have an Ikea rug that bummed me out and was a dust magnet).
Kitchen/Dining Table: small wood bistro table and stools in my kitchen, white Ikea table in my dining room (I would like to upgrade it, but it’s serviceable enough).
Bedroom Set: Not a set, I’m not a fan of sets. IKEA bed, non matching white nightstands, and two dressers that were donated by our neighbor and sanded/painted by us – they are my favorite DIY and look really nice now.
Mattress: purchased new from a local store (I wanted to try it).
Any bathroom furniture (cabinets, tubs): No, but we mounted wine crates on the wall for extra storage.
Patio Furniture: Wayfair love seat (love this), small Ikea table and chairs.
Other favorite piece(s) of furniture not mentioned: Credenza in the dining room, originally an ugly brown thing which we purchased on CL and painted a lovely shade of blue + modern maple and glass top coffee table from Structube (very pretty and great storage).
Worst furniture purchase: Not a purchase, but we spend way too much time with furniture my in-laws had donated that made me actively miserable and I should have just spent the money to buy our own sooner.
General experience when buying furniture: Gradually trying to upgrade to more grown-up pieces. It took a while for my husband and I to reconcile our very diverging tastes.
Great timing, I just found out about Structube today and was considering a coffee table. I know you said you’re not expecting their couches to last much longer, have you found your table to also be about IKEA level for durability? Thanks!
I have a coffee table grom Structube in solid wood that is hidoldinging up beautifully and I expect it to be our forever table. It depends on the item, really.
Thank you! I think I’ll take the plunge.
I don’t know where our current leather sofas are from – they were my husband’s before we got married.
All of our wood furniture is second hand, even though we can afford to buy new. I enjoy the hunt, I enjoy antiques (fancy and just plain old equally :) ), I enjoy doing good for the environment, and I enjoy a bargain. I haven’t bought new wood furniture since 2005. Flea markets, antique malls, consignment shops, and FB marketplace are all good sources.
We needed a new mattress for our beach house recently and got a Serta from Big Lots and were very happy with it. A couple weeks ago, I happened to stay at a B&B and thought the mattress was super comfy, so I peeked under the sheets and discovered it was a Big Lots Serta model, too!
Couch/Sofa: American leather
Armchairs: Room and Board
TV stand: not applicable
Rugs: Oscar Iberian and Dash & Albert
Kitchen Table: marble and iron table from Paris
Dining Room Table: Crate and Barrel
Bedroom Set: Crate and Barrel
Mattress: Sleep Number
Any bathroom furniture (cabinets, tubs): Target
Patio Furniture: Frontage
Other favorite piece(s) of furniture not mentioned: family heirlooms
Worst furniture purchase: not applicable
General experience when buying furniture: Learned to let others help
I’m thinking of swapping the daybed in my guest bedroom for a pullout sofa. An American Leather sleeper (with the memory foam mattress) is currently at the top of my list. Do you recommend it?
Couch/Sofa: one from Ikea, one from West Elm. Both are 5+ years old and have held up well.
Armchairs: haven’t found any we love
TV stand: just an Ikea bookshelf, but it works fine and provides plenty of storage
Lighting: Ikea lamps have help up well
Dining Room Table: West Elm, happy with it after a few years
Bedroom Set: various Ikea, which has actually held up pretty well to a couple moves. The real wood stuff (Hemnes) looked nicer to start out with, but gets scratched up by the cats since the wood is pretty soft.
Mattress: also Ikea. One of their mid-end foam or latex mattresses, $400-500? Perfectly comfortable after 5+ years.
General experience when buying furniture: Cats are hard on furniture. Our cheapest Ikea stuff has held up as well or better than some of our nicer things. Even with money to spend, I’m not inclined to really splurge on furniture.
I’m from N.C. and have been spoiled by easy access to good quality furniture (although a bit harder to find in recent decades than when I was growing up).
Couch/Sofa: Sherrill brand; both purchased from independent furniture store
Armchairs: Sherrill, Hickory Chair (second hand), Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams (outlet)
TV stand: Hooker; purchased from independent furniture store
Rugs: rugsusa.com, wayfair, homegoods.
Kitchen Table: West Elm parsons table
Dining Room Table: Handmade by an Etsy vendor who lived near me at the time
Bedroom Set: Drexel Heritage
Mattress: I have no idea but I hate it and have a 3″ memory foam topper on it, which makes it bearable
Any bathroom furniture (cabinets, tubs): N/A
Patio Furniture: Lowes or Home Depot
Other favorite piece(s) of furniture not mentioned: My kids’ furniture (other than crib) is all thrifted/family antiques that have been refinished/painted. I love that their furniture isn’t typical kids furniture, but is still fun and age-appropriate.
