Quality Furniture at a Reasonable Price?
My wife and I are looking to pick up a few pieces of quality furniture at a reasonable price, more specifically, a media unit with bookshelves and place for a TV (price range: $2000 to $4000). We thought about built-in’s but those would usually be at least twice that. We are stumped though as for…
My wife and I are looking to pick up a few pieces of quality furniture at a reasonable price, more specifically, a media unit with bookshelves and place for a TV (price range: $2000 to $4000). We thought about built-in’s but those would usually be at least twice that. We are stumped though as for a piece that will be a huge focus in our main room we want to get something better than IKEA quality…and Macy’s stuff looks like out of a hotel, Pottery Barn is hit and miss (considering the storage bed), ABC Carpet is overpriced, and West Elm looks a bit junky for the price. There are two reasonable, straight up the middle options at Restoration Hardware for a media unit, but we wanted to look at other options but don’t know where to look. Does anyone have any gems of a store in the five boroughs that we should consider? We don’t mind modern but are going more for a classic look. Bonus points for stores quality at reasonable price bed frames and dressers.
Thanks for all the advice. We did a mammoth Saturday day out, starting on the UES to visit Ethan Allen, Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrell. Ethan Allen looked of quality but the style was more stuffy/UES than we were looking for. Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel’s wood furniture generally looked of poor quality. We might revisit Pottery Barn for some reasonably priced lamps down the road. We then traveled down to Soho. Couldn’t find Z Gallerie based on the address I had written down. Mitchell Gold seemed overpriced and the quality a bit less than what you would expect. We LOVED Room and Board. My wife had never been there before (i stopped in more than a year ago but wasn’t really in the market). Great quality, Looks great, feels great, and the style we generally are looking for. The prices are on the higher end of our range, but we’ll definitely pick up some select pieces from there. Great recommendation. I also looked on CL and found a number of Room and Board options, and actually visited one piece to see in person. I’m going to keep a close eye for future listings. Thanks all for the tips!
Depending on what you mean by classic look, I find it easier to find antiques online than to find new stuff that fits the aesthetic of my place (not modern, but 100 yr- old style to complement the architecture of the places I live in).
I’ve found that buying antiques from halfway, or even all the way, across the country, because they are cheaper out there, that even when you add in the expensive cost of shipping antiques, the price comes out to something like Pottery Barn, Room and Board, etc., pricing, but for something much nicer. Definitely less than Stickley pricing, and not reproduction. That’s if you can’t find what you want at nearby antique stores. I’ve only bought from brick and mortar antique stores sight unseen, haven’t ventured into ebay, and have had the stuff exceed my expectations from looking at pictures and asking questions.
Also, I’ve found new furniture that I’ve bought from manufacturers I’d never seen or heard of before by looking online. There are many companies making stuff that you’d never see if you limit yourself to looking at the big home stores that innundate us with catalogs. Once you find something you like, you can find a furniture store distributor from the manufacturer’s site that is somewhere in the area, often in the burbs, to go see it and order from.
You might try Find Home Furnishings on 9th Street across from entrance to Lowe’s, if Room and Board is too sleek for you. Also, Safavieh carries furniture at one of their Manhattan locations and has sales several times per year.
I second the comment of a long term quality issue with Crate and Barrel and Room and Board’s quality is wonderful. I have also found really great things on Craig’s List. You can put a store’s name in as a search criteria and often find the exact piece you want for less than half the price.
Jesse (Italian Modern Furniture Maker)
http://www.jesse.it/ing/products/day-collection/open-wall-unit-system.html
Pros:
– Nice, clean designs
– $2k to $5k+
Cons:
– Delivery 8+ weeks (usually over 12 weeks, ships from Italy)
– Italians don’t work in August (so add another 4.3 weeks)
– Most woods are veneer, they don’t do dovetail edges
– Their measurements are in metric
– Website has poor info on measurements for pieces (must call or to Brooklyn dealer (Gravesend – right before Coney Island area.
I 2nd Room & Board.
I can’t remember the name of this place, but the furniture store with two branches in Park Slope, one on 5th Ave and one on 7th. Lots of unfinished wood shelves and futons and stuff – anybody know the name? Anyway, they have solid wood shelves and storage units. We picked up several tall bookcases for our house there, at something like $125 each, and people think they’re custom built-in. They look great. Another place for solid wood reasonably priced is Gothic Cabinet Craft; they have a few locations in Brooklyn. You can get it cheaper unfinished and paint or stain it yourself.
Yay, Room and Board! Lots of options. Almost all their furniture is made in the USA. Great staff who do NOT work on commission so won’t shine you on.
Moonriver Chattel, Open Air Vintage and the Brooklyn Flea are all good options for that price range, too.
room and board I think fits your budget, maybe toward higher end. the quality is vastly superior to the laminated crap that pottery barn et al sell.
Not for nothing, but craigslist can be a great resource. At least until you buy, try looking there once a day. You can scoop up some great bargains.