Most of the case good furniture sold in the United Sates are manufactured in China. At the popular price point such as what you might buy from Universal and Ashley it would be difficult to find anything not made in China. As far as Ashley goes they are the largest or nearly largest supplier of furniture in the US. They must be dong something right or people would not be buying their product and stores would not be carrying it. I have visited both showrooms at the trade shows in North Carolina and they do have a varied and extensive selection in all catagories. If you want to look at US made bedroom furniture you might have a look at Vaughan Bassett as an alternative. In upholstery there are a lot of imports from China but there also are many US manufacturers. In fact I would say most of the upholstery sold in the US is US made.

You know I feel just the opposite. I have never seen so much creativity. When we were growing up, people just had furniture by necessity and homes were not really decorated, they were just well, functional. Now I see young people doing all kinds of things, painting, learning new ways of doing things with what they have, going yard sale and fixing up. I'm so amazed and proud of them for finding something that looks like it could go to the dust bin and they make it into some really great and useful item that is distinctly unique. I've seen them make an ugly place into an amazing abode that just says so much about them. Even people who had never had any training learned how to faux paint or stencil (not the ugly stuff or bunnies or ducks but sophisticated patterns) wallpaper like motifs that look really great. In my mom's day they never did stuff like that or even thought of it. The odd person here and there did but were often thought of as eccentric! I don't see too many cookie cutter PB houses around here, some will incorporate pieces here and there and I do love some of their accessories such as the pewter or faux silver pieces and some of the mirrors and bedding, pillows. There is no doubt that TV is what changed the world. You can view the same programs around the world and people are so easily influenced by it. But I don't feel there is a hard line about what furnishings are in or out. I think cookie cutter neighborhoods are the result of builders coming in and throwing up a bunch of homes all at once. It's cheaper for them and less risky to stick with something they have had success with, they don't really care, they just want to sell them. I do lament the feeling that no matter where you go you could be anywhere with the malls all being the same, this holds true around the world actually. It's surreal to be overseas and see the same things in their malls! The one class I wish they would bring back to high schools is Home Economics. I learned to sew, design and cook, grocery plan and shop and how to write a check and balance a check book, etc., in home ec. Those are the things that helped me the most once I was out of my parents home and living in my own apartment going to college. Of course the core curriculum of the math and sciences did too but the practical truth of home ec really saved me. My high school was pretty good looking back on it even though it was a small town and county school. We had languages, art, art history, literature, writing, phys ed, Latin, speech, drama and home economics ~a lot of these things have gone by the wayside to make way for the almighty computer classes which I will never understand because you could teach computer in an afternoon. I will never understand all this emphasis on computer literacy especially since it becomes outdated so quickly. To actually think of giving up cursive writing classes because they don't have time for it? How is that possible? I'm sure it is frustrating for teachers as well.

Lil S, thanks so much for responding. It's comforting to hear from others who've had the same problem. It seems to be significantly better at this point although inside the drawers is still unpleasant... so I have them slid open. Hopefully they are better within another few days. I'll see how my sinuses do over the next week.

What I see is an attempt to make specific areas for specific purposes. But what you have is too much stuff taking up the extra space you had when you first moved in. Your living area is cluttered, and I'm not talking about the random trash. The mantle and every shelf has no cohesive purpose. For instance, put all your photos on the mantle. Put all your books on the step ladder shelves. Keep similar things together as collections. You can probably mix some decorative things with the books but on a different shelf. Your desk is what is taking up most of the space. Put the desk in your storage closet. Use your dining table to work at. Put your printer and work supplies on/in the cabinet the way you had it when you first moved in. Your dog is laying on your sofa; why do you have a dog bed? Get a throw for your sofa that you can remove when you expect company. Do you lock your dog in the crate at night? If you are not using the crate daily put it in the storage closet on your deck. If the dog bed and crate are used regularly put them behind the sofa. Below is how I would arrange your furniture. The TV stays next to the fireplace. The desk goes into storage and all the work items go into or on the built in cabinet between your living and dining rooms. The dog stuff goes where the desk used to be, but you have a little more space to ease your sofa back. Move the 3-light lamp next to the windows and point the lights up so you get a softer light bouncing back from the ceiling. Move the smaller spot light next to the fireplace so it overhangs your papasan chair. Move the ladder shelf bookcase into the dining area on the wall next to the deck exit.