Ikea . Honestly we have no ifo as to his style and really he needs to be the one asking the questions. I would never assume to decorate on of my kids homes . I think he needs to have the basics for his life that starts with a bed, usually a TV and a chair to sit on to watch TV and probably eat dinner. My advice is to go shopping with him to at least get a feel for what he likes not what you like. Well made and cheap are not usually possible. I have had great luck with Ikea furniture for young clients starting out .Get the best sofa he can afford for instance

As you know, you can't have all three! IKEA mixed with vintage/ secondhand is what I would do.

I agree but it takes time to do a space and I find the young buyers are always in a hurry . The best spaces are ones done with thought

At this age, he doesn't need to "invest" in furniture. IKEA & second-hand fits the bill for most young professionals.

If he lives in a city that has a Living Spaces store, that could be a good option also.

My son doesn't know what he likes. He doesn't think about decor. For example, he didn't think he needed any art, so when we moved him in, with some very nice hand-me-down furniture we didn't do art. After a few months, he complained about the bareness and lack of color and wanted art. I sent him a post of all the spare pictures I could offer, which given the fact that we'd gotten the collections of downsizing relatives and there was a prolific artist or two in the family, was quite a large and varied selection. He did not express any preference, told me to bring my choice. So, when we came for Thanksgiving, I brought him art. The apartment looks much more finished now, which he is happy about.

IKEA isn't bad. Some of their stuff is disposable but it's clearly so (at least to a parent with experience) and can be avoided. Check any dressers to be sure they have good slides--some are bad.

If he wants to spend more, places like Room & Board have nice things that are modernish. That's good for smaller apartments--upholstered pieces especially are less bulky when they are MCM inspired and just fit better.

(Ask me about the assorted INGO tables I bought 28 years ago as office furniture...not disposable. At all... )

IKEA is a good choice and if transportation or set up is an issue, they offer both (at a fee). It also makes purchasing bedding, towels, lighting, kitchenware, etc easy one stop shopping.

It is very difficult to offer advice without more information. I come from a large family and some of the kids have moved far from home and stayed and some have moved far from home and moved back to a few hours from home. None have moved from city to city to city, but I have friends who have lived in 5 or 6 different states over the years.

I also don't know what you mean by "far" from home. The kids in my family have moved anywhere from 30 minutes drive to the opposite coast. It is easier if they are within a day's drive than if they are 3000 miles away.

The more likely he is to stay in the location where he moved the more you may want to invest. If he is likely to stay, but also quite likely to meet someone and let them take over home decorating you still don't want to invest in things they may or may not want to keep.

Get him what he needs without spending a lot. If he stays he can replace with nicer things as he settles into his own style. My sisters and I have set up a bunch of the kids in their first apartments with new pieces from Big Lots, Home Goods, Ikea and used pieces from thrift stores, Facebook market place, Craigslist, Nextdoor . . .

I think expecting to be able to find high quality furniture at an inexpensive price is probably not realistic. High quality furniture takes time and good materials to craft and you just can't buy it new without paying for what it's worth.

Your best bet is going to be looking for used furniture, classifieds or facebook or whatever is used locally. It's time consuming, but you can sometimes find good quality products without paying what you would to buy them new. If your son doesn't know or care anything about decorating, it may be difficult to expect him to put in this work. It also takes knowledge of good brands and construction, which your son likely doesn't have either.

If your son wants some basic furniture items without spending a fortune and would prefer that they not collapse immediately, I would second Ikea as a good option for buying new. The quality isn't top notch, but it's better than a lot of the garbage at that price range.

IKEA is a safe option and stylish. The quality is good for someone who is starting out or young and on their first home. They are affordable and offer good options if he will need help with installing or does not have a vehicle large enough to haul multiple pieces of furniture. It is helpful to be able to visit a location if one is near you and bring him along. They have good vignettes set up and show unique ways to furnish a space with limited storage and space such as an apartment. IKEA will not be a lifelong product and will need to be replaced after some time, but quality is often more consistent and predictable, whereas places like Pottery Barn, Wayfair, and Crate & Barrel can have some really nice pieces or some really cheap and not well made pieces.

