Houstonians spend an average of $8,663 on household furniture and furnishings, though we’re not always confident in our choices.
A survey by improvenet.com finds Houston fourth in a list of top U.S. cities based on furniture purchases, behind Minneapolis-St. Paul, San Diego and Seattle.
26% of furniture purchases are made online today, the survey found, but the two big ticket items that people want to feel, and sit on, and touch before making a purchase are the couch/sofa and mattresses.
“Thank God for that!” says Jim McIngvale, known universally as ‘Mattress Mack,” owner of Houston-based Gallery Furniture. “That’s what we sell! I totally agree. People want to sit on the sofa and they’re interested in comfort, looks and durability probably much more than price,” he adds. Those are also the two items people are willing to spend more on. Besides the couch and bed, the top five furniture purchases are TV’s, fridges, and dining room sets.
As for how to put furnishings together into a home we can be proud of, most turn to retailers to get ideas, something Mattress Mack says his designers are well aware of and is a service they work hard to provide. “We obviously spend a lot of money on decorating, rugs, pictures, mirrors, lamps. We don’t display it like they do in a warehouse where they line it up like tombstones,” he laughs.
24% of consumers say they are very happy with the way their household comes together after making significant purchases in home décor, while 53% say they like some of it. 23% say they like very little about their choices. We know who they are!