I’ve moved to a new apartment, and decided that my ratty old falling-apart furniture I’d inherited from old housemates who’d inherited it from old housemates (and so on) really had to go. As a result, my current collection of furniture consists of a mattress, a small desk, office chair, folding chairs, and a bookcase. Also some floor lamps.
This is clearly not sufficient. Accordingly, I would love the Teeming Millions’ guidance on which furniture to buy, in order of declining priority:
1.) Sofa (either a sofa-bed or a conventional sofa).
2.) TV Stand, capable of supporting a 32-inch flatscreen.
3.) Very small dining table (seats one-two people)
4.) Bed (full or larger)
5.) Recliner
And of course, whatever other furniture Dopers have had a good experience with. If possible, I’d prefer to keep the bill under $1500-$2000.
First, the sofa - folding chairs are not adequate for guests.
Next, tv stand (assuming you have a tv) - primariliy because they’re not to expense.
Next, the bed - you can use the desk as a table.
Next, two matching arm chairs
Finally, a table for six with four chairs.
Sofa beds are not comfortable; if you want a spare bed for guests, get an air mattress. Coleman’s are very comfortable.
Wait for sales, bargain, and buy decent quality.
In my opinion, furniture is something where you definitely get what you pay for. You can go very cheap and replace it in a couple of years, or buy good quality and never replace it (solid wood furniture will outlast you). For the tv stand and table, I’d go solid wood. For the couch, you may not want to go extremely high quality, because it will become dated before it wears out. I’d buy a very good quality bed - they’re worth it (make sure your bed delivery includes old mattress pick up - they can be hard to get rid of).
You might want to consider a modern futon bed/sofa - we have one with springs in it (not the old-fashioned plain stuffed mattress) and it is very comfortable for guests (my mom sleeps on it for weeks at a time when she visits). It’s comfortable as a couch, too, and it wasn’t terribly expensive.
Garage sales can be a source of good old furniture, too, but try to avoid buying cheap, shitty stuff there. If you can find something like an estate sale with good old pieces, that would be ideal.