Today I’m partnering with Design Within Reach to share 4 tips for buying designer furniture. DWR is having a special Herman Miller Sale right now (through 12/12)! When I was fresh out of college I became introduced to designer furniture through all the design magazines. It was hard to justify in my budget back then, so when I would buy new furniture I would usually end up getting it from a box store. A few years later I saved up and bought my first Eames chair. I loved it. It made my space look so fresh. The next year I bought another one. I slowly added to my collection. I got past the stage of settling for knock offs and would either go to a thrift store and make do with something vintage that had “character ” while I saved up for something designer. Over the years I’ve learned a few things about buying designer furniture and I thought I would share them.

1. If you buy one nice thing every year then soon you’ll have lots of nice things!
This is fairly obvious but I find myself having to still remind myself about this concept. It’s about the long-game. I think about it like a collection. It is so easy to spend a few hundred dollars on cheap stuff from a box store that I either get sick of after a year or is made of poor quality. When if I actually do the math I could have bought the nice thing instead. (continue reading below for my other tips)

2. Designer Furniture Keeps its Value
I find that since classic designer furniture is less trendy I don’t get sick of it as quickly as other furniture. The few times I’ve changed my mind I’ve been able to resell it and it keeps a lot of it’s value.

3. Better Quality + Customer Service
My metal Tolix stools can handle anything my kids throw at them. The quality is so much better than something from a box store. When the foot on one of my Eames chairs came loose four years after I bought it I contacted Design Within Reach and they replaced it immediately. They stand by the quality.

4. Make a Master Plan
I have a list of the furniture I want to acquire long term and every year I buy one or two pieces. I keep my eye on DWR for the sales and they also have an awesome Ebay Store I keep my eye on. My most recent purchase was these gorgeous Cherner chairs that I’ve been wanting for years! They are so pretty.

5. Mix in the Vintage
When I bought these Thonet dining chairs for our studio I bought a few vintage pieces to mix in so that everything doesn’t look so “perfect” and buttoned up.

Have you ever bought designer furniture? What’s on your dream list of furniture to buy?

This post is sponsored by Design Within Reach. Shop The Herman Miller Sale and get 15% off classic designs through 12/12/16.

Photos by Paul Ferney for Oh Happy Day