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Good deals can be found at Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams (or whatever they call themselves now) on 3rd street too. Their sofa are more in the $800-1100 range, but are well worth the price. I got a huge sofa and loveseat in bone-colored ultra-suede for about $1800. (I think the style name was "Renny". I've never had ultra-suede before, but love how easy it is to spot clean--by using a pencil eraser!) Also, they have a great lifetime warranty for workmanship. You can't beat that.

If you want to go for a retro look--but not with a true vintage piece, Futurama on La Brea custom-builds version of iconic mid-century furniture in a similar price range (significantly less than the ones from Modernica). Their showroom also has a great selection of one-of-a-kind vintage pieces.

Do you have any suggestions for snappy-yet-inexpensive vintage sofa finds? I'm moving with my two suitcases into an empty apartment in Silver Lake this weekend and I'm going to ned something to sit on pretty quick.

I just bought a couch from Chiasso and am really impressed with the quality for the price: http://www.chiasso.com/home/home.asp

I haven't shopped for a couch recently, but my mother always advised against investing too much (over $500 to her) since you'll likely tire of it and want to replace it in a few years anyway.

I have to agree. there is no use spending any money on a cheap couch. I've done this at Sofa U Love and I regretted it. Think about it, you sit on your couch every day, and hopefully your friends and family do too, you need a well built couch that can endure every day wear. Spend the money, you won't regret it.

I know that it is really a licensing gimmick, but todd oldham for la-z-boy had one saving grace of a feature in one style of sofa. the snap sofa has arms and back that are marketed as being customizeable so you can move them around to creat a day bed, or chaise or whatever...but the greatest part is that because of this feature, they are completely removeable (with a hidden twist knob mechanism like a drafting table or tripod) so you don't need tools.

so while it might not be the best on the market...it has a bit of that 50's flair, lots of fabric options, is in a reasonable price range, comes with all the warranties la-z-boy is known for, AND can fit down the thinnest of hallways and up staircase with landings with ease.

I live in boston and the architecture tends to be old and "small" so this unit is something that an apartment hopper might want to consider.

I second Mitchell Gold. I bought one of their couches at a furniture auction and it is very solidly made and has some nice touches, like down cushions. I had it cleaned professionally before I used it and the guy who did the work said that it was a really good quality couch.

Incidentally, does anyone here call sofas or couches davenports? I grew up hearing my granny call them that.

I purchased several pieces of upholstered furniture from Crate and Barrel in 2001 and to this day, am very pleased with them; the price was good and, if purchased through the store, the delivery charges are nominal.

And, more importantly, they deliver when they say they will!

Buying a cheap sofa will come back to bite you in the ass (sometimes literally). I did this and after a couple of months it creaked with every move, in a year the wood frame could easily be felt right under the fabric and the sleeper bed was so bad I refused to open it after one night from a complaining overnight guest. Spend whatever you possibly can on a good sofa with timeless lines and change the look with the accessories. You'll be glad you did.

As posted in an earlier thread I stated that I got a MG sofa in 2000 as a floor model at RH for $800. On the whole I'm pretty happy with it. Find the sofa you want and then ask the store when they plan on selling the floor model then put your name on it.

And if you go the way of "vintage" then remember that getting it reupholstered can cost as much as a decent new sofa.

AP. The vintage/resale shops tend to have a pretty high mark-up on their goods. If you were to go the vintage retail route, you definitely should check out the selection at Futurama (which I noted above). Their prices are a little more fair. Of course, if you can wait, you should hit the flea markets. For sofas, I think the best place to look is Pasadena City College's market for a good selection. (Rose Bowl has so much stuff and can be overwhelming. Fairfax High School is better for ethnic pieces.)

CR. C&B rocks. And a lot of their merch is manufactured by Mitchell Gold.

My husband and I love Room and Board - we bought the Mercer from there and love it. We got it in a different fabric though (you can choose any of their fabrics, though it may cost extra, depending on the quality of the fabric). Just so you know, though, they say they never have sales.

One thing about Room & Board (true of at least the South Coast Plaza location) is that they subcontract their delivery/assembly to outside vendors. This is not usually an issue unless there is a problem. Some friends had problems with their delivery because the subcontracters damaged the doorframe of the front entrance and scratched the glazed concrete floors. This occured about 7 months ago, and my friends are still in arbitration with R&B--mostly because the subcontracters refuse to take responsibility for the damage.

Keri, I grew up in Minnesota and my family also alternately referred to the "big group seating thing" as davenport, couch or sofa.

My 2 cents: I've found that sofas in the mid-price range disappointing. Somehow, it's either $4000 or nothing for me. Here's how I resolved this: I found an armless futon for $250 with an ultrasuede cover. The store made me "skirts" for the base of the same ultrasuede and now the thing looks like a settee and it "floats." Definitely comfortable, can be a very good bed (I sleep on it all the time) and stylish.
Because it's meant to be used as a bed, the thing is completely comfortable and very, very sturdy.

Enrique, thanks for letting me know about the
C & B connection with Mitchell Gold - it explains why I like their furniture so much (but can't afford it).

I love everything about C & B -

Enrique- Thanks for the tips. PCC is this weekend and I'll be sure to be there.

I bought the Neo Three seater from DWR. Great sofa and very well made. If you are looking for something around $3000 you should definitely take a look.