Worst furniture purchase: Mattress; see above. Also, a jute rug when we were first married and had a puppy. Let me tell you how fun it is to clean puppy accidents out of a jute rug.
+100 for Sherrill. We did our family room with a sectional and several chairs and have been really pleased. Down wrapped cushions make all the difference.
Mattress- Leesa and Original Mattress Factory on kid bed
Kitchen- Pier One wooden table and chairs
Wooden Bookcases, a marble top piece, patio dining set- Costco.
Master Bedroom Set- Broughton Hall
Guest Bedroom- Crate and Barrel and something else for the wooden pieces
Rest is inherited/handed down from various family
Favorite pieces- early 1900 english leather top trestle desk I found for a steal at an antiques store, beverly hall leather chair/ottoman that was our first “nice” furniture purchase.
LOL, TV stand. My laptop-sized TV is tucked onto a shelf of the IKEA bookcase my parents bought me when I was ten. I probably wouldn’t have chosen white as a bookcase color if I’d known I was going to have said bookcases in my living room a quarter of a century later… but otherwise I’m pleased to have furniture has grown with me. And good bookcases are hard to find.
Lol. For about 12 years I used an Ikea bookshelf with one shelf missing that I got off the “as is” floor right out of law school as a TV stand. We finally bought a larger TV and had to get an actual stand, and it was a little sad. I liked that bookshelf.
Couch/Sofa: Nebraska Furniture Mart, brown leather sofa with electric recliners. I love it.
TV stand: Industrial-style computer stand that my husband found on line. It holds a ton of electronics and sits below the TV that’s mounted on the wall. We bought 2 more to match that we use as end tables next to the sofa.
Dining Room Table: Nebraska Furniture Mart, boat shaped that seats 8. My DH found it in the close-out section with 8 chairs & bought it, then called me and asked me if I could take a day off work to help get it home. It’s really cool looking, but it is hard to find tablecloths for. Virtually everything has to be custom-made.
Bedroom Set: We got our bed at Slumberland Furniture. Yes, it’s a goofy as it sounds. It’s dark wood headboard & side boards, with slats under the box springs.
Patio Furniture: We bought a 2×8 kit from Lowes and built the picnic table & benches
General experience when buying furniture: Buy from some place where they have a set code of ethics for their salespeople. Nebraska Furniture Mart has a written code for their staff that was developed by the founder (the late 1st wife of Warren Buffett) as the guiding principles by which they would do business. One of the reasons we keep buying from them is that they treat us with respect, and we always get good value for our money. That isn’t always the case with more local shops and for some of the big box stores.
Couch/Sofa: Bassett from a local store
Armchairs: Not sure of the brand, but teal with studs from the same local store
TV stand: my husband literally found it on the side of the road (well in front of someone’s driveway with a sigh that said free) in a ritzy neighborhood. It is gorgeous dark real wood with glass fronts.
Rugs: don’t have any. I haven’t found one I like and can afford so am holding out
Kitchen Table: wedding gift from my MIL. Don’t remember the brand. From the same local furniture store.
Dining Room Table: don’t have a separate dining room table. We have a buffet that I got on craigslist
Bedroom Set: my husband made our headboard. Our closet has built ins so we don’t have a separate dresser anymore. I have an antique armoire that was my grandmothers that I use in the bedroom as kind of a mini office–has the wireless printer, office supplies, and is where I store laptops and tablets with a charging port when not in use.
Mattress: Serta or something? IDK but it is a California King and is wonderful to have so much room to spread out or when small children climb in haha
Any bathroom furniture (cabinets, tubs): none
Patio Furniture: Patio table and chairs from Lowe’s Hardware Store on sale. Canopy umbrella from craigslist
Other favorite piece(s) of furniture not mentioned: I love our entry way table that I got on craigslist
Worst furniture purchase: We had some cheap stuff from Target when we were just starting out that fell apart
General experience when buying furniture: There are great deals on craigslist if you are patient but ready to buy when something pops up
Couch/Sofa: Lee Industries/Restoration Hardware
Armchairs: Lee Industries
TV stand: N/A now but bought a sideboard once from Restoration Hardware for this purpose
Rugs: Stark, Dash & Albert, Restoration Hardware, some vintage (bought through Etsy)
Kitchen Table: N/A
Dining Room Table: custom (found a woodworker who specializes in farm tables)
Bedroom Set: not a set, but all from Restoration Hardware
Mattress: DreamFoam Bedding Aloe Alexis mattress–could customize softness/firmness for each side!
Any bathroom furniture (cabinets, tubs): came with house
Patio Furniture: Loews and West Elm, both have held up incredibly well
Other favorite piece(s) of furniture not mentioned: Brass etageres from Ballard Designs, Visual Comfort lamps.
