Furniture stores recommendation

[bigbadboss101]

I am in the process of selling and moving into a new place. Been living with roommates in my house for a while hence I kept my old, beat up furniture during that time. Now I am roommate-less and moving into a nicer home.
With that said, I need pretty much everything beside my queen bed.
I have been to a few stores and a few others that I like to check out.
Some stores that people recommended to me include: Kiya, Lazy Boy, Ashleys, Modern Country, Cricklewood, Urban Barn, Crate and Barrel. Couple people said Leons and Ikea. No one suggested The Brick.

I know some of these stores are quite different in style. In terms for quality for the price what would be some good choices. Lazy Boy sofas seem to be overpriced. C&B stuff look a bit off the wall on the website. I do like some of the Modern Country stuff but when I was in Inglewood last year we checked out the store by Jacqueline and Suzannes and it was VERY pricey.

I am looking for to start with couches for the living room, office furniture, dinning set, and a bed for one of the rooms. Will need accents and another set of couches soon after.

Thanks in advance.

[D'z Nutz]

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/295418/recommend-any-furniture-stores/

[bigbadboss101]

thank you sir.

[tobypaddock]

i furnished my house almost entirely from EQ3, semi-pricey but everything has held up very well. one thing i would not do is cheap out on couches, dont buy from ikea, in my experience they just dont last.

also keep an eye on Kijiji, there are some amazing deals to be had on furniture on there if you jump on them quickly.

congrats on the new place

[superflychief]

We got a bunch of our furniture for the new house at Lazy Boy. We caught a sale so the prices were actually quite good. Service was excellent too. We also got a couple of pieces at The Brick. It's not high end furniture but it's nice and comfortable and holds up pretty well. I have couches in my basement that are 6 yrs old and still look the same as when I bought them. Stay away from Ashley. Furniture quality is garbage and the service is even worse. Cricklewood is nice but pricey. Also check out Bondars. Really nice furniture but can be pricey too.

[sputnik]

The quality of Urban Barn is far better than EQ3.

Their prices are also lower.

[Mitsu3000gt]

A few friends who recently got their own homes got furniture from Nordesign. It appears to be good quality at a decent price. They had nothing negative to say about them.

[guessboi]

Urban Barn, Nordesign - good stuff but their contractor for shipping and installing suck a$$, Nood Design, and of course Ikea for some stuff. I wouldnt recommand EQ3.

[Lex350]

EQ3 is not a good shop. Poor quality


...for any desks or dressers, cabinets just remember to look at the drawer construction. That will be the best clue as to the quality of the whole unit. If the drawers are glued and stapled, move on. Also check what the bottom of the drawer is made of.


As for what store to go to it really depends on the style of furniture you like. This city has the typical chain stores which really should be avoided and we have some great high end places. What I like to do is visit a few stores....say along 11th ave, look at who manufactured the item and then look them up on the web. You can sometimes buy direct but if not they will list who sells their stuff in your area so you can compare prices and services.

I guess the only other thing I could say is don't buy everything at one store.




...thought of something else. I've been in the commercial furniture business for 17 years. What I have noticed is most people don't realize how shipping works and how it relates to what is in stock. This is why is is very important to find out where the item was manufactured. If you bought somehting that came on a boat from China it might be good or it might not but if you need it replaced, unless they have a sitribution warehouse in Canada or the west side of the US you are fucked.

Also consider that most places worth shopping in this city will not keep much stock on hand it is too expensive to do this. This is why most furniture has to be ordered in. You should consider this and excpect it when buying better items. The problem is usually the salesperson will not manage your expectations by telling you this ahead of time.

[black_2.5RS]

Check out Country Living Furnishings. They're not really that "country" style as you can pick edging and trim that is more modern as everything is customizable. We bought a desk, bookcase and a small side desk for our office and we're really happy with it. A little more expensive but it's 100% solid wood and heavy as hell. I would never get anything with particle board / veneer stuff anymore - but unfortunately that's what most places offer....I find particle board will assemble and survive your first move but your second or third move to another room or another house is dodgey. So for me, personally, that rules out places like EQ3, Ikea, Sojourn, most of the BO Concept and Crate & Barrel, etc.

I highly recommend Country Living....go check it out. 2 locations. Ask for Dawn if possible, she has some great ideas about design and will come by your house and suggest a few things if you're clueless like myself and my wife.

http://www.countrylivingfurnishings.com/

Another good place is Home Evolution.

[Graham_A_M]

http://www.nasource.com/ProductsMain.jsp

Based out of DouglasDale.

[tobypaddock]

Originally posted by sputnik
The quality of Urban Barn is far better than EQ3.

Their prices are also lower.



Originally posted by black_2.5RS
Check out Country Living Furnishings. They're not really that "country" style as you can pick edging and trim that is more modern as everything is customizable. We bought a desk, bookcase and a small side desk for our office and we're really happy with it. A little more expensive but it's 100% solid wood and heavy as hell. I would never get anything with particle board / veneer stuff anymore - but unfortunately that's what most places offer....I find particle board will assemble and survive your first move but your second or third move to another room or another house is dodgey. So for me, personally, that rules out places like EQ3, Ikea, Sojourn, most of the BO Concept and Crate & Barrel, etc.

I highly recommend Country Living....go check it out. 2 locations. Ask for Dawn if possible, she has some great ideas about design and will come by your house and suggest a few things if you're clueless like myself and my wife.

http://www.countrylivingfurnishings.com/

Another good place is Home Evolution.


