If you can deal with used upholstered furniture, you probably could do quite well at a consignment store or used-furniture dealer.

If you need to buy new, your best bet is to learn the marks of good furniture and try to find a piece you like that has as many of them as possible. You won't find them all. But, then, this piece doesn't need to last forever, either.

Welcome to the world of grown-ups, furniture shopping...

My grandfather was in the furniture business for many many years in Texas. I grew up visiting "the store" and loved to play in the freight elevator (with adult supervision) and climb on the huge rolls of carpet. He and my grandmother bought all Henredon furniture for their dream home in 1959, and I still have much of that furniture in my home today. It has stood the test of time, quality furniture does.

That being said, young couples today usually cannot afford high-end furniture. But if you shop carefully you should be able to find furniture that will last 5-10 years, provided that you shop carefully and choose your fabric(s) wisely.

Before making a decision, here's what I would do. I would look at every mid-priced furniture store in town, I would also look at used furniture stores. You might find something in a used furniture store that would be better quality at the same price point than cheap furniture that's new. I would also look at classified ads in the paper for furniture and for estate sales. Get a notebook and take it to each store, noting brand names, item numbers, pricing. Many stores use codes to prevent consumers from knowing brand names, ask the salesperson if in doubt. Use the Terminology link below to familiarize yourself with how to refer to what you're looking for. You will appear knowledgeable and, therefore, be in a better price negotiating position.

I've had very bad luck with buying furniture out-of-state and having it shipped by motor freight. I would advise purchasing in your hometown from a reputable store. Watch for sales. When you shop, ask the salesperson about upcoming sales. Always get the business card of your salesperson and write their days off on the card. Even if an item isn't on sale, furniture pricing is ALWAYS negotiable in a regular furniture store.

Six years ago I bought a Broyhill sofa and loveseat and they have performed pretty well, but are now getting a little worn. I've been looking around at stores here in Phoenix for a few weeks and find that the quality of mid-priced furniture has really diminished in the last 10-15 years. I have some 1995 Broyhill Fontana wall units and the ones on display now are significantly different in finish.

Back to your specific question. Be sure to research here on the Gardenweb Furniture forum, for example perform searches on each brand and on each type of fabric you're considering. Several of the sofas in your pictures appear to be "microfiber," and I've read numerous negative comments about this fabric. I would especially be wary of very light colors in microfiber. Keep in mind you will probably move several times in the lifetime of your prospective sofa, and moving is very hard on furniture. It's best to choose upholstery (see terminology link below) that will look good in the long haul and withstand multiple moves.

Final comment. Be absolutely sure that both you and your husband sit in/on any furniture you're considering. Only buy items that feel comfortable to both of you. My husband has no patience whatsoever for furniture shopping, so I shop first and choose possible items, then take him to "try" the chair, sofa, etc. He's OK to zip in and out of stores with specific targets in mind, but will not stand for "shopping."

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Furniture Terminology

Lexington Furniture Company in Lexington, KY, which is closer to you, has good prices and a large number of manufactures to choose from: lexfurniture.com. You don't have to travel to the store to buy furniture out of state. Simply choose the piece you want from your local store, then contact the out of state store to order.I shop out of state stores all the time. I have purchased a Baker bed, Kindel dining room set, 2 Hickory Chair night tables, a Century sofa, 2 Wildwood lamps, Bernhardt bed, Hekman coffee table, $16,000 worth of Fabrica carpet and I have never had a problem.

Everything I have purchased out of state was a lot less than the quoted prices I received locally. The Hickory Chair night tables were $2,150 each locally, and I paid $1,350 each from Boyles. My bed was just over $9,000 locally, and I paid $7,500 at Boyles. My sofa was $4,500 locally, and I paid $2,800 at Boyles. My coffee table was $900 locally, and I paid $458 at Boyles. My son's bed was $1,200 locally, and I paid $990 at Boyles. My mattress set was $2,600 locally, and I paid $2,100 (including tax and delivery). Boyles has to collect tax, but I would have paid tax locally anyway. Plus, I would have paid more tax as the cost was higher at home. My local store charges $130 per hour to deliver. Boyles charges me a flat rate and on some items, I received free delivery.

You just have to make sure you are dealing with reputable stores. I only use Boyles in Hickory, NC, Carpets of Dalton in Dalton, GA for carpets. The recommendation for Carpets of Dalton came from this web site. Before you order, ask about their return policies, how they handle damaged or defective furniture, and how payment is made. Some stores only take credit cards for the deposit with the balance due by check when the furniture is ready for delivery. As soon as the furniture arrives, have the piece unwrapped outside and examine every inch of it before you let them bring it inside. And I mean go over every inch of it. Do this whether you buy it locally or out of state...and make sure you follow the stores instructions to the "T" in regard to damage and defect procedures. That includes noting all and any problems on the delivery documents...both the stores documents and the delivery service.

Boyles examines the furniture before it leaves the warehouse, but I still examine it and they tell you to examine it upon arrival. Another think I like about Boyles is they also clean any fingerprints and dust off after they bring it inside. They also put it where you want it placed. I really like their customer service.

Almost all stores--both local and out of state, will attempt to repair a piece of furniture, before they replace it. It is a matter of course. But make sure you know how they plan to handle damage.

