Design House Davis Tells All - about home furniture

     Once upon a time, as short a time ago as 15 years, much of the furniture sold in the United States was made in the US. Now - very, very little is made here. There are a few artisan companies left, some like the Amish still exist for religious reasons and are still making products - beautiful pieces -  here in this country. And a very few manufacturers, usually "bench-made" types (as in one at a time - made custom just for you) are holding out in  New England, I believe out of sheer cussedness.
    For the most part, all the big names - like Lane, Stanley, Bassett, Universal, Lexington...etc have long been only distributors for furniture made "off shore".  They have done this ostensibly to keep their furniture prices competitive but sometimes just to make larger than normal profit margins - for marginal quality pieces.
    So what does this mean for you - the occasional furniture buyer looking for consistently good value in a furniture item you want to invest in for long term use and visual enjoyment for that most important location - your home. It means - you can't trust a pretty picture, you can't trust a brand name and you certainly can't trust something you have only seen online.
     You can trust you own self-educated judgement when you can examine something physically there in front of you - or - if you have a trusted authority who has seen and will vouch for the quality of a piece of furniture - and will honestly evaluate items for you....this you can trust.

     Can you find good value in furniture today? You certainly can - and sometimes at surprisingly good prices from companies you have never heard of  - sometimes from brands of the "olden" golden days of the 70's and 80's. But you have to find a brutally honest furniture dealer who does constant research. Then explain exactly what your needs are, what kind of quality you are willing to pay for and relax and enjoy furniture buying without worry.
     In our next blog we will publish a partial list of our latest, safest bets with evaluations. But if you are anxious to acquire specific information email us at designhousedavis@yahoo.com.