We've been happy buying from the unfinished wood furniture places--Zadia in Rockville and Saah in Alexandria. They order from a handful of wood furniture companies (companies that don't seem to sell direct to customer). Then you can either pay them to add the finish or you can stain the pieces yourself. It's nice because you get to choose the style and the finish. And it's all solid wood furniture. Pretty simple and classic looking, but we've found it to be quite sturdy. (We have two dressers, two nightstands, a bed, a dining room table, eight chairs, a coffee table, and an entertainment center from them. Of all that, only the entertainment center and dining table have been even slightly disappointing. And we totally cheaped out on the dining table, so we expected that.) Anyway, we've been very satisfied and plan to buy a hutch from them after we finish the toddler era of our life.

We have a bad habit of overspending on furniture. I was skeptical of our inexpensive WM table and chairs. It has held up really well! I did opt for Pottery Barn chair cushions on the seats though.

We got our table and a matching bench here and are very happy. Even w shipping cheaper than crate and barrel. http://www.lorimerworkshop.com. I'm not affiliated with them at all just know how hard it is to buy furniture!

OP here. Thank you to all who replied - very helpful perspective.

Definitely check them out in person. A friend purchased a world market solid wood dining table, chairs and hutch in 2002 and it is still going strong - two moves, four pets, twin boys ... it is extremely heavy and solid wood so if that style appeals to you, I would go for it.

You need to see them in person. If they don't have them in the store I would be wary. They use tropical rubber wood and other woods that are extremely heavy. Also can be way too rustic. I like WM furniture, but only for book shelves and things like that -- not the main event.

I like WM products but you definitely have to see them in person and test them out. We have had 2 different WM tables in our kitchen, and both have been great (had to give one away after a remodel because of size.) The current one is a round pedestal table with a metal top. It's bullet proof. Agree with the PP that the rustic tops are problematic for homework or coloring etc, but that's true of a lot of stores' products (RH etc.)

We have a table that we purchased 2 years ago and we are not happy with.

The table is very heavy and the model we purchased is no longer sold. We purchased a table that had a cement like top and the finish started chipping within a year. We have children who do their homework at the table and were banging their pencil as they were procrastinating as well as a younger child who banged a table utensil and the table chipped.

If you are going to purchased a table - think of getting a smooth top or having a smooth finish for homework papers.

We love our World Market table/chairs. They are big and heavy though. Also, 2 of the six chairs were broken when they were delivered-so be sure to check carefully for damage.

Have you looked at the Basque table at Crate and Barrel? That's a big seller for them and is rustic and traditional in style and comes in a few sizes and has a smoother finish top which can easily be wiped down.

http://m.crateandbarrel.com/basque-honey-65-dining-table/s510010

Have you seen the WM tables / chairs in person? I was surprised at how large they were. Like the chairs were made for a family of giants.

We bought a dining room tables with chairs and bench. Wood still looks great! Love it!

Anonymous wrote:We bought the sourav dining table with benches and chairs from World Market in 2003. It has survived 4 long moves & 3 children. It still looks great and was definitely under $1000.

+1

We bought a solid wood pedestal table and 6 chairs from World Market in 2005. They still look great. I don't remember the exact price but it was definitely much less than comparable pieces at Potter Barn, et al. I only wish it had one more leaf because it is a bit tight at the holidays.

We bought the sourav dining table with benches and chairs from World Market in 2003. It has survived 4 long moves & 3 children. It still looks great and was definitely under $1000.

We need to buy a new dining room table - looking for traditional/rustic rectangular table with 6 chairs in a dark brown finish. Looking for one made from a hard wood, willing to spend $3-$4K if needed. Have kids so want something that will hold up to daily use for meals, homework, entertaining, etc.

Saw some things online from World Market that look nice, but price point is so low, just wondered about quality. Has anyone bought from there, and if so, how has it held up? Obviously I understand this wouldn't be heirloom quality furniture - just looking for something that will look decent for 10 years or so...

Also any other suggestions of where to shop? I haven't had good luck with Pottery Barn wood furniture - it's expensive for poor quality IMO.

Was also thinking I might head to High Point for a weekend, but when I look at the websites, the places down there seem to have a lot of formal dining sets and less of the casual stuff.

Any suggestions appreciated!
Thanks!