July 6, 2007
time flies when you’re agonizing about furniture
We spent all day yesterday furniture shopping. And when I say all day I mean we left the house at 9:40 am (my parents are here and they kept the kids) and came home at 4:00, and then went out again after the boys were in bed.
All. Damn. Day.
We picked out a chair and an ottoman and a loveseat for the study, a sofa and a loveseat for the living room, a dining room set (table, six chairs, sideboard), and fabric to recover our cocktail ottoman. I wanted to feel good about making all these decisions in one fell swoop, but there were a couple of moments when I thought I might cry or throw up, and they were all before the nice Sales Associate added up the damage and told us that we would need to come up with the GNP of an emerging third-world country to pay for all of this.
We came home and measured the office and realized that the loveseat was going to be too big. We breathed a sigh of relief that we hadn’t actually ORDERED anything yet.
We went back out and ordered the chair and ottoman for the study, which (hooray!) came out to be $500.00 LESS than we anticipated AND (also hooray!) will be delivered on Tuesday.
We came home and went to bed.
At 2:30 am I woke up thinking I HATE THAT DINING ROOM TABLE. I laid there for a while trying to put my finger on why I hate the table and if I even really DO hate the table or if I was just still overwhelmed from the whole day of shopping and the 3,000 fabric swatches we looked at and the fact that somehow we picked out chairs that cost SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS EACH (what the hell?) and what the best wasy would be to say, “Honey, you know that table you really REALLY like? I hate it.” Finally, at 3:00 I got up and went to look at the table on line.
I hate the table. Good thing we hadn’t ordered anything yet.
Fortunately Wade is not particularly attached to the table and agreed that we absolutely should keep looking because if we’re going to spend that much money (chairs! for six hundred dollars! each!) we really should love the dining room. Also maybe it shouldn’t cost QUITE that much.
The whole day was a little overwhelming, particularly the 3,000 fabric swatches, because sometimes it’s hard to explain what EXACTLY you mean when you say “blue” (Very Helpful Sales Associate: How about this one? Me: That’s not really blue. VHSA: Sure it is! Me: No, it’s green. VHSA: Well, it’s sort of an aquamarine. Me: It’s green. VHSA: Okay, how about this one? Me: No. Green. VHSA: How about thi– Me: No. VHSA: Okay, so no green. Me: Yes. BLUE.)
I told Wade later that he got a taste of what it was like to shop for houses with me. I can’t tell you what I want until I see it, but I sure as hell know what I don’t want. Which apparently is ANYTHING GREEN.
Today I’m just really tired and really unexcited about new furniture. I love the chair that Wade picked out for the office, and I love the blue and brown color palette (ooh, listen to me!) that we’ve decided on for the living and dining rooms. But the last straw yesterday was when we got down to accent pillows for the brown sofa and the Very Nice Sales Associate told me that they would be $150.00. Each. Wade said cheerfully, “What’s one more torpedo to a sinking ship?” mostly to distract the sales associate from noticing that my brain had exploded and was leaking out my ears.
Actually I’m a little sorry that DIDN’T happen; it would make this whole furniture shopping process a whole lot easier. Tomorrow: Round Two, in which we try to find a dining room set that I don’t hate.
Wish us luck.
Posted by Susan @ 12:40 pm • Uncategorized
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July 6th, 2007 at 1:24 pm, sherrypg Says:
I lurve Bob Mills Furniture. He’s the workin’ man’s friend.
We have bought a couple of pieces there and have had pretty good luck.
The Mattress Brothers? Not so much.
Where are you shopping?
July 6th, 2007 at 2:24 pm, Kate P Says:
Hey! Our (recently refurnished) family room is brown and blue! Great choice.
Good luck!
July 6th, 2007 at 2:56 pm, Mark Says:
furniture sales people suck, I only shop for a recliner, and then only when forced to.
July 6th, 2007 at 3:20 pm, Kellie Says:
I’m trying not to puke at the whole $600 each for chairs thing and the $150 each for pillows. I need to go lie down now.
July 6th, 2007 at 3:55 pm, Susan Says:
Sherry, we ended up at Mattress Brothers yesterday and what little was left of my brain completely oozed out somewhere in children’s furniture.
And $150.00 a piece for ACCENT PILLOWS is highway robbery. We will NOT be getting those, I’ll tell you what.
(Now you’re all going, “Well, DUH.”)
July 6th, 2007 at 7:21 pm, Brandy Says:
I spent 3 hours looking for a chair and ottoman 2 weeks ago. I hear you and totally agree! And WHAT is up with furniture prices these days?
July 6th, 2007 at 7:53 pm, The June Cleaver Diaries Says:
We’re going furniture shopping tomorrow. With the kids.
Have a pitcher of margaritas waiting for me when I get back, girlfriend.
July 6th, 2007 at 9:08 pm, Wendy Says:
Good Luck! Or, at least, hope your brains dont explode.
July 7th, 2007 at 7:35 am, Anonymous Says:
Did you know that the mark-up on furniture is 300%? That should help you sleep better tonight.
July 7th, 2007 at 7:35 am, Susan Says:
NO WAY! That is INSANE.
Holy cow.
July 7th, 2007 at 11:21 am, Karianna Says:
I wake up in the middle of the night to second-guess too. So glad I am not the only one.
We do the “purchase unfurnished furniture” and “buy from garage sales and/or consignment stores and re-upholster” thing - labor-intensive, but much cheaper.
July 8th, 2007 at 8:59 am, Kate Says:
I can’t wait to see the pictures. I already have ottoman envy.
July 8th, 2007 at 3:54 pm, dani Says:
i got so tired of going out shopping I met with an interior designer and asked her to go find us something. When she came back with $3,300 for roman shades for 4 windows, I decided to just suck it up and start looking again
July 9th, 2007 at 8:52 am, Holly Says:
Susan, have you contacted Boyle’s or Furnitureland South in High Point, NC to compare their prices with whatever you’re being quoted locally? Boyle’s is offering free freight on many brands in July, which makes buying there an even better deal. Both stores work with customers all over the country. (My MIL, Lissa, works for Boyle’s, and she has customers who e-mail her photos of their rooms. She has even “done” entire homes without ever meeting the customer.)
July 9th, 2007 at 9:03 am, Pamela Says:
Susan, hire a decorator. Seriously. You can consult with one for less than $100 and you’ll be confident about your choices. Bring him/her photos of the furniture you like and swatches of fabrics. She/he will get the “too green” thing, unlike VHSA.
I couldn’t afford one, so I contacted the design dept. at our university and hired a student for $25/hour. She was fabulous and saved me tons of money.
July 11th, 2007 at 5:38 am, Val Says:
Am I the only one that finds great stuff (with great prices) on CraigsList?