My brothers stuff from Urban Barn has not held up nearly as well as my stuff from eq3 and I am definitely harder on my furniture. Also there is not a single piece of particle board used the the construction of any of my furniture from there.

[del-lude]

Check out Metro Element in Kensington if you are into modern/contemporary furniture. I picked up my sectional and dining set from them. Great service and very good prices compared to Revolve which carries the same products.

[z24_wheels]

I am pretty happy with my couch from Revolve.

[Unknown303]

Originally posted by sputnik
The quality of Urban Barn is far better than EQ3.

Their prices are also lower.

My fiance works at Urban Barn in Heritage, that's my plug for the day. But we have a fair bit of furniture from there obvious, a large sectional couch that's holding up well. She has a no crap kind of attitude towards sales too so if you're looking at something that will break in 6 months she'll tell you and move you towards something that would hold up a lot better.

I must also point out that a lot of people don't realize that some couches you buy actually carry warranties. Ours has a decent warranty for stains on the fabric, they'll actually replace the couch if you can't get a stain out of it. And if you notice springs or the foam wearing out quickly they'll replace it for you.

Check with who your buying from and see what they offer for protection on your purchase. I'd say this about anywhere. My office at home is mainly EQ3 and Nood while our dining/living room is pretty much all Urban Barn.

They also periodically have friends and family days where you can get extra discounts on purchases.

[TimG]

Country Living Furnishings is nice, but can be VERY pricey.

Check out Ashley and Lane in the deerfoot meadows area.

[bigbadboss101]

Went to Cricklewood, Bondar, and Nordesign.
Cricklewood has this Rowe section. Nice, big and comfy.
Only thing is it's almost $1000 a section. They have the 7 piece on sale for $8100 minus $15%.

http://www.rowefurniture.com/product/C824.html?start=0

Bondar and Nordesign both have some good stuff but nothing really jumped out and say 'nice item for good price' :-)

[98type_r]

Originally posted by z24_wheels
I am pretty happy with my couch from Revolve.

I have to say the opposite, and their post sale customer service leaves something to be desired. Metro Elements on the other hand, I have had nothing but positive experiences from them.

[adam c]

I made the mistake of buying my bed from Ashley, would not recommend them, thing can squeak just by breathing, thinking about getting it on? forget it and hit the floor, thing squeaks like it's going to fall apart

[GSR2700 ISX]

Whatever you do and where ever you go, NO BRICK!!

[Lex350]

Originally posted by black_2.5RS
A little more expensive but it's 100% solid wood and heavy as hell. I would never get anything with particle board / veneer stuff anymore - but unfortunately that's what most places offer....I find particle board will assemble and survive your first move but your second or third move to another room or another house is dodgey. .


Most desks aren't made with particle board. They are usually made with a variety of different density MDF. That can have a big difference alone in how well the furniture stands up. As for durability you are best off with a High Pressure Laminate. Ikea and many other places where the furniture is cheap use a lower density MDF with a low pressure laminate or its sometimes called Melamine. Veneers have a great finish but are less durable and open to scratching over a high pressure laminate.

With desks look for a minimum thickness for the top of 1.25". Also make sure it has a backer of either high or low pressure laminate on the underside of thei desk to (1) help prevent bowing of the top from weight and (2) allow you to screw into the bottom side of the desk if you need to attach a keyboard tray.

Some other things to look for is if the manufacturer uses cams to aid in the assembly rather than just wood plugs and screws. That way it can be taken apart and reassembles without damage.

Most of the places mentioned carry some good quality furniture and some really bad funriture. Price isn't always the way to tell the difference. If you can;t see how the floor model is put together then find out who manufacturers it am check it out on-line. Most manufacturers have information about construction on their web sites.

[Lex350]

some places I go to:

Ubran Living - kind of a hit and miss place. Be careful with some of the Classics knock-offs

Domicile - some nice stuff and even have some interesting items from Canadian artists.


Some manufacturers that make nice stuff:
Calligaris - Revolve carried them years ago but switched to product from Asia. Their web site tells you where you can buy the stuff locally. I'm not sure if they still carry it but HBI (office furniture company) used to be a commercial dealer here for this stuff and you could get it there much cheaper than buying retail. You would have to call them because they were never listed on the web site.


http://www.calligaris.com/Custom/CatalogHome

I've bought their furniture before. It was constructed well and looked good. If you want to know how well it lasts you need to ask my ex-wife :(


Palazzetti -This is only for the ballers. Very good quality, not cheap. If you have ever sat in the lobby of a high end oil giant, chances are you sat in soime of their stuff.



http://store.palazzetti.ca/

[Euro_Trash]

Do you guys recommend anywhere specific for leather couches? We are looking for a sectional with GOOD leather (can't believe how many people try to sell us that bi-cast shit)

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Euro_Trash
Do you guys recommend anywhere specific for leather couches? We are looking for a sectional with GOOD leather (can't believe how many people try to sell us that bi-cast shit)

I don't recommend Bondars. We bought a Natuzzi sectional through them, and one piece was significantly shorter than the rest. They ordered a new piece for us, and the new one wasn't as bad, but still noticeable.

Now they refuse to do anything else about it, saying it's normal for the backpiece of sectionals to be up to 1" different height. :facepalm:

I'd understand if it was a cheap $1000 couch, but jesus fucking christ it's a $6g Natuzzi. (Oh, and Natuzzi refuses to do anything either, so don't buy any of their couches from any store either)