STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Drew · Gucci

Am I Spending Too Much $$$ on Bedroom Furniture???

cahabo · Kate Spade

If you plan on keeping the furniture for life (and pass down the nursery furniture) then it is not too much. The furniture is beautiful and timeless!

greendiamond · Marc Jacobs

That does seem like a lot of money to spend; that averages out to more than $1000 per item.

But real hardwood furniture is expensive.

And, I especially love the changing table/dresser.

Do you know who makes each set? When my parents picked out their cherry bedroom suite they were about to order it through the manufacturer in the Carolinas and saved a considerable amount. Just a thought.

-gd

Kelly · Hermes

honestly, that seems like a lot to me. Everyone has a different financial situation, but I don't think I could ever swallow that much for furniture, even if I was Paris Hilton. Then again, I'm pretty cheap :)

I do absolutely love the crib, but that's a lot for what is still just a crib. I wonder if you would regret spending so much after you grow out of the hormonal "nesting" stage? And while I do like the bedroom furniture, I'm not sure it looks "special" enough to me to spend that kind of money.

Is there any way to get a local carpenter to make a knockoff for cheaper? I honestly have no idea how much that would even cost, but it could be worth finding out.

NCshopper · Hermes

ttara123 wrote:
honestly, that seems like a lot to me. Everyone has a different financial situation, but I don't think I could ever swallow that much for furniture, even if I was Paris Hilton.

Ditto. $17k is a LOT of money to spend on furniture. I don't know what your financial situation is like, but I know I wouldn't sleep well if I spent $17k on furniture. If you have the money and everything else you need is taken care of, then I suppose go for it. I just know I wouldn't be comfortable spending that kind of money.

-- Edited by NCshopper at 18:42, 2007-08-27

jj · Kate Spade

Are you able to see the quality of the pieces IRL? I am asking because I am always disappointed in PB and RH's furniture quality and that most of their wood pieces are veneer instead of solid wood.

I would just compare the pieces you like with Thomasville or Baker. The price would probably be the same but better overall quality.

AllieGurl · Marc Jacobs

Sorry, I think thats insane. Unless you have endless amounts of $, and that doesnt in any way inpact you financially I would look for cheaper alternatives.

I would say, buy the 3 main pieces that you are in love with and must have. Then look for cheap versions of all the other items.

Check out local furniture stores for sales, ebay, unfinished furntire stores (btw, you can bring pics of what you want to an unfinished furntiure store, and they can usually order an exact copy, stain it the color you want for about 1/2 the amount it cost somewhere else)

just my 2 cents .....

Sibeski · Dooney & Bourke

This is just my opinion...
Spend what you want on your bedroom furniture. Especially if you love it and will keep it forever.

SAVE! on your nursery furniture. Rainbow Bright sticker's, crayon's, scissor's, glue - a 3rd grade attempt at decoupage. Maybe my sister and I were just destructive kid's but our funiture didn't make it out of our childhood unscathed.

FashionPrincess · Hermes

I

that crib and it's the one I originally wanted so I am here to fully enable you to get the nursery furniture

As far as the bedroom goes I'd don't think the amount is too much for those pieces (heck, I have over $5K invest in mine and that was at cost for king bed, bachelors chest, side table), but I don't know about the quality of Restoration Hardwares stuff. I would suggest going with Drexel Heritage, Henredon or one of the other reputable furniture manufactors.

needsfashionadvice · Kate Spade

Like everyone else, I do think that's a lot of money to spend on furniture and I personally am not in a financial situation to do that. If you are, then by all mean, gets the furniture that you love!

FYI, I have seen cribs that look exactly like that for $400 at Babies R Us if you have one of those around. I'd get that changing table thing for sure though, that's just so beautiful. I'm sure you can find a rocking chair and ottoman very similar to that for cheaper.

The only thing I'd be concerned about with the master bedroom furniture is the wicker part. That does start to look old and can get holes in it with age so if you're planning on keeping the furniture for a long long time, you'd have to be extra careful.

littlebean · Kate Spade

You can still find lovely stuff (especially for the nursery) and save at least half that amount of money. I really don't think it's worth it. I like AllieGurl's idea to pick your three must-haves and then find cheaper alternatives for the rest. I'm sorry not to be an enabler on this one.

Kenneth Cole

I also think it is a lot of money for furniture. I don't know where is that nursery from but if it's from Pottery Barn kids, I would investigate if it is real hardwood, because what I was told that their nurseries are made of compressed wood, not real wood. I it is a lot of money $4500.00 for something that is not real wood.
(I just had a baby 8 months ago, and i did some research on cribs)

HeatherLynn · Gucci

I think thats a little high for furniture. Unfortunately, for a nursery it's not something you can use for a lifetime and you will have a hard time recouping those costs. I think its slightly more reasonable for the master bedroom, but to justify it you would need to keep it for the rest of your life (at least to me). I would keep looking.

