Total Furniture Virgin! Hello and Help!

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!

This should answer most your questions about Pottery Barn....

http://www.iconceptsllc.com/potterybarnUNSTUFFED.html

You've actually listed what are considered to be some of the cheapest builders out there. While you have to balance your budget with quality, know that you will almost always get better furniture at a multi-brand store rather than a trendy 'chain' store. There is plenty written here on the forum regarding a 'checklist' of what to look for, do some browsing and some searches and you should be able to find it.

You may find that to stay withing budget, you can't replace it all at once and have to do it over a period of time and that's not a bad way to go. Over a period of 5 to 7 years, you can amass a quite nice collection that way. Good luck.

Duane has tons of good advice buried all over this forum. Here is the good advice I've received and followed thus far:

1. Pick your rug first
2. Make sure you're everyday furniture is where you focus your budget (i.e. if you have to cheap out, cheap out on occasional use pieces)
3. Furniture store salesmen may or may not know what they are talking about. Plan to ask smart questions.
4. Construction matters.
5. Dealer matters.
6. Delivery company matters.

Here are things I think right now (Duane may not agree with these, and I'm still learning)
1. Traditional furniture appeals more, as you look at more furniture -- that is your eye gets better over time
2. You typically get what you pay for
3. Don't buy anything you can't afford to replace (cars, sofas, girlfriends, whatever)
4. It is okay to cheap out on anything you don't touch once a week
5. You can't buy good taste. And it's hard to rent. Develop your taste.
6. It's okay to have a nice rug, a nice sofa, and not much else while you look for the rest of the room

And then I know Duane disagrees on this:
7. Mattresses are ripoffs. Buy a decent firm mattress and buy aftermarket pillowtops to suit your comfort.

I would agree with all the brsett says, even the last # 7 statement (just buy an all-cotton bed)

Thank you both for the expert advice! I'm already starting to learn the things I came here hoping to find! I have to admit though that I wasn't very forthcoming with my information. I was trying to retroactively tell if I REALLY JUMPED THE GUN when I bought some furniture earlier this month. It always seems that my best research is done immediately following a large purchase. It's the curse of impatience...I am going to apply everything I learn to ALL my future purchases. Tell me what you think. We looking okay? It's mostly Uttermost, New Classic, and La-Z-Boy. I understand now I've bought into the lower tier of furniture, but not the bottom of the barrel, right?

I just picked what I liked, turns out my style is modern? Transitional? Any pointers on what works well together or doesn't (in terms of decoration) would be VERY appreciated, I have a Winner's Only bookcase coming in that needs decorating too.

Please don't be too harsh, constructive criticism is what I need right now!

P.S. Yes those are Nintendo cartridge pillows and a pacman blanket...I'm a nerd....I understand that I probably can't pull off "Geek Sheek" style.Attachment 6090Attachment 6091Attachment 6092

Your purchases look good, as do your accessories, you undoubtedly already have a bed by now ...but if not, I have wondered about the Tuft and Needle mattresses that offer American Made quality with only Direct marketing.

You're style is contemporary. Modern is a specific design motif -- and none of your furniture is modern. I think you achieved the look you were going for very successfully.

I agree with Brsett above. The more one shops and studies furniture, the greater the appreciation for traditional design becomes. That's partly because I think taste and appreciation of the artistry of form expands but it is also a function of practicality.

My first furniture purchases were very much anti-traditional as I didn't want my home to look like my grandmother was there. Next time I was looking for better quality and with better quality comes a more substantial investment and with more money being expended and with things designed to last comes a desire for those things to not look dated and have to be discarded because they are out of style. Well-made contemporary furniture is a bit of a waste. No one will want it in 20 years yet it is made to last far beyond that so the wisest choice becomes the one to go with more timeless and traditional designs.

To the original poster, you've done a nice job and I wouldn't worry too much about your choices. The forms are simple and perhaps Shaker-like and you haven't made the mistake of investing in high priced but very trendy furniture.