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Can anyone help me find the holy grail of sofas:

Chic, yet with removable, washable everything, in a fabric that resists kitty claws, that does not look like a frumpy, bumpy, slipcovered marshmellow?

Has anyone with pets/kids etc. considered uhpolstering with the tougher fabrics made for outdoor furniture?

Excuse me? Since when is $999 for a single piece of furniture in a student's budget?

That's easy seeing as the very sofa we bought is pictured.

jamie pup, i thought of you immediatly on this one!!

Dig, when you find that dream sofa, let me know!

I can see myself spending >$1K on a sofa someday--we could even swing it financially--but with two kids under age six...no way.

When I was growing up my great-aunt and great-uncle had this huge rambler and kids were just Not Permitted in the front room until they were old enough and responsible enough to be around the nice furniture. My family's house just isn't big enough to rope off a whole room.

I agree about $999 being too much for a student to spend, although technically speaking, "up to" $999 does include my student couch budget of $0 couches (found on the street or inherited from previous students).

Dig, this does not include your requirement of washable everything, but I got the Apollo sofa from Storehouse ($1100-ish) in a fake velvet material that you can wipe off with a wet cloth, and which my cats are not interested in scratching because the material doesnt have any hooks for them to catch their claws on.

I'm a B&Ber myself (Solo Collection). But, from what I can see being up and about NY the survey is about right.

i wouldn't call a thousand bucks cheap. my bf and i are 'professionals' but still didn't want to spend a ton on a nice sofa. a student's sofa budget, in my quite recent experience, includes whatever one can find on the sidewalk.

for the affordable yet chic and comfy sofa, though? room & board in soho. no frigging question. i'm a fan.

Yes, perhaps the lower category is too high for po' folks.

I like to mix cheap and expensive. I spend lots of $$ on custom upholstered pieces and then cut corners with things like shelving and tables.

I heart IKEA!

I was all set to shell out about $3k on a handmade wooden sofa from Boca Grande -- http://bocagrandefurnishings.com/web/ (a source discovered through AT)-- but it would've required reacquaintance with that nasty 4-letter word "d-e-b-t." So I settled on my Mitchell Gold 'Ava' [http://mitchellgold.com/ava_UPH.asp] from Housing Works for $275 instead. Completely different style, but it works fine and I can still pay for groceries.

I spent under $999 on a sofa bed from Jennifer Convertibles. It's not exquisite, but quite lovely indeed. Sturdy, comfy, and fits in with the design of the space--which is not a dorm room ;).

I can't spend five grand on something my cat is going to throw up on.

I think that attaching new retail stores to the price ranges gives a flase sense of the 'style' of the folks who fall into each price category. Buying used or discounted furniture is a technique probably employed by many of those in the lower two categories. Certainly in the lowest one.

$1000-$2500 Affordable
under $999 Cheap

Forgive me: Would it be possible to use less snarky category names? $1000-$2500 is not "affordable" for everyone; pushing $1K is not "cheap" for everyone (and there are probably sofas in that price range that are LESS "cheap," i.e. better values, than those in the higher price ranges).

Isn't there an old expression from Findhorn along the lines of, Making something out of something is nothing; making something out of nothing, THAT's something.

Please: More on bang-for-your-buck artfulness; less on throwing around money on high-end things.

I think the 1000-2500 range is rather wide too. Less than a year ago, I bought a sofa that, with tax, delivery and all that ended up setting me back about $1,400. Of course, i did not have this money outright though. The base cost of the sofa was probably about 1100 (Ventura from Storehouse). Would I have ever even considered approaching that $2500 mark? No. This sofa replaced a street find I had during grad school. Right after college when I felt I needed "grown up" furniture, I got a sofa from Jennifer Convertibles for 299...that I still had to make payments on! (Glad I didn't have this blog then...) I was able to sell it to someone for $250 when I moved, though, so I felt OK about it. I really do think the $1000-1500 mark pushes most peoples budgets. All of my professional friends have either spent similar amounts or can't even bring themselves to spend that...guess we're all in the wrong professions!

I've found the perfect place to get knock offs (1,100) of the higher priced sofas (3,500), without giving up the quality. Unfortunately, I'm afraid to post it here as it's a real find and I still need to buy my sofa. Hopefully within the next two weeks.

Stay tuned!

Yep Kathryn, we do go way back when it comes to B&B sectionals don't we?