Worst furniture purchase: Pottery Barn upholstered armchair. Didn’t sit quite right, and looped cheaper in person that online (though maybe that was the fabric selection).
General experience when buying furniture: MEASURE EVERYTHING. I’ve generally had help or been cautious when buying large pieces, but I remember buying table lamps online on a whim and received them only to find out they were HUGE. Like twice the side as a normal bedside lamp–the base was literally as big as the side table I planned to place it on. Lesson learned–you have no sense of scale for an online photo.
+1 Lee Industries, Stark, Dash & Albert, Ballard. You have good taste in interiors ;)
Couch/Sofa: Room and Board Goodwin, custom upholstery, 1800
Armchairs: 1 11+yo leather ikea poang chair, and a new $500 wayfair chair.
TV stand: 2 low ikea dressers (engan, c. 2010) pushed together. drawers are huge!
Rugs: only have 1, in living room, and it’s a safavieh from wayfair. 8X10, probably spent 250?
Kitchen Table: n/a
Dining Room Table: CB2 silverado dining table (round glass top, minimalist chrome base)
Bedroom Set: uh, not a set person, but the dresser/bureau combo are vintage MCM from an estate sale shop, paid about 200 for the two pieces; bedside tables are from overstock probably, paid 150 ea. Headboard is a pretty basic upholstered nailhead trim from joss and main in 2011 for probably 120.
Mattress: Some fabulous hybrid memory foam/encapsulated coil queen thing we bought in 2011 for 1700. Worth every damn penny.
Any bathroom furniture (cabinets, tubs): n/a
Patio Furniture: Target table and chairs, recent purchases. We live in the south, so they stay out year round and get use 85% of the year.
Other favorite piece(s) of furniture not mentioned: I love our coffee and side tables in the living room, which are a CB2 Smart coffee table (glass top) and the CB2 smart marbletop c-shaped side table. Love. Also love the two vintage Dixie Campaigner dressers I scored on craigslist in mint condition from a young couple downsizing (it was grandma’s furniture and they hated it, lucky me!). 150$ for the pair, which live in our dining room, pushed together as a sideboard/china closet of sorts.
Worst furniture purchase: Couch from Bob’s Discount Crack Den…er, Furniture (Bob is a loon); that thing was a terrible piece of $#it from day 3 onward, and we came thisssss close to setting it on fire multiple times.
General experience when buying furniture: Spend more, be gentle, and get what you really want. And don’t get it at Bob’s.
Couch/Sofa: This End Up
Armchairs: This End Up
TV stand: IKEA Six-Square Shelf, but will be mounting the TV/large monitor to the wall
Rugs: Came with the house, soon to be replaced. It’s now sorta-white with kids & dog.
Kitchen Table: Quartz-composite top island – IKEA
Dining Room Table: Amish-made oak from 20+ years ago
Bedroom Set: Antique gift from family
Mattress:
Any bathroom furniture (cabinets, tubs): Came with house, likely Home Depot
Patio Furniture: Husband made Adirondack chairs, no real patio. Deck has built-in bench seating with collapse-able table that has a rotation of tablecloths
Other favorite piece(s) of furniture not mentioned: Our leather recliner, which was a godsend for my guy after two knee surgeries…and it just failed last night, so I’m reading this thread with interest.
Worst furniture purchase: several sofas did not stand up to husband’s large size – we do not have that issue with This End Up, but would prefer something more upscale
General experience when buying furniture: Mention early that we have a really large person using furniture, so it needs to be durable. For anything I will use frequently, my feet need to touch the floor, not dangle.
Couch/Sofa: I have an ancient sofa and loveseat that I purchased from Levitz over 25 years ago. It’s seen me through a couple of moves, a marriage, and a divorce. Still holding up!
TV stand: Embarrassed to admit that I still use a TV armoire for my TV. Bought long ago from JCPenney, utilizing my mom’s retiree discount.
Rugs: All my rugs are wool, from Pottery Barn.
Dining Room Table: Broyhill set, also bought long ago from JCPenney, utilizing my mom’s retiree discount.
Bedroom Set: I use an antique sewing machine as a night table, and an antique chifforobe to store shoes. No chest of drawers; I have a complete Elfa system in the closet. The bed itself is relatively new, from IKEA. I hate it. Flimsy support for the mattress; I’ve had to repair it and bolster it many times.
Mattress: The “W” mattress (as in W Hotels). I forgot who I bought it from. Love it.
So we are furniture obsessed people and it shows.
Couch/Sofa: From DWR
Armchairs: Eames lounger and ottoman – black and walnut, we lusted over this for years and will have it forever
Rugs: FLOR
Dining Room Table: Saarinen pedestal table in white
Bedroom Set: Nelson thin edge bed, Componibili tables as nightstands
Mattress: Costco
High five for the Eames chair and ottoman! I just got one for my Woman Cave and I am obsessed!!
