Sticker shock...[Furniture Prices]

[rayinpenn]

The sofa and love seat have been with us for somewhere around 20 years. Whatever support that sofa had is long gone. Sitting down on It is kinda like stepping into quick sand. I rarely sit on them but when I was convalescing with the knee, looking for anywhere to get comfortable, I noticed just how far gone they were. Yesterday I gathered up the Mrs and we went and bought a sofa and love seat: $1,875 including delivery and removal. Roughly double what we paid almost 20 years ago. Ouch. And no they are not leather.

This old man can't help but think $2,000 is what I paid for a year at State University. It is 4 times as much as I paid for my first car: a VW bug. I'm still in shock but the fact that the Mrs didn't say boo when I said we were going out shopping tells me that the purchase was overdue. Still, yikes.

 

[ivinsfan]

The sofa and love seat have been with us for somewhere around 20 years. Whatever support that sofa had is long gone. Sitting down on It is kinda like stepping into quick sand. I rarely sit on them but when I was convalescing with the knee, looking for anywhere to get comfortable, I noticed just how far gone they were. Yesterday I gathered up the Mrs and we went and bought a sofa and love seat: $1,875 including delivery and removal. Roughly double what we paid almost 20 years ago. Ouch. And no they are not leather.

This old man can't help but think $2,000 is what I paid for a year at State University. It is 4 times as much as I paid for my first car: a VW bug. I'm still in shock but the fact that the Mrs didn't say boo when I said we were going out shopping tells me that the purchase was overdue. Still, yikes.

Well tell me something that hasn't "roughly doubled" in the last 20 years, computer and TV's come to mind but that's about all.

 

[pacergal]

Doesn't sound too bad. We just replaced two recliners, $500 total, at 50% off!
I enjoy looking at new furniture, until I see the prices

 

[Amethyst]

We were quoted $3200 to recover/restore two beautiful upholstered club chairs from the 70's. The furniture store rep said that to buy equivalent chairs "if you can even find them" would cost $3500-$4000 per chair. We're going to go ahead and spend the coin. We love those chairs.

The sofa and love seat have been with us for somewhere around 20 years. Whatever support that sofa had is long gone. Sitting down on It is kinda like stepping into quick sand. I rarely sit on them but when I was convalescing with the knee, looking for anywhere to get comfortable, I noticed just how far gone they were. Yesterday I gathered up the Mrs and we went and bought a sofa and love seat: $1,875 including delivery and removal. Roughly double what we paid almost 20 years ago. Ouch. And no they are not leather.

This old man can't help but think $2,000 is what I paid for a year at State University. It is 4 times as much as I paid for my first car: a VW bug. I'm still in shock but the fact that the Mrs didn't say boo when I said we were going out shopping tells me that the purchase was overdue. Still, yikes.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

We were quoted $3200 to recover/restore two beautiful upholstered club chairs from the 70's. The furniture store rep said that to buy equivalent chairs "if you can even find them" would cost $3500-$4000 per chair. We're going to go ahead and spend the coin. We love those chairs.

+1
My old old friend, does restoration on old furniture. He gets his business by working with 3 or 4 interior designers. He said most of the old handcrafted stuff is so far above the quality you get now.

 

[rayinpenn]

I've spent a couple hours in our living room sitting on our new sofa; I think the reason I've spent so little time in this room is I was uncomfortable. The firmness of the new sofa and love seat have changed that...

Long overdue I should have forced the issue sooner...

 

[W2R]

I think you are doing fine, Rayinpenn. A nice, sturdy sofa and matching loveseat will add to your life for years to come.

Some of that increase is inflation. According to inflation calculators based on general, overall inflation, $1,875 today equals $1,229 back in 1997.

 

[Bamaman]

I've spent a couple hours in our living room sitting on our new sofa; I think the reason I've spent so little time in this room is I was uncomfortable. The firmness of the new sofa and love seat have changed that...

Long overdue I should have forced the issue sooner...

There are two reasons I have never spent any time in my living room since moving last year. First, because my wife doesn't allow me to sit on the furniture since she had everything recovered. And she bought a huge Turkish handmade rug when we were in Turkey last year, and I'm not allowed to walk on it.

