Hello! My name is Andrew and I don't know where to begin when it comes to buying furniture. I've been to a few furniture stores and a million websites; I've also been doing research on furniture on countless websites and the more I read, the more I discover conflicting information on who sells quality furniture. I'm beginning to throw away all my college furniture and buy my GROWN UP FURNITURE. I'm a straight to the point guy and as such I need clear cut answers if you can provide them to my questions.

If I wanted to buy quality bedroom and living room furniture, who sells it? Ashley? IKEA? (Just kidding) Coaster? New Classic? Broyhill? Winners Only? Pottery Barn? etc...
If you can't link me to an exhaustive list of trusted go-to brands that will not fail me, can you highlight some brands so I can just browse their catalogues and pick out some good pieces?

If it's not okay to buy furniture from Pottery Barn, can I still buy lighting or decorative accents from them or Pier 1? Or should I never give them a cent?

In addition, is there a clear cut checklist I can go down when assessing a piece of furniture I find at my local furniture store that, if it checks the boxes, must = quality furniture?

I'm very eager to start putting together an apartment's worth of furniture that will outlast the building I call home! For what it's worth, I live in Nebraska, I don't have more than $7,000 to spend on my bedroom and living room combine. All of your advice, tips, and input would be forever appreciated! Thank you in advance!