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Suggestions for furnishing a new condo - Page 2

post #16 of 19
8/17/08 at 5:05am
Thread Starter 
Went to Room and Board today, and I was quite impressed. They have a significant selection of furniture, covering a broad range of styles and tastes. I can actually buy most of the furniture I'm looking for there, and I realized that it is the upper limit of my budget. I appreciate that the furniture is well made and inspired by classic design pieces (in some/many instances). I am a couch potato, so although I apreciate the modern design aesthetic to an extent, I am set on getting a supercomfy, microsuede, low profile couch with a chaise lounge at the end (a Knoll sofa, for example, or anything similar is absolutely out of the question style-wise, not to mention out of the budget). From there, I will will select more modern pieces to go around the sofa. I will look around at other options like Bo Concept for other "modern-inspired" or contemporary options to avoid the catalog look, although I really wouldn't mind if most of my furniture did come from R&B considering the vast offerings makes it easy to mix (and possibly match) things up.
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post #17 of 19
8/21/08 at 5:46pm
Not exactly furniture but don't discount Ikea's customisable armoire systems and walk-in closets.
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post #18 of 19
8/22/08 at 3:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by teddieriley View Post
I will look around at other options like Bo Concept for other "modern-inspired" or contemporary options to avoid the catalog look, although I really wouldn't mind if most of my furniture did come from R&B considering the vast offerings makes it easy to mix (and possibly match) things up.

I agree with GDL on Bo Concept. It's like West Elm level. I don't find the stuff particularly nice to look at, and it is not durable at all.

I think Room & Board has nice stuff, but it seems on the high end in terms of price for the quality. Check out Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams for a similar style. Most of their furniture is made in the U.S. and is reasonably priced. Probably a little cheaper than R&B. http://www.mgbwhome.com/sl_ca.asp

I would talk to a carpenter--and maybe even an architect--for the wall units. We found that the larger freestanding units really didn't offer much value. If you're buying the place, it's not like you're going to need to move them in a year or two. Our built in probably cost more than the comparable from R&B, but we are in NYC. I think it adds value to the apartment and fits much better than any customizable option. It's like bespoke versus rtw.

I think the two general keys for your type of position is to take time and to mix things up. Buy some antiques or vintage furniture rather than just all new stuff. Put things on the walls. Get stuff from unusual places. We wanted a stainless steel table, but at $1200+ were more than we wanted to spend. So I called a kitchen supply place and had them cut down the legs on an Advance Tabco stainless kitchen counter. It's sort of unique, more industrial, and only cost around $250.
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post #19 of 19
8/28/08 at 5:41pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the Mitchell and Gold link. I'll be sure to check them out.

I was underwhelmed by Bo Concept, and it is quite ikea-ish.

With respect to R&B, I think for the styling and the fact that they use real wood and solid construction, the furniture is competitively priced. To be honest, I think DWR is way overpriced for what you get - plastic and veneer furniture - regardless of whether it is mid-century design. For what I'm looking for, I'm not willing to pay a premium for the design aspect. R&B is a good sweet spot.

For my media niche, I was planning on getting it customized from one of those shops that specialize in organizational closet/wall units rather than trying to assemble pre-fab "boxes" to create the media center.
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