Your place sounds like my dream place. Perfect MCM vision, perfectly executed.
I lust after the Eames lounge chair and ottoman in white. So sexy!
A couple recent purchases to vouch for in case any of you are Internet furniture-curious:
-We’re now up to three Tuft & Needle mattresses throughout our house. Really love them for the price. We’re a year in on our queen and it’s held up wonderfully. The edge strength or whatever it’s called is noticeably weaker than traditional mattresses so we tried the more expensive Mint version in our bedroom— highly recommend, totally solves that issue. The traditional version isn’t too bad unless you’re tight on bed real estate and need to use every inch of the mattress.
-Our purchases are too new to vouch for long term wear, but so far we’re absolutely delighted with the quality, comfort, and customer service of Article. We got one leather couch and one fabric, had to return a third piece due to size, and it all couldn’t have been easier or a more pleasant surprise. Strong recommend.
Mostly Room and Board, with a few IKEA pieces that have survived for years (hemnes TV stand) mixed in alongside some CB2 accent pieces. If it’s big and meant to last awhile, our default now is R&B. Quality is great and service is top notch. Except we have found short pile synthetic rugs to work best for small kids, so mostly have those around the house from cheaper retailers. We also adore our Casper mattress and have tuft and needle for the kids.
Couch/Sofa: Current sofa/loveseat set is from Rooms to Go. It’s going on 11 years old and is showing its age on the armrests, plus cat scratches, but otherwise is fine. We’re about to move it into our bonus room and get a Gronlid from Ikea for the living room — wouldn’t be my choice but husband has a bee in his bonnet about it. It’s cheap and I won’t say “I told you so” when it falls apart in a few years.
Armchairs: Current one is from World Market, 5? years old. It’s going into one of the bedrooms, probably, and we’ll have two Ikea armchairs downstairs (again, husband’s choice)
TV stand: Target, 5? years old. It’s MDF so definitely shows some scratches, but otherwise I love it for the style/color.
Rugs: We have carpet now, but we’re holding onto the rugs we had in our last place against the day we finally get hardwoods again – one from Lowe’s and one from Target.
Kitchen Table: We haven’t had one until now but we ordered one from a local maker and it’s finally coming this weekend. It’s solid wood and we got to pick the color/size/shape — I’m thrilled and hope it lives up to my expectations.
Dining Room Table: Rooms to Go, 10 years old. Do not recommend – it’s a veneer and got dinged really fast.
Bedroom Set: no headboard, but dressers are Ikea Hemnes. Kiddo has a headboard/frame that are vintage and my dresser from college.
Mattress: no-name, 10+ years old. When we replace it we want to get a king, but we have other priorities right now.
Patio Furniture: Dining table/chairs from Target. I have my eye on some seating from Ikea (we have a lovely huge deck so we need more than just the table) but we didn’t get our act together to get them this year.
Other favorite piece(s) of furniture not mentioned: Two little bookcases from an unfinished furniture place, going on 20 years ago. I’ve painted them several times and they work with anything. They’re not showstoppers but they’re solid and versatile and I love them.
General experience when buying furniture: Glass-topped tables are not worth the trouble. They show every mark, and I once cracked the top of a coffee table when I leaned on it while getting up. I’ll never have one again. Also: Know yourself. I’m always pointing out Craigslist pieces to my husband and saying, “It would be great with a coat of paint!” and he’s like … “no, I know you. You would never get around to it.” Which is fair (kiddo’s dresser has needed to be repainted since before he was born).
Couch/Sofa: Dania- it’s worked well for us but not our forever couch. We’ve been looking at getting a custom chesterfield eventually.
Armchairs: ZGallerie- perfect!
TV stand: Art Deco vintage buffet I found at a local antique store
Rugs: Overstock/Wayfair happy overall
Kitchen Table: N/A
Dining Room Table: Cost Plus, it worked great when we lived in a condo in the city, want to eventually replace with something better for the space.
Bedroom Set: Bedframe All Modern, night stands dressers from Crate & Barrel kids, vintage cedar chest that belonged to my grandmother
Mattress: WinkBed (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!)
Any bathroom furniture (cabinets, tubs): Bought a ceramic garden stool at Nordstrom to put in the shower, it’s the best to put your foot when shaving legs.
Patio Furniture: Adirondack bench Overstock, inherited adorable vintage table and chairs
Other favorite piece(s) of furniture not mentioned: Not really furniture but I love my infrared sauna and treadmill
Worst furniture purchase: White Storage towers (open shelving top, cabinets and drawers below) they arrived with paint issues and just never worked in the space like we wanted
General experience when buying furniture: Better to take your time and buy what you love in a curated way then jumping on something that is almost right. We typically try to walk away for 2-8 weeks when we find something we like based on how much we think about it during the pause you know how much you love it.
