New Furniture UGH!!

[Forevermarypoppins]

We are starting the "window shopping" phase of getting new furniture. It's been a very long time since major pieces were purchased, maybe 16 years+. I started by looking online at our local furniture stores and I've been in one of the stores twice. This is going to be a real challenge for me. I tried to explain to my husband the 4 factors: STYLE, Fabric, PRICE and Size.
It is very apparent that the good quality things that were more affordable for most of us is no longer.
I want no leather, reclining sofa. I want to go from a couch and 2 swivel reclining chairs to one couch, one loveseat (maybe reclining) and one good reclining chair for my husband. My first gripe is all the off white and light gray color. I am betting on a few months to finally find something I'm willing to pay for!

PLEASE,
tell me your story GOOD BAD or UGLY. I can not make a mistake! This will be the last furniture for our lifetime!

 

[tvguy]

We bought a new couch and recliner about 6 years ago. In hindsight, style, fabric, price and size in the long term weren't all that important. Comfort was. And it wasn't until we retired and were home more often and sitting on the couch longer periods of time that we discovered it isn't as comfortable as we would like. It felt fine in the store, and still does for about an hour, but now we have time to watch movies, it gets a little uncomfortable after two yours. And I sure can't think of a way to test that before buying.
We too expect this couch and chair to last a life time. The couch we replaced we had 35 years. If this one lasts that long we will be 95 when it is worn out.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I am happy with our new Lazboy so if you have one near you maybe get something in stock off the floor to save some money. I saw some floor models priced as a steal.

I do hear good things about some things from Wayfair if price is the biggest concern as long as you can put things together or find help to put things together. The advantage here is that so many people buy from Wayfair you can get tons of very thoughtful reviews to help you decide.

 

[NAB]

I need a new couch as well and will never buy another one with puffy back cushions I always have to lift the back pillow to push in my bottom cushion every time I get up. You can tell I only sit in one spot…lol I do move the bottom cushions around but back ones are attached.

I hate furniture shopping good luck.

 

[kymom99]

I have had my la-z-boy reclining sofa for 8 years. It’s comfortable. The handle to recline it on the side where I always sat broke very quickly. Yes the part was under warranty but they wanted over $100 to send someone out to replace it. I had them send it and my husband figured out how to replace it. That couch is now in the basement of our new house for the cat to sleep on. It’s still in decent shape but you can tell where I always sat. I didn’t want it in the living room of my new house.

I window shopped at a local furniture store to find my new furniture. They have gorgeous furniture, but VERY expensive. We almost bought a couch for $7000! Granted, it was leather and power recline. Thankfully we went home to think on it and changed our minds. We ended up at a different local place. We got a couch and loveseat, both leather and power recline. Loveseat has a center consol. I’ve never had leather before and wasn’t sure if I would like it. It’s off white. We got both pieces plus an area rug for less than the first couch we looked at.

Furniture is very expensive now.

 

[LoveDaisy]

I have been looking a living room furniture for about a year. I am looking for a mid level set that will last 3-4 years (we are planning to do some remodeling in the next few years) my issues have been finding the right size love seat (small wall but I have one there now that fits great) and quality. Some we don’t think would last 2 years. I’m not looking super cheap, but not expensive either (had to rule lazy boy out was shocked by their prices, maybe once we remodel).

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

We bought a new couch and recliner about 6 years ago. In hindsight, style, fabric, price and size in the long term weren't all that important. Comfort was. And it wasn't until we retired and were home more often and sitting on the couch longer periods of time that we discovered it isn't as comfortable as we would like. It felt fine in the store, and still does for about an hour, but now we have time to watch movies, it gets a little uncomfortable after two yours. And I sure can't think of a way to test that before buying.
We too expect this couch and chair to last a life time. The couch we replaced we had 35 years. If this one lasts that long we will be 95 when it is worn out.

Oh, I get it. My couch is well over 20 years old and it's still comfortable. Unfortunately, the idea of traveling to see about re-upholstering and then loading it up and traveling again, and then having to travel again to pick it up and unload it it just too much! I once heard a younger lady say she won't buy great quality furniture because she's going to want new stuff in 5 years anyway. I somewhat agree!