My old Hickory Chair sofa now has its third upholstery and looks better than new. Buy quality initially and you're often buying a long term value.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

There are two reasons I have never spent any time in my living room since moving last year. First, because my wife doesn't allow me to sit on the furniture since she had everything recovered. And she bought a huge Turkish handmade rug when we were in Turkey last year, and I'm not allowed to walk on it.

My old Hickory Chair sofa now has its third upholstery and looks better than new. Buy quality initially and you're often buying a long term value.

. Im not allowed either. A few months ago when I was having chest pains she made me sit in the living room. Thats how I knew I was in bad shape.

 

[Music Lover]

My old Hickory Chair sofa now has its third upholstery and looks better than new. Buy quality initially and you're often buying a long term value.

I guess you can look at it two different ways...buy a chair and then pay to have it upholstered 3 times, or buy 4 chairs over the same time frame for about the same cost...

 

[Meadbh]

We were quoted $3200 to recover/restore two beautiful upholstered club chairs from the 70's. The furniture store rep said that to buy equivalent chairs "if you can even find them" would cost $3500-$4000 per chair. We're going to go ahead and spend the coin. We love those chairs.

In the 1960s, my parents bought a 1930s era oak boardroom table and eight matching chairs at an auction. The table cost £10 and the chairs cost £1 each. The chairs had ornate carvings of oak leaves, just in case we weren't sure they were oak. They looked a bit tired, but after my Dad had finished polishing and reupholstering them, they became an elegant dining set for the next 40 years or so. I was sorry to see them back at the auction house after my parents had passed away, but living on another continent made continued ownership impractical. They fetched only a few hundred € at auction. Dining sets are hard to sell.

 

[ABQ2015]

There are two reasons I have never spent any time in my living room since moving last year. First, because my wife doesn't allow me to sit on the furniture since she had everything recovered. And she bought a huge Turkish handmade rug when we were in Turkey last year, and I'm not allowed to walk on it.

My old Hickory Chair sofa now has its third upholstery and looks better than new. Buy quality initially and you're often buying a long term value.

My bed and end tables are Hickory Chair. I bought the pieces 20 years ago for about $2K which was a deep discount as that style was being discontinued. Still love them.

 

[aja8888]

My old Hickory Chair sofa now has its third upholstery and looks better than new. Buy quality initially and you're often buying a long term value.

We are 25 years into our Hickory Chair sofa and I still have a bolt of the original covering material stored in the attic tightly wrapped in plastic. If it's any good, I may use it to recover the sofa and cushions in a couple of years. We did recover it about 10 years ago with another fabric pattern and it is getting long in the tooth.

We have several end tables and chairs that we bought about the same time and they are still in great shape. The couch gets used the most.

 

[brucethebroker]

Check Craigslist for quality used furniture, at great prices. The nicer the furniture, (usually) the better it has been maintained. Many high earners continue to be bored with their 5-10 year old furniture and want to replace it with brand new. Or they buy a new house, or divorce, or die. We have found many deals, including a solid cherry Ethan Allen DR set with 6 chairs for $500. Classic design, could be 10 years old, or 40.

Furnished a vacation home a couple of years ago off Craigslist for 1/3 of what it cost to buy retail furniture for our previous condo. With the latest, we had the time to drive around and look at deals. The last time, not so much.

 

[Koolau]

We have rarely purchased new furniture and when we have, we're been disappointed in the quality - no matter the price.

Of late, we have purchased from the hotel furniture place in town. If after surviving use at the Hilton or Princess Kaiulani for 15 years, it must be good stuff - or else it looks bad and we don't buy.

In our building, we watch the board and find nice furniture for $100 or free. Now, we have too much stuff and are beginning to use the board ourselves. In areas like ours, furniture is very expensive new and very inexpensive used. Just the nature of the area (high turnover and geographically isolated.) YMMV

 

[euro]

Well tell me something that hasn't "roughly doubled" in the last 20 years, computer and TV's come to mind but that's about all.