I have a Hancock and Moore sofa, chair, and ottoman on order with Lexington Furniture in Lexington, KY right now. I cannot comment as to their delivery service, but I hear their D&D service is not so great, so I requested they use Sun Delivery. It will cost me more, but the price savings from buying through Lexington is more than $900 less than Boyles and $1,500 less than my local store...plus no 8.5% sales tax. So the extra $100 to have Sun Delivery is ok with me.

That is not to say that I do not shop locally. I just purchased $9,500 in furniture from my local store. I could have gotten it for less out of state, but the saleswoman worked with me for so long that I felt it was only right to buy from her.

Beware of Rose Furniture and Blacks in NC. They are hit and miss. These stores delivery a lot of damaged furniture and are not easy to work with to have the problem resolved. But some people swear by them...

I think any of the furniture above would be fine and not fall apart after 5 years. I don't understand that mentality actually. I've never had a sofa that cost more than two thousand, and all of them lasted for at least 12 years before I sold them for 200. (I've had several in this category, as we have room in the house for three sofas)
However, they all got lots of wear and tear. This whole idea that mid priced furniture won't last is silly to me. Yes, I would expect something from Rooms to Go or Big Lots to get wobbly but, hey, even with that stuff Ive seen people take care it and have it last quite awhile.

I was reading Consumer Reports last night and they recommended in your price range Flexsteel and Broyhill sofas. There's specific models but Flexsteel is beloved by many people so consider looking into that.

I have never found used furniture attractive, but maybe because in my area, Greenville SC, and the furniture tends to be, well, used looking. I want new!

Anyway, I would go for the Storehouse out of the ones you list only because the store seems more "upscale" (and thus, possibly well made enough) than the others.

have you looked at CR Laine? they are around the $1000 price point if you go through a store in NC. AND, they have most, if not all, of the high quality features - eight way tied springs, kiln dried hardwood, doweled joints...

this text is from their website: Each piece is built by highly skilled craftspeople on a special-order basis. We utilize the latest technologies in producing frames made of 5/4" or thicker kiln-dried select hardwoods with joints that are double-doweled, glued and block reinforced for extra strength. All exposed wood is finished using only the highest quality materials.

We use tempered steel double cone coil springs supported by polypropylene sheeting and steel bands for extra support. These coils are eight-way-hand-tied with the finest twine available and the coils are clinched to prevent shifting. For comfort, a heavy covering is then used over the spring base in addition to our special insulator pad and soft batting. Padded arms use foam and a high grade batting to insure lasting comfort and proper overall shape.

Standard seat cushions are made with a core of high resiliency environmentally friendly foam that has a minimum of 1.8 density. This is then wrapped in fiber and encased into a soft fabric ticking. We offer many different cushion options to meet your need for a customized sit.

Our extensive selection of more than 700 fabrics are inspected for quality and durability. Each piece is carefully cut to precise patterns, sewn according to exact standards and tailored by expert craftspeople. All fabric patterns are flow matched.

I have owned 3 King Hickory sofas and they all looked almost new after 12 - 15 years when I sold them. They were sale priced at about $600 each. I have had a Norwalk sofa for about 9 years that started to fall apart after 2 and it cost as much as all 3 of the King Hickory.

Visit a couple of local furniture stores that sell several lines of sofas. Look at the price level of the fabric the sofas are shown in. Then see if there is a "value" line of fabic the sofa can be ordered in and what the difference in price would be with lower end priced fabrics. You can save 25-50% or more sometimes without getting a fabric that will wear any worse than the higher end stuff, and will sometimes wear better. If you are looking for solid, like cream or white, one manufacturer might have 15 different fabrics in those shades to choose from in different materials and textures. You might find the one you like the best or a higher quality sofa can be had for the same price in a lower end fabric than you thought. I mean maybe a 1200.00-1300.00 sofa for 899-999.00 or something, usually, not a 3000-5000. sofa for 500. :) Although I did see a Drexal Heritage sofa that was available for less than 2000 or as much as 10,000, with fabric that was several hundered dollars a yard and fully embroidered!

Sue

I just happened upon the best deal by freak accident. That's how it works though. Of all places, I walked into the Salvation Army. I got a soft leather sofa and two big puffy chairs that match = less than $300. Picked up a coffee table and matching end table at Target = $140, got the furniture professionally cleaned = $60 (a friend). Total cost of my first apt living room, less than $500. Not too shabby.

The ones you have shown look nice for the price. I would go with one of them until you have the money to buy the set that will last much longer. Good luck

I'm looking for the Consumer Reports article that Bumblebeez mentioned. Does anyone know the date of the article?

Costco Home....great pieces for under 1k.

In fact, right now, they have a gorgeous brown leather sofa for $800. We bought our white pillow back for $650.

My husband and I looked at Flexsteel sofas earlier this year after reading the Consumer Reports article.

We felt that though the inner workings might be high-quality, the finished pieces we saw in the showroom had some "fit and finish" issues.

When ended up buying a sofa from Room and Board, which has a good range of midpriced items.

The sales rep we worked with said that most R&B employees have the York sofa, which is around the same price as the Storehouse sofa (depending on the size you choose). It's worth checking out.

The R&B delivery service is great, too.