Cricket · Gucci

That's too much for me to spend, but then I'm not you. I've seen some of PBs cribs/ children's furniture in the stores that were about to fall apart. Granted, they've had a lot of people pawing over them, but they shouldn't have been so rickety. Quality is the most important thing to think of when buying baby furniture that you want to last. They have some beautiful stuff, though, and I too seriously considered a nursery set from them.

Just an FYI... Here's the set I have. I bought it almost seven years ago and while I've passed down the crib (even though it converts to a full bed), I still have the rest and it's in amazing condition. It is high quality, solid wood furniture. The brand is Generation Next. I bought it out here in Scottsdale, but they sell it nationwide.

http://www.babysdream.com/Products/GenerationNext/Displays/D10.htm

The master bedroom furniture is pretty, but personally, I wouldn't spend that much. I can just envision my 4 year old ripping into the wicker with a tinker toy or something. But I do love the style and the color!

-- Edited by Cricket at 21:59, 2007-08-27

Lilykind · Hermes

I feel that if you're going to spend $17k, get a craftsman to do some custom furniture for you exactly to your specifications. I think that's too much for furniture from 'mall stores' (and I think a lot of PB stuff is ridiculously overpriced). It's like you're paying for the brand name more than anything, KWIM?

I do *really* like that changing table though, but again, save the pics and bring it to a custom carpenter/furniture maker.

Also, have you tried looking in NYC? I think you might be able to find something of higher quality at ABC Home & Carpet for a similar price. I plan on getting my furniture for my new place from furniture stores/discounters in downtown LA and other lesser-known places.

ETA: I looked on the PBKids website and I can't believe that the changing table is over 1k and it's made of MDF! That's horrible! cry

-- Edited by Lilykind at 04:36, 2007-08-28

ayo · Coach

Hmm it is a little pricey I think.

I spent about 1k on Jo's crib..but I only spent about $600 on the dresser/changing table and another $600 on the rocker ottoman combo.
So maybe you can do something similar? Find a piece in that selection that you really love and get that but try to find cheaper alternatives for the rest of the stuff.
Personally I don't think it makes sense to pay that much money for furniture at Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware. The markup from those stores are RIDICULOUS. You are essentially paying for the name not the quality of the furniture.

Have you looked into Pali or Bellini furniture? That are pretty good alternatives for quality childrens furniture (if you choose not to get the furniture you posted).

By the way that rocker/ottoman is Dutailer (I'm pretty sure of it) and I'm not sure how much PB is charging for it but if it is most than $400 then it is a rip off and you can do waay better

ayo · Coach

oh and I just realized that Lilykind essentially said exactly what I just said =)

halleybird · Hermes

I wouldn't spend that much. Maybe for the bedroom, but probably not for a nursery. I would probably do AllieGurl's suggestion and pick 3 pieces.

ETA: you can get a lot of great hardwood furniture at garage sales, and it's pretty easy to refinish it. I got a solid wood Ethan Allen desk for $10, for example.

-- Edited by halleybird at 00:39, 2007-08-28

Drew · Gucci

Thanks for all the input so far, ladies. You have given me a lot to think about...

The PB Kids furniture is made of pressed wood (medium density so better than the cheaper brands, but still just pressed wood). THe RH stuff is all solid maple so I feel good about that, but I hadn't really considered that the "wicker" part may not hold up over the years, and it just may not. I want to rationalize the price by saying the PB furniture (except the crib) will take the child right through adolesence, and the master bedroom furniture could be heirloom pieces to hand down and last a lifetime. Now, I'm waffling mostly on the mb furniture because of the "wicker" part, and on the nursery stuff because it's not solid wood and I hate thinking that I can get better quality for less. Still, I do love both of the sets as far as lookd go...

I did consider just buying a few pieces and matching up cheaper pieces elsewhere.

I really need to get out there and do some in-person shopping. I chose those online stores because I am familiar with the quality and own several pieces from each store that I am very happy with. I am wary about shopping online with a retailer that I am not familiar with the quality of their goods... another good reason I really need to shop in person soon.

Cricket, that is beautiful furniture. I'll see if I can find the brand locally to check out some pieces.

Ayo and Lilykind, thanks for the tips on brands and the store.

Thanks to everyone else for your iput too, it is GREATLY appreciated. I'm sure my DH will appreciate it too, as I'm pretty sure I'll seriously tighten up my budget now.

Suasoria · Chanel

I'm of two minds. Like Ttara, I'm pretty cheap on most things *except* when it comes to my beloved home, where I tend to splurge and spoil myself and generally aim high. Good furniture is expensive if you buy it new, and it will last a long time and perform well for you. Beds in particular ARE expensive even when you get a great deal.

Honestly I don't think RH quality or design is justified by their prices - e.g., the nightstand is $995 but should probably be $500 at most based on my past experiences shopping for furniture. I'm also not a big fan of the matchy-matchy look so I wouldn't personally buy all the pieces in the suite.

If it's the rattan you like, here's something similar:
http://www.bedroom-furniture-direct.com/953XX-Bedroom-Series-SJ2488.html

I can't help ya on the baby furniture...I'm sure money is no object where that's concerned!