My mother used to tell me to buy the expensive, well-made furniture because it would last. Well, lately I realize that a lot of the “good stuff” that I bought early in my life is now out of style. In addition, recovering upholstered pieces seems to cost significantly more than just buying some cheap stuff new. I’m thinking that at this point in my life (I’m a senior citizen) I should just buy cheap and, if it doesn’t last long enough, I can throw it out and buy something else that’s cheap. Opinions??
I personally don’t like really cheap furniture but I also won’t buy expensive furniture either. I find that styles and my tastes change and I don’t want to have the same couch for 20 years. I guess I am a middle of the road sort. I don’t buy Ashley Furniture nor do I buy Ethan Allen furniture. I am also replacing some pieces with vintage pieces (a desk and tables).
I would secretly (well I guess it’s not a secret now) love to get rid of most of my furniture and just buy out Pottery Barn.
Not a fan of Pottery Barn or Ethan Allen, but I would be happy to move some of the stuff Shoenfeld sells into my house. 
I am facing the same problem now - I started remodeling several rooms after becoming an empty nester, and realized that most of my furniture is very old and worn out, some was even bought for kids or teenagers (yes, it’s that old 
). I would not buy the expensive, well-made furniture because it would last. I would, however, buy the expensive, well-made furniture because I like it, and because of the way it looks, feels and functions. Let’s face it, if I don’t move, I will likely have this furniture for at least 10 years, and I will use it every single day for these 10 years.
I think buying mid-priced, decently constructed furniture that suits your current taste and needs make sense. That way, you don’t have to throw stuff away too often, but when you do, it does not break your heart that it cost major $$.
When we first got marry, we HAD to buy Ethan Allen. Twenty-five years later, I still love my dinning room hutch, but the table, not so much. I stopped loving the living room sofa and chairs long ago. I learned to paint fabric furniture just so I would have a good excuse to get rid of it if the project turned out to be a disaster. It didn’t, I love my painted furniture; wish I could post a picture. I just bought new furniture for the den and it wasn’t expensive, however it is guaranteed for life, (Kane Furniture) which is how I think I’ll buy furniture going forward.
I would buy what you like, whether it’s “high quality” or “cheap” because you have to live with it. If you are like me, you wil keep it much longer than planned. (I say as I set my wine on my starter coffee table from back in 1987).
We had a Clayton Marcus custom ordered couch in our living room…purchased in 1986. The thing was SOOOO out of style…camel back with a little country print. I hated it. BUT back in 1986, it cost $1200. It was solid as a rock…and showed no wear. But I hated it. I thought my husband was going to have a heart attack when I said it needed to go!
Well…I bought a great nice sized cordoroy loveseat to replace it. It is perfect for the room. Much more neutral, and not dated. A very simple solid tan cord. Best part…it was $220 at Big Lots. It’s very comfortable too. And when I don’t like it anymore, I won’t feel the least bit guilty getting rid of it.
Eclectic is what our style is. Well a lot of our furniture is from either family very old- over 100 year old guest bed, same for the dining room table and chairs or ‘cheap antiques’- we got into old furniture when we had no money or furniture 30 years ago- we bought old furniture from england (twisted legs) and dutch pieces that they threw out- a place like a silent auction place. At the time they were cheaper than Sears. Well, we still love them. I refinished some including the chair pads. Some side tables and shelves are from an artist who is now famous we though he was whimsical years ago. The couches and living room chairs have been replaced with nice pieces but not high priced just nice. The house fits the pieces as it is cabin like with a lot of distressed wood. I would think that it matters a lot what kind of home it is and what fits nice. I personally like pier one and pottery barn. BTW we still have and use our waterbed from the 70’s -new bladder and heater but same frame. I know - kids harass us all the time but H swears it has prevented arthritis. He may be right.
I recently priced recovering some chairs that were excellent quality when purchased in the 70s & also just the right size and comfort for the user, she definitely could have purchased new chairs cheaper.
