My folks spent some good money on teak furniture (dining set, wall units) when they lived in Germany and it’s lasted them 35 years, and is still going strong. And they’ve dragged it around every three years because of Army relocations. I would love to inherit it and finally have the room to do it, but they live halfway across the country from me. But it’s hard for me to imagine spending that much on furniture myself.

I have graduated from Ikea and Target (seriously, Target furniture is TERRIBLE. Everything I’ve gotten from Target, except one thing, has literally collapsed on itself within a year) to more mid-range furniture…that space between Ikea and Crate and Barrel. There is a furniture outlet that buys overstock from fancier furniture stores and sells it for cheap near me. Also, World Market has some nice stuff made from real wood. And if you’re in the Midwest, Art Van is a great midrange furniture store.