I bought Maine Cottage fabric and had an Ethan Allen swivel chair reupholstered. The chair fits well in my space and was covered in a cabin check that no longer fit with my decor. A new similar chair in the print I wanted from Maine Cottage would have been $1500. A new cheap chair from PB or similar would have cost the same as reupholstering. I dislike sending large and perfectly serviceable items to a landfill. I’ve done it - could not give away my huge leather Natuzzi sectional that was incredibly comfortable for 15 years but would not fit down the stairs for the kids to use - but I hate doing that.
@snowdog: The good news is that someone probably saw that perfectly good sofa and took it home with them (thinking, all the while, “Why would someone throw out this perfectly good sofa?!!”).
S just told me his Ikea bed broke. 4 years old, from when he moved west for grad school. He is a large guy, but still…
Funny, when we put my old, much loved 80s velveteen sofa on the curb, my neighbor took it for her porch. Then they moved and was on the curb again, and I had to mourn it again! D was allergic to it, after years of cats and dust, and when she was home one summer I bought a new leather sofa in a day, at a discount place for a high quality store. The old one was a high quality, last a lifetime brand of sofa bed. This newer one may not last a lifetime, but am glad to have an updated look and comfort.
@VeryHappy unfortunately no…after it got rained on etc I had to pay a local guy to haul it to the dump. 
Here’s the key. Quality vs. style. Quality is one thing - you should always want decent quality in any piece of furniture so that it keeps it shape, is durable, etc. for your home use. Regarding style - if you buy a sofa that is country plaid or modern zebra - chances are, you’re going to get tired of it or change your style after several years!!!
So perhaps the key here is buying good quality AND timeless style. I recently purchased a classic leather sofa in a chestnut color - as I look at it, I can see it fitting in any of the last several decades in terms of style. It is of good quality (I hit a fantastic sale - a store clearing out it’s inventory - yet they still had a few pieces that could be ordered at the “clearing out” price - my sofa was originally $3500 - I paid $1400.) and classic style - not traditional, not modern, not funky - just a simple style.
If you absolutely love something, try to buy it (on sale!). Otherwise, keep looking or go moderate/cheap until you find the thing you love. I still think about the Pennsylvania House round dining room table I saw when I was 20, and although I’ve seen hundreds of round tables since then, none appeal to me like that one did. I bought a Stickley bedroom set that I also LOVED, and I’ve never regretted it. Definitely on sale and some of the pieces discounted from the showroom made it possible. However, I have some items of furniture that I never truly loved and they are still here and I wish I’d not spent as much $$ on them as I did. Over the years I have learned to trust my gut reaction to a piece before investing time or $$ into bringing it into the home.
Comfort is key for me to buying furniture. I too have a Clayton Marcus couch and chair that is super comfy. The room is in the middle of being repainted so I am considering buying a sectional, but will wait and see how the furniture looks after it is finished. Thankfully my pattern is still available on their site so it really is not a dated look but I just might be ready for a change.
The one thing I find with cheap furniture is that they don’t make the cushions wide enough and they tend to be springy (feel like I’m going to bounce off ) when I sit on them. So that might be something to look out for.
The upside of buying quality and classic is the resale value. Recently I was able to sell a an Eames chair and a Terrence Woodgate sideboard via Craigslist for exactly what I had bought them for. 12 years ago at DWR. Granted, we live in a market where mid century modern furniture is very hot right now. YMMV
After furnishing a beach house and D1s apartment, I’m a huge fan of used furniture. If you look around, you will likely find almost exactly what you want in either Craig’s list or thrifts stores these days. . You don’t have much invested in it and can easily turn around and resell on Craig’s list or donate it and not feel bad. That said, I will spend top dollar on mattresses, as used ones are a gross idea and you do spend25-33% of your life on it.
I agree with the person who said she’d like to replace everything she owns. Some of my furniture is in good shape, even though it is 25 years old. I guess that show how often we sit in the living room - never!!! There are a few things I would like to replace right now - our kitchen table, a chair in the family and get a new bedroom set. I don’t want to beak the bank, but I’d like quality. Plus, it’s so much easier for my husband to accept the purchase without comment if the price is reasonable.
I have a mix of expensive and cheap. Upholstered furniture needs to be good quality in order to look decent - cheap fabric looks pretty bad. I’ve spent a lot of money on sofas and chairs, and major wooden pieces and rugs. However, I have lots of inexpensive occasional tables and small pieces from Ballard Designs and other such places. I bought a wonderful wrought iron glass coffee table and side tables from Pier 1 for my sunroom. They fit the space perfectly, and no one would ever know how incredibly cheap they were…I had to put them together, that was the only bad thing about them. The quality is pretty good, actually. I bought two painted wooden desks from Crate and Barrel - they’re set in an alcove opposite one another and look just perfect. They were pretty cheap.
My advice is to keep some of the nice things, then sprinkle around some cheap stuff you really like to update the space.
It’s sort of like clothing…if you have a good coat, handbag, and shoes, it usually makes the rest of the outfit look more expensive than it is.
@snowdog - hang in there Danish modern is coming back!
We replaced our dated living room furniture with new from Room & Board. Quality seems in-line with the price we paid.
Our home is a mix of new and antique. Handcrafted china hutch with an antique dining table and chairs, classic bedroom furniture in cherry, comfy leather sofa and chairs in the family room. Antique side/coffee tables with some from the old Eddie Bauer Home. We try to stay with function and comfort.
I have a chair that needs recovering, but I’m leaning towards pitching it.
It seems these days that unless you’re willing to stay with that very high quality stuff, it might not be worth the cost. No one wants to spend $$$ on used upholstered furniture, no matter the quality. My sister and I joke about the things that show up on our company classified ads - no one wants that smoked glass dining table for $25, let alone the $350 asking.
@deborahb you mean again for the 3rd time? As far as I’m concerned Danish never left the building!
I have mixed in some Room and Board pieces too. They have some thin consoles that are really great for smaller spots.
Re: resale…I never intend to resell my $220 sofa. When it dies, or I get sick of it, I’ll buy another inexpensive one. No need to worry about resale.
And, I guess I’m the only person on the planet who can’t stand IKEA. The only thing I like there is the Swedish meatballs. I really can’t stand their furniture…not one piece of it.
We some nice older oak pieces that we really like in each room. But the upholstered furniture is a hodgepodge…And none of it particularly pricey.
We just got rid of our family couch and love seat. I can’t even remember who made it, it was 8 way hand tied and beautiful, but the cushions got so worn out and they would have cost a fortune to restuff and redo. We bought new mid grade couches that now I won’t even tell hubby, but I don’t like them. He likes firm, I like comfier and they’re just too darn stiff.
I bought room store quality stuff for my in law suite sitting area, they’re so uncomfortable they’re really more for show.
My bedroom furniture is stickley too, beautiful and I’ll have it for life. My living room is Thomasville, still really comfy and looking good.
I like the neat look of the ikea sample rooms. If I had a getaway studio in Manhattan…
thumper1, I thought it was just me! I’m not an IKEA person at all.
DH absolutely does not understand the concept of temporary possessions - see my agony on the Bag a Week Thread. When we buy furniture we buy things we plan to keep a lifetime. In my view, plans can change, but it’s good to start with a plan.
Just moved some furniture I bought 30 years ago, before we were married, to the basement and replaced it with something that makes a lot more sense in that room. DH will never ever understand why. It is still sturdy.
Our kids will never want one thing from our house, so I do not feel the need to save anything for them. Rather, my gift needs to be getting rid of it so they don’t have to.
I gave away some really old, solid stuff on Freecycle. No one in a million years would have paid good money for it.
Or any money for it.