 

[mjkacmom]

My couch and chair and a half were purchased over 10 years ago from macys for about $800 for both. Comfortable, look like crap (5 kids and a dog) but that’s fine, I’ll just replace them. I’m guessing they still look like crap if I spent more.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

We went from a 1500 square foot home to a 7000+ square foot home. We did not have enough furniture when we moved in but we took our time buying new...a long time. Thankfully there isn't a shortage of furniture stores near me. Ashley, Rooms To Go, Lazy Boy, Haverty's. Ethan Allen closed. Now whenever we drive past a furniture store we say to each other, glad we don't have to do that anymore. We bought 2 sets of faux recliners for the basement (husbands domain) and a sofa with 2 accent chairs for the formal living room from Haverty's (which is also the most expensive furniture). They would always advertise a "sale" but it really wasn't. They would raise the price or say spend this much and get this percentage off. I watched prices for almost a year and did the math, always coming out to original price. They did have the best customer service/delivery though. Bought a large sectional and recliner from Ashley. The salesperson was wonderful, delivery and customer service was really bad. Bought the wrong furniture, another time it had holes in it. I just looked at the sofa we bought and indeed prices have gone up. As with anything I'd say, know your prices. Track them. So if there's a sale, you know if it's good or not.

 

[abdmom]

I moved from overseas in mid-2021. I had to buy all new furniture. Manufacturers had a lead time of 6 months to a year, so I bought somewhat frantically in the one week I was visiting my new location. I have a very nice leather sofa and a very nice mattress which ended up being not what I wanted. I did buy a new reclining leather sofa crammed the 2 sofas into the living room. I couldn't bear to sell the first sofa at a loss.

After I moved, I held off on buying a dresser and nightstands that I really liked. I was waiting for a sale. I watched as the price of the dresser went up several hundred dollars to twice what it was in mid-2021. Sob. I never did purchase it. I just looked at the website. It's now on sale for what I saw it for in 2021.

I've noticed that the prices of other furniture I bought have come down recently. The dining table and reclining sofa I bought are both a few hundred less than what I bought them for in 2021 and 2023.

I did end up buying several pieces from Costco. You should have a look. They have quite a few living room reclining sofas and sets. I also bought things from Lowes and Home Depot - patio furniture, BBQ grill, nightstands, artificial plants. I love the dining table I bought from Macy's.

 

[disneychrista]

It was near impossible to find a new couch when I was looking. It took me a year to find something and then I ended up settling for the only thing available that half way met my needs. I didn’t want leather. I didn’t want microfiber that looked like leather.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

It was near impossible to find a new couch when I was looking. It took me a year to find something and then I ended up settling for the only thing available that half way met my needs. I didn’t want leather. I didn’t want microfiber that looked like leather.

I feel like, I know what I do not want and that is what almost everything IS!

 

[tony67]

So I pretty much always go to a furniture store that has a back room with clearance and scratch and dent type stuff.

I tend to ignore the scratch and dent stuff....unless it is ridiculously cheap - and sometimes it is - its good for a basement or garage etc... so I always look - and sometime you do get lucky

The clearance stuff - they usually have a fair amount of - and its new stuff - not the floor model.

As for the lighter colors - yeah I don't like them - but you can buy a warranty where they come out in clean it if there is an issue and if they cant clean it they will replace it - so worth looking into.

Most important thing is to sit in it and see if its comfortable - but no matter what after a few months or a year it wont be the same - but at least start comfortable.

I tend to avoid the reclining ones as they are way too heavy and hard to move.

 

[NigelXiex]

Finding quality furniture can be such a journey, right? I totally get the struggle. It's like a quest for the perfect blend of comfort, style, and durability. Supporting local mom and pop places sounds like a gem of an idea! It's all about that personal touch and unique finds. It's a shame how many have vanished lately. The hunt for the right pieces of Office Furniture can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack, especially with the limited choices nowadays. Hang in there, though! The perfect set might just be waiting for you in some unexpected corner.