Exactly! Doubled price sounds about right. That said, I too tend to get sticker shock when buying furniture, for some reason....

 

[euro]

I've spent a couple hours in our living room sitting on our new sofa; I think the reason I've spent so little time in this room is I was uncomfortable. The firmness of the new sofa and love seat have changed that...

Long overdue I should have forced the issue sooner...

Sounds like it was well worth the coin then. Good for you!

 

[Dawg52]

I just splurged and bought a nice leather recliner for $900 + tax. Most full leather ones around town are $1100-1300. This exact one online has a $1300 price tag. Not cheap, but think I did ok. Ready for football season!

 

[Nodak]

I learned a couple of months ago that you must shop around for furniture. I was looking for a new leather recliner and went to a store in a town about 30 miles away. Everything in that store was $2000 or more. Went to a different store in a different town and they were selling the same brand and model for $900 so purchased the chair there.

 

[W2R]

I just splurged and bought a nice leather recliner for $900 + tax. Most full leather ones around town are $1100-1300. This exact one online has a $1300 price tag. Not cheap, but think I did ok. Ready for football season!

Excellent decision! I think that just the right recliner or easy chair is such an intimate and personal choice and something I value a lot.

I bought a $2K Italian leather easy chair and ottoman just five days before my dream home went on the market, unexpectedly. The chair probably cost more than all the rest of the furniture in my home. Terrible timing, financially, but this chair is so sturdy and so comfortable... I just love it. I think it was a wonderful decision. I am sitting in it now.

In fact, I decided that if I ever move again (which is not likely), I will take a couple of suitcases with me plus this armchair and that's all, and then buy the rest later as needed. It would all fit in the back of my Venza.

 

[Amethyst]

I "get" not letting somebody walk, or sit, on nice things in their dirty outdoor clothes/shoes (I enforce those rules myself), but surely you don't wear those in the house? It is your house, after all. Are other people allowed to walk and sit on the things? Is the dog allowed? Are you just... oily and smelly or something?

There are two reasons I have never spent any time in my living room since moving last year. First, because my wife doesn't allow me to sit on the furniture since she had everything recovered. And she bought a huge Turkish handmade rug when we were in Turkey last year, and I'm not allowed to walk on it.

.

 

[nativenewenglander]

I "get" not letting somebody walk, or sit, on nice things in their dirty outdoor clothes/shoes (I enforce those rules myself), but surely you don't wear those in the house? It is your house, after all. Are other people allowed to walk and sit on the things? Is the dog allowed? Are you just... oily and smelly or something?

My wife and I enjoy our furniture and they're all nice pieces. We just had the stuffed furniture recovered recently after 30 years with new pillows. They are better than new frankly. Most of the rest of our furniture ranges from the early 18th century through the mid 19th century. We use it as intended, as we're not running a museum here. I saw a nice 1840 bureau on CL for $95 which would have cost $600 15 years ago. Antiques are super cheap now, if only I needed some. Mention to your wife, what the sense is having the furniture and rugs if you can't enjoy them.............

 

[ncbill]

Check Craigslist for quality used furniture, at great prices. The nicer the furniture, (usually) the better it has been maintained. Many high earners continue to be bored with their 5-10 year old furniture and want to replace it with brand new. Or they buy a new house, or divorce, or die. We have found many deals, including a solid cherry Ethan Allen DR set with 6 chairs for $500. Classic design, could be 10 years old, or 40.

Check local thrift stores as well.

My in-laws picked up a beautiful cherry buffet from the local Habitat Re-Store for a song.

 

[Amethyst]

The operative word, unfortunately for us (since it's been years since we owned a pickup), is "picked up." None of the thrifts in our area will deliver.

Check local thrift stores as well.

My in-laws picked up a beautiful cherry buffet from the local Habitat Re-Store for a song.

 

[Amethyst]

Your furniture sounds gorgeous!

My wife and I enjoy our furniture and they're all nice pieces. We just had the stuffed furniture recovered recently after 30 years with new pillows. They are better than new frankly. Most of the rest of our furniture ranges from the early 18th century through the mid 19th century. .