Couch/Sofa: Room and Board all the way, I would never buy a couch elsewhere.
Armchairs: Timothy Oulton has beautiful chairs if you can afford them. Otherwise, I totally snap these up at Home Goods!
TV stand: Cost Plus/World Market has a rolling bar that we use as a media stand. It’s very industrial and I love it.
Dining Room Table: HD Buttercup
Bedroom Set: Crate and Barrel bed, Room and Board case goods
Mattress: Casper
Any bathroom furniture (cabinets, tubs): Target over toilet cabinet works great!
Patio Furniture: Room and Board
Sideboard/Credenza: Blu Dot
Dining Chairs: Kartell from DWR
Kids Furniture: Gothic Cabinet Craft dresser, Oeuf crib
Worst furniture purchase: a dresser from Babies R Us when they were going out of business. We opened the box, which was pristine on the outside, and found a seriously damaged piece of furniture with a big dent on the corner. BRU refused to do anything at all, citing final sale, even though the damage was completely concealed. I wound up having to fix it myself and it still pisses me off.
General experience when buying furniture: I probably overpay but I like a certain aesthetic and I’m willing to pay for it. Also, we had bedbugs in NYC like 10 years ago and because of that I will NEVER buy used furniture of any kind. Shudder…
I have a lovely 25+ year old leather couch (Chippendale style) from a custom furniture place I visited with a friend when she was looking for furniture. It was a custom order for someone else who had changed their mind. It was a shockingly expensive $2000 clearance price in 1993, but it appears I’ve gotten my money’s worth.
Our living room has a coffee table we inherited from my husband’s family, and two end tables that we bought from a hotel going out of business sale (they are sturdy as hell) and two arm chairs that came with my husband 20 years ago that I don’t care for, but that’s showbiz.
My bedroom furniture I bought from Ethan Allen when I broke up with my ex in 1998. I have replaced the mattress of course but the solid wood furniture has held up amazingly well.
My dining room furniture is from World Market and I’m honestly meh on it. The wood is sturdy but the finish hasn’t held up.
Rugs are a Karastan Persian that also came from husband’s family, plus a few Persian tribal rugs I bought here and there when I took an interest in these things. (Some new, some from eBay).
My desk and chair are Pulaski, a company known for curio cabinets. I bought them from Busvan for Bargains way back when, when I lived in an apartment in San Francisco.
My kids furniture is a mixture of ikea and hand me downs. I don’t think ikea is a great idea generally but they made the choices themselves. My son has a custom loft bed with desk underneath we hired a handyman type to build. It’s bulky and ugly but he loves it.
My favorite, favorite furnishing is my grand piano and if I could choose only one thing to keep, this would be it.
Couch/Sofa: Ethan Allen and it has been fantastic. I bought the floor model so it was less expensive and it still looks great 5 or so years later. It’s comfortable and solid.
Armchairs: NA
TV stand: Don’t remember, somewhere cheap. It’s fine but I’d be fine replacing it.
Rugs: Costco for the most part and I’ve been happy with them.
Kitchen Table: NA
Dining Room Table: consignment store and I’m happy with it. It came with a custom glass protector and looks elegant and is comfortable.
Bedroom Set: Costco and I probably wouldn’t buy the same set just because it’s a little matchy for me, but at the time I wanted something quick and easy. It’s white and the paint has worn off around the corners but other than that it’s decent quality with soft close drawers and no squeaks.
Mattress: Serta I think and it has been good but the box spring is too high
Any bathroom furniture (cabinets, tubs): I just got new bathroom cabinets from Home Depot and am debating whether to replace my bathtub when I redo the tile. I have cast iron and there’s nothing physically wrong with it, but it isn’t comfortable. I’m not sure I want acrylic though and I don’t live in a city with lots of options so I have essentially nowhere to test tubs before I buy a new one.
Patio Furniture: Lowe’s clearance and Costco antigravity chairs. Very comfortable. No complaints.
Other favorite piece(s) of furniture not mentioned: I bought a set at an estate sale that included two side tables, a coffee table, two chairs, and a loveseat. I spread them out among various rooms in my relatively open living area and love them. I can’t remember how much I spent, but maybe $250 total. I also bought an expensive buffet from Ethan Allen that I love. My grandma’s china is in it and it has antique mirrors on the doors that brighten the room.
Worst furniture purchase: “leather” chairs from Costco. I didn’t know what I was doing because I was young and didn’t know bonded leather felt more like vinyl. The chairs were bigger than I expected and weren’t comfortable at all. They got ruined in a cross country move with a terrible company and I finally trashed them.
