Lounge suites ... what would you spend$$ on a new one ??

Hi all,

DP & i have gone around in circles on deciding on what lounge suite to buy for our lounge room :rolleyes:

We know we want the following requirements ;

* 2 x 3seater couches
* medium to high grade quality leather
* deep seats
* medium to high backs
* medium to dark brown colour
* not too hard a armrests
* reasonably soft comfort cushions
* not a low sitting couch
* no steel legs (rather wooden)
* Furniture company with 2years interest free payment plan (Focus On furniture shop no longer have it, though Plush furniture shop do ... don't know of any other companies here in Ballarat that do)

It has taken us ages to work out there are some nasty quality & uncomfortable couches out there.

Now here comes the major factor Our Budget ... it was originally no more than $2500 ... BUT found out OMG who are WE kidding here as something not of a dated style & of the above requirements mentioned it is looking like WE need to spend more like near to $4000 ... augh i could buy a cheap car with that :doh:

DP & i are (well maybe more me) are in love with a suite we saw today in the PLUSH shop called " Architect " ... BUT it's $3800. Then there is another called " Xavier " BUT the style looks dated to me but it is cheaper at $3400.

My question to all my fellow BB lovelies .... Would you spend about $3500 to about $3800 on a lounge suite with a small child (our DD will be 3 in May) ??? :rolleyes:

I don't want to get something we are not too wrapt about the look of ... but i don't want to be paranoid every time someone sits on it (mind you WE rarely get visitors) :rolleyes:

Also if anyone has any other suggestions of furniture companies to check out (need to be Ballarat district) ...AND has anyone paid this much $$ on a lounge suite ???? :rolleyes:

I would sooooo appreciate any replies ... THANKS a million in advance :dance:

Cheers from Lorelle xox

P.S - PLEASE NOTE my current lounge suite i bought new 19years ago at Myer for a grand total of $700 (i can't stand the sight of it any longer) and it is screaming out " Take me to the tip ", LOL :ROFL:

If you can pay it off I would go the dearer one, in the long term you'll be glad you did i think cause you'll love it.
We bought a Fantastic furniture leather lounge which has fake leather (not quite vinyl but close LOL)on the backs and places you aren't sitting on, it made it cheaper than a full leather but still as comfortable. We have had it for nearly 7 yrs and if the cat didn't think it wa a scratching post it would be in great condiditon now!!

WIll you be getting any money from the Kevin Rudd thingy?? Maybe that can be the extra on top of your original bidget and you can use that as a deposit if you are going for one of those interest free deals.

ALos if you do get one of those interest freee deals, make sure you pay it off before the interest free period is up. I learnt the hard way!!

Edit- I also think that a leather lounge suite is a good investment esp with a child coming. Think of spills, etc that you will be able to simply wipe off.

I think it's worth spending a little extra on a lounge suite (as long as it's not an amount that would give you sleepless nights) because a) you use it every day and b) it's the focal point of a room.

I think the $400 difference is really negligible when you're talking over $3K anyway so just get the one you like better.

The last thing you want is to be staring at the cheaper one wishing you'd bought the other one.

Ahhh ... I sound so confident. Let me tell you I lived without a proper lounge suite for about three years (I even hung a hammock up at one stage LOL) because I dithered so much and was reluctant to spend big dollars. But once I took the plunge, I didn't regret it.

have you had a look at freedom?

Mid last year we bought a 2 x 3 seater package in chocc high qual leather with wooden legs, high back, soft arm rests and soft but firm cushions from Plush for 2 years interest free...

I think we bought the exact couch you are after! It was $3500 and we have a 11 week old and we have had spew on it and milk and it all just cleans straight off..

I would say go for it!!

Kate

hehe - we went the combination leather from Fantastic Furniture too.. was $1800 I think. The important bits are leather, and that's all we care about :) Has the benefits of leather without the expense! It's been good so far - 2 years on, has 4 recliners in it, all mechanics are still going strong, easy to clean etc etc etc.

As for the original question, would I spend that much on a lounge suite? Nup, not unless I had the cash I don't think.

