Need Advice - Buying A Bedroom Set

[jyl]

Help, I need advice and education on buying furniture.

My wife has decided we need a bedroom set. Apparently the 20 year old hand me down mattress with various flea market dressers is not going to cut it any more.

So the Select Comfort mattress arrived today and we need to surround this expensive airbag with pieces of wood. The usual - bedside tables, dressers, etc.

But I feel a bit overwhelmed with choices.

Okay, the aesthetic choices, I can handle. I know how to nod my head and agree with my wife.

But what about the construction choices? Should I insist on made in USA, or go for made in China? A known name like Stanley, or a no-name? Is veneer a dirty word? Do I want drawers with metal glides, or wood glides? How can I tell if a piece is well made? How well made do I really need furniture to be, anyway?

And the shopping choices? Should we go to a traditional retail furniture store? One of these warehouse stores? Online? Can furniture be bought manufacturer direct?

Any advice, education, or pointers to where I can learn more would be appreciated.

For context, I'm not looking to spend a fortune for furniture that will impress furniture afficionados or will be any sort of "investment", but at the same time I don't want to be buying a new bedroom set for another 20+ years.

[Erakad]

I can only offer advice I've learned by 10 moves over the past 20 years. That is, if you buy crap, expect it to serve you as such. But spend the money on quality furniture and it will look nice, take the hits, and serve you for years to come. I bought a nice cherry wood bedroom suite (15 years ago)...spent $6-$7K, it's been awesome...despite the movers best efforts (been to Europe and back). The drawers open effortlessly, cabinets...no hitches. You can really tell a quality piece. And oh, it's heavy (solid wood, no veneers). Recently picked up a couple of nice oak end tables. Same story, heavy, no veneers...you can really tell the quality (They retailed for $1500 each, I picked them up at liquidation for $500 each). Last thought, buy the classic timeless design, not the latest trendy "neat" stuff, 20 years from now you'll be a lot happier. So, here you go...check out the cheap vs good stuff, then decide. You'll know it when you see it.

[the]

We've spent upper level money on furniture . . .

even after 15 years, I'm still not happy we did.

On the other hand, we spent a lot when we redid our kitchen many years ago. All granite, top line appliances, built ins, custom cabinets, etc. Very glad we did that.

The thing with furniture, 1) it adds zero value to your house. 2) You can buy expensive stuff, and it loses most of its value the day it is delivered to your house. 3) You (or your wife) are likely to be tired of it in 10 years anyways. Bedroom furniture fashions, colors, etc. change.

A lot of our furniture was high quality, relatively expensive 15 years ago. Yes, it all look and works as well as the day we bought it. Yes, it is worth almost nothing (it isn't investment level stuff, which I'm sure exists). Yes, my wife would love to be rid of it and replace it with updated stuff. Yes, I could care less!

[Hugh R]

My mom once told me that if you buy something to "make do" you'll end up "making do" for twenty years. I bought rosewood (ok veneer) high quality stuff 20 years ago, and it still looks good and classic, from Plummers, don't know if you have them in your neck of the woods.

[Sonic dB]

My mom once told me that if you buy something to "make do" you'll end up "making do" for twenty years.

Good advice when it comes to buying anything...including Porsches, guitars, a/v equipment, girlfriends, wives etc.

[Sonic dB]

My only problem with Plummers btw...is that their stuff is decent quality but their prices are a bit too high for the quality and like Det. Samuel Girard (The Fugitive was on cable tonight), they absolutely will not bargain. You cant haggle with them its take it or leave it...

[the]

Originally posted by Hugh R
My mom once told me that if you buy something to "make do" you'll end up "making do" for twenty years. I bought rosewood (ok veneer) high quality stuff 20 years ago, and it still looks good and classic, from Plummers, don't know if you have them in your neck of the woods.

I don't know if you are agreeing or disagreeing with me.

I checked out the Plummer's site - that's the kind of lower priced stuff I WOULD recommend buying. At those prices, it's not a huge deal to toss it in 10-15 years, but it still looks like serviceable quality stuff.

[Sonic dB]

Plummers is very servicable and is fairly trendy and stylish...I guess I just dont like furniture stores that set their margins and will not budge...I mean this isnt Iraq,..its the US and free market economy.

Anyway, I need a dining room set and was planning to go to Plummers tomorrow....LOL

see there arent many good choices here in South Bay LA... unless you go up to Hollywood or one of those places off of La Cienga...

[nostatic]

We spent stupid money on Stickley. But god, it is beautiful stuff and will last a lifetime or 3. Too bad the wife kept it all...

[Joeaksa]

Make sure that it has a place to hook the fur lined handcuffs to on the bed...

[tabs]

Forget everything you've just heard. Kindel, Baker and Kargas are the best American production furniture U can buy..Century, Widacomb is next, Drexel Heritage, Ethan Allen and then Thomasville. All are made to price points.

Kittenger is an old time company thats outa biz, but they made great quality. Old Widacomb is killer as well.

