Like most of you, I have purchased house furniture. As I shopped, I was amazed at the wide variety of pricing depending on the marketing involved, and the total lack in many cases of any factual information about the construction or differences between brands. Mostly, I would call it hype.
I certainly don't mind a merchant making a fair return on what they sell but, when I get assualted by the sales force hyping whatever they have on the floor, combined with the multitude of pricing and finance options, I feel like they are trying to rip me off in many cases.
Many people on these forums agonize over what type of steel or handle material to use on their knife so, it seems like a few of those same people might know a thing or two about buying (or at least shopping for) house furniture.
With regards to myself, I have learned that in my area, price doesn't equate with quality in all cases. Specifically, I really like some of the styles of Ethan Allen furniture. I learned that while it was "all wood", the part I see is just a laminate so, it cannot be sanded to repair minor damage as you quickly hit the base layer of the wood. For the premium price, I expect more then that.
So, I continued looking at local stores and smaller chains. I found solid wood furniture (no laminates) at the same price, and what I believed to be the same level of construction quality at basically the same price. As my search continued, I found two identical curio cabinets which caught my attention. At store "A" it was ~$1200, and store "B" in was ~$800. Same hardware, same wood, same manufacturing codes, etc.
The problem I have, is that I am not finding the type or style of furniture I want locally so, I need to shop on-line or travel elsewhere. When I was in Atlanta, I know many people went to Ashville, NC to purchase house furniture for quality and cost reasons. I found I could get a dining room set I was looking at shipped from Ashville, NC to me here in Tucson, Az for 50% of what it costs via a local merchant. It looks like this sort of option is the one I will be using.
What words of advice and wisdom to do you have to share? Where should I be looking? What should I be looking for?
While I am interested in fabric covered furniture (chairs, sofa's), my primary interest is in solid wood furniture. Specifically, bedroom sets, office furniture, entertainment centers, and dinning room sets. I like the simple lines and styles of Mission and Shaker styles of wood furniture made with proper fitting and construction, not modern aerospace glues and other ultra-modern techniques.
Thank you for taking the time to read my long winded post
I certainly don't mind a merchant making a fair return on what they sell but, when I get assualted by the sales force hyping whatever they have on the floor, combined with the multitude of pricing and finance options, I feel like they are trying to rip me off in many cases.
Many people on these forums agonize over what type of steel or handle material to use on their knife so, it seems like a few of those same people might know a thing or two about buying (or at least shopping for) house furniture.
With regards to myself, I have learned that in my area, price doesn't equate with quality in all cases. Specifically, I really like some of the styles of Ethan Allen furniture. I learned that while it was "all wood", the part I see is just a laminate so, it cannot be sanded to repair minor damage as you quickly hit the base layer of the wood. For the premium price, I expect more then that.
So, I continued looking at local stores and smaller chains. I found solid wood furniture (no laminates) at the same price, and what I believed to be the same level of construction quality at basically the same price. As my search continued, I found two identical curio cabinets which caught my attention. At store "A" it was ~$1200, and store "B" in was ~$800. Same hardware, same wood, same manufacturing codes, etc.
The problem I have, is that I am not finding the type or style of furniture I want locally so, I need to shop on-line or travel elsewhere. When I was in Atlanta, I know many people went to Ashville, NC to purchase house furniture for quality and cost reasons. I found I could get a dining room set I was looking at shipped from Ashville, NC to me here in Tucson, Az for 50% of what it costs via a local merchant. It looks like this sort of option is the one I will be using.
What words of advice and wisdom to do you have to share? Where should I be looking? What should I be looking for?
While I am interested in fabric covered furniture (chairs, sofa's), my primary interest is in solid wood furniture. Specifically, bedroom sets, office furniture, entertainment centers, and dinning room sets. I like the simple lines and styles of Mission and Shaker styles of wood furniture made with proper fitting and construction, not modern aerospace glues and other ultra-modern techniques.
Thank you for taking the time to read my long winded post