BTW Angie, we bought the B&B Dadone with a wool/cashmere covering in light grey just before the arrival of our twins and it has stood up well to abuse from them. One of them peed on it (yes, traumatizing for me at the time), they have drawn on it with ballpoint pen (goo gone for pens was awesome), splashed finger paint on it, jump all over it and off it regularly (it's a perfect height for toddlers) and it still looks fine.

Foaming resolve upholstery cleaner works very well as does the aforementioned googone for ink so our decision to buy furniture that we liked regardless of our children (sounds so cruel) paid off.

As I once said to Pixie when we were discussing age of mattresses (I said you prolly change your mattress as often as you change your sofa), how often do you change a sofa? Not that often so $5K for maybe 10-15 years of use is not that bad when you compare it against, say, the cost of clothing over the same time period.

jamie pup, you make a good point about the aggregate cost of clothing over a five-year period vs. the one-time cost of a sofa that's being used for five years. The only counterargument I have is that many of us aren't able to pay-as-we-go for a sofa, as we can with the wardrobe we accumulate. I know it's supposed to be "buy quality and it only hurts once" but sometimes, your budget has a very low pain threshold!

What I want to know is, where is the option for those of us who got pricey sofas for a third of the cost thanks to Craigslist postings like "Leaving the country -- everything must go now"?

I can sympathize with the comments that $1,000 isn't cheap for a student budget, but I have friends who won't buy a qualtiy sofa, despite spending well over half a million for their condo. NO money left for furniture I guess.

$5K amortizes well... but you still have to come up with the money.

I decided to live with the socio-economic onus that our custom-built 6-foot sofa is "affordable." It certainly was affordable -- we could afford it. And I won't have regrets if we suddenly move to a climate where it won't work... or decide to sell everything we own and move to Europe. We've talked about doing both.

When I was actually a grad student, blowing $250 for a settee from Pier 1 was a big investment in "real furniture." That was before the days of Craig's List.

This poll makes me wonder...

Does anyone have a sample budget to share? I'm not in NY, which makes me wonder what sort of numbers people are working with. Obviously, an apartment in NY is much, much more expensive every month than an apartment in DC.

The second question that comes to mind is whether the book is based on NY figures, or general figures. It says that you should put 2-3 months worth of rent into decorating the apartment (I think? Might be 3-4, I'd have to look).

Thoughts?

I think the 1000 - 2500 range is a bit wide. Why jump from 0-999 and then 1000 to 2500? Stick with 1000 dollar increments next time :) There's a big different for many people between $1k and $2500. We spent $1500 on our new sofa a few months ago and that was pretty much our tipping point. Anything more than that would have been wasted, and frankly most of the more expensive ones we tried out didn't look or feel anywhere near as comfortable as the one we ultimately ended up buying.

I was lucky enough to get a Mitchell Gold sofa at Restoration Hardware in 2000 when the floor model was being sold (discontinued style). Including delivery it cost me $800.

I guess I'm in the minority in the $5000 and up group--I was very disappointed when I priced the 'Charles large' sofa---the one I liked was way over $10,000. Too much for me. Maybe there should be another category!

There is something to be said for the quality and customer service involved when you pay (way) more than $5K.

I chose a chenille-y type upholstery for my B&B sectional sofa. After it was delivered, I noticed some irregularities in the fabric on the sectional side. The were pretty subtle, but I pointed them out to my sales associate via digital photos and B&B Italia has agreed to replace the covers entirely.

Granted, it will take another 8-12 weeks, but I got to choose an entirely different fabric (no chenille this time).

re: Student Budget
That's why it says "under."

gigi--
re: "less on throwing around money on high-end things."
It's a matter of priority and perspective. To some, for whom furniture is important, a sofa is a quality investment, and "high end" does not equal "throwing money around."

i believe in the big investment pieces like sofas and mattresses. if you were going to save money for a big purchase these are the items to go fo instead of that it bag . wouldn't it be better to have a great sofa instead of a room of so so furnitue.
there are ways around this buy a good used piece and have it reupholstered. the nyt did an article about a year or two ago about finding a good piece at the flea market or thrift shop and if it is worth a redo.

I'm with Sue & Darner...I try to buy quality but definitely for less. I have an ultrasuede queen sleeper sectional from Jennier Convertibles, worth $1600, that I bought sealed off the floor for $700. I would never spend $1600+ for a sofa in a rental, unless I knew I'd be living there for 10+ yrs. If moving or changing lifestyle I want to be able to resell my furniture at a good recoup price.