NEVER PAY RETAIL...they will dicker on price up to 50% off on retail.

Also check out the outlet prices of the various furniture mfgs in North Carolina..you buy at a discount, pay the freight and its delivered to your home. Can save some real money that way.

Good quality furniture will have the corners of the Drawers dovetailed, No fking glides, even the best furniture uses veneers. Mahoganyis the King of Woods.

OK I see that U live in SF...Here is what I would do if I had to do it again...Find a High End Furniture Consignment Shop or even Antique Stores and look there... also go to Harvey Clars Auctions and City by the Bay Auctions and look at their stuff.(monthly auctions) btw they are online with e-Bay. U can buy TOP quality for about 1/4 of the price. High End furniture does hold value..I bought a Kindel Revolving Bookcase for $880 at an Abels Thursday Auction, whereas Glabmans and Baker Knapp & Tubbs wanted $2500 for it after their 40% discount. I also saw a Kargas China Cabinet that cost about 15K new go for under $4000 at a Consignment Shop down in Laguna Nigel. U can make your home look like a MIllion Bux for what U would pay for run of the mill at the store.

Stop by a High End furniture store like Glabmans (Baker, Knapp and Tubs is open only to the Trade) and hold on to your hat..it ain't nothin to spend 35K to 40K for a Dining Room Set...then U will get an idea of what the good stuff looks and feels like. Then go to the auctions and consignment houses and see what they have, and it will look cheap by comparison. Consider going to the High End Store as an educational experience.

Remember U get what U pay for, if its junk it will be junk and won't last. Good quality lasts and usually has a timeless quality to it. The only knock on buying Great furniture is if U want to change styles from say Traditional to Contemporary at some point down the road. If U buy it right U can get your money out of it..it has residual value whereas lesser quality goes to the Thrift Store or Landfill.

The best furniture is mfg in Grand Rapids/Holland Mich..both Baker (High End) and Kindel is made there. Kargas is made in Ohio..the rest are made more or less in North Carolina.

[jyl]

What tabs and the are saying is scary.

So I could spend very serious money at retail for top-quality stuff from Kindel, Baker, et al, and have an asset worth 1/4 of the original price. Or I could spend still serious money at Stickley and end up with a piece made in Vietnam (turns out several of Stickley's collections are made there). Or I could go down to a Stanley and get a piece made in China (you won't see it from the Stanley website, but read their financial statements and you'll see they've shifted much production to Asia).

I am getting the feeling that even high-end top-name furniture is a crappy investment, unless I've got the resourcefulness of tabs and am willing/able to buy from consignment/auction.

I'm going to look into local mfgs, mfg direct, etc.

[Jandrews]

Thanks for that write-up, Tabs. That is good reference material.


JA

[goldgunner]

Never - ever - buy - any - veneer furniture.

Buy solid wood to whatever level you can afford: whether pine, oak, semi-exotic or exotic.

[the]

Originally posted by jyl
Help, I need advice and education on buying furniture.

My wife has decided we need a bedroom set. Apparently the 20 year old hand me down mattress with various flea market dressers is not going to cut it any more.

To get to the bottom line, if your wife will be happy buying Plummers type stuff, count yourself lucky and let her have at it.

You can't go too wrong with $700 dressers, etc. You'll get 15 years of use out of it, and in the end it won't cost much per year. And you'll get some pennies on the dollar back when you sell it, or, even easier, you'll donate it and take a nice tax deduction, reducing your per-year use cost even more. With a little searching, maybe you can even find that $700 dresser for $500, making it even better.

[Don Plumley]

In SoCal there are some great consignment stores in Irvine - just browse through there first. The maker name is usually branded inside a drawer. I wouldn't have the patience or desire to go to an auction either.

Costco sold some amazingly inexpensive and somewhat nice looking stuff online. We ordered it, lived with it for a month, and then had them come and take it back. Too flimsy construction for my $. Back to Drexel we went and we'll keep the stuff pretty much forever.

The Ikea/Plummers stuff is transitional - You can replace it every 5-10 years and not feel bad about it. If it meets your needs, go for it.

[nostatic]

http://www.stickley.com/

If you're into Mission stuff...

[Dottore]

Originally posted by nostatic
We spent stupid money on Stickley. But god, it is beautiful stuff and will last a lifetime or 3. Too bad the wife kept it all...

We also spent stupid money on Stickley - and it used to be wonderful stuff. I went to my local shop recently though to add a small bookcase - and the stuff looked very different. The wood was much lighter than it should be - like balsa wood almost - and was made in Asia. Absolute crap - and still very expensive.

So even if you go the Stickley route - look very carefully before you buy.

[Hugh R]

Not agreeing or disagreeing. Plummers was good for me at the time and it still looks good. Sure, I'd love to spend three times as much on other stuff, but not anytime soon.

[nota]

I only buy used high quality stuff
the older it is the better it is made
moving sales are the best bet
in older areas
but second hand stores are ok
for the quick hunt

the latest style will be out in a few years anyway
so go with a classic style