Finding Quality Furniture at a Modest Price Point
Hello all!
I have come to find this interesting community from my searches in trying desperately to figure out what to do. You all seem somewhat more high level than I can afford, but I figured asking couldn't hurt.
Anyways, my living room furniture is falling apart and breaking. I got the extended warranty, but as I should have guessed it has been basically useless. So, my partner and I are thinking of purchasing a new sectional piece (3 seats + chaise), as we believe this will accommodate our room best. However, we do not want to overpay for poor quality as we seem to have already done. We are specifically looking for cloth upholstery as the vinyl on our pieces is peeling (one seat and one back basically have NO vinyl left), and that has left me quite gunshy of anything vinyl or vinyl like (e.g. leather) (thank you cats/dogs).
Anyways, since we live basically paycheck to paycheck we are trying to find the best quality furniture we can at Ashley/La-Z-Boy prices. I know we won't get anywhere near H&M quality (can't seem to figure out who they are), we just don't want to beat our heads against the wall in the near future as we have with this furniture and the company we were dealing with. And that brings me to the crux of my problem.
I hear a lot that La-Z-Boy and Ashley are overpriced. Well if that is the case, what brands are in their price class but not overpriced because they bring a higher quality product?
For a reference, the sectional we were looking at with La-Z-Boy before we investigated their issues was the Collins Sectional for around $2100 for the pieces to make up the 3 seats + chaise lounger.
Thanks!
Nick
Re: Finding Quality Furniture at a Modest Price Point
Quote:
Originally Posted by
taz982
...and that has left me quite gunshy of anything vinyl or vinyl like (e.g. leather) (thank you cats/dogs).
I have two cats and I tend toward leather - but at the same time will admit that certain leathers are more vulnerable to scratching when pets simply run across them or jump off them, and cats pack a lot of power with their rear legs and claws, and that pets have different preferences for what they scratch. My cats prefer to scratch fabric, especially carpet; some cats love the sides of furniture if they can hook their claws into the fabric, and some cats will claw up leather. You have to know your pets and buy accordingly. What I like about leather is that it's much easier to keep clean, doesn't attract fur, and our cats have no interest in sharpening their claws on it. As such, it's more durable and I'll get a longer useful life out of each quality piece.
If I were buying furniture of the "imported from China, good for five years or so" variety, as long as the upholstery was appropriate for my pets and lifestyle, I would be much less concerned about leather vs. fabric. because the inside of the furniture will likely wear out before the upholstery.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
simplyjeff
I don't have as much problem with La-Z-Boy. Although I have seen many negative reviews it is generally a similar quality to most other furniture in the same price category.
As you suggest, I suspect that the issue is disappointment between what people remember of their parents' and grandparents' furniture, or an older piece of their own, versus the performance of a modern piece sold under the same brand name.
Re: Finding Quality Furniture at a Modest Price Point
Thank you both for your response! I'm sorry it took so long to respond. Unfortunately I gave up on checking after the first couple of days.
Anyway right now we have chosen the Broyhill Veronica (barring any unforeseen problems), and are in the process of picking one of 7 fabrics we brought home with us. They have springs in their cushions so I do hope they last a bit longer, but I do not recall their warantee off hand for the cushions. I hope they have higher resiliency cushions, but I doubt it, as they don't seem to allow too much customization (just wanted a different fabric for that rounded bit outlining the edges. I will definitely look into it though.
I will definitely be checking out the stuffing situation when i go back in, as I didn't do that this last time through (i think we're going to end up driving the sales lady nuts lol).
Anyway, thank you much for your help, and any additional feedback would be welcome :).
Re: Finding Quality Furniture at a Modest Price Point
Quote:
Originally Posted by
taz982
They have springs in their cushions so I do hope they last a bit longer, but I do not recall their warantee off hand for the cushions. I hope they have higher resiliency cushions, but I doubt it, as they don't seem to allow too much customization (just wanted a different fabric for that rounded bit outlining the edges. I will definitely look into it though.
Don't worry about the High Resiliency foam. If your cushions have springs in them the resiliency of the small amount of foam will not matter much. Of course like everything else there are cheap "spring" cushions that are complete junk but any "spring" cushions Broyhill uses will be good quality and should last several years.
Broyhill makes good quality mid-priced furniture and if you find a style and fabric you like you should be very happy with it for many years.
Re: Finding Quality Furniture at a Modest Price Point
Thank you Jeff! You have made me feel so much better about this all.
Also thank you to the mod who changed my title. I realized after I made the post that the title was leaving something to be desired.
Nick
Re: Finding Quality Furniture at a Modest Price Point
Whelp I finally pulled the trigger. $2100 (pretax) later and apparently I will have a 3 piece sectional, and ottoman delivered here to replace my god awful sofa. Lets hope this lasts longer than my Ashley piece.
Nick
Re: Finding Quality Furniture at a Modest Price Point
Pretty much anything will last longer than Ashley.....good luck!
Re: Finding Quality Furniture at a Modest Price Point
Quote:
Originally Posted by
drcollie
Pretty much anything will last longer than Ashley.....good luck!
Well hopefully after I get done with grad school I will be able to give you, or one of your peers a call.
Thanks for providing this wonderful place. I grew up thinking Ethan Allen was the best there was, I'm glad my eyes were opened to your standards, even if they are presently above my pocket book :).
Nick
Re: Finding Quality Furniture at a Modest Price Point
Ethan Allen is another company that has changed dramatically over the past 25 years. Before that time they were known primarily for their American made solid wood furniture of which a large percentage was in the Early American or Colonial styles featuring collections which remained in production for 20 or more years. Now most of the solid wood is gone, the styles have been updated and the sourcing is global.
Although Ethan Allen is not quite up to the H&M quality standards they do present a lot of very good styling for their upper mid-range price. One of the strongest points of the company is the number of salespeople with professional interior design credentials in their stores who can be very helpful for those who lack confidence in their own design expertise.