Secondhand is always a good option or used furniture if he does not have a problem with taking pieces that have been previously used. Some people can be weird about purchasing used furniture.

Unfortunately it is probably unrealistic to expect high quality furniture at a low cost, which I am sure you understand, but your son may not. He will most likely want to invest more in furniture as he gets older and there is a potential to upsize or he has a life change, such as a marriage or having a child. People will often need to reassess needs and wants as they go through different life phases.

Good luck in your furniture hunt and congratulations to your son!

Best to make sure this first job works out before he spends a lot of money on furniture, and resist the urge to finance it. Congratulations on launching your son, time to cut the apron strings. Having unstylish crap furniture is not a bad idea for most young men.

He is renting by the sounds oof it so honestly IMO do not spend a lot of money on stauff you might need to move . Our kids all started with either hand me downs or Ikea

You might check out West Elm which is specifically for your son's demographic in terms of price point and style. It is a step up from IKEA in terms of design.

You should set a budget and then allocate. Based on my own experience, investing in a really comfortable sofa and/or comfortable lounge chair is wise. You can get less expensive or used furniture to fill in but comfortable seating is critical.

When I started in my first apartment I had a really comfortable sofa that was good quality and an Eames chair which my parents gave to me from their home. The rest was filled in - some used furniture - coffee table and end table I found deeply discounted.

The sofa came with me to my next place so it's not as if you need to buy disposable furniture.

"Far from us" is what locale?

He's fresh from college? Graduate school?

"Quality and inexpensive" is generally oxymoron.

You need the scaled floor plan with all dimensions from his apartment.

If you are going to help him do not go further than the what goes where, the nuts and bolts of couch, chair, tv, console, rug, bed, side tables, storage, etc.

Quality for price? Room and Board. Ikea. A sofa? Much more difficult - I'd take Arhaus over most of the online JUNK.

Plot it out.........and then BACK out. He's a big boy. No decorating mistake will be tragic, and when he gets less than satisfied with his surroundings? He will fix them. Or some charming young lady will step in and help.

Hard as it is? I'm generally for the cord cut : )

As long as he has a comfy bed, and gets good sleep and eats? He's gonna live.lol

Have him check local for used items. Facebook marketplace, "New Uses" stores, etc. I got my Italian leather sofas off Craigslist in 2013 fur less than half the price... they still look pretty good, considering I've got cats whose nails I don't trim diligently. (Like, I'm not embarrassed to be middle aged and have friends over, but there are some scratches on the side.)

I also wouldn't invest a lot for someone who either doesn't know or doesn't care to figure out "what he likes". Because, in a few years he may decide that he not just doesn't like what he has, but that he really dislikes it - or it just isn't "him".

Pick up used or Ikea basics plus a good mattress, and leave it with that.

My niece likes this brand. https://burrow.com/

I live in Amish country and sometimes my sisters and I run into used furniture that is handmade, beautiful furniture that someone just doesn't want any more, so we have all collected various pieces knowing that one kid or another will need it as they progress through early independent living stages.

6 years ago my niece graduated and moved into her first real rental (not college dorm/shared rental). My sister offered her a beautiful, handmade, solid wood dining table. Daughter's response "no - that isn't at all my style!".

My niece is now buying a town home (closes in a week and a half!)

Yesterday she asked her mom "do you still have that beautiful wood dining table in the basement?"

I would scour FB marketplace for used wood furniture. I bought a beautiful Hooker desk with leather inlay from a gentleman who was selling out his mother’s estate. It looked brand new but he was selling for less than 1/3 the price of new. He was happy someone was thrilled about his mother’s desk.
In my area, there also also lots of stores that sell used pieces, some that have been painted to have a fresh look. Often because the style of the finish was not trendy, but I see pieces with dovetailed drawers and other hallmarks of well made pieces.
I am more hesitant to buy used upholstered pieces, but sometimes you find a good deal.

FB Marketplace. Found my sofa there for $60.