Choosing Furniture
The Case for Cheap
Reason #1: Kids
Let's go visit another friend's house. When his mother went into a care facility, she gave him a family china cabinet, chairs, the heaviest sofabed I and three other guys have ever lifted, a dining table that barely squeaked through the patio doors, and a treadle sewing machine that weighs a lot more than you'd think.
A week later, his wife announced that she was pregnant. China cabinet: thin, almost waferlike glass. Store it. Sofabed: impossible to protect against diaper-changing mishaps, food mishaps, and fingers catching in the mechanism. Gone. Dining table: finish won't take the spills, takes up too much of the possible play area. Toast. Glass-topped coffee table, treadle sewing machine? Yeah, right.
Now the house was empty. What to put in?
The first items they bought for the living room were inexpensive ottomans, about two feet across, about a foot and a half high. The tops came off so you could store things (like diapers or toys) inside. The covers were washable. Then a couch, light and not expensive. You can move it for kid's parties, and the arms are more cush. Again, a washable cover. Throw rugs. Sturdy, high lamps with broad bases. The kitchenware has of course gone plastic for now.
It was unapologetically baby-proof. And despite the cheaper look, it had a style to it: flexible but strong. And most of it will go away when their little girl is about five. This just in: another child due in July. Well, eventually the china cabinet and that sewing machine will make it back.
Reason #2: Fashion
If you spend a couple of hours per month looking at fashion mags, forget the 1892 china cabinet that you just drooled over at the antique shop. Yes, you can drape it in that bolt of faux leopard material you just bought for $5 at a yard sale. You can stuff your punked out troll dolls in it. You could wrap it, Christo style. But at the end of the day it'll still be an 1892 china cabinet, sadly alone and sucking energy out of a loft full of edgy furniture pieces. You want to see old china cabinets? Go to a museum.
Reason #3: Nobody Ever Sees it.
Forget expensive shelf modules for the garage. Simple hangars for the walls and strong, wide shelves will do. If you usually move tools and parts around the work area as you work, you shouldn't need "special" tool holders until you're really sure where they'll always go.
In buying expensive furniture, you look for style. In cheap furniture, you look for construction. Does the piece look like it will hold the weight of what goes on it? Remember that the material may not be as strong as it looks. On the underside of a table, you want to find bracing plates. Push floor models around a little. You don't want side-to-side flexibility in a dresser.
Final Note: Futons are an insult that should be strictly reserved for guests you're not fond of. Even the most expensive ones I've seen are not as comfortable as they look; just sitting on one makes me long for a simple kitchen chair.