Storehouse replaced my sofa with a similar defect as Kathryn's. Hey, if you can spend $5000 on a sofa, go for it. I mean, people spend way more on fancy cars, and at least for New Yorkers, you most likely don't have that expense. I'm just saying that for most people I know (once again, maybe I need richer friends!) $1500 is a heck of a lot! My sofa's really the most expensive piece of furniture I own. I also think that there are things aside from quality that make up a price.

I don't think I was very clear.

Of course if you don't have $5K for a sofa then no amount of amortizing rationalization will enable you to buy it. I'm talking about having the money for it in the first place.

We had the money for our sofa but still had to think of how long we would keep it etc.

It depends on your priorities in your home in addition to money. I'm willing to spend $100 twice a year to tune my piano (but hey, I'd be willing to sleep under it if I was desperate for space)--over $1200-1500 for a sofa would make me cringe at this point. Even though over time, the sofa's cheaper.... our current one has been scratched to bits by the dog anyway.

It's not necessarily a question of one's "comfort level" with spending, but possibly one's "reality level." I choose to work in a non-profit over a "big bucks" kind of job, and I have huge personal and ethical issues with the credit system, so I spend only what I have or can save. Spending over $1000 on a sofa when my car (which I need for work) is in desperate need of repairs and winter tires is just insane, to me.

But I actually did take some advice I read on this website awhile ago...somebody (was it Maxwell?) wrote that if you want quality, and you have over $1000 to spend on a sofa, buy new, and if you have under $1000, buy vintage. So I bought vintage! I found a wonderful maple and cane sofa and 2 matching chairs at a consignment store down the road for only $600 CAD.

The question did say "comfort level" so that's what I answered, even though I would be willing to spend more for a piece I really loved. However, if I felt that I needed a really high-end sofa, I would honestly try to find a used one in good shape somewhere first. But that's me, and I actually enjoy drawing up budgets and monitoring my bank account.

I do think that the names assigned to the categories had to influence people, even though this obviously isn't "real" market research.

Dear Patrick: Thank you for your comment and correction. You're right, and I didn't express myself clearly. My point is, it's easy, or easier, to generate lovely results on a large budget. (To be sure, a large budget can generate horrors, too, in the absence of good taste.)

What's really interesting, in my view - and what sets (used to set?) AT apart - is how to come up with beautiful results WITHOUT the mega-bucks, relying more on savvy, discipline, developing a good eye, etc.

There's more and more "you get what you pay for" around AT, and I think that's a cop-out. Yes, you can never make a Versailles on a peasant's budget, but that doesn't mean that the peasant should be dismissed as a person of no interest condemned to live in squalor. I feel that's starting to happen too much on this beautiful, wonderful, inspiring site.

'Nuff for now.

Try Nuovo Melodrom on Grande Steet in SOHO. I just got the Pignolo sofa. It has complete removal of fabric option. I opted for the more expensive "feet" so this cost me about 200.00 more, but I like the look. I got two 79 inch long sofas. Each one was under 1000. bucks.

http://www.nuovomelodrom.net/catalog/product.asp?pro=38

$999 is a month and a half's rent for me. I am on a tight budget, as I try to save so that I can own my own home one day. I don't own a car, I don't eat in restaurants, I don't go on holidays, etc. so there's nowhere to cut to get the money to spend that much on a sofa (or "couch" as I call it).

Wow Karen. Good find. That is the only (slightly lumpy and not exact feet - but can't be beat for the price) copy of the B&B Charles that I have seen for sale. Maceys once showed a very good copy in a sale insert but I guess B&B's lawyers stopped the sale of that one because it did not last for more than a week or so.

My first sofa was from nuovo melodrom (which does copy or knock off established designs) and I could not fault the construction or upholstery. I think it was about $1200 for an ultrasuede covered non-sofa bed version of this one:
http://www.nuovomelodrom.net/catalog/product.asp?pro=49

I was a compromise because I wanted the Charles or Solo sectionals originally but they looked too hard and straight lined to my wife who wanted soft and squashy so we compromised on this.

Neither of us were happy with it and she eventually got to like the sectionals I did (which references something that someone said about becoming more informed in design etc - but I am not saying I had better taste, just more exposure to different designs) so we gave it to her sister (who loves it - not least because ultra suede it the best material for ease of cleaning off kid detritus etc.) and bought the Dadone.

