Bedroom set for first apartment
 

I just moved out to Houston after graduating from school and I'm trying to furnish my (currently empty) bedroom. I'm looking online and I'm pretty much lost.

Any suggestions on where to buy decent furniture? I don't need anything amazing, I'm looking for a reasonable price:quality ratio.

I've been looking at Rooms to Go and their prices seem almost abnormally lower than other places. I can get a bedroom set for under 1000 whereas Costco sets run 3000 easily. I've also heard IKEA, but I'm under the impression that it's cheap particle board furniture.

Any ideas? :rolleyes: TIA

Check Craigslist for people selling pre-owned sets. I wish I had known about Craigslist when I was first furnishing our house. You will be amazed at the quality stuff you can find for a lot less than from a store!

Here's a link to a "bedroom set" search in "furniture by owner" around Houston...

http://houston.craigslist.org/sea...k=&maxAsk=

PS, but buy your own mattresses IMHO! Don't use their "used" mattress... yucky...

Thanks for the advice. I'm unsure about buying furniture on CL, mostly because it's dealing with a sizable amount of money and I know I'd be SOL if issues come up. Also since I'm no expert in furniture I'm not even sure if I'm getting a good deal or what quality even means.

Ikea has different levels of quality and the prices reflect that. Cheap stuff for college kids and renters, nicer stuff for people who want the items to last longer.

We have several Ikea pieces that are actual wood, not particle board and they've survived a move half way across the country with the worst movers in the world, who managed to destroy some of my antique furniture and a high end (not Ikea) couch.

I really like the iron beds from Ikea as they have enough clearance off the floor so you can store stuff underneath them. Which is great for someone like me who doesn't have enough closet space. Quite a few of the wooden beds are solid wood, not particle board. Best thing to do is to go look at Ikea and check the material of the items.

I love the Ikea couch we bought for the family room, after the movers destroyed our couch. I liked it so much that we bought another one a couple of years later for the formal living room, when we had family coming for a visit. The cushions hold up really well and haven't sagged or compacted at all, even with my 6' tall, 250 pound hubby flopping down on them all the time. We went with a leather couch but they have some nice fabric couches too. A good thing about the fabric couches is Ikea sells extra covers that fit each specific couch shape, so if you spill something that won't come out of the fabric, just buy a cover and you've saved your couch!

Ikea for sure. You'll be able to resell it too when you don't want it anymore.

Craiglist is a wonderful idea since your on a budget. You can find some great deals plus negotiate at the prices. My tip is bring a friend with you. try to look for solid wood it last longer. if your going buy buy Pre-owned Don't be afraid to open up the drawers and see if its real wood .

Wiggle the furniture to see how sturdy it is, look at the dove tails they should be nice and strong. Don't be discouraged about any scratches on the outside that can fixed. That whats so amazing about wood it can be stained or painted. I have seen some great deals posted on Craiglist either people are moving or they need the Quick Cash. Have fun & Good luck in searching for that gem;)

Generally, the older the set, the better the chance it is solid wood. I bought a solid cherry set with lots of pieces for 600.00 from an ad in the newspaper. It had a couple of small dings and scratches but it was in near excellent condition. The furniture made these days is not solid wood unless you pay a bundle. Frankly, I like my set because it isn't cookie cutter and it's beautiful cherry wood. Incidentally, I purchased my solid wood cherry Drexel dining room set for 400.00 and it came with 6 chairs, server, 5 ft. buffet, table mat covers and glass for all the pieces. The woman also threw in a huge mirror to go over the buffet. I know I am rambling but I do believe the best values in furniture are used.

Im in the same boat OP. I need a set and am unsure about buying another bed that some hairy dood was doing it in

Do not, repeat DO NOT buy anything with cloth used. Bed bugs are a huge epidemic, and one upholstered chair with them, can infect your entire place. You should buy only the basics. Get a metal frame (bed bugs have a really hard time climbing metal, unlike other bugs) and a mattress. Get a mattress cover right off. Avoid wood too, as they nest in wood and paper.

Google the bed bug registry to see where in your town, they are already.

You do NOT want to deal with this problem as it'll cost you much more to get rid of them, than the money you save off Craigslist.