The Dirty Truth about High-End Furniture Stores

Ever say to yourself, “DAMN, furniture is f**ken expensive!”

Yeah, me too.

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As an interior designer, I’ve come across sofas costing over $30,000.00 Canadian dollars. And I thought to myself; damn for that price tag it better come with a live-in maid. I mean seriously. What’s the deal with these high-end furniture stores? I do believe the saying; you get what you pay for. But, some high-end furniture prices are absolutely astronomical.

With thousands of products all at different price points and so many conflicting reviews, being a consumer is challenging. Most of the time I am in the market for an item, I end up completely confused and end up buying nothing. Ah, yes nothing like the paradox of choice.

Recently, I became interested in purchasing a cordless vacuum. So, I began my research and after hours on Reddit, Amazon, and Google I ended up more confused than ever. I wanted to justify the cost of buying an expensive vacuum but I became too scared to invest in an expensive vacuum if there was a chance it would completely go to sh*t in a year or two. Appliances are just aren’t made the same way as they used to be built. In fact, it seems as if all goods, including furniture is not built to last anymore. 

There’s nothing like the old school furniture baby…

Before the 2000’s, the furniture market was not so fast.

Ah, yes remember the dreaded matching wood bedroom furniture sets? Yea, I’ll be honest and say I’m not a huge fan of matching bedroom furniture sets anymore. But, those furniture pieces were really made to last. People would spend a pretty penny on these bedroom sets with the mindset of keeping these furniture pieces forever. The furniture pieces made back in the day can really stand the test of time, the pieces were made out of solid wood and often times handmade. 

Fast fashion furniture hit the market

So what changed post the early 2000’s? Well, a lot. In short, people had less money to spend and cheaper made furniture hit the market. 

Once this happened the perspective of furniture changed. A $6,000 table looks soooo much more expensive once a $600 table hits the market. And let’s face it, a lot of people like cheap (even me on occasion and some would call me bougie). But, of course, there is still a market for high-end furniture.

The question is, does the quality still justify the cost?

The short answer is, it depends on where you are buying from.

Now, let me give you some inside scoop into high-end furniture stores.

As an interior designer, I’ve purchased from many different vendors. This means I have a lot of first-hand experience in dealing with these vendors and getting feedback from my clients in regard to how their furniture wears over time. However, the most insight I’ve ever gained into the furniture industry is was while I worked for a high-end furniture store.

The time I worked for a high-end furniture store

I worked in the back end. Meaning, I was in direct communication with the actual furniture wholesalers and manufacturers. I won’t say the name of the company but it is one of the most high-end furniture stores in Toronto. I mean a coffee table from here is a minimum of $2,000.00.

The takeaway from working at a high-end furniture store is that they lie.

What do they lie about, you ask…

Well, mainly where they source their products from. A table could say ‘made in Italy’ but in fact, the table was coming from China. Now, nothing against Chinese furniture or anything, but if you’re paying for fine Italian craftsmanship you should actually get that. You may be asking, how is this legal?! Honestly, I do not know if it is. But, I was told to keep it hush-hush, not even the sales reps could know where the furniture was actually coming from.

Now, I will say they did not lie about the origin of every single piece of furniture. But, still, lying about the origins of a handful of expensive furniture pieces is enough to question the integrity of the company. Who knows what else they’re lying about…

Once I ditched this job and became a full-time interior designer, I became very very picky with where I sourced my furniture from. If my clients are going to be paying an arm and a leg and maybe even a toe for furniture, they should be getting what they’re paying for. 

Read about the truth working in the interior design industry.

Where to get quality high-end furniture

The way I ensure that a furniture piece is of quality and worth the money is to source from small-scale custom furniture vendors. 

There are so many benefits of going with custom-made furniture, here are a few:

1. The design, colours and materials are all customizable; giving you the opportunity to adjust the piece to your liking
2. Your dollar is supporting small and local businesses who have taken the time and effort to perfect their craft
3. Usually more affordable than purchasing from high-end furniture stores

Going custom really ensures you get quality that is unmatched by most high-end furniture stores.

I have to be realistic. The average person cannot afford to go custom for EVERY furniture piece they buy. I mean, if you got it like that, cool.

But, what I would recommend to most folks to really invest in the important pieces in their home such as their dining table/set, sofa, and bedroom furniture. For furniture pieces such as coffee tables, consoles, and end tables, you can get away with the cheaper items on the market. 

Restoration Hardware dining table dupe

A few years ago I worked with a wonderful client named Michael. Michael was a spunky lawyer, he was such a joy to work with and his project ended up being one of my favourite projects to date. When sourcing his dining room table, we came across this beautiful table from Restoration Hardware. 

“Wow, it’s perfect!!!!!!” We thought.

Until we saw the price tag of $25,000.00.

I thought to myself…I could get this table made cheaper and of higher quality. So that’s what I did. 

Here is the end result of his table, I got it made by a lovely local furniture maker for around $12,000.00.

I saved my client $13,000.00 on their dining table

Do you know what I could do with an extra $13,000.00? A lot. I could certainly afford the top-of-the-line cordless vacuum with that!

Plus, I think his table turned out much more gorgeous than the one RH sells (not biased at all). 

My advice is to be cautious of where you’re buying from, especially if you’re planning on investing in some expensive furniture pieces. If it’s in your budget, go custom and local. If it’s not in your budget, consider going second-hand to get some of that old-school quality. Vintage is back baby.

So, that’s the truth about these high-end furniture stores, they lie, like your ex-husband. And your ex-husband wasn’t all that bad but you did second guess where he was going.