How to Shop for High-Quality Designer Furniture at Affordable Prices

If you have an eye for quality and a taste for the stylish and luxurious, stocking your home with high-quality designer furniture is an exciting possibility. But with the average American household spending around $620 on furniture annually and designer prices often running much higher than that for a single item, some shoppers feel discouraged and doubt whether acquiring the elegant pieces they dream about is a possibility at all.

The good news is that high-quality furniture can be affordable, provided you understand what you’re looking for and know a few cost-saving strategies. Based on the offerings of designer and top-quality furniture brands, this guide from DreamSofa will explain what makes furniture “designer,” how to discern high quality and how you can find affordable prices on exquisite furniture.

How to Tell if Furniture Is High Quality

High-quality furniture is any furniture reflecting skilled craftsmanship from reliable materials. This furniture exudes attention to detail, excelling in beauty, durability and functionality. If you’re wondering whether a piece of furniture is high quality, consider features like:

Material: High-quality furniture uses premium, durable materials. Expect to see solid hardwood constructions with upholstery made from natural fibers or high-grade synthetics.
Design: This kind of furniture displays an intentional balance of form and function, conveying a distinct beauty and excellent usability while complementing a space’s overall aesthetic.
Construction: Well-made furniture displays expert craftsmanship, time-honored joinery techniques like mortise-and-tenon joints and sturdy frames. Every inch of the piece of furniture is crafted with longevity in mind.
Upholstery: High-quality upholstery prioritizes durability, ease of maintenance and visual appeal. Fabrics come with high thread counts and tight weaves for superior longevity.
Comfort: Look for premium cushioning and upholstery for a luxurious experience. If the furniture features cushions, they should be responsive, bouncing back into shape after you press them.
Sustainability: Top furniture companies are paying more attention to sustainability, committing to sustainably sourced materials and eco-friendly manufacturing processes.
Warranty: Expert furniture makers often provide a lifetime warranty and satisfaction guarantee, reflecting confidence in the quality and durability of every piece of furniture they produce.

What Is Designer Furniture?

Traditionally, “designer furniture” refers to high-end furniture pieces created by well-known brands with skilled, creative designers. Designer furniture embodies a designer’s artistic vision, adding a distinctive aesthetic personality to any space. If you want a piece by a famous designer you love, look for a certificate of authenticity or another marker to confirm its provenance. The hallmarks of designer furniture include:

Artistic expressiveness
Timeless beauty
Originality
Lasting value
High-quality materials
Premium craftsmanship

While many people dream of owning designer furniture, what they really want is high-quality furniture with distinctive, beautiful aesthetics. If this is what designer furniture means to you, you can explore high-quality custom furniture, which can offer the substance and style of designer furniture at a more affordable price point than designer labels.

What Are High-Quality Designer Furniture Materials?

High-quality furniture materials depend on the type and purpose of the piece. For example, coffee table materials and sofa materials will differ because those pieces serve different functions in your home. Location, price point and style also influence material selection. Overall, the most favored high-quality furniture materials include:

Hardwood: Solid hardwoods like oak, mahogany, walnut, cherry and maple are sturdy and timeless, ideal for furniture frames, tables and cabinetry.
High-grade plywood: Made by bonding multiple layers of thin wood veneers, high-grade plywood offers a lighter alternative to hardwood when necessary for shelves, cabinetry or furniture frames.
Metals: Stainless steel, aluminum, wrought iron and other metals provide strength and durability to frames and bases but can also lend a modern aesthetic to furniture through decorative elements.
Leather: This natural, luxurious material is durable, easy to maintain and a beautiful choice for upholstery.
Fabrics: Popular fabrics include premium natural textiles woven from cotton, linen or wool fibers, or high-quality synthetic fabrics like microfiber. These fabrics offer warmth, comfort and diverse colors and textures for upholstery.
Glass: Tempered or laminated glass is a striking, elegant material for tabletops, shelving and decorative accents.
Marble: Each piece of genuine marble has a unique veining pattern, like a natural stone fingerprint. Marble is also durable and heat-resistant. This combination of distinctive aesthetics and toughness makes it a favorite for tabletops, countertops and other decorative surfaces.
Bamboo: Though it’s technically a grass, bamboo’s strength and durability are comparable to hardwoods. This longevity, combined with its lightness, natural beauty and sustainability, make bamboo an increasingly popular choice for high-quality designer furniture.

How Is High-Quality Designer Furniture Designed and Produced?

High-quality furniture design and production processes emphasize aesthetics, functionality and longevity. The process begins with conceptual design, where designers use computer-aided design software or hand sketching to lay out their vision for the piece. This stage also involves material selection and sourcing to achieve the piece’s functional and aesthetic purposes. If the piece is bespoke, the design choices will bring together the designer’s expertise and the customer’s taste.

Next comes the prototyping stage, where artisans build a prototype to test the design’s practicality. This is especially crucial for pieces sofas that must be ergonomic and comfortable. Based on prototype testing, designers and artisans make any necessary adaptations to the design before crafting the final piece.