Yeh, RAINFOREST we looked in Freedom today (thanks for asking ;))... nothing took our fancy there :rolleyes:

KAFER GIRL ... Do you know if you have the Architect or the Xavier ?? (the Xavier has very soft arm rests like pillows and the Architect has wide medium hard arm rests) !!

we have a leather lounge.
Yes things do clean off it so its good in that respect,
but I don't really like it because in winter its freezing and in summer its sticky. We live in QLD though. I guess in Balarat your house may be heated in winter and not so hot in summer.
So not a really helpful reply, but are you sure you want leather, because a fabric one may be alot cheaper.
Oh, if you do want leather, I would go the expensive one that you love (as long as its good quality for the cost) and wait until it goes on sale. They should be having stocktake sales about now.
I fell in love with a bed from freedom and just bought it for $950 marked down from $1599, so sometimes its worth waiting a few months.

I actually get tired of people telling us not to buy nice things whilst we have kids....grrrrr. If you want it & can pay it off go for it. If you can't find one you like in your budget and this one is a good one then I would.

We have a leather couch, it's an L shape couch in Dark Brown & the end seat is a recliner (that is for DH as I hate them as separate seats)....it has very funky modern adjustable headrests. We got ours from Super Amart & it was only around $2500 & we got it on a payment plan. I also love that I can wipe of DS spills & I figure it's only going to wear & tear easily if I let him treat it bad IYKWIM. Though also being in QLD & the current cold snap we are having it's very cold to sit on....I find myself sitting on the floor rug in front of the heater LOL.

What I would like to spend and what I actually have the money for are two very different things atm. DH and I have recently decided to go for the "cheaper" option for now and when the kids are school age we'll upgrade to some thing we really want.

In saying that I won't buy anything that we are not happy to sit in for the next 4/5 years.

Go with what you are comforable with.

We have just brought a chaise lounge, ottoman and 1seater from Plush.. for about $3000. We did it on the 2 years interest free, even though we could afford to pay for it outright. Least we know we have the cash there if we need to pay it off sooner.

It isnt leather - which I know would have been more practical with a new bub but I figured bugger it!! I fell in love with the couch as soon as I saw it and it was exactly what I have always wanted. We have had lots of people say we are silly to get brand new couch, but life is too short to sit around waiting to one day have nice things!

$3-$5k easy. My mums lounge was $5k half price 20 years ago and its still like new.

unfortunately quality costs :(

my ikea lounge is still OK 5 years later but looks older than mum's!

Geez, i still haven't got the lounge suite all these months later ;)

Heliana, great point ... i have been thinking the same thing about leather & a cold Winter may not mix, though we have great heating but it still does take time to warm a house up including the couch :rolleyes: ... As for Summer believe me it gets just as hot as anywhere else, this house has reached 36degrees inside during Summer ... then we installed an airconditioner thank god (I think people don't believe me when i tell them we had a few 40+degrees days this past Summer in Ballarat ... as we do get hot weather) :D

DP doesn't seem to be too keen on a ' fabric' suite i guess cause we not sure what fabric we would get if we did :rolleyes:

We got a new couch when #1 was born, and I wanted leather (or 'leather where it counts :p so the back isn't real leather), because I thought it'd be easier to clean. We paid a little over $2000 I think (from Furniture Galore) and it's still looking good. FIL was a bit dubious, apparently DH stabbed into some vinyl car upholstery with a pen as a kid (who knows why) and FIL predicted it was a possibility ours would do the same, but I figured it was more likely a kid would pee, spew, spill and draw on the couch before they stabbed holes in it, so we took our chances. :p

If you're happy to wait, I'd be inclined to set a budget and then keep an eye out - and of course, the longer you wait, in theory, the more you can save? I just think, yeah maybe a kid will damage it, but what if you get one you don't really like and it lasts forever? :p I think make sure you really like it.

Alternately, I suppose you could get a cheaper one (like Ikea with the interchangable covers or something) until your bub's old enough to understand loss of privileges for a month...you can always sell it on ebay when you're done with it, to get a bit back.