The Pottery Barn system (work table top, lateral file cabinet, 2 3-drawer file cabinets) I need would cost $1500 - there's gotta be a way to either get it cheaper or get better quality for that kinda money! ******* Looking for higher quality/custom built for less money? That's a bit like looking for the Mercedes S-Class at the Toyota Camry price. Its just not going to happen. A recurring theme here on this forum is "More for Less" and I can tell you that 99.99 % of the time thats an impossibility. Here we are looking at a mass-produced (as in thousands of units) combination done by a mass marketer, made in China (where the hourly rate is .50 per hour) made of composite woods and fibers. Realistically the price is beat down as far as you are ever going to get it. This is what the American consumer has been demanding and Pottery Barn has delivered it to you. Custom built for that kind of money? Raw material alone would almost come to $ 1,500 in solid hardwoods that are stain grade, finishing material, hardware for slides, etc. A well-made custom-built unit is going to be closer to $ 5,000, regardless of what part of the country you are in. Duane Collie The Keeping Room

I bought the cute PB Reindeer mugs last year for Christmas. We ended up not using them until this year. They were tucked away in my kitchen cabinet in their box until we brought them out this Christmas. I rinsed them out and used Two, one for hot chocolate and one for tea. The person with the tea suddenly had the hot liquid coming out at the base. At first she thought she had spilled it and grabbed a cloth. While this was happening the other person was pouring the hot water into the Chocolate mix in his cup, there was a cracking popping sound and the hot chocolatey liquid spewed out from a very large crack running vertically down the side. In the meantime the hot tea cup was continuously seeping from around the base of the cup but we couldn't see a crack anywhere. After cleaning up the mess and making sure no one suffered any burns, we cleaned out the cups and checked them out. One had an obvious crack that had occurred, while the other one used for tea had no discernibly visible crack. BUT we discovered that when you ran a wet finger around the bottom of the sides of the inside base of the cup , you could feel a hairline crack running almost completely around the inside base circumference. These cups come in a package of 4 and are expensive considering 2 out of 4 cracked when used for hot drinks. We are afraid to use the other two cups for fear of getting burnt. l wanted to read reviews of these cups but cant find ANY reviews on any of their products. This leads me to thinking they purposely don't have anywhere to post them. From a CS perspective this is a very poor optic, doesn't inspire brand loyalty or any desire to continue to purchase their products. Trust and belief in the brand providing quality products is seriously compromised. I also purchased a woven duvet cover that I have to needle in a couple of loose ends that were left sticking out the ”GoodSide” of the cover. Shoddy finishing work with a no care attitude.

I too love Pottery Barn products and so far I have been pleased with the quality. While my style tends towards the modern or vintage (not as much farmhouse or rustic) styles that PB offers, I find that similar designs are very difficult to find elsewhere with similar quality and attention to detail. I suspect that PB's high prices are largely a factor of design. I find myself drawn to many of the simple lines and also unique detailing on PB's products. When I look at replica products from other stores (Target, Pier 1, etc) I am typically very displeased with the quality. No, the quality is not that of furniture made 100 years ago. The items are not always solid wood. But the materials do seem to be of high quality: high quality MDF and veneers, high quality solid wood. The construction seems to be relatively high quality (dovetail drawer joinery, etc) and unlike products I have purchased for less elsewhere (Target, Pier1, etc) they do not just fall apart from normal use. While I love antiques and vintage pieces, I can rarely find them in my region. Most used furniture in my region is of even lower quality than PB furniture. And nearly everything I find is simply not my style (usually very 80s or overly ornate). However, depending on your region, you may find something you like on Craiglist or in used or antique furniture stores. I also like shopping Crate & Barrel, Restoration Hardware, and Anthropologie, but prices are similar to (or worse than) Pottery Barn.

Cawaps, those chairs are great. Love the "ears" on the back. Your combination of dark ceiling, mid-tone walls, light rug is unusual and I like it. I appreciate your thoughtful comments. This has been fun. I loved seeing each design. I think Crl's is my personal favorite. I could really visualize the room, with the pale blue lincrusta paper, beautiful chandelier, and the great rug that tied it all together and made it a bit more modern. Thank you all for participating! I think maybe we'll get more participation when it's not a holiday weekend. Any ideas for next week? Anyone want to put it together? I'll go back and look at the suggestions and post them.