I have to help my parents buy new furniture - they're downsizing to an apartment

[Anonymous]

Check Creative Classics in Old Town. The concentrate on furniture for smaller spaces.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, can you give us an idea where you are located? Is your mom in DC or is the whole family elsewhere?

I strongly second the recommendation for Room and Board if mom is happy with a modern (not trendy) style overall. Their case goods are in general better than their upholstery, and definitely better than those from the other major chains, but in any case their customer service and delivery service are very, very good.

Re Crate and Barrel, I have just been there sitting on every single couch and could not find anything suitable for older people to get in and out of easily. (Shopping for my arthritic self and older relatives.)

Hey - thanks for the response! They are in Bethesda. Mom (alas) is really not happy with modern but maybe we could at least find a sofa there?? Mitchell Gold type furniture would also work for them. She said she realized that their (ancient) custom sofas in the living room just aren't comfortable. They need a small dining set that could be expanded for family dinners. They need new recliners. They need beds. They will have a very small den that we aren't sure how they're going to configure yet - I suggested a pullout sofa if anyone wants to stay. They're currently in a 5BR home with LR, DR, kitchen, Family room, den, finished basement. It's going to be a big transition....!!

You're welcome! I've been shopping for a downsized house myself for aging in place, so I feel like I've sat on everything.

Room and Board further tip: If she wants to go in person, tell her to go to the 14th St. store. The Bethesda store just has a handful of items and looks like a clearance floor, whereas at 14th she could see almost everything IRL. That could be combined with a trip to Mitchell Gold, about which...

Mitchell Gold: pros—their quality and service are very good and she could sit on lots of different things. I have a 22yo sofa and a 3yo chair from them and both are great. Cons—they are currently saying 14-16 weeks for upholstery, which may be longer than she could wait? And much of their furniture is somewhat overscaled, though they have a good selection of chairs of various sizes. Also, it IS worth joining their Comfort Club for a huge discount on any furniture. More than pays for itself.

Hot tip, and possibly the best choice for sofas and chairs: Random Harvest! In Bethesda and a few other area locations. Everything they sell is smaller-scaled. A more traditional look but not fussy. I feel like this is an age-appropriate experience. Very nice people. And the prices are *much* more reasonable than in the other independent boutiques like Kellogg Collection etc. They do mainly upholstery but have some case goods like sideboards. Since she's in Bethesda, I'd STRONGLY recommend stopping in for a browse and a chat with them. They're at Woodmont Triangle around the corner from the Starbucks. Only open limited days a week, so check before going: https://www.randomharvesthome.com/contact

Also in Bethesda: Hardwood Artisans. They are not cheap and their stuff is in a fairly specific Craftsman-style niche, but very beautiful, and they are pleasant, responsive people. Worth a visit since she is local.

Urban Country at the end of Bethesda Row: they have an extensive upholstery collection but I've found their staff snooty and most things are overscaled. They used to be great—like, in the '90s at their old location—but I don't recommend them these days.

On dining sets and beds, I have no good advice but am curious what others suggest. I need a new bed myself and would love a more traditional style.

[Anonymous]

Random Harvest is good advice, so is Kellogg Collection, without knowing your budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We outfitted my MIL's apartment completely from Article.

I second Article, it's all mid century modern style to fit tiny apartments. Little to no assembly required (screwing feet onto coffee tables for example). This may appeal to your parents who don't want "modern" styles

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d definitely go to room and board. They have an enormous in person selection in DC so you can try out everything, and they’ll ship it for I think 99 bucks. Great quality too.

I have three pieces from room and board and they are by far the worst quality furniture I’ve ever bought with the exception of IKEA.

[Anonymous]

Missing from the discussion: what's you budget? If fairly unconstrained, just go to Mitchell Gold if that's your/their style. If you want more quality construction, consider Urban Country (Bethesda) or Kellogg Collection (Friendship Heights) for sofas from Lee Industries. I like the Belfort suggestion if you want low-medium budget with good price/quality tradeoff.

If you can be flexible with your choices, and don't want to wait on delivery, I'm a big fan of Greenfront in Manassas VA: high quality / well made furniture available off of the warehouse floor (or even schlep down to their mega outlets in Farmville, spend a day or two putting the whole house together).

Lastly, Crate and Barrel can be hit or miss but some of the furniture is made by solid manufacturers (eg Bernhardt), don't be afraid to ask the sales folks who makes a given piece.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, can you give us an idea where you are located? Is your mom in DC or is the whole family elsewhere?

I strongly second the recommendation for Room and Board if mom is happy with a modern (not trendy) style overall. Their case goods are in general better than their upholstery, and definitely better than those from the other major chains, but in any case their customer service and delivery service are very, very good.

Re Crate and Barrel, I have just been there sitting on every single couch and could not find anything suitable for older people to get in and out of easily. (Shopping for my arthritic self and older relatives.)

