Shipping abroad means that store reputation is especially important because we won't have time to deal with refunds or exchanges (we need to maximize the likelihood of getting right the first time). It also means that warranty periods will be of little value to us, because they will become void once we move overseas.

This forum has a lot of info on quality of manufacturers relative to each other (i.e. good, bad, this is better, etc.), but I haven't been able to tie this info with our budget. We have a budget of $6000 for the bedroom and $6500 for the living room.

Our main questions that we're struggling with now are:

1- what good brands can we afford based on this budget?
2- will we be able to save money (and more importantly time) if we go down to NC to shop the stores there? We live in Indiana.

FYI, for the bedroom, we're targeting the following pieces:
- 1 King bed
- 2 Nightstands
- Dresser + Mirror
- Door chest or armoire
- Drawer chest
- Chair + ottoman

For the living room, we hope to buy:
- sofa (3-seater, long version)
- love seat
- single chair
- chair + ottoman
- 3 side tables
- center (coffee) table
- entertainment center (fit 50" tv)

Our style is not contemporary, but more like "transitional." For example, in bedrooms, we liked the thomasville king street collection, or the stanley louis louis sleigh bed. Don't think we can afford those, but just to give you an idea.

Your thoughts on the above 2 points of concern are very appreciated.

Thanks.

p.s. I have a separate budget for the mattress.