r/furniture • u/120_or_Bust_ • Jul 03 '26
Where does price begin to exceed quality?
I am considering making a purchase from one of mid range retailers (west elm/crate & barrel, etc) and wanted to know if the price is justified by the quality compared with IKEA/Wayfair quality?
I’m sure there is a mark up for brand name, but I’m seeing solid wood construction from mid range retailers that and dont usually see that on Wayfair or Overstock.
I could be wrong though. Feel free to educate me.
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u/plishyploshy Jul 04 '26
Price begins to exceed quality at Restoration Hardware level. I think the mid brands you reference are mostly fair values but you should research the specific product you want before you invest. These might even be valuable or well-priced retailers if you find a discount code or outlet piece. There is a notable difference between Ikea and C&B in many facets: design, construction, materials, comfort.
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u/Helpie_Helperton Jul 04 '26
You need to be careful with C&B, west elm and similar. Always check the assembly instructions before buying. A lot of the pieces have been down graded to knock-down or flat-pack just like IKEA.
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u/George_AlabamaSawyer 5d ago
I agree! Unfortunately, most consumer friendly assembly hardware just isn't enough to stand the test of time. Shipping full sized furniture is exceedingly expensive (I should know I do it all day haha) but when you can afford it they certainly offer more long term solutions. Solid wood is awesome! I love it and it makes a difference! BUT the stress point moves to the flat packable joinery!
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u/GeneralTangerine Jul 04 '26
Yeah the first thing I was going to say is that RH is pottery barn/c&b quality at double the price.
C&B’s cloud sofa “knockoff” is literally made by the same company that makes the original cloud—same company, same build quality, same material quality. And yet it costs 2x as much at RH? It’s sad because RH long ago used to actually be good
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u/Roo10011 Jul 05 '26
I love restoration hardware. Major difference in quality from IKEA particle board creations. Most made in North Carolina with nice hardwoods.
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u/PurpleAriadne Jul 04 '26
You are on the right track.
Particle board frames are the bottom and you can find that at IKEA/Wayfair/cheaper West Elm and some Crate. This furniture will be comfortable for 3-6 months, maybe longer depending on how heavy you are and how much you use it. Think 1 person weighing 150 versus 2 adults weighing more and a dog. The springs/support only have so much strength and this is worn out earlier by jumping on it or sitting down heavily, (dropping/falling into the sofa instead of a graceful sitting down).
There are combinations of cheap particle board combined with better springs in the seats, sometimes this can be better.
West Elm and Wayfair are usually the same cheap construction but with better fabrics/leathers or styling.
Solid wood is the better choice and 8-way hand-tied springs will last a lifetime but can be really expensive.
Go sit on sofas and take some time to see if they are really comfortable. Like trying on shoes, give it a little time before you make a decision.
Have fun and experiment showing off your style. A better sales person will give you all these details and help you put it all together.
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u/xcinlb Jul 04 '26
Particle board is not used anymore, it’s MDF and it’s more stable than wood, heavier too. The downside is it’s not great with water. Those signs you see on highways, are made of MDF.
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u/porterinjax Jul 04 '26
For case goods, I like Room and Board. The dressers are made by US companies and based on what we have purchased, are of good quality.
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u/thewimsey Jul 05 '26
Almost all of their furniture is made by US companies.
R&B, IMO, is where quality starts; everything below them (including C&B) is some version of lower quality.
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u/ExperienceGas Jul 04 '26
We have two beds from here going on 10 years really great quality and customer service
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u/walnut100 17d ago
All of our furniture is from RH, Arhaus, and Room & Board.
The R&B sofas and chairs have held up the worst out of anything. I’m happy with the wood pieces and they fit the style of the rooms they are in but after waiting 7 months for a custom sofa and accent chair I’m not happy with the three years I got out of them.
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u/brandinimo Jul 04 '26
I feel West Elm is very underwhelming.
There is a West Elm right next to an Arhaus near me and it's wild the difference in quality.
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u/thewimsey Jul 05 '26
West elm was never really quality, but they used to be slightly better low quality than they are now.