General experience when buying furniture: overall I’ve had good experiences. I like used furniture for solid wood and am willing to wait until I see something I like. I’m willing to pay more for furniture that doesn’t need to be replaced.
“To be honest, getting all the wedding china was also a mistake, but that’s a discussion for another post …” +1 I was married 15 years ago and I wish someone had told us not to register for the fancy china. It’s pretty, but we literally never use it, and we don’t even see it displayed because we don’t have a china cabinet. We just did it because that’s what you did. I wish I had registered for other more useful wedding gifts. I would recommend it only for people who know they will want to give dinner parties regularly and use their pretty china.
Mine sits in a client; unused for 21 years now :-(
I use mine several times a year, including just when I’ve cooked something I’m proud of for the family.
I registered for wedding china in 1988 and I got a ton of it and it’s 100% fugly – all sitting in a box in the attic since I’ve moved it a bazillion times. I wish today me could have taken 1988 me by the hand and explained that “yes, you like pink and grey today, but before too long you won’t. It’s not good. Take my word for it.”
On the other hand, I registered for my mom’s silver pattern (Fairfax, knowing that I’ll inherit it), completed the set with eBay purchases and it’s my everyday cutlery. I love using it every single day. (And one day, I’ll get my mom’s classic Lenox Solitaire bone china and I can ditch the (OK, I’m just going to say it) Noritake Pacific Majesty I thought was the bomb when I was 23 years old.
We just had a not so good experience with Bassett-couches delivered with different colored legs, a scratched ottoman tray, wrong pillow firmness on the couch, chaise with missing hooks to link chaise and couch together, and 2 pricey pillows for which we were charged but were not delivered. Our sales rep was kind and helpful during the ordering process and immediately came over on the delivery day to look at the multiple issues. However, the issues were clearly not caused by the delivery guys-and Bassett supposedly has quality control at their factory and also at their local warehouse. Giving them a couple of weeks to resolve before I tell my credit card company that I am disputing the charge.
Daughter had a bad experience with West Elm-couch arrived damaged with a broken leg-after multiple phone calls and half-hearted attempts to resolve by West Elm, the issue still is not resolved 9 months later. West Elm’s solution was to offer her 10% off of a future order. I told her to dispute the charge with her credit card company.
After these 2 recent experiences, I feel like furniture makers just don’t care any more. We have had Ethan Allen, Restoration Hardware and Hunt’s Country furniture in other rooms, but I am scared to replace anything else in view of our recent negative family experiences.
In general, we are at a stage where we try to avoid really cheap stuff and I try to buy quality case goods (even though I may get rid of them as detailed below). I do tend to get bored and change out upholstery every 5-7 years no matter what. I was spoiled living in NC for years so I still shop and then reach out there for quotes on furniture. I’ve been successful with orders from Priba, FurnitureLand, and Goods Furniture; they ship anywhere.
Couch/Sofa: Custom order from Goods for sofa & two chairs (I forget the brand; think it was Century); also have a reclining sofa & chair set (TV room) in leather from Seven Seas.
Rugs: I only have one; in the living room and it was custom. I wanted a specific color and pile pattern rug in a specific size so I went to a carpet store that featured binding and had it made. I’ve done this for a couple of houses and love the results.
Kitchen Table: hand-made table (and matching armoire) from Owens Home Furnishings in Cleburne TX (they guys are AMAZING; the armoire was literally from scratch from a drawing design my hubby did for me).
Dining Room Table: Bought a beautiful Lexington set in 2002 and gave it to Goodwill in 2018. Table, hutch, credenza. Made me sad b/c it was barely used but I was tired of it and just wanted to move toward a more modern/industrial/rustic piece (and I only have one dining area in the new house).
Bedroom Set: Ordered from FurnitureLand; Durham furniture (Canadian company), solid mahogany
Mattress: Simmons BeautyRest; have tried others, always come back to this
Patio Furniture: Costco
General experience when buying furniture: I’ve also furnished a corporate apartment for my spouse using all Ashley furniture from Nebraska Furniture Mart in Dallas. It’s surprisingly well made (leather sofa, chair, table, chairs, platform bed, dresser) and we’ve got in guest rooms/dens/office now. My teenage Lexington dressers are still in great shape and in guest rooms; we had them refinished in a darker stain and changed out pulls about a year ago and I love them. Probably the best furniture purchase I’ve ever made were a series (I bought numerous; they were on sale for $20 & $25) of solid-wood, folding bookcases from Staples. I happened across them and liked both the two and three shelf versions. We have them in the office, guest rooms, I even use one as a night stand.
Loving this thread! Thanks, all.
Couch/sofa: Our leather couch from Ethan Allen is 13 years old and still in fantastic shape, even with an 80-lb pitbull using it as his daybed. :) Well worth the cost, which I think at the time was around $2K.
