High-Low: Painted Dressers
Let’s compare and contrast, shall we?
On the left is a 3-drawer dresser from Maine Cottage. It comes in your choice of 40 colors, is made of maple. and retails for $1,990. Shipping is an additional $425. The total cost equals $2,415.
On the right is another 3-drawer dresser. This one from Furniturea. It comes in 24 colors, is also made of maple and the dimensions are similar. The price is $1,450. Shipping is $174. Total cost? $1,624.
The difference in cost is $791. Here are a couple of facts you should know. First, they’re both made by the same company – Furniturea. Second, you have to assemble the less expensive dresser.
Which one would you buy?
Editor’s Note: I was in error when I said the Furniturea dresser required assembly. It comes fully assembled. Sorry for my Brain Fail.
9 Responses to “High-Low: Painted Dressers”
Avatars are randomly assigned unless you get your own
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Posted by Joe Posch on February 16th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Well cha cha! Once again the difference is in the details!
The assemble-it-yourself dresser gives no details about construction, but here’s what I liked about the more expensive dresser: “Super smooth metal drawer glides offer maximum utility. Hinges are european style, self closing hardware offering smooth operation and simple adjustability.” I think it is safe to say the cheaper dresser lacks these details.
Also the pre-assembled version is inevitably going to be more solid, simply because the pieces will be joined with glue as well as (presumably) screws.
So it depends where the dresser will be used I guess! For a guest room I’d go with the cheaper one, but if it is something I am going to interact with every day, I liked the more refined details of the drawer closure and the solid build of the more expensive dresser.
One tip: try and talk Maine Cottage out of the “white glove” delivery service. You will have to get the dresser off the curb and into your house, but there is money to be saved there if you’ve got access to a little brawn!
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Posted by Brian Haddock on February 16th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Some additional facts to use to make your decision…
Both dressers come fully assembled.
Both dressers are supplied with identical hardware.
Both dressers utilize identical construction techniques.
Both dressers are finished identically.
Both dressers are shipped “white glove”
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Posted by misterarthur on February 17th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Well, since, Brian Haddock has evened the score from a manufacturing pov, I guess you have to decide how much it’s worth to you to say you got it from Maine Cottage rather than Furniturea. My guess is, not much, which kicks the legs out from under the real worth of “branding”. (I assume more people know about Maine Cottage than they do Furniturea). That, in a nutshell, is the problem the internet is causing for advertising agencies. With a little digging, (and an expert Sherpa like Design Hole) you can find out the real back story about anything. From real people, no less!
By the way, I think Joe Posch raises some good points. If the information that’s readily available is wrong, or lacking in details, it’s easy to make the wrong choice. Second, he gives some good tips about what makes furniture solid, durable, and a pleasure to own.
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Posted by momsy on February 17th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
I like the lines of the first one better, but in “real life” I would search second hand sources for something similar and paint it myself.
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Posted by sippicancottage on February 19th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
I do believe that the fellow that runs Furniturea used to work for Maine Cottage Furniture.
BTW, and I don’t have to put any qualifier like “I do believe” in this sentence:
Furniturea is without question the worst name ever for anything.
They can tell everyone to mispronounce it all they like, and they do — telling you it’s “fern-it-chur-ah,” but it ends with the word urea and that’s that. Pisspoor marketing, there.
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Posted by Jennifer on February 20th, 2009 at 8:31 am
Hah! I couldn’t agree more. Of course everyone is going to pronounce it”Fern-It-Chur-Rea”. Including me. Is it bad enough for them to change it?
Misterarthur suggests “Furniture-ahh!”
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Posted by Brian Haddock on February 22nd, 2009 at 12:09 pm
to correct the facts a 2nd time…
The fellow who runs Furniturea was never an employee of Maine Cottage but his company has been building their wood furniture since 1992. And, oh by the way, designed both bureaus in this post.
As for the name, well, “…you can’t please all of the people all of the time”. The response to our name has been very positive, your pun notwithstanding. The response to
our designs has been positive as well, and that’s what most important for us. Folks can pronounce our name any way they want.
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Posted by Jennifer on February 23rd, 2009 at 10:52 am
Brian,
Thanks for letting our readers know that you designed both products. It’s obvious that you’ve got a great eye for design.
Please don’t take the jokes about the name too personally. I’m afraid we’re just having fun. I hope you weren’t offended.
I’d go with the cheaper one and assemble it myself and with the money I saved…well I’d spend on something else to go in the room!