How We Save Our Clients Money By Choosing High Quality Furniture For Their Homes

Nancy of Nancy Lane Interiors | Photo by Madeline Harper Photography

As a full service interior designer with 30+ years of design experience including a decade running my own design firm, I've learned more than a few good lessons and today I’m diving into why investing in high quality furnishings matters and how we save our clients money by choosing high quality furniture for their homes.

Furniture is more than just the biggest line item in your interior design budget, it’s the foundation for any room and key to bringing the whole space together. When designing spaces for our clients, we marry the architectural elements of their home with furniture and other decorative items to create a cohesive space. But, it’s not all about looks. While aesthetics are crucial, understanding the materials and fabrication techniques behind each piece are even more important. 

As a Houston interior designer that specializes in full room and full home furnishing projects, we work with clients who value quality, durability, and longevity over finding the lowest price available. We want our clients to have furniture that withstands the test of time and we educate our clients right from the start that you can get something fast and cheap but it won’t be good quality. 

The Truth about High Quality Furniture vs. Budget Furniture

You wouldn’t swap out your car every year, am I right? (Well, you would if you bought a cheap low quality clunker that was always breaking down!) And you certainly wouldn’t choose a hairstylist based on who has the lowest price, because when you’re looking for a beautiful cut and color, you’d look for someone with experience who uses quality hair products right? You definitely don’t want to go cheap.  So why settle for furniture that is mass produced and value engineered with low quality materials that won't last long especially when these are pieces you will look at and use every single day?

While I won’t do a deep dive into the data behind how your home’s interior environment can positively impact your mental health and well-being, trust me it does indeed! Your furniture has to be able to stand up to daily life with kids, pets, and visitors and still look fresh and feel amazing! In developing our estimated investment amount for your particular scope of work, we know which items are worth spending more money on and which items are okay to budget less for but we always aim for the top craftsmanship. Without further ado, here’s why investing in high quality furniture when you work with an interior designer is worth every penny.

Why We Only Source From Vetted Furniture Sources 

While you can certainly pay a high price for low quality furniture, when you work with Nancy Lane Interiors, you can rest assured knowing we only source from a carefully vetted list of high quality vendors that stand behind their products. Just like you trust us, we do our due diligence when it comes to trade vendors we work with. We invest a lot of time and money ourselves every year traveling to different markets all over the country, visiting showrooms and factories to vet new companies and check out new collections and products. We also check in with our existing vendors to ensure the material and production quality and customer service that we originally fell in love with is still at a high level. 

What Interior Designers Look For When Sourcing High Quality Upholstered Furniture 

We've had many clients ask about buying furniture from big box retail stores or furniture overstock consolidators or warehouses with budget friendly pieces. Sure, one or all stores like that might have items that catch your eye with their stylish looks or wallet-friendly pricing. But give it time, and the true colors of low quality furniture will inevitably start to show.  You might even start to avoid that piece like the plague because it’s so uncomfortable or maybe it starts looking lumpy or bumpy. Even just a glance at it and your back will start to hurt.  

Here’s what we look for when sourcing upholstered pieces for our clients:

• Frame Construction: The best frames are like the bones of your house: CRITICAL. When sourcing high quality pieces for our clients, we look for kiln-dried hardwood frames that are built to last and provide a solid base. Budget buys? Not so much. They often use cardboard or plywood frames, which can sag, warp, and deteriorate quickly. 

• Cushion Construction: High quality furniture uses high-resilient polyurethane foam wrapped in Dacron or down for long-lasting comfort and lazy days of lounging/watching the game on tv, relaxing with a good book, or socializing with family and friends.  Low budget furniture may use low-density foam that quickly loses its shape and feels like your kids might have hidden Legos in the cushions because it feels lumpy and bumpy.  

• Suspension: In case you’re a furniture newbie, when we talk about suspension, it’s the part of the sofa or chair under the cushions that ensures you don’t end up sitting on the floor. Eight way hand tied suspension is an indicator of an overall high-quality piece of furniture but it is the most labor-intensive and as such, very costly. For these reasons, other types of suspension methods have been developed over the years including coil or zigzag springs for firm support, and sinuous springs among them. While some people still consider eight-way hand-tied to be the gold standard for high quality furniture and the absolute best, others say it's not needed and that sinuous springs are just as good and less expensive. The debate continues but just know that budget pieces often skip metal springs altogether. 

• Fabric Quality: Quality fabrics have high thread counts and dense stitching, resisting wear and tear better than lower-grade materials which quickly fade, pill, and tear. Our favorite fabrics (and the most durable) are performance fabrics like Crypton, Perennials, and Revolution to name a few. 

Design & Styling: Nancy Lane Interiors | Photo: Ellen Renee Photography

What Interior Designers Look For When Sourcing High Quality Case Goods and Occasional Pieces 

Case goods and occasional pieces include storage pieces like bookcases, cabinets, and tables, which require practicality, functionality and aesthetic appeal. The craftsmanship of these pieces significantly impacts their durability.

Here’s what we look for when sourcing case goods and occasional pieces that last for our clients:

• Joinery: The highest quality pieces have rock solid joinery, like dovetail joints that are in it for the long haul. Whereas budget pieces often use glue or are stapled together. Which do you think holds up better against stacks of heavy books and accessories? 

• Hardware: High-quality hardware prevents sagging and ensures a smooth opening of doors and drawers.

• Finishing: A high quality finish resists scratches and wear, so your pieces look new for longer.

  
  

The Long Term Benefits of Investing in Quality Furniture

 As fellow interior designer Miles Redd famously said, “Buy the best and only cry once.” Think about it - if you have to replace your sofa or dining table every few years, did you really save by going with the cheaper option?

When you invest in high quality furniture you ensure your pieces will look and function like new for years to come. High-quality furniture stands up to daily life and the nonstop action of a busy happy home. While the initial investment cost may be higher for better quality selections, the long-term benefits and durability make it a wise investment. Remember, when it comes to furniture, invest in great quality, take care of it, and enjoy it forever.

Are you ready to transform and elevate your home? We'd love to hear about your project to see if we'd be a good fit! Fill out a Project Inquiry Form today.