<p>Ebeeee-
maybe we have the same painter.
I think I am finding one problem with the internet is you begin to find too much information. After researching Ethan Allen and another company I get hung up on the complaints and begin to 2nd guess my decision.
Hoping later this week to make it down to the town 45 minutes south to look at the Restoration Hardware Outlet, Ethan Allen and Urban Home.</p>
<p>I figure that there’s no point whatsoever in spending much money on upholstered furniture – my cat likes to attack it too much, and nothing keeps him away! (Of course, he entirely ignores all the scratching posts, etc., that he’s <em>supposed</em> to use.) So I’ve made do for years with a used sofa I bought for $20 from a neighbor who was moving. Very comfortable, and Ziggy can rip away at the corners to his heart’s content. And when my son was younger, it was no tragedy if he spilled soda on it or got crumbs all over it.</p>
<p>I’ve ordered furniture over the years online from Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel and Ballard Designs. Crate and Barrel’s quality is by far the best; a console table is all hardwood and well constructed. An end table and coffee table from Pottery Barn appeared very different than the photo and the wood was not as nice as I expected. I’ve ordered only accent pieces from Ballard Designs, but I’ve been happy - actually considering a media console right now from their catalog.</p>
<p>Neiman Marcus or Horchow (same furniture) has many options - also a sale tab online and are worth checking out.</p>
<p>Loveseat and chair have been purchased. We looked locally at Pottery Barn and Sofa’s U love. Drove 45 minutes and looked at Urban Home, Restoration Hardware Outlet and Ethan Allen.
My H loved the prices at Urban Home. For someone with little money to spend they had some nice looking sofas and chairs. None of it was the look I was looking for. They did have great prices on accent pieces. I would go back.
My H hated Ethan Allen. He felt the place was stuffy and the furniture on display designed for 70 yr olds.
Restoration Hardware Outlet did not have anything in the style I wanted. It is always hit or miss.
As much as I loved the look of the PB furniture the seat was really too deep.
We ended up at Sofas U Love. The prices were great and the look is exactly the same as PB but much cheaper. The colors of the fabrics were exactly the same as PB.And they don’t charge extra for down. Also the factory is in the USA.
Next step will be replacing the stained bedroom carpet.</p>
<p>Great analysis–thanks for sharing it. Unfortunately, there are VERY FEW furniture stores in HI. </p>
<p>S mostly has been furnishing his place with used pieces he gets on Craigslist and a new bed from IKEA. He’ll see where he ends up working, to figure out how he will get his stuff there. He will probably sell as much as he can on Craigslist so he doesn’t have to transport it & is trying to interest D in taking his bed (unless he decides to take it to wherever he will be moving to–planning to decide by the end of this month).</p>
<p>My H has many pieces that are older than I am. Most are very well constructed & we have recovered the chairs ourselves twice so far with excellent results.</p>
<p>^^^^^As to buying well constructed furniture. When it comes to pieces which are used frequently, I have not had very good luck with buying cheaper stuff. I don’t like to spend a lot of money on furniture and at times in my life I haven’t had a lot of money. But every time I’ve bought a cheap sofa, I’ve regretted it later as those are the MOST used pieces in our house. I stay away from designer stuff because you are largely paying for a name, but in looking around at sofas, the quality of the frame is key and I’ve had a really hard time finding really sturdy frames that weren’t more money than I’d like to spend.</p>
<p>8 years ago we furnished a bunch of rooms in a house in TN by driving to NC for a long weekend. We bought stuff at the Thomasville outlet, Rose Furniture (both no longer operating) and Furniture Land South. FLS is still in business and has an extensive website:
[Discount</a> Furniture - Furnitureland South](<a href=“http://www.furniturelandsouth.com/]Discount”>http://www.furniturelandsouth.com/)
We bought a Natuzzi leather sofa, loveseat and chair for $1800 - I know this because the storage company LOST the sofa and had to pay us for it this fall when we moved back to the US.<br>
I’m now trying to furnish a few rooms in our latest house and my strategy has been to go to the local expensive furniture stores and then get a quote from North Carolina to compare. I actually ended up buying a kitchen table set from the local store because they had a great sale going on that ended up at the same price as North Carolina but with free delivery because I bought a mattress for a spare bedroom.</p>
<p>I know people love IKEA stuff but I am so sick of it from our rented houses and the wood items do not hold up well with moving!</p>
<p>My problem now is that I want a Thomasville bedroom set and the outlet no longer exists - I can’t seem to find it cheaper than full price anywhere. They do have a 5% sale going on now but I really want it at 50%!!</p>
<p>Warning about Natuzzi sofas - the manufacturing has been moved to China, but the company placed signs (at least I’ve seen them in local furniture stores) reassuring buyers that the quality is still the same. Somehow I’m skeptical. Fancy shoemakers are still making their heels in Italy, I wonder why?</p>
<p>There’s a company here in MI that advertises the look of Pottery Barn at cheaper prices. The website gives links to the brands they carry to give you some ideas.
[Newport</a> Furnishings Buy Smart…Live Well!](<a href=“http://www.newportfurnishingsmi.com/1/138/index.asp]Newport”>http://www.newportfurnishingsmi.com/1/138/index.asp)</p>