Furniture

Jeff and I went shopping for a new dining room set in Orange and Milford. Every chain store we went into had tables and chairs in veneer, not solid cherry or mahogany.

At the fourth store, I asked a sales person if they sold any solid wood furniture. The salesperson looked startled and said, this isn't a hundred years ago when people built real wood furniture, now everything is veneer. She also said that veneer has a bad reputation and it is much better than it once was. The sales person tried to convince me that solid wood furniture would be impacted by the New England seasons and was likely to warp or split. (Yes, she really said this).

I realize that for $3,000 ( the price of the dining room sets), you will not get solid wood. Our solid ash kitchen table and chairs cost more than that 15 years ago. I  just wanted to view some dining room sets that would be possibilities, regardless of the price. After six stores, we headed for home feeling discouraged.

Jeff suggested we try to find some stores who deal in Nichols and Stone. This type of store would carry solid wood furniture. There is an Eldred Wheeler store in Wilton, that sells handcrafted furniture. Our Westport family has also suggested that high end consignment shops might have dining room sets.

Our search will continue another day.