Hi, Andresrr,

I am in the same position to search where to buy furniture. I am very new to furniture shopping and still unsure how important my whole furniture to me. If you pay, you can buy fantastic set, but you will spend fortune, not being able to do other fun stuff in life.

Anyway, I have a feeling many people in this forum are very experienced furniture shoppers and PB and Crate & Barrel and sort may not be in the category. I got a list of trustworthy furniture companies from local furniture store that lists from entry level to higher end. Once I decide how much I want to spend, I will start looking through those brand.

Most likely local stores may not be the one has the better price. I am looking into buying a piece online from N.or S. Carolina stores. I have never done online furniture shopping, but heard enough good things about it and am willing to try.

If you come to find a good online store, please post it, too! I will do the same.

Korim when making a furniture purchase I think what is most important rather than just a brand name is to educate yourself on what goes into a quality piece of furniture. You don't necessarily have to break the bank to furnish your home. After you have gained some knowledge and have some idea of what you might like from a design perspective you can then get to work. I think it's better to start with a few quality items that will last for years then a houseful of items that may not give you the service you need. Purchase a few key items for your chosen room adding to this a little at a time. In the end a quality purchase will save you money.

In terms of really nice (but expensive) furniture, I mentioned Cisco Brothers. They started as a manufacturer and recently opened up some retail stores (ciscohome.net). Unfornuately, they might only do local sales? But they are made in the USA quality and they use solid wood (not compressed) for many (if not all?) of their pieces.

Andresrr i am also looking for good furniture store for my new home. I am searching for online store and there are many options. I am confused regarding choosing the right one. Some providing free shipping and some providing heavy discounts.

I am hoping to buy a sectional in about a year. Until then I'm saving up $$ and reading this site to help make sense of it all. I do not want to replace our sofa for a long, long time - I hate the thought of sending one to the landfill.

Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel can end up costing more and getting to a lot less value than asking for some help. I am designer in VA so perhaps I am biased.

Check out these higher end (but not more expensive manufacturers): CR Laine Upholstery, Furniture Noir(Super traditional but eclectic), Stanley Coastal Resort, Redford House, Thibaut Furniture, and the list goes on and on. Big local stores tend to carry a lot of the massive brands and those are not always good value since a lot of them are made cheaply. And, when they carry the specialty brands the mark-ups have to cover a lot of store operating costs.

One of the most affordable ways to buy furniture is to hire a designer to make you a virtual room board for you with lots of furniture choices/price points (Designer often waive board fees if you buy through them). Trade people have access to all sorts of furniture you've never ever seen and they generally can pass on prices below what you pay in most retail stores with big overheads. So, you typically save money this way and end up with higher quality and more interesting furniture. Also, a lot of the ideas they will give you will have shopping links for ballard or pottery barn etc.

I am looking for computer desk/tv hutch for our kitchen. I love French style and the weathered..distressed look. I could also paint it the color I would like but just need to find it first. I love furniture out of pine as well.

I would suggest approaching a local guy along with the online stores. Get quotes and compare. If you have furniture plan set up in your mind you can do mix-&-match with local guy & online stores. That might save some $$.

I think you should read reviews about your local furniture stores and narrow-down your search to one best online furniture store. Just go to store and have shopping!

As far as looking at furniture if your in NC you can have a look at Furniture Land South. The store is huge and they have just about everything you can imagine

If you happen to be in Los Angeles, you can find plenty of high end furniture showrooms on Melrose west of the Pacific Design Center (and inside the PDC as well). The furniture company that I work for has a showroom on Melrose between San Vicente and Robertson.

Other good streets for furniture are La Brea, Third Street, and Beverly in the Fairfax District.

Lars

I went a open house once , that is customer home designed by an architect. SO all furniture match the house style (craftsman) . All furniture are solid and good looking. They said the location furniture/cabinet company made those furniture. If you want to know what exactly go into your furniture, this maybe the best approach to get high quality furniture.