Armchairs: Crate and Barrel. Average quality — don’t see them lasting as long as the couch.
Tables: End tables Ethan Allen, coffee table Pottery Barn, foyer sideboard Pottery Barn. All are 10+ years old and still in good shape; I just take a wood pen to any nicks as they happen. Apparently I am a menace with the vacuum cleaner.
Dining room table: Crate and Barrel. It’s pretty, but we hardly ever use it because the top is VERY sensitive. Not sure what the wood is, but for $800 or whatever we paid, it shows every.single.blemish. Chairs are cheap wood ones from Pottery Barn. Not very comfortable but they look nice and serve their purpose.
Bed frames: Ethan Allen and Crate and Barrel, very satisfied with both.
Mattresses: Saatva (a bit firm for our taste but good quality) and Original Mattress Factory (affordable, decent).
Bedroom side tables, dressers: Ikea
Rugs: Ikea
And we also bought china when we got married…beautiful but a huge waste of money (I had such grand dreams)…fortunately found someone on Craigslist to take it off our hands, though at a loss. We love our Fiestaware and the colors make everyone happy.
“We don’t purchase our furniture, we inherit it.”
Couch/Sofa: Sofa Company; we have a weird space and it’s custom sized to fit.
Armchairs: One Risom rocker from Design Within Reach.
Coffee table: IKEA Stockholm
TV stand: Used IKEA from Craigslist — it is designed to fit in a corner, which is good, but it’s also old and kind of cheap-looking. On the list for replacement.
Rugs: World Market and Overstock.
Dining Room Table: Crate and Barrel; chairs from Room and Board.
Bedroom Set: Bed from Wayfair, nightstands/dresser from West Elm. Kids have a Room and Board bunk bed and Z Gallerie dressers.
Mattress: Slightly sketchy Russian mattress store. I don’t even know what brand it is, but it is comfortable and it was pretty cheap.
Patio Furniture: The previous owner of our house left it there.
Worst furniture purchase: I had a hell of a problem with the dining chairs cracking where the back met the seat. Room and Board ended up replacing every one for free. The newer versions don’t seem to have that problem. Also we went through several deliveries of the Z Gallerie dressers before getting a set that were not scratched/dented.
General experience when buying furniture: We had a designer help us and she was amazing at getting things to fit within our space and budget and be coordinated.
I’m always worried about hiring a designer because they’d pick more expensive furniture, did you find it difficult to stick to a budget? Did you hire locally or through a service?
I hired someone local. She was very good about only showing us items that fit within the budget, and fitting them together with things we already had. I showed her some designer items that I liked and she found things that were similar, but cheaper.
Couch/sofa: local nice furniture store. It’s kind of a mushroom leather with hobnail trim.
Armchairs: My favorite is a red leather chair that I bought at Dillard’s right after my divorce. The other one is kind of a saddle/orange. It goes perfectly with the pillow that came with my sofa. All leather because cat.
TV stand:I actually still have an armoire that closes (with the doors that push into the sides so they don’t stick out into the room. It’s a huge piece of furniture, but it has a lot of storage and I like that I can shut my TV away. It was from an unfinished furniture store. If I did it again, I’d buy a funky console from World Market.
Rugs:Tuesday morning
Kitchen table: Don’t really have one (I have a breakfast nook built in). I still have my parents’ laminate top drop leaf kitchen table from the 70s, but I use it for storage.
Dining room table: I have a trestle table with benches and a leaf that folds in from the same local furniture store where I got my sofa
Bedroom set: I don’t have a set. I have a beautiful dark wood bed that I bought from a friend when he moved, but it was also from my favorite local furniture store. I hate my dresser, which is from the set that my parents bought when I was a kid (I still have the matching desk and four poster bed in my guest room), but I can’t fit a bigger one up my very oddly configured stairs.
Mattress: local furniture store
Nightstands: one is from World Market (actually I have two of them and one is a printer stand in my guest room) and one is from Home Goods. I had a hard time finding small ones that would fit in my bedroom. I also wanted one drawer/one door cabinets.
Bookcases: either solid wood bookcases from St. Vincent de Paul (they used to make them for their thrift store) painted white or dark green, or one nice large one from the same unfinished furniture store where I got my armoire.
Small kitchen pieces: A shaker cabinet and pie safe from the unfinished furniture store. We got some really pretty pieces there and were able to get them finished in a color we liked.
“All leather because cat.” LOL
My mom has a beautiful leather wing chair that is *to this day* pocked with claw holes because I came home from college on break with a cat in 1987. That cat loved the chair and luckily for me, my mom was good with pets. The cat lived 20 years but every time I go home I get reminded. (Same cat climbed a 10 foot house plant (a huge dracaena with a trunk and leaves on the top like a palm tree) and pulled it over – completely wrecking the living room.)
