Cool places for furniture?

[blueangel]

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

The couch I bought from a local high-end furniture store three years ago is already wearing out. Meanwhile, my mom's five-year-old PB couch is as good as the first day she got it...it's cushions are like new, no creaking or squeaks. And my five-year-old PB bedside tables are still perfect.

Just because you buy something from a "high end" store does not mean it is of good quality. Mercedes and BMW make lemons too. Expensive does not always equal quality.

Here's a secret for those who don't know: PB, Crate and Barrel, and I'm sure other stores, all have their furniture made by third party manufacturers in North Carolina. There's probably very little difference between them in terms of quality and how they're made. A saleswoman at C&B told me that when I was looking at furniture there.

Sort of.... although some of Pottery Barn's upholstered furniture does indeed come from North Carolina from the Mitchell Gold Co, (they supply to PB, C&B and Restoration Hardware-- all crap in my opinion) but much of Potterty Barn's merchandise is imported from China and Vietnam. (which is not necessarily a bad thing-- much high end furniture comes from there.. but so does a lot of junk).

I didn't read the CR story, but how can they test something like, say, a sofa, for quality/value? Don't they need to monitor the piece over time? For bookcases, tables, etc. maybe it's different, but for things like sofas, plush chairs it's really hard to tell.

They took the pieces apart to find out how they were made. For example, they found particle board instead of solid wood.

Pottery Barn is currently owned by Williams Sonoma. They're looking to dump the Pottery Barn chain for this reason-- and I think it tells you a little something about the catagory of furniture it's in!

Williams-Sonoma, which has a market capitalization of about $4 billion, has faced competition in its Pottery Barn chain as cheaper retailers such as Target Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. offer similar merchandise at lower prices.

http://www.gourmetretailer.com/gourm..._id=1003537861

I love interior design. It's fun to go in to the NY Design Center with my friend who is an interior designer and just take in the gorgeous furniture. Even the Metropolitan Museum has a whole antique furniture section on display.

If you want beautifully crafted furniture (at a high end price tag), then you'll have to go to manufacturers like EJ-Victor, Henredon, Auffrey and Henkel Harris.

For modern, you'd go to Design Lush http://www.designlush.com/
Breuton http://www.brueton.com/
Dennis Miller http://www.dennismiller.com/
Desegno by James Diperisa http://www.designlush.com/

My point is that if you don't have much money right now... go for Ikea. Like Pottery Barn, it's not good furniture-- but at least it's not overpriced.