All that to say, Nuovo Melodrom is a fine place to get your knock off sofas from.

You know, I'm just not a fan of sofas. I got one because my mom insisted that I get one and paid for the sucker, but my cat uses it more than I do. I hang out on my bed [back to the wall] or in my armchair. My sofa's comfortable enough, but the minute it entered the picture, my ex colonised it and I just never got used to sitting on it. When friends come over, we leave -- I work from home and I need to get out of the house. I don't think I'd be any happier if I spent more money on it. I just don't need one.

While I probably could swing a $5,000+ sofa if I really tightened the belt, with two cats, a tendency to throw large and raucous parties and highly mutable tastes, I'm not so comfortable splashing out that much money on upholstered furniture.

Overall, I prefer to pair a neutral couch with more extravagant accessory pieces - lighting, side tables, etc. They're harder to damage, more flexible to place in new apartments and are easier to sell if you just plain change your mind. It's like wearing a gorgeous piece of jewelry with khakis from the Gap.

how do you get floor sample deals? Do you just walk into a store and point to the floor model and ask for a cheaper price?

There are annual sample sales!

I should add, since I felt I had to go and make the amortizing remark, that the price ranges also assume we all agree on what a "sofa" is. If we'd been thinking of the sort of sectional that provides almost all of the room's seating, it would have sucked up *at least* the budget of the serious chair in addition to sofa money.

I'm a bit ...obsessive...when it comes to sofas.

I mate for life when it comes to sofas, and so have no compunction about spending over $5K on sofas. My husband will shake his head and say that to me it doesn't matter if we have the money or not...(he the long suffering money manager).

It takes me a long time to decide on what I love, but when I do, I am intransigent. I fell in love with Ligne Roset's Togo set when I was 10 -- two separate family friends had the set (one in a blue-and-white canvas gingham, the other in a beige velour). I vowed that when I moved out, it would be my first sofa -- and so it was. It has fallen apart before my love for it has waned. It is now 16 years old and in tatters. This Christmas (providing I pass my physical), we are being posted to Switzerland, and will be a mere hour or so from the Roset factory. One guess as to what we will be buying (almost) as soon as we get there... (hopefully, we will save on the shipping and duties, and maybe they have factory sales...). Fortunately, my husband loves Togo as much as I do.

The Togo is just my family/tv room sofa though. The SERIOUS sofa of my heart (chosen some 8 years ago) is an Axel Vervoordt sofa (the M-1011), which like all his furniture is stuffed with horsehair and slipcovered in linen, Belgian of course. This is the sort of sofa you leave in your will to your grandchildren -- it is indescructable, and oh so beautiful....goes with modern and antiques. It was so hard to find *the* perfect sofa, but now that we have found it, it is just a question of hauling it home. So when in Switzerland, I will be doing my darndest to find employment (have to give up my job to follow my husband on this posting) just so I can afford the $7K price tag for this sofa (and of course, get an armchair or two to keep it company)

We've just starting retiring old-hand-me-down furniture and wanted a new couch. I live in a city not blessed with cool used furniture ("*That* is supposed to be modern??"), so CL was out. I didn't really have an idea about price, but I was horrified after getting a few quotes. $5k-7k for a piece of furniture?! I thought that I was old fashioned and cheap, but it sounds like I'm in good company.

I ended up buying a relatively inexpensive leather sectional from Eurway:
http://www.eurway.com/sofas.lasso?itemid=2925&categorykey=94&subcategorykey=45&page=1&-session=eo_user:43A6E0EE13a1634B82HsO2941E54
Yes, it's puffier than many people like, but I want to nestle into a cushy corner with my laptop. I know that it won't last forever, but I would prefer to spend money on other things -- like a new kitchen. :)

I put a deposit on the Pignolo sofa and now Nuovo Melodrom has disconnected their phone at their Bronx warehouse. I see a posting from Karen recommending this sofa. If this is the same Karen who sold me the sofa at the SOHO store just before it closed, please let me know who I can contact about getting a refund of my $800 deposit. Please email me at mbfalla@yahoo.com.

I was able to track down the salesperson from Nuovo from another Craigslist posting and I spoke to her and they were having trouble with their phone line for one week. Apparently my sofa is on the way to I wanted to post an update so as not to raise any unwarranted concerns about this company.