Family Furniture

• Price/Value
  While price is a big determining factor, value should be equally if not more important. Make sure you're buying furniture that is worth what you're paying for it. Here is a grid we believe demonstrates the point where value, price, and quality connect. Along the X-axis is price. As you go to the right, furniture gets more expensive. On the y axis is quality. As you go up the y axis, quality gets better. At some point, There won't be a dramatic increase in the quality of the furniture. In other words, the manufacturer has done most everything it can do to make a high quality piece of family furniture. Once this happens, you are essentially paying for other stuff like marketing, pretty displays, brand recognition, etc. (someone has to pay for all those catalogs!). The goal is to get to the point where the quality is the highest it can be for the price. We call this maximum value.
  
  
• Flexibility
  Some people love slipcovered furniture, some people don't. But if we're talking family furniture, it will be important to consider slipcovered furniture. The flexibility alone is big. All kids are messy. Kids don't comprehend how much a piece of furniture costs. No matter how many times you tell them, kids will treat furniture poorly. Slipcovered furniture allows you to wash the slipcovers and eventually replace the cover for a fraction of its original price.
  If not slipcovered, consider a fabric that's really durable. Microfibers might be the best fabric for families. Make sure the fabric itself is high value.
• Durability
  This goes for both the fabric and the frame. For fabrics, durability is in the eye of the beholder. Some believe durability is a function of hiding stains. It may sound strange to put "hiding stains" under durable but we have these conversations all the time. A multi-color fabric does hide stains better. If you are buying upholstered furniture and cannot easily wash the fabric, hiding stains might be really important.
  The fabric/upholstery industry determines durability by how easily the fabric snags. Fabrics with a texture tend to snag. Chenilles are a good example of fabrics that snag easily. If you have pets, don't get a fabric with a texture. The fabric is likely to snag.
  When it comes to the frame, kiln dried and layered hardwood frames are the best quality/value. These frames have been proven to resist cracking/warping and will last longer.
• Warranty
  Usually, furniture is warranty for the length of time it is likely to be useful to the consumer. It's also the amount of time the company has to stand behind it. Furniture warrantys are measured in years. The best quality/value family furniture should come with a lifetime warranty. The reason is simple - although furniture can be expensive, there are enough really high value pieces of furniture with a lifetime warranty. You should need to sacrifice the warranty in order to get a great piece of high quality family furniture that you will be able to enjoy for a long, long time.