Oak furnitures - buy in UK or San Diego
 

Hello all,

I am wondering whether anyone could give advice on oak furnitures UK vs US? We are planning to get new oak furnitures before moving to US, but not sure whether it will cost less in US, or in UK. (we have relocation budget so the shipping is not a matter)
I tried to look online but the only oak furniture site I can find is Wayfair - their designs and prices don't look very good to me, compare to oakfurnitureland.co.uk where my friends have bought beautiful good quality sets.

What are my options? And are there any good oak furniture shops in San Diego area?

Re: Oak furnitures - buy in UK or San Diego
 

I think you should wait until you get here. You might find that the kind of furniture you are thinking of won't work as well in a US house.

Re: Oak furnitures - buy in UK or San Diego
 

Buy it here as you are buying for room sizes and proportions you do not yet know. Also the climate is very different and may warp wood cured for cooler temperatures. If it was furniture of a sentimental value I would bring it and take the chance but I admit I have a house of warped and twisted chairs, tables and chests that I will always treasure.
Wayfarer is like Amazon for furniture and just has an online presence, no stores. Oak is not the prized wood here and the oak most commonly used is not of the same quality, it has a yellow hue to it. However there is lots of lovely other woods and finishes that would be more suited to Florida.

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Re: Oak furnitures - buy in UK or San Diego
 

I agree with this. When we set up house in the UK I thought it was going to be forever, we had a Victorian semi so I spent thousands of pounds on lovely solid oak furniture which looked great in it.

3 years later and back in Australia, we're in a brand new very contemporary villa and the only thing that looks like it belongs is the oak bed. The dresser, hutch, dining setting, tv cabinet, coffee table and side tables just look out of place. I refuse to sell them though, probably wouldn't get more than 10% of what we paid, so I do what I can with bright cushions and throws, lighting and art work.

Re: Oak furnitures - buy in UK or San Diego
 

I bought all mine from oak furniture land, they have lovely furniture and so beautifully made.

Re: Oak furnitures - buy in UK or San Diego
 

Any good furniture store will have display pieces for you to look at. Usually you can specify the type of wood you like but note that it will take a long while to get it made and delivered. Oak and Maple is used, IMO, usually for Colonial Period furniture which is NOT the rage at the moment in the US and definitely not wanted by the Brits that I know. Some really prefer to go to IKEA for their furniture. BTW my Oak pieces are not yellowish. It depends on the color of the stain you want on the furniture. Very few people will opt for a clear coat which would let the original wood color show.

Remember, also you have to have anything you buy in the UK freighted to the US. If you are buying beds, DON'T. Bed sizes are different in the US and unless you are willing to cart linens, duvets, pillows, etc. with you, you will have a useless piece of furniture.

Re: Oak furnitures - buy in UK or San Diego
 

Wait until you chose your home in San Diego. I think you will find that heavy oak furniture will not suit many San Diego homes.

Re: Oak furnitures - buy in UK or San Diego
 

Have a look at: https://www.amishoutletstore.com/abo...oak-furniture/

Re: Oak furnitures - buy in UK or San Diego
 

Just seen you are coming to San Diego, not Florida. Not sure where I got that from. I would still wait until you get here as our little sticks of furniture look kind of stupid in our home although they would work well if we lived in a historic house. I was in the interior design business here with a national franchise company and know that tastes and preferences vary hugely through the states and regions. Also freight within the US is a major expense so delivery can cost more than the product itself for us on the west coast. Buying through a local store where they consolidate their shipments is often the best way to go. I have seen the adverts for oakfurnitureland in the UK and they do have some lovely designs. If you mention oak in my area you will be directed to some very traditional furniture which is not what you are looking for at all.

Re: Oak furnitures - buy in UK or San Diego
 

Thanks a lot for all the kind advice. I guess I will wait then.:thumb:

Re: Oak furnitures - buy in UK or San Diego
 

Don’t know about the cost of buying furniture in San Diego but when we moved to South Carolina two years ago we brought our contemporary light oak dining furniture with us, and we are glad we did. To buy the same quality here we would have had to go to somewhere like Ethan Allen and it would have cost us twice as much, plus the styles here are more traditional. We didn’t buy a house until we got here so had no idea how our furniture would fit in but as our house is open plan it wasn’t a problem. We did buy beds though and, as someone has already mentioned,delivery charges are high. Unlike the UK, free delivery doesn’t seem to be an option here, so that might be something to take into consideration too.

Re: Oak furnitures - buy in UK or San Diego
 

I haven't seen anyone else point out that, as far as I recall, tax/duty free entry of goods only applies to items you have owned for more than a year.

Re: Oak furnitures - buy in UK or San Diego