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Suggestions for furnishing a new condo

post #1 of 19
8/9/08 at 11:33pm
Thread Starter 
I'm in the middle of negotiations for a brand new "luxury" condo with the builder, total space approx. 1350 sq. feet. I anticipate having about $14K in cash to get started with furnishing the dining area, living area, my bedroom and a small den. The dining and living area will have hardwood floors, with den and bedroom with carpet. I'm looking to get good quality furniture, more contemporary/modern but nothing from the likes of Ikea, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, West Elm, etc. I know $14K isn't that much, so I don't need to get everything at once - just the essentials or the big ticket items I should pay for with the chunk of cash I do have. Here's what I was thinking: Den: A customized wall unit (such as through closetsnow.com or closetfactory.com), desk and sleeper sofa. (estimated budget for this room: $3000) Bedroom: King size bed and frame, nightstands, dresser, bench that goes at foot of bed. (estimated budget: $4500) Dining room: Dining room table (preferably bench type seating) and whatever else could go in the dining room (estimated budget: $2000) Living area: Customized wall unit for the media niche, sofa and some additional seating, rug and coffee table ($4500) If I have any money left over, I will use it for plants and some cheap artwork to decorate the walls until I can afford "real" art. I'm looking for any suggestions people have for where I should look for this furniture, what website I can visit do some initial research, or changes to my budget estimates based on people's experience of realistic costs. If it matters, I'm out in Southern Cal. Thanks!
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post #2 of 19
8/10/08 at 1:16am
Ikea. (sorry, I had a little too much to drink tonight).
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post #3 of 19
8/10/08 at 1:42am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hard2Fit View Post
Ikea.


(sorry, I had a little too much to drink tonight).

I know what that's like.
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post #4 of 19
8/10/08 at 2:16am
Since you like modern, I would suggest investing in one good piece of classic modern design such as this

http://www.evincodesign.com/8034-pony.html

The Corbusier Chaise looks cool, it is comfortable and a timeless classic. It will instantly add some style to any guys place. Plus, everybody will want to sit in it.

I would also recommend a good quality lamp. Buy one with a style you like and is classic. I like this one and own several.

http://www.dwr.com/product/categorie...o-desk-lamp.do
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post #5 of 19
8/10/08 at 2:33am
I just bought a bunch of stuff from highbrowfurniture.com and circa50.com. Awful store names, but they both sell (and sometimes stock) all the usual suspects when it comes to modern furniture and seem to offer really good service. The guy at circa50 had four palisander Eames LCWs in stock, and opened them up to find the two that matched best to send to us.

Other good places to look include: themagazine.info, hivemodern.com, retromodern.com, etc. There was a previous thread with a much more comprehensive list. You might want to do a search for it.
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post #6 of 19
8/10/08 at 3:21am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mafoofan View Post
I just bought a bunch of stuff from highbrowfurniture.com and circa50.com. Awful store names, but they both sell (and sometimes stock) all the usual suspects when it comes to modern furniture and seem to offer really good service. The guy at circa50 had four palisander Eames LCWs in stock, and opened them up to find the two that matched best to send to us.

Other good places to look include: themagazine.info, hivemodern.com, retromodern.com, etc. There was a previous thread with a much more comprehensive list. You might want to do a search for it.

Thanks, but I think this is a bit *too* modern for me.

Generally, how's the quality of the furniture at department stores like bloomingdales or macys?
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post #7 of 19
8/11/08 at 12:25am
Have you checked out Room and Board?
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post #8 of 19
8/14/08 at 11:20am
bo concept, let me know if you are interesetd, i can work out a deal for you.
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post #9 of 19
8/14/08 at 11:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by poorsod View Post
Have you checked out Room and Board?
+1 - Good quality for your money

I find Bo Concept over-designed and generally poor quality
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post #10 of 19
8/14/08 at 3:01pm
Thread Starter 
But is Room and Board on the lines of a Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, West Elm? Although I like the contemporary look, I also don't want my place looking like the catalog of one of these places. But then again, I don't have the budget for uniquely designed pieces.

What about Ethan Allen, anybody know anything about them?
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post #11 of 19
8/14/08 at 4:33pm
Room & Board is better than the three you mentioned, especially West Elm which is veneer-clad crap. The quality is there - they generally use hard woods and good materials. They are also licensed to carry a number of classic modern pieces (Eames, Corbusier...). I think you would probably notice the difference if you visited a store.

A lot of the stuff they sell is not to my taste though, but some pieces/collections are quite nice. Clearly, I wouldn't recommend furnishing your whole place from one catalog, or even in one style - I find uniform interior decors boring to death, and much prefer to mix periods and styles
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post #12 of 19
8/14/08 at 4:40pm
Thread Starter 
^^Sounds good. Thanks for the advice. There's a Room and Board store near me, I'll go check it out.
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post #13 of 19
8/14/08 at 10:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gdl203 View Post
Clearly, I wouldn't recommend furnishing your whole place from one catalog, or even in one style - I find uniform interior decors boring to death, and much prefer to mix periods and styles

+1 I like that pic of your apartment you posted a few weeks ago. I'm trying to figure out how to do something similar, mixing modern and classic. I like how Thomas O'Brien puts his pieces together because it looks comfortable. But I'm still in the learning stages of how to select pieces to that effect. Any suggestions on where to look to get more learned?
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post #14 of 19
8/15/08 at 8:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by poorsod View Post
Any suggestions on where to look to get more learned?
You can always browse through books to look through interesting interiors (one we bought recently that is not bad is "Brooklyn Modern"), magazines (dwell, wallpaper...) or visit some interesting places with what I would call period-balanced interiors (one that comes to mind immediately is Soho House, if you ever have a friend staying in one of the larger bedrooms/lofts).

But the reality is that you should just buy stuff you really like and not think too much about whether they will go together. Go to flea markets, thrift stores and antique shops. It takes time to accumulate things you really like - I don't recommend spending a lot of money furnishing a place completely at once. This is a bit of a continuous exercise.

IMO the best things happen when you live with someone who has a different taste or sensibility. Rather than compromise (I hate that word when people talk about relationships) or fight, I found that integrating the two tastes often works well. That's the case with my wife - she's very barnyard / Provencal house and I bring some counter-balance by introducing modern chairs or lighting, etc...
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post #15 of 19
8/15/08 at 10:21am
I found www.architonic.com very useful. The product library allows you to browse through what appears to be every classic and contemporary piece of modern furniture currently produced by a notable maker. I know you said that you don't want to go too modern, but it's an excellent resource for ideas and inspiration. After all, places like Room and Board and Crate & Barrel sell a lot of things that are merely re-interpretations of original modern designs.
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