Ask Lemmy

Estate sales.

Not sure why IKEA is getting knocked? It has a good reputation for quality design. They also have quality ranges with cheaper and more expensive versions of the same furniture types if you want to splurge on the best.

Flat pack is a good way to buy furniture; you just have to get it from good quality sources and IKEA is definitely one.

I've got IKEA furniture that's moved with me from home to home up to 15 years old and it remains in good condition. Never known their furniture to "fall apart"?

Habitat for humanity if you have one near you. I got a lot of my furniture from there and made some shockingly good deals. A solid brass chandelier worth 4500$, for 45$, an acacia table worth 2500$, for 200$, etc. Obviously you have to have a keen eye for what's good or bad but it's a great place to start.

Also when buying used furniture I like to stick to stores as they will check and exterminate bed bugs.

Plenty of thrift stores out there. You can spray for bugs yourself.

Habitat for Humanity, estate sales, garage sales, or build your own.

There's also cruising affluent neighborhoods around the time the trash company picks up large items. For the low low price of embarrassment, you can get quality stuff for free.

Thrift shops and used furniture stores. Buying a quality piece of furniture second-hand is the only way to get it for a good price.

Try thrift stores. A surprising amount of solid wood furniture ends up being resold. You might need to do some fixing up if you're handy - sanding down and refinishing - but usually not. Usually some pretty big pieces for really cheap.

The problem you'll run into is that good furniture is made out of solid hardwoods, and IKEA, et al. is made from particleboard. There are major differences in the ways you work with the two materials; there's not really a great inexpensive way to make hardwood furniture that's going to last for 50+ years, and there's no reasonable way to make particleboard furniture last 50+ years at all. (Plywood lasts longer than particleboard, but I wouldn't use it in making furniture that I intended to be around long after my death.) I am, for instance, a big fan of Gustav Stickley's "Mission" style; I absolutely can not afford it, since a full bedroom set would cost about as much or more than a brand new BMW M3. OTOH, my grandfather made some craftsman style furniture (Stickley published a lot of the early plans) in the 20's, and my parents--in their 80s--still have it, and it's still in very good condition overall.

I just need to get a cabinet saw, thickness planer, replace the blades on my jointer, pick up a bandsaw, and find a good Powermatic mortising machine--and get my basement wired for 440v 3ph--and I can start making my own. And that would still be cheaper than buying it at full retail. :')

We got one from Grain Wood and liked it so much we got a second. One we have is pine wrapped in a veneer of walnut and the other is painted white. They're not hardwoods, but they're leagues better than particle board IKEA stuff and don't cost a fortune.

https://grainwoodfurniture.com/

Thrift stores like goodwill in the nicer part of towns. You wont always find something good or something that matches your room. But you can find a lot of well kept furniture and clothes for cheap. People who are more well off tend to donate the things they replace in order to get receipt for tax right offs. Ive never personaly gotten furniture at one, but i know friends and family who have. The biggest thing i got was a full set of travel bags 3 good size good brand for 60 dollars. Ive had them for over ten years and they're still in good shape. The other great deal i know of was when my aunt got a beautiful comfy sectional for 200. Had to make three separate trips to move all the pieces but it worked out fine. Just took like 5 hours.

Goodwill.

There really a market for mostly good furniture, it is either buy it for life or just needs to last a few years until the next move.

The great furniture of the past is the $1,000+ stuff that people would save up for years to afford. It cost less then, but it was a similar portion of a paycheck. House/rent, transportation, and food was also a smaller portion of the average paycheck back then too...

I... Honestly love my IKEA dresser. Have used it for 8 years now

I made my last one myself. The hardware store cut the wood to fit and the rest was just glued and ~~screed~~ screwed in.

So Ikea has different qualities as well. Something like Hemnes is made of pine instead of particle board. Those will last quite a while. On the other hand pine is a soft wood so those more expensive hardwood models at the top end you mentioned will last a lifetime.

Thrift stores.

Pro-tip on assembling flat pack furniture: use wood glue and it will last longer.

Department stores can have mid-tier furniture. Like Macy's. My area also has specialized furntiure stores that have mid tier stuff. HOM is one.

Some of the high tier furniture stores have one or more outlet stores.

I'm guessing you'd get more/better help if you were more specific about what part of the US you're in.

Thrift stores, garage sales, Facebook marketplace.

Ikea makes garbage furniture, but I consider them adequate for a dresser for my needs. Not for anything that touches your body during use (such as a sofa). Only items for storage. Well, we have a two-person table and pair of chairs for the kitchen, so I guess I broke my one rule. How about this: not for comfort or relaxing.

Be careful with used furniture to inspect for bedbugs! I don't think secondhand wooden furniture is a good idea myself.