 

[Cadiewampus]

We are starting the "window shopping" phase of getting new furniture. It's been a very long time since major pieces were purchased, maybe 16 years+. I started by looking online at our local furniture stores and I've been in one of the stores twice. This is going to be a real challenge for me. I tried to explain to my husband the 4 factors: STYLE, Fabric, PRICE and Size.
It is very apparent that the good quality things that were more affordable for most of us is no longer.
I want no leather, reclining sofa. I want to go from a couch and 2 swivel reclining chairs to one couch, one loveseat (maybe reclining) and one good reclining chair for my husband. My first gripe is all the off white and light gray color. I am betting on a few months to finally find something I'm willing to pay for!

PLEASE,
tell me your story GOOD BAD or UGLY. I can not make a mistake! This will be the last furniture for our lifetime!

I would encourage you (if you haven't already) to search out locally own mom and pop places. We have changed furniture like we change underwear in our almost 35 years of marriage. All sorts of reasons but the common thread is they all came from one of the big furniture stores. We finally found a mom and pop place this last purchase a couple of months ago. They have been open since 1976. Their store was not fancy. Just a big building with furniture sitting everywhere. Price and quality was better than anywhere we have ever purchased

 

[clh2]

We are starting this painful adventure. I love our current couches; but they are becoming threadbare. I’m guessing they are close to 20 years old.

We are budgeting for replacements to be 3x more than what we paid for our couches “back in the day”…

 

[cabanafrau]

I would encourage you (if you haven't already) to search out locally own mom and pop places. We have changed furniture like we change underwear in our almost 35 years of marriage. All sorts of reasons but the common thread is they all came from one of the big furniture stores. We finally found a mom and pop place this last purchase a couple of months ago. They have been open since 1976. Their store was not fancy. Just a big building with furniture sitting everywhere. Price and quality was better than anywhere we have ever purchased

Most of the mom and pop places in our metro area have gone out of business. Even our major mass market store with multiple locations went under. I've been pushing off and pushing off replacing our living room furniture for several years, first for timing, then for Covid lack of selection, now because I know it's going to be painful on price, dearth of real selection like we were used to, and because it's likely I'm going to have to expand out to include stores maybe 50 miles away because I'm not up for compromising what I want on quality or selection. I miss the days where I had a hard time making up my mind because there were several great options.

 

[Pillialle]

I don't even expect that it's so difficult to find good furniture. Next month, I am moving to a new apartment but I still can't find the perfect pieces to furnish it. Any beds.co.uk reviews? If you order online, always check reviews to avoid any unpleasant surprises. Customer feedback always offers useful info about the quality and durability of furniture pieces.

 

[MICKIMINI]

I worked in the furniture industry in the early 2000's selling high end US furniture. I toured many factories in NC and upstate NY. Unfortunately, many of these brands didn't survive until now and many of those had been in business for 100 years or more.

My suggestion is to start at the highest end furniture stores you can find. Ask how the upholstered furniture is made. It should be eight way hand tied, meaning there are real steel springs and a human uses heavy twine to tie each to the other eight ways. They should be able to show you a sample. Cushions can be made of different materials for different firmness levels and if that is an option you can try them out. ALL cushions will squish eventually, but you should be able to buy replacements (say 10, 15+ years down the road) and just unzip and change them. The frame should be made of hardwood like maple, glued and screwed. The legs will be part of the frame, not twisted on. You can choose from many different fabrics which will be priced accordingly.

These high end furniture stores often have a sale corner, so don't be afraid to ask where it is or if there is a sale coming soon. If you find what you want ask if there is a discount for paying cash (2-3%?) Many furniture stores offer 0% for 12 months even today. If you want coordinating pillows, order a couple extra to put on your chairs ($$$$) or just pick up stray pillows at TJM or HG's.

Ask to borrow the fabric swatch for a few days. Go look at Lazyboy with your swatch and pick out a couple chairs that coordinate. IMO chairs are much easier and less expensive to replace.

We have a sofa purchased in 1999 that is leather which retailed for 4K at the time (we paid 1K as I was in the business) which is still soft and buttery and wonderfully comfortable. It is up in DH's man cave at our new home. 25 years old and it likely last another 25.

Good luck!

 

[MillauFr]

I shop the estate sales for furniture. If you aren't too picky you can get top of the line furniture for pennies on the dollar. We got a sofa and chair that Costco was selling for $2,800 for $400.