The Look for Less: Louis Phillipe Bedroom Furniture

We've all seen their gorgeous furniture featured in fine design and decorating magazines: Grange of France!  If you haven't visited their website yet, you're in for a visual treat!  I've been salivating over Grange furniture in ad-verts in Traditional Home for years and years.  By the way, this is not a paid advertisement for Grange! 

Among other design lines, Grange produces a very fine line of Louis Phillipe style furniture. The finish I think a lot of us asociate with Louis Phillipe is a classic medium to dark cherry -- the same color I fell in love with years ago when I bought my very first (and only) bedroom set at Hack's in a French Provincial style (NOT Louis Phillipe, which I didn't know anything about back then -- circa 1977 or 1978).  But Grange produces its Louis Phillipe line (not limited to bedroom furniture) in a whole range of finishes.

I'm picking out just a few items and then comparison shopping to show you what's available at various price points.  I know I cannot afford Grange - you know, one of those catalogs where prices are not listed.  It's like practically hand-made and that always equates with UBER EXPENSIVE.  It's drop-dead gorgeous furniture made from all wood, etc. etc. etc.

Double dresser with three extra "secret" drawers across
the top.

"3" drawer nightstand - plus "secret drawer.

Sleigh bed.  It's not clear from the specs, but I
believe the headboard, footboard and side boards
(plus rails) are included.

NOT your typical Made in China wood composite stuff.  Hell, even my beloved bedroom set has plastic wood on it!  And it was EXPENSIVE back then.  I seem to recall that I paid $398 back in 1977 or 1978 (that was a LOT of money, particularly on my $83.00 net a week wages)
for a bedroom set consisting of double bed (with mattress and box spring) of head board and frame, triple dresser and tri-fold mirror, night stand, and bureau -- I still call it a bureau, but these days it's just called a chest of drawers. 

Anyway, these days there are plenty of "Louis Phillipe" look-alikes readily available online to order at outrageously inexpensive prices!  Yeah, I know, I picked an easy one :)

Set 1 for your consideration, from thefurniture.com:  From Coaster fine Furniture for $1,061.00,  Louis Phillipe Traditional Sleigh Bedroom Set in Cherry Finish. FREE SHIPPING

This rich set consists of dresser, mirror, complete traditional Sleigh Bed and 1 nightstand.
Features select solid cherry wood Veneers in cherry finish.  

The nightstand is not the three-drawer with hidden drawer version, and this version includes a mirror, which I did not include above.  By the way, at the Grange website I did not see this curved top style mirror, only a plain rectangular framed mirror.  The tall dresser is not included in the set.

Set 2 for your consideration, found at Amazon.com:  From Kings Brand Furniture, sold by Moysha Home Furnishings for $751 plus shipping (which could cost a LOT),

Product Features Set included Queen Size Headboard, Foot board, Rails, Dresser, Mirror, and (1) Night Stand Contact Us for Prices on Individual Pieces. This Classy Louis philippe set features solid cherry & veneers, wood on wood drawer glides, all wood drawers Dimensions : Dresser: 61"Wx18"Dx35"H, Mirror: 39"Wx1"Dx40"H, Headboard: 64"Wx4"Dx48"H, Footboard:64"Wx4"Dx40"H, Night Stand:22"Wx16"Dx24"H. Simple assembly required.

Product Details Shipping Weight: 160 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Two drawer nightstand shown in the photograph, not the three drawer nightstand I showed from the Grange website.

Set 3 for your consideration, found at Amazon.com: also by Coaster, offered by Visiondecor Furniture for $671.40 plus shipping,

Product Description

You will receive a total of 1 Queen size bed, 1 nightstand, 1 dresser and 1 mirror. Bed: 90"L x 63"W x 47"H Nightstand: 26"L x 16"W x 27"H Dresser: 60"L x 18"W x 36"H Mirror: 34 1/2"W x 39 1/2"H Finish: Cherry Material: Solids, Veneers, Glass 4pc Queen Size Sleigh Bedroom Set Louis Philippe Style in Cherry Finish Sleigh bed features elegant curving lines on headboard and footboard. Dresser features ample storage drawers and top drawers are felt lined. Drawers feature wood glides and antique silver metal hardware. English dove tail drawer construction and decorative molding trim. Complement your bedroom with this traditional styled Louis Philippe bedroom collection. Assembly required.  

Again, this set includes the two drawer nightstand, not the three drawer nightstand I pictured above.  Also note the different style mirror with the double dresser.  No materials list is given so there is no way of knowing what this furniture is made out of.

 

 I've seen similar sets advertised in my area for $699 (queen bed, dresser, mirror and nightstand), ususally in the supplements stuffed into my mail box every Thursday. All of the local retailers have similar sets: Ashley Furniture Stores, Steinhaefel's, Penney's, American, Colder's, not to mention the discounters such as Value City and U.S. Freight.

 

Soooo, it's a matter of how much you want to pay.  Personally, I believe there is a happy balance between quality and price point, and for everyone that will be different, depending upon one's budget and where one is in one's life at the time of purchase. 

 

I, for one, am tickled pink at the prospect that some day my partially plastic wood bedroom set from Hack's Furniture on 13th and Mitchell Streets may be worth a fortune as the only set left of its kind on the entire planet :)  My bedroom set has been well-loved and is well taken care of some 34 or 35 years after buying it, even with its plastic wood.  Still loving it after all these years.  I don't know if that says so much about me as it does about the relative value we place on things.  Just because something costs a lot of money doesn't necessarily mean it is more precious -- or even actually worth the money we spent...