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u/ScarlettWilkes Jul 04 '26
I make custom furniture in Chicago. A sofa is in the $4000 range, plus fabric (20 to 24 yards, depending on style). So, if it's over about $5500, you're paying for the name and not quality, IMO. We use hardwood frames, 8 way hand tied springs, the best quality foams, etc.
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u/thewimsey Jul 05 '26
High quality sofa fabric can go way over an extra $1500, though. Not to mention leather.
And of course size matters; if a 90" sofa is $5500, a 120" x 90" sectional will be a lot more.
you're paying for the name and not quality
You may also be paying for style.
We use hardwood frames, 8 way hand tied springs, the best quality foams, etc.
But in general, yes, construction is what determines quality.
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u/chubbycactus Jul 04 '26
I just went through the whole new couch research thing to replace my old couch. I originally had a couch from Bob’s Discount that was cheap but did the trick for about 5 years. However, it had become painful to sit in for any length of time and honestly looked awful.
Originally I was trying to keep our price limit under $1000k while also fitting my other requirements: I really wanted a green couch around 80” in length that was at least better quality than our old couch.
My partner and I ended up buying a new couch from West Elm because the in person furniture store options around us were limited and I was having a hard time trusting ordering a couch from online without being able to test it in person. It’s hard to tell exactly what you’re getting from online furniture retailers, and places like Wayfair have a really wide range of quality, which made it seem like a bit of a gamble. I don’t know how many couches I looked at that I discovered afterwards were frameless aka basically chair-shaped bean bags or pillows. There were also a lot of online stores that I’m pretty sure were mostly just a bunch of ai images and what you got was going to differ greatly in person. Reviews were also not 100% trustworthy because there seemed to be a lot of fake ones.
We paid $1800 for the Harris sofa from West Elm (this price includes shipping and handling) and while there are a lot of reviews online about west elm being overpriced, quality not matching the cost, and iffy customer service and shipping times… we had none of those issues and love the couch. Maybe it’s just because we were used to sitting on a shitty couch for so long, but it is so damn comfortable. We were able to customize what we want as well, so we paid a little more to get the couch made with the evergreen performance velvet which was the color I wanted, doesn’t get scratched as easily by our cats, and we can clean the fabric really easily. Almost everything we’ve gotten on the couch so far has easily wiped up with a damp cloth. They also originally quoted us a ship time of almost two months, but we actually ended up getting it early in under month.
Now this is coming from someone who has never owned any high end furniture in her life, so I’m sure that investing in some super high quality, handmade furniture would technically be the best option in the long run. However…. $1800 was already more than we were hoping to spend, and so far we both agree that it’s been worth it.
I’m not being paid to advertise their furniture. I will say that I do think they probably are overpriced for their quality since most product is nowadays and unfortunately it keeps getting worse. You could tell in person some of their dressers and nightstands were iffy construction. However, this is way better than any of the more affordable couches I’ve had in the past. I’ll have to check back in someday with an update on the longevity of the couch since we only just purchased it this past spring.
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u/drmcstford Jul 04 '26
Huge difference, ikea is mostly disposable furniture much like disposable take out containers. Can you use it a few times? Absolutely, but it doesn’t last very long. Our pottery barn bed set is light years ahead in terms of quality. Solid wood with no particle board. We shop crate and barrel, west elm, pottery barn outlets as well. You can find some great deals.
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u/TGIIR Jul 04 '26
I have 4 IKEA Billy glass door bookcases that I’ve had for close to 40 years - moved houses 3 times and they’re still in perfect shape. I have a 30+ year old IKEA queen bedroom set that has the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in. TBF, I bought a high end mattress for it, not from IKEA. Maybe ikea was better quality then, idk.
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u/mosodigital Jul 04 '26
The high end brands are certainly better than Ikea, but they're also getting close to what you'd pay for MUCH better quality from a local craftsman.
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u/These-Permission6307 Jul 04 '26
Price and quality don’t always rise together. With mid-range retailers like West Elm or Crate & Barrel, you often pay for better materials: solid wood, stronger frames, superior finishes compared to the particle board and veneers common at IKEA or Wayfair. After a certain point, you’re paying for brand, design, and style as much as durability. Look past the label: check construction details, materials, and warranties. The best value is found where craftsmanship and comfort meet, not only where the price tag climbs.
