For some high end brands (Henkel Harris, Stickley), you wonÂt get more than 45% off, even for floor samples. 35-40% off is typical. ThatÂs because the manufacturers have a minimum retail price in place, and nobody is allowed to sale less than that. Manufacturers only authorized additional 5% off once or twice a year. If you really love their stuff, that is the time to buy. Less-known brands discount more aggressively, some time even 60-70% off MSRP.

Check-out RH Modern. This kinda makes me sick... The bed is Bob Williams, but in black-- you'll notice on the Bob Williams site that it's seriously marked down, so I think they are phasing it out for RH Modern. Soho Concept and Nuevo have pieces similar to the dining table, and the Milo Baughman chair looks like it is from Thayer Coggin, but in black leather. I think we should be trying to figure out these sources BEFORE they do their huge national launch of their new stores over the next 12 months. I know I've seen dining chairs similar, but can't seem to find them now. At least you guys have warning to start looking for similar products at the various trade markets. They are also hiring a TON of designers to have on hand. Halo, GJ, and Four Hands used to be the main wholesalers for Resto, but the guys at GJ were really unhappy at High Point Market when I asked them about it this past April. Something went down...

Wow, this has turned out to be a fascinating read! I am the OP and thank everyone for posting about their experiences and ideas and philosophies of furniture acquisition. :-) Sorry I disappeared for several days but work gets a bit hectic at times, and I'm just now resurfacing. So, using the amazing powers of the internet, plus speaking to some friends and family members who have decorated in a taste and style that I like, I came up with a preliminary budget. After interviewing several people, we picked one, and so far we are very happy with her. She has been very communicative - looked at the photos of the things we said we liked, and the room photos (from magazines) that project the "feel" we want, and she has been suggesting appropriate lines and pieces. And yes, I did want to discuss budget with her, so we would be on the same page. I do NOT want to even look at a $7000 coffee table - the one we currently have has a constant parade of tiny fingerprints on it and bits of goo, and I just can't imagine worrying about a piece like that, which is SOOO perfect in size for kids to put their coloring books and sippy cups on. It would be terrible to be a child in a house and not be able to use the coffee table because your parents spent a ridiculous amount on it and don't want it to be used! She actually did say that she was appreciative of the budget guidelines during the interview. After we hired her, she suggested I look at the websites of a few companies (that I'd never heard of) and I've seen some pieces that look nice, so we will plan some shopping trips together to a design bldg (I think she said Lexington near 34th St, need to check my notes) when work slows down, and maybe the same day or another one, we'll go to the Decorator's bldg near Bloomies (on 3rd Ave) as well. For you NYers or frequent visitors to NYC out there, you might already know these places and it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on "can't miss" showrooms... Even if a place is astronomically priced, I don't mind walking in and looking around as you can glean some inspiration from it. The one place I told her I'd been to several times already during our reno is the A&D bldg, b/c there were a lot of kitchen/tile/plumbing type stuff there, and just a few furniture places which I'm already familiar with, so no need to visit that one together. She did not give me the impression that she will waste our time (yes, we are paying by the hour, with a small commission on the furniture) - she seems very organized and efficient. I do think this is fair, b/c her hourly rate is quite reasonable, and in total, the hours this will take are not huge. She also lives in NYC, and honestly, to make enough to live here, I do think the commission to the decorator is necessary, so we have no problems paying that.

It's the same one, I'm afraid. I'll see if I can find a pic for you. I'm pretty embarrassed of it though:( I guess I like things to look good for at least a few years (I've had it for 5 years now). It's my mistake because I knew that the pillows might be an issue because of the way you sit on the sofa). The connection between the chaise and the sofa do not connect properly so there's a gap. The good thing is that when the frame broke, they came and fixed it and they'll continue to do so for the entire ten years so that's good. I do have to say that I adore the leather. It's buttery and beautiful. My theory when it has come to getting furniture has always been to see how it wears in a showroom because that is usually an indication of what it will look like in the house. For my formal living room, I almost went with an Ektorp sofa from Ikea but then saw how lumpy and rumpled it looked at Ikea. It has great reviews online but I just couldn't get passed how it looked in the showroom. When I see how it looks online in people's homes, it only strengthen's my thoughts about how it can look. Some people like that crumpled look, I guess. I still think you should find a different style with a tighter back. I did like buying it at Macys and if the sofa doesn't have a good warranty, then you can buy the extended warranty.