Hey - thanks for the response! They are in Bethesda. Mom (alas) is really not happy with modern but maybe we could at least find a sofa there?? Mitchell Gold type furniture would also work for them. She said she realized that their (ancient) custom sofas in the living room just aren't comfortable. They need a small dining set that could be expanded for family dinners. They need new recliners. They need beds. They will have a very small den that we aren't sure how they're going to configure yet - I suggested a pullout sofa if anyone wants to stay. They're currently in a 5BR home with LR, DR, kitchen, Family room, den, finished basement. It's going to be a big transition....!!

This is encouraging! Maybe they will see this as a fun chance to get furniture they like versus being sad about what they have to give up. I hope all goes well!

Definitely make sure the pieces are a good fit and the right scale for a smaller place.

[Anonymous]

For our apartment, we consulted with Will at Mitchell & Gold on 14th street. Totally worth it! He will create a layout and help you select fabrics. Complimentary, well you buy the stuff but design is free. He will come measure.

Say a silent prayer that your parents realize they should let go of their furniture from house...my parents held on to their old couches, rugs, it looked terrible in their smaller place.

[Anonymous]

I would suggest Ballards and Creative Classics. Note that Ballards has smaller pieces, but not necessarily on display. But I have found their staff/designers (who are in the store, free consultants) really helpful. And they have a range of styles and options. Creative Classics also carries smaller pieces.

[Anonymous]

I got a super nice simple/small sofa from Mitchell Gold years ago, for our small one bedroom. It now sits in our bigger house. It’s great. Agree with others that if that’s in your budget, work with one of their designers. Totally worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, can you give us an idea where you are located? Is your mom in DC or is the whole family elsewhere?

I strongly second the recommendation for Room and Board if mom is happy with a modern (not trendy) style overall. Their case goods are in general better than their upholstery, and definitely better than those from the other major chains, but in any case their customer service and delivery service are very, very good.

Re Crate and Barrel, I have just been there sitting on every single couch and could not find anything suitable for older people to get in and out of easily. (Shopping for my arthritic self and older relatives.)

Hey - thanks for the response! They are in Bethesda. Mom (alas) is really not happy with modern but maybe we could at least find a sofa there?? Mitchell Gold type furniture would also work for them. She said she realized that their (ancient) custom sofas in the living room just aren't comfortable. They need a small dining set that could be expanded for family dinners. They need new recliners. They need beds. They will have a very small den that we aren't sure how they're going to configure yet - I suggested a pullout sofa if anyone wants to stay. They're currently in a 5BR home with LR, DR, kitchen, Family room, den, finished basement. It's going to be a big transition....!!

You're welcome! I've been shopping for a downsized house myself for aging in place, so I feel like I've sat on everything.

Room and Board further tip: If she wants to go in person, tell her to go to the 14th St. store. The Bethesda store just has a handful of items and looks like a clearance floor, whereas at 14th she could see almost everything IRL. That could be combined with a trip to Mitchell Gold, about which...

Mitchell Gold: pros—their quality and service are very good and she could sit on lots of different things. I have a 22yo sofa and a 3yo chair from them and both are great. Cons—they are currently saying 14-16 weeks for upholstery, which may be longer than she could wait? And much of their furniture is somewhat overscaled, though they have a good selection of chairs of various sizes. Also, it IS worth joining their Comfort Club for a huge discount on any furniture. More than pays for itself.

Hot tip, and possibly the best choice for sofas and chairs: Random Harvest! In Bethesda and a few other area locations. Everything they sell is smaller-scaled. A more traditional look but not fussy. I feel like this is an age-appropriate experience. Very nice people. And the prices are *much* more reasonable than in the other independent boutiques like Kellogg Collection etc. They do mainly upholstery but have some case goods like sideboards. Since she's in Bethesda, I'd STRONGLY recommend stopping in for a browse and a chat with them. They're at Woodmont Triangle around the corner from the Starbucks. Only open limited days a week, so check before going: https://www.randomharvesthome.com/contact

Also in Bethesda: Hardwood Artisans. They are not cheap and their stuff is in a fairly specific Craftsman-style niche, but very beautiful, and they are pleasant, responsive people. Worth a visit since she is local.

Urban Country at the end of Bethesda Row: they have an extensive upholstery collection but I've found their staff snooty and most things are overscaled. They used to be great—like, in the '90s at their old location—but I don't recommend them these days.

On dining sets and beds, I have no good advice but am curious what others suggest. I need a new bed myself and would love a more traditional style.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! And thank you as well to the person who mentioned Kellogg Collection - I know they have purchased furniture there in the past.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for Random Harvest. This was years ago, but got a small scale 6 person dining table with built in leaves that expands to fit 10-12 for big family dinners. I like Room & Board for sofas and beds. They've held up well so far.

[Anonymous]

Not the OP, but I wanted to thank the PP who mentioned Creative Classics. I went there today. Their prices are really good and they have a lot of customizable wood furniture, like expandable tables, which might be great for OP's parents. The number of attractive sofas was fairly small, but for what they did have, the prices were very good, like ⅓ of Kellogg Collection-level prices and a little under Random Harvest prices, with a ton of fabric choices. I'd say overall they look more about comfort than design, but definitely worth a visit. And a Random Harvest branch and Calico Corners are within a block, to make a trip to Old Town worthwhile.