Where would you buy furniture from if money were no object?

[BrimfulOfBaba]

DP and I are about to buy our first home and of course are so excited! We don't own much of our own furniture at the moment and grew up in homes where our parents either inherited furniture or made do with random bits they found/bought in markets.

We have had an unexpected windfall and would like to invest in some lovely bits of furniture. He wasn't impressed by the quality in IKEA and I'll admit I've not been interested in interiors until recently, so don't know where to start looking.

Where would you recommend looking for good quality, classic and stylish furniture?

So many places! I love good furniture.
www.skandium.com
www.vitra.com/en-gb/home
www.finnishdesignshop.com/furniture-c-899.html
www.danish-homestore.com
pinchdesign.com
modernshows.com/shows
www.alfiesantiques.com
www.lassco.co.uk/locations/brunswick-house

www.vinterior.co/

Love hunting around on here and in local shops for original/antique pieces.

dream desk
After three months of WFH we’ve decided to create a real desk area and this is the cream of the crop.
At over €4,000 I might be exaggerating (!) but this company really does make the antiques of the future.

Thank you for the amazing suggestions so far! Going to browse all these links and work up a wishlist :)!

@PicsInRed

Sandringham.

Everyone has their price.

I like your style!!

Roche Bobois?

good choice!

Swoon has some stunning furniture

I don't understand how people see the quality of Ikea as crap. It's indestructable. We have things that are 20+ years old and TBH I wish they would fall apart so I could justify replacing them.

I can see the quality and design in some more expensive options, but really a lot of what John Lewis, Habitat etc sell are exactly the same as Ikea but 2/3/4+ times the price.

I'm about to throw out my last Billy Bookcase and I can't wait. It's rubbish.

I like the links in @AllTheWorldIsGreen but also love Vinterior. If I had lots of money and time and a bigger house, I'd mix lovely modern design with gorgeous antique pieces.

Plus amazing art. Not a crappy gallery wall, but good, original pieces of art that I love. As it is, I can't afford many pieces so I have empty walls. But I'm starting to build up a collection.

I would have a bespoke piece made by these guys. Their work is beautiful!
www.angusross.co.uk/

Arighi Bianchi 💓

West Elm. I love their stuff but, alas, I’m not a Rockefeller.

Omg yes to west elm. But so £££

I'd love some 100% cotton Loaf velvet sofas. They just look so squishy and comfy.

George Smith Furniture.

And so to bed for beds/ bedroom furniture - I’ve wanted one of their sleigh beds for years.

Liberty

Loaf. I dream of everything from loaf

I'd get everything custom made to my exact spec, design and measurements!

We have furniture from a handful of the brands mentioned, and also a couple of well selected Ikea pieces that stand up to any of it (equally, have had some duds over the years!) - so you don't need to write it off completely, just make sure to check it out in person and have it professionally put together.

John Lewis on the other hand, love their beds, lighting, etc. but some of the worst quality furniture I've ever owned.

In answer to your actual question though, custom made all the way!

"some of the worst quality furniture I've ever owned"

Really? Our sofa is good quality.
We don't have any other furniture from JL so can't comment on anything else.

If money were no object, I'd browse Selling Antiques and buy whatever I fancied. I'd find a good joiner to do fitted shelves, and I'd let DP buy the odd bit of modern stuff.

As it is I browse Selling Antiques and get myself down to the local junk shops/second-hand stores/cheapie antique shops.

Most of my furniture is antique, solid brown wood, and it's incredibly durable and practical. I personally like the way it looks, but even if you don't, you'd be hard put to find new stuff as cheap that'd last. We recently got a dining table for £435 which will seat my entire extended family and is beautifully solid, but folds up small enough to be practical for the three of us to eat off. I looked at prices for anything vaguely the same size/flexibility new, and they were all far more expensive.

Definitely, if you are low on money, check out local shops. Don't be put off that they call it 'antique' - you are not looking for flawless, amazing Georgian craftsmanship with the original gold inlay. You are looking for solid Victorian/Edwardian stuff that will reliably give Ikea a run for its money in terms of price, but will be much more long-lasting.

(And, if you are at all tempted by old furniture/antiques, avoid Vinterior. It's hideously overpriced and often isn't worth the money.)

@AnotherEmma I haven't had a sofa, and as I said found their beds brilliant. But had wardrobes, shelves, drawers from a variety of ranges and found all to be lesser quality than the better Ikea stuff.