To make a long story short... we purchased new living room furniture in 2004. The craftsmanship was terrible, thus... it is has not held up well.
It has been a long two years trying to convince my "frugal" husband to agree that we needed new stuff to sit on. Finally, after much debate, he's seen the light and has decided that we indeed need new stuff to sit on.
Last Saturday marked our second excursion to various furniture stores looking for the perfect living room furniture. I can honestly say... what SHOULD be a fun/exciting experience, has turned into a situation where I'm nearly convinced that the stuff we have now is just fine for another year or two.
Why?
Well, furniture is expensive. At least the stuff we like. Second, there is no perfect furniture, unless you go custom made (and even then...). Honestly, I don't want to pay the custom-made premium and then wait 45-60 days for it to arrive. Third, I can't help but "envision" what the furniture will look like once it's been used for 3 years. Squished down cushions, flattened down pillows... stains, rips, tears, etc. Blah.
I guess if we hadn't have the recent experience of needing to replace our microwave that was only 3 years old, I wouldn't be so uptight about it. But, seriously, replacing a microwave after only three years? That's ridiculous. I wasn't aware that microwaves were disposable.
Granted, I don't want to buy furniture with the intent of sitting on it until I die... certainly no... but if that's what we decided to do, then I'd like to know it will stand the test of time.
I had a friend tell me... "Just buy furniture that is cheap and then replace it again in 3-4 years. You'll want a new look by then anyway!" GAH! Really? We (unwittingly) tried that already. In 2004.
Tell me I'm not the only person who wants something to last longer than 3-4 years?!
So, anyway... for now, I'm tired of looking at furniture.
Other than dragging my husband and kids around Austin on Saturday to look for furniture, we had a pretty good weekend enjoying the beautiful (WINDY) weather!
Elisan & Kyla - April 3, 2011
Mine is from 2004 also (Rooms to Go) and it feels like you are sitting on the ground!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet picture of your girls!
ReplyDeleteWe bought our living room set in 2005 and it's actually holding up pretty well. It wasn't, however, very inexpensive.
Our best investment has been our dining room set and bedroom furniture which are solid wood and well-made. We've had those for probably 15 years - bought back in our "double income, no kids" days. ;) I'm ready for some new dining room furniture, but only because my taste has changed, not because the furniture is ruined.
Hope you can find something reasonable that you like!
We'll be in the market for new furniture too after the house sells. Thanks to kitty, she ruined the legs of my beloved purple chairs. Once we tossed those out, she started on the sofa. It's all 10 years old, so it's time for a new look anyways.
ReplyDeleteHowever, 3 years on a microwave?! Yikes! I expect things like that to last longer too.
Good luck and post pics when you find something you love.
couches just don't seem to hold up. as far as the rest of it, spend a little more, get solid stuff that lasts and can go with different styles.
ReplyDeleteand spend money on a good kitchen table where you all eat at.