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Right on. Also, things mean more to you - they become heirlooms - if they are lovingly collected over time - if fun memories are associated with them.
Completely agree Lots of memories with the pieces we have collected. Many of them have been vintage pieces that have been reupholstered or restored and others were "custom" pieces from local furniture people. They all have a story
That is MUCH better than buying stuff you "like" but is cheap just to furnish your house quickly.
Well, if you really like it, its quality is a moot point.
Also, the cheap stuff can have its place; it allows you to have a functioning home while you search for better furniture you like, and allows you to save money to afford it.
After inexpensive furniture has served its usefulness and can be replaced, it goes into the basement rec room, the screened-in porch, or even the back patio. The $100 foam flip couch I bought right out of college and used in the living room for five years is now in the den and provides emergency guest bedding. The end tables my husband bought at IKEA sometime in the 90s are now painted, sealed, and on the front porch. My old kitchen table, purchased new for $50 at Goodwill, is in the basement serving as a laundry folding table and project table.
Well, if you really like it, its quality is a moot point.
Also, the cheap stuff can have its place; it allows you to have a functioning home while you search for better furniture you like, and allows you to save money to afford it.
After inexpensive furniture has served its usefulness and can be replaced, it goes into the basement rec room, the screened-in porch, or even the back patio. The $100 foam flip couch I bought right out of college and used in the living room for five years is now in the den and provides emergency guest bedding. The end tables my husband bought at IKEA sometime in the 90s are now painted, sealed, and on the front porch. My old kitchen table, purchased new for $50 at Goodwill, is in the basement serving as a laundry folding table and project table.
Quality depends on what we are talking about. I've seen some sofas that LOOK really cool for say $700 but the quality (of construction) is not that great and I just could not bring myself to buy a sofa that wasn't of top-notch quality. Now if we're talking about something small (a vase or statuette, or side chair or something) then sure I'm ok with buying something that isn't going to get much wear-and-tear. Liking it is enough for me. But if we are talking major furniture, quality plays a role because you may not be able to hold onto it forever as it will degrade. So it is more about JUST liking how it looks for me. When it comes to main sofas, chairs, credenzas, etc. I want to buy something I like that can also be around a lifetime if I want it to be. That's just our philosophy though. I know some people are a little different.
Also, don't get me wrong, we also buy certain things from IKEA where it makes sense. We have two awesome bar stools from there and we get tons of picture frames from them. We also have LOTS of items from goodwill or similar stores in our house. However, they are high-quality furniture pieces or vintage flatware that someone else was getting rid of for whatever reason. No shame in getting a good deal as some high quality stuff can be found at those thrift stores!
Last edited by Sunbather; 01-27-2014 at 08:42 AM..
I think, too, how much you want to spend on furniture depends on what stage you're at in life. When I bought the $100 flip couch, I was just out of college, had very little money, and needed a place to sit and a place for my college roommates to flop when they came to visit.
I also knew that I wasn't going to be living on a shoestring forever, and that I wasn't going to be living in that apartment forever. I figured I'd be moving around a lot, and didn't want to buy furniture I couldn't move myself. I replaced the flip couch with a "real" couch when I bought my house -- and was making enough money to be able to afford to hire help if I moved again!
Of course, the OP is in none of those situations, but advice to always buy "quality" furniture isn't always absolute.
Although ... who knew that flip couch would last 30 years? When I bought it, I figured it would go to out to the curb within 10 years for some poor college kid to pick up. LOL
I think, too, how much you want to spend on furniture depends on what stage you're at in life. When I bought the $100 flip couch, I was just out of college, had very little money, and needed a place to sit and a place for my college roommates to flop when they came to visit.
I also knew that I wasn't going to be living on a shoestring forever, and that I wasn't going to be living in that apartment forever. I figured I'd be moving around a lot, and didn't want to buy furniture I couldn't move myself. I replaced the flip couch with a "real" couch when I bought my house -- and was making enough money to be able to afford to hire help if I moved again!
Of course, the OP is in none of those situations, but advice to always buy "quality" furniture isn't always absolute.
Although ... who knew that flip couch would last 30 years? When I bought it, I figured it would go to out to the curb within 10 years for some poor college kid to pick up. LOL
Right on. Also, things mean more to you - they become heirlooms - if they are lovingly collected over time - if fun memories are associated with them. . . .
One of my favorite Christmas ornaments is from my very first Christmas as an adult. . . . But I hope I have this one till the day I die.
I think what we end up with after years of marriage and/or adulthood is often what did not get broken or lost along the way. The things that survive become that much more meaningful to us when they are the only surviving pieces of a set of something, or the only thing you have from your first house.
Actually, I have cycled through a lot of stuff, and have very little from the first decade of our marriage. It means something when I remember that the bud vase or candy dish was a wedding gift, or that the pottery piece was bought on a shopping trip with my mom very early on. But the things you keep, or that survive are often the things you like the most.
I think you should buy things that you love, buy the best quality you can afford, and try to make yourself a comfortable and functional home that is aesthetically pleasing. This is a personal journey.
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Lots of memories with the pieces we have collected. Many of them have been vintage pieces that have been reupholstered or restored and others were "custom" pieces from local furniture people. They all have a story 