I remember 30 years ago noticing how out dated the furniture of some senior citizens was, now my high quality brand bedroom set must be out of date, but I still like it. The equally high quality sectional has 6 pieces to recover, I really like the set, the usefulness of the varied pieces etc, but I am frozen considering the cost of re-upholstering them.
FallGirl
“I would secretly (well I guess it’s not a secret now) love to get rid of most of my furniture and just buy out Pottery Barn.”
Their upholstered pieces are made by Rowe Furniture in NC. I bought the slipcovered sofa from a furniture company in NC for about $900 compared to the $1269-$2999 it is on sale for now.
“Buy the best and you only cry once.” It doesn’t have to be the most expensive but it needs to be functional. I purchased a Mitchell Gold chesterfield sofa 3 years ago, it gets used every day and I still love it. OTOH the Macy’s made in China sofa in the rec room is wobbly and uncomfortable. Some of my pieces are “out of style” Danish modern that still looks great.
DH was an only child and his mother had only one sister, who never married. So, we’ve got a bunch of his great grandparents’ things. He joked he suspected that, way back then, they got some of the pieces second hand. Wish I could find someone who loved them and wanted them. Half are sitting in the attic. They’re not rare antiques, no big dollar value today, just darned well-made. I’d shift to cleaner lines, different sizes.
As for the original question, my principle is buy the well made, good looking. But find it on deep, deep sale. Our sofa is good, after 20 years- and was ridiculously inexpensive.
We’ve been lucky that most pieces we’ve liked were inexpensive and have lasted well past when we tired of them.
Well, when we moved to our current house two and a half years ago, we needed to get rid of our large sectional couch, as it didn’t fit. (Some of you may remember that journey. It was ultimately purchased via Craigslist by a fellow CC-er.) The thing cost $3,000 or so originally and we did have it for 25 years (recovered once), but of course we got bubkes for it. Now we’re sitting on a couch from Bob’s Discount Furniture (his stores are in the Northeast – very cheap stuff) that we bought used via Craigslist for $450. And it’s fine!!
But I have our 28-year-old camel back sofa and several upholstered chairs that need recovering, and this would cost thousands. I’m just not sure what to do.
It’s hard to know what to do. I like Room & Board for classic, durable furniture (although having said that, my nearly 20-year-old bed frame is pretty dated at this point) and am about to receive my new C&B dining chairs for my new house (they got great reviews online, so hopefully they are as sturdy as promised–and they weren’t that expensive).
I have a lot of antiques from a range of periods and most of them have held up well. Just watch out for wood veneer–I just sold my Broyhill Brasilia dining set on Craigslist when I moved and I was happy to see it go, as it wasn’t very good quality.
As part of the negotiations on my new house I was able to keep the previous owners’ fancy Drexel heritage sectional (they are in assisted living and had left it behind) and three brass/glass occasional tables. They are a little “grandma” but the quality is evident and the sofa is the most comfortable one I have ever sat on. It’s upholstered in a gorgeous off-white nubby wool fabric and fits perfectly in the space.
Glad to hear people avoid Ashley furniture. They are located in my state and have a terrible record of safety violations.
I guess I don’t understand dated furniture. I have a living room set I purchased 30 years ago. I still love it. I also have some I got from my inlaws and my parents that are older than my husband and I like those too. Of course, I have a few pieces purchased only a couple of years ago that I am no longer fond of but not because they’re dated. Because they didn’t wear well.
So I guess it depends on the kind of person you are. If you’re going to want a new couch in 10 years then buy one that will only last that long. If you like timeless pieces, then spend more for quality.
Well…you know what I did with my camelback sofa
Honestly, there are all sorts of options. but I’m past the point where I feel like my new furniture pieces need to be really expensive ones! I go for comfort and look.
Ikea forever! Plus other people’s castoffs. I’m all for cheap, cheap, cheap. It’s amazing how well my cheap furniture has held up, some of it 25 years on now.