Then comes the crafting stage, where artisans shape and join the materials to form the final piece. Finishing touches, like sanding and staining, follow to enhance the piece’s aesthetics and durability. Finally, a rigorous quality inspection ensures that the piece meets the manufacturer’s high standards and is ready to delight the customer.

How Much Does High-Quality Designer Furniture Cost?

Prices for high-quality designer furniture vary depending on the type of furniture, the materials, the designer or manufacturer, and your location. Consider high-quality sofas, for example:

The most expensive luxury sofas from prestigious designers can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
High-end custom and designer sofas typically cost $4,000-$10,000 or more.
The average high-quality or designer sofa costs $1,500-$4,000.
Some high-quality sofas are available for under $1,500.

10 Tips for Buying High-Quality Designer Furniture at Affordable Prices

The general wisdom with high-quality furniture is you get what you pay for. But with a few cost-saving tips in mind, you can acquire high-quality furniture at affordable prices. Here are 10 tips to help you.

1. Consider Your Needs

Start with a clear picture of what you need and want. Are you interested in a coffee table, dining table, bookshelf, sofa or something else? Then, answer the following questions and mark each answer as “need” or “want”:

What materials should the piece have?
What colors and textures should the piece have?
What aesthetic do I want the room to have?
How large should the piece be?
Do I want a piece from a famous designer or just a high-quality piece?
Do I want a unique custom piece?
Does the piece need any special ergonomic or functional features?

2. Remember Your Values

Along with providing value for money, it’s important for your furniture purchase to align with your ethical values. Some shoppers prefer to buy American-made furniture or want to support companies using eco-friendly processes and materials. If you have commitments like these on your conscience, look for furniture companies that uphold the values you stand for as a customer.

3. Define Your Budget

Decide how much you’re willing and able to spend on this piece of furniture. High-quality furniture can last a lifetime or longer, so keep that in mind — it may cost a bit more, but you could enjoy it for decades and even pass it on to the next generation. That said, it’s important to account for your financial means and start with a price range in mind before looking for superior value at that price point. Remember to factor in shipping and delivery if applicable.

4. Know Your Style

Think about the overall aesthetic you aim to create in the room where you’ll place this piece of furniture. It could be minimalist, Scandinavian, industrial or whatever resonates with you — you can shop for high-quality options that cohere to your style. Creating a physical or digital mood board with furniture styles, textures and colors you like can help you clarify your vision as you browse high-quality furniture options.

5. Shop Around Online

The more options you can find, the better your chance of finding a high-quality piece of furniture you love within your budget. Today, you can discover more options than ever before with a simple online search. Experiment with descriptive keywords and filters to refine your search, and explore multiple marketplaces and company websites to compare prices of similar products. Some manufacturers have user-friendly customization tools on their websites, multiplying your possibilities even further.

6. Read Reviews

Always check recent customer reviews before making a furniture purchase. Even if you’re ordering a one-of-a-kind bespoke piece, reviews can give you an idea of a company’s overall quality and customer service standards. Focus on specific feedback about the aspects most important to you, like comfort and craftsmanship.

Many furniture companies share reviews on their websites, but you can also check third-party review platforms and discussion forums to ensure you’re seeing an unbiased sample of user experiences.

7. Look for Sales

Consider timing your purchase around major seasonal sales, like Black Friday, Memorial Day and Labor Day. Look for clearance sales, when furniture companies run significant discounts to make room for new inventory. Some companies offer a discount for subscribing to their newsletter, and these newsletters may share updates about other sales and promotions coming up.

8. Explore Second-Hand Markets

Shopping used is a superb way to find high-quality designer furniture at affordable prices. You can find lightly used furniture through online marketplaces, local consignment shops, thrift stores and estate sales. If you opt for a second-hand purchase, remember to inspect the piece for wear and tear and ask about its history. Many furniture enthusiasts find the hunt for a top-quality piece as thrilling as the find.

9. Cut Out the Middleman

You can save money on high-quality furniture by buying from a company that handles everything from design to delivery in-house. The high cost of designer furniture comes partly from the inclusion of multiple companies in the value chain, each adding their own markup. For example, a typical designer sofa has separate parties that add markups for design, production, distribution and retail. Buying from a furniture company that designs and builds pieces for direct delivery to you can save you hundreds of dollars on designer-quality furniture.

10. Go Custom

Ordering custom furniture can help ensure you get the precise features you want in a presentation tailored to your space. Bespoke furniture can be expensive because of its high quality and personalization, but custom options are available at more accessible price points. Some custom furniture brands offer a fully in-house service to help keep costs down on bespoke pieces. Use online searches to look beyond the top-end designer labels for custom furniture options to suit your budget.

You Can Find Affordable High-Quality Furniture

While designer furniture by famous labels can cost tens of thousands of dollars, you can acquire beautiful, high-quality pieces within a more modest budget when you know what to look for. Define your price range, clarify what features you want and search for custom, discounted or second-hand options that meet your criteria. If you opt for custom furniture, choosing a company that cuts out middlemen will tend to be the most affordable route.

With these tips in mind, you can navigate the high-quality furniture market with confidence and achieve your dream aesthetic while saving money. Enjoy the journey, and relish the satisfaction of finding affordable, exquisite pieces that resonate with your unique taste.