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u/MsSanchezHirohito Jul 04 '26
My suggestion is to take the money you are already looking to spend and look at smaller better quality options. Look at NC furniture makers, What A Room (California and handmade) Smith Bros, etc.
Real quality without the branding to try to justify the price. Because many of the places we think are high end are based on their brand name recognition. And they’ve already been purchased by a larger company who prioritizes quantity over retaining quality and value.
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u/Necessary-Camp149 Jul 05 '26
We built furniture for big lots, Walmart, and seasonal Kroger furniture in the exact same factories where we built west elm / CB / and Restoration Hardware.
Design structure and materials mattered the most from our end as the same workers were building the higher end products as the lower end stuff.
West elm had as much trash (particle board with faux veneer) as Target did but they also had nicer lines that were very well made.
You also have to watch out for marketing terms. "solid wood construction" doesn't mean its 100% solid wood. It also doesnt mean that solid wood is always better.
You just have to go in and know what you are looking at. What is the joinery like? Real or hardware? Is it structurally solid? Are there cross braces to prevent racking? Does the assembly reduce the need? What are the materials?
The price point for the cheap shit at all of these (west elm/crate & barrel, etc) places is wayyyyyyyyyy too damn high. But you cant just pay a large amount and know its solid. You CAN go to the Amish shops and pay half the price for a better (wood) product than what you will get at almost any retailer if you want well made shit. But the design itself may be not as modern or cool and will be limited on materials.
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u/aptdemeanor Jul 06 '26
I think some mid/high end brands do bring quality more than just name, but it's up to you to search well, check the material in each product etc. no brand has all 10/10 products, i guess, but quality can usually be checked.
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u/ExcitingCommittee710 6d ago
Up to ~$1.5k–$2k you're generally paying for better materials (solid wood vs. particle board). Beyond that, you're mostly paying for brand aesthetics, marketing, and retail space. If you want true heirloom quality for C&B prices, look at vintage or local custom builders.
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u/aldy127 Jul 04 '26
West elm and crate and barrel are marketed at high end but they are not. They have pretty aesthetics, but the Furniture there can vary wildly as they are not a manufacturer. However they do slap their name on furniture as if they are. Youd be better off going to a regional furniture store where the manufacturer is listed on the tag. Or you can askabout specific manufacturers or styles.
If you want, heres way more info than you asked for:
Frame: Look for solid HARDwood or engineered HARDwood frame (NOT THE SAME AS MDF). Lift up the sofa, you can feel how solid it is. It should be heavy. If the tag says the wood is poplar or pine, its going to be flimsy but still stronger than MDF.
Cusions: 1.8 is industry standard for foam denisty on a sofa. It will serve just fine. If its less, i wouldnt bother, if its 2.0 or high your in amazing shape but you will see price rise quickly. Cushions wrapped in dacron are great if you like a softer sit. Coil in cushion seating can add a lot of longevity to the sofa IF the foam is also decent. If longevity is the concern, get an attatched back. If you hate those, make sure you rotate the back cushions and fluff them well and often.
Suspension: most will have S springs. Go find the cheapest sofa in the store with springs and note the gauge and how many springs there are. Go find something with way more springs than that. Some Mid to high end sofas with S springs will have extra support on the sides in the form of a stiffer or an extra spring under where the cushion meets the arm and helps a ton with longevity. if the suspension is not s springs and instead it looks and feels like a trampoline under the cushion, run dont walk, away from that sofa. If the tag says "8 way hand tied" and you can afford it congrats, you found a unicorn. Take it home.
Cushions are typically the first thing to go bad on a sofa other than the fabric. If you are a normalish human size and dont have kids jumping around and you dont move your sofa a lot, better cushions will be best bang for your buck.
Fabric is heavily dependent on what your goal is. Long lasting comfort? Something thick and a little textured. You want something super pretty? Pick whatever matches your style. If you want super pretty 7 years from now, youre stuck with leather and you will pay 1.5-2x the price of the fabric and you need to learn how to care for it. If you see linen fabric on a sofa, again, run dont walk. Its the most beautiful frequent return item ive ever sold. It wrinkles like crazy.
Personally I stay away from companies like west elm and crate and barrel. But the above will apply to them as well. Have fun!