I did the same thing a few years ago. I didn't get the same items that you did, but my "wood stuff" cost was a bit more than $4800 for:

A desk
Two night tables
Two side tables (for each end of the sofa)
Four bookcases (three 3-feet high, one 6-feet high)

The desk and the bedside tables were the most expensive. The desk came from Century, and the night tables were Pennsylvania House.

The side tables and the bookcases came from an unfinished furniture place, though I ordered mine to come with the factory finish. They were quite a bit less expensive than the desk and night tables.

I'm still happy with the quality of everything I chose. It's all solid wood and pretty well-constructed.

If I were you, I would check out an unfinished furniture place first and see if there's anything you like the looks of there. And then after that, branch out and look elsewhere.

Good luck!

You might also want to check Ebay and Craig's List for pre-owned furniture. Be careful though - there are lots of junk there too.

My family moved across country a few months ago, into a much bigger house so we needed a LOT of furniture. We'd also gotten rid of all our junky worn stuff before the move.

Aside from our master bedroom furniture, we've bought the bulk of our furniture (all our casegoods) on Ebay, and have gotten some amazing deals on Nichols & Stone, Henkel Harris, Pennsylvania House, Henredon, among others. I can honestly say everything we've gotten has been in beautiful condition and far below what we would have paid retail, for inferior quality.

Have fun shopping!

You might look at the clearance area of local high-quality furniture stores. I did, and found the marble-topped Henredon buffet that now resides in my diningroom. Fifty percent off is pretty good!

Welcome to Chicago. I would try the PM Bedroom Gallery. You can definitely stay within your budget and get high quality. I am very happy with mine and they give a lifetime warranty against any defect.

Good Luck
Bob

Try Dow Furniture in Aurora. They carry the better quality brands like Saloom without the heavy mark up.