Good times.
Couch/Sofa: I’ve been singing the praises of Jonathan Louis sectionals ever since I discovered them while searching for an affordable tight-back high-arm sofa (my SO’s requirements) a few years back. They’re custom-made in the US, you can pick among tons of different fabrics, and my light gray microfiber fabric still looks like new after years of cat vomit.
Armchairs: A cheap and cheerful green chair from World Market, which has great style and mediocre quality (as I learned from my first couch purchase).
TV stand: Random MDF black thing from Amazon. The design is actually pretty functional and it does its job.
Rugs: None, because rental apartment with ugly carpet.
Kitchen Table: $30 from the neighbors having a yard sale the day I moved into my first apartment. The legs are used by my cat as a scratching post (she has a real one but refuses to use it). Someday we’ll replace it, with a table that doesn’t have wooden legs…
Dining Room Table: N/A
Bedroom Set: IKEA Malm in brown-black. The drawers have always worked smoothly over 5 years and 1 move.
Mattress: Memory foam from Costco. I’m sold on memory foam after this!
I’ll preface by saying my mom is an interior designer, so I grew up appreciating the value of good furniture and good design. So I will pay out the ass for high quality furniture and good design, because I consider furniture a “buy it for life” type of investment. (Oh and I have pets but no kids.)
Couch/Sofa:
In the TV room: Room and Board (remember them?) I’ve probably had it for 20 years, hardwood frame, hand tied springs – rewrapped the cushions once (they were leaking down), but sofas are definitely “you get what you pay for.”
In the living room: DWR MCM sectional pieces – have reconfigured them in a couple of houses
Armchairs:
TV room: Room and Board chair that complements the couch.
Living room: Vintage MCM recliner by Milo Baughman. *love*
TV stand: Crate and Barrel piece that has a cabinet at the bottom and a tall back to mount your TV on so all the wires are behind the furniture.
Rugs: Big fan of Flor. I have an Angela Adams rug in my living room that I adore. A sisal rug for my cat to scratch and assorted Ballard Design type runners and throw rugs.
Kitchen Table: None. I have two Emeco aluminum chairs at the counter.
Dining Room Table: Vintage Heywood Wakefield wishbone table and 10 dog bone chairs.
Bedroom Set: DWR Cosimo platform bed, night stands and dresser. Extra dresser is IKEA – but old, so it is solid pine and indestructible.
Mattress: DWR Sonno latex. Have had for like 20 years and still love it. Firm but giving, doesn’t transfer motion at all.
Any bathroom furniture (cabinets, tubs): All of my bathroom storage is IKEA-hack.
Patio Furniture: No patio but screened porch. Pottery Barn Chatham. I’ve been able to add pieces which is good. I have a daybed which is essentially a twin mattress sized sofa with a ton of pillows, a table and chairs and a chaise which is awesome for reading.
Other favorite piece(s) of furniture not mentioned: I have an IKEA EVARLI cabinet/shelf unit in my dining room (with the friction fit poles) that I use to display vintage dishes. An IKEA POANG chair – which is probably one of the best chairs EVAR. And I have another IKEA chair (small upholstered chair with wooden arms that they don’t have any more) that I slipcover whenever I change decor. Like the POANG, it’s like the perfect little chair, cost no money and I’ve been carrying it around for decades.
Worst furniture purchase: Thinking that I could avoid Pottery Barn and buy APPLARO from IKEA in the same color – it’s… not good.
General experience when buying furniture: Know what you want, know what you are getting for your money (like I love the look of Room and Board/West Elm but I haven’t been impressed with the quality for the price), and be informed enough to make the trade off between quality and price. Want a $600 foam sofa because your kids are going to destroy it in a couple of years, good value. Want a sofa you can be sitting on in 25 years, be prepared to spend $3-5K.
I’m currently in the process of renovating my condo so I’m working with an interior designer and so she’s picked out stuff for me that comes from trade purchases and retail purchases as diverse as Ethan Allen to Pier 1. I already had several pieces of natural cherry furniture that I had purchased from a local furniture maker so those are all staying except for the coffee table.
I love hunting showroom furniture from upscale stores. E.g. I bought my Eilersen couch for $1500, while the original price was 18K and the store paid for deep cleaning, it’s been 5 years and it serves me well. Also I found a set of chairs in Restoration hardware with 80% discount, and a really great California King Bed from CB2 for $300.
I would not recommend Wayfair, I bought a kids bookshelf from them and the quality is horrible.
Also, I like going to flee markets to find something made of real wood and then work on it…
Overall, I like to look for a quality of materials at the first place.
And I bought my kitchen in Italy, it was such a good quality for a really good price even with a trasportation cost, I couldn’t pass on that deal.