This is a question many of us kick around when we are about to buy new furniture. One that can get pretty interesting once you break it down. Back in my Dad's day you could buy completely solid oak bedroom set for 199.95 retail, Bassett made the one I'm thinking of and was as recent as 1975. For a time during the 90's you'd be hard pressed to find a completely solid wood bedroom set. Even the most expensive manufacturers strategically placed MDF (maximum density fiber) board in areas of items that had very little stress placed on them to keep costs low. Today with the popularity of overseas outsourcing and its cheap labor I'm seeing a lot more solid wood (or if it's not solid it's been very well hidden), but solid "what type of wood" is the question. Well to be honest there's no telling, most manufacturers use a variety of different hard woods that will absorb stain in a similar manor. Products are still well built and will last but gone is the story of solid Ash, solid Birch, or solid maple.
So what distinguishes the different furniture producing manufacturer's and how are they similar? I can only think of one main way they are similar, most if not all have overseas plants where their items are fully manufactured or partially built and finished in the states. Where they differ is simple yet complex... Brands are broken down in to three main categories by the furniture industry. Promotional, Middle end, and High end, this is done mainly by the price of their items.
Promotional manufacturers have a very low price point in the market, some of their bedrooms suits are what we call print wood where they take a type of particle board and basically wall paper it to get the look they want. The living rooms suits are scaled down just a bit as well as less padding and wood in the areas where there is little to no stress,( usually the side panels and back of a sofa). While these products are considered promotional they hold up very well and are great starter products for young couples and kids bedrooms.
You can find a 2-pc living room suit for under 9.95 with promotional brands and a bedroom suit for under 9.95. Most of the leather upholstery are bonded leather and married to the frames and priced as low as 9.95 for a sofa.
Ashley Furniture got its start as a promotional brand and while they still have many products in the Promotional End they have crossed over into Middle End with their Millennium Collections.
Middle End is where things get interesting. The best analogy is to think of it as our Middle Class; you have low middle, middle and upper middle. All of the Middle End Manufacturers produce very good products, most of their cost saving happens in the finish process of the case goods and their upholstery cost saving comes in their simple yet popular designs and in their fabrics options.
The Low Middle Manufacturer's strongest price point is the 9.95-9.95 sofa and their bedrooms suits strength is under 99.95. Leather upholstery is typically matched or bonded and normally pricing is around 9.95 for a leather sofa. Vaughan Bassett and Ashley Furniture are a few of the Low Middle style lines but they do cross over into the Middle area.
The Middle Manufacturer's price points span from 9.95-1099.95 in their sofas and 99.95-4999.95 in their bedrooms. Here you'll find more fabric options and a bit more design in the upholstery. Some of the more popular examples in the Middle End are Broyhill Furniture, Lane Furniture, Riverside Furniture, Samuel Lawrence Furniture, Legacy Furniture, Lea Furniture and Universal Furniture.
The Upper Middle is high end for a lot of areas, prices on sofas start around 99.95 and leather sofas are All Leather ranging from 99.95 to 99.95. While a lot of the Upper Middle companies dip into the Middle areas their bedrooms suits typically run from 99.95 to 99.95. Here you have a lot of fabrics to choose from and also fringe options. Many have a Customer Own Material price where you can purchase your material elsewhere and send to the plant where they will put it on the sofa. Examples of some Upper Middle lines are Kincaid Furniture, Lexington Furniture, Stanley Furniture, American Drew Furniture, Bradington Young, Sam Moore, Hooker Furniture and Bernhardt Furniture.
High End quite honestly is an area I am still learning about, I've sat on a retail ,000.00 upholstered sofa looked at a queen size bed, wardrobe and night stand priced retail for ,000.00. The key word in High End is Custom; you have a lot of options in many of the High End lines, and I'm not just referring to the upholstery. You can customize tables, finishes, bedposts and many other items in bedroom and dining room collections. High End is all about the story, while the basic construction is the same as in the Upper Middle End, you have finishing processes that have multi steps and may be hand rubbed. The fabrics are some of the most exquisite designs and material on the market made by some of the most famed designers and the list goes on. High End Companies spare no expense to create a story that will say to their customer... You've made it... You are elite and you deserve the best of the best... And it shows in their prices. Some examples of High End lines are Century Furniture, Marge Carson, Maitland Smith Furniture and Henredon Furniture.
So back to the question we started with. Which manufacturer is best for me? Well it all depends on you, where do you fall in the areas I've discussed? You can find good quality that will last in every area and we purchase according our budget and view of what furniture is to us. I personally have an item in my home from every area except the High End and I'm sure the day will come when I will have a High End item as well... probably after marriage... I hope this has been helpful or at least interesting to read.
