Where did you get your furniture for your guest space?

[Laura2592]

As someone who is a bit obsessed with interior design, I always enjoy browsing through some of my fellow hosts amazing listings. Some really stand out in terms of their awesome decor, especially furniture. When we furnished our space we went for as indestructible as possible, as good looking/comfy as possible, and as easy on finances to replace should the indestructible-ness fail. We shopped a lot of Amazon, Wayfair, Overstock and second hand/antique stores to furnish our space.

So where do you get your furniture? What are some good sources for someone looking to spruce up or start up an Airbnb?

[Linda108]

Have you ever looked into consignment shops, @Laura2592 ?  In my area there are great deals to be found in consignment shops.

[Laura2592]

@Linda108  yes! We have a couple nearby. That's actually where we got our sofa for our listing. Its about 9 feet long and from Harrod's-- cost a mint when it was new I am sure. Picked it up for a song.

[John1080]

@Laura2592, I have gotten a lot of my stuff at thrift stores, a few items at antique shops, had a few pieces left for us by the previous owners and bought some of it new. I have found lots of great books, lamps, pottery pieces, etc at thrift stores. Things like sofas, beds and rugs, I purchased new online and have gotten dishes and such from Ikea - since I like simple white for those items.

Was just looking at your place - very cute place and you have some nice pieces!  

[Laura2592]

@John1080  aw thank you! Checked out your place as well-- those views! Very nice. You definitely have an eye.

I really like the eclectic feel that bringing in a few older pieces gives a space, even when its updated. Ours is pretty rustic and cottagey, so we tried to keep that vibe going. We do need a few new lamps and I found that they are pricey. So thrift stores are great for that.

[John1080]

@Laura2592, thank you! 

I have found so many great lamps, brush chairs, end tables, etc at Goodwill and other thrift stores. I have found some surprising art pieces too! Of course, it's a treasure hunt and luck of the drawl, usually, but can be fun too! Our primary home is mid-century, so I like to have several pieces from that era and have found some tables and lamps at Goodwill that have been in perfect condition! 

Oh, and there is a website called https://www.caringtransitions.com/  They have locations in various areas around the country and do online estate auctions. Sometimes you can find some really good stuff, including furniture, pottery, art, etc. 

[Laura2592]

Oh wow! This will be fun to browse. Thanks for the link!

[Emily487]

Most of the furniture from our AirBnB comes from our homes.

My poor host no longer has a dining room table or sofa at his own place!

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  My small guest bedroom has little room for furniture (and there's nowhere to rearrange it to) so in my case, it was dead simple. Aside from the single bed, which someone gave me the wooden frame to, there is a small set of 2 nesting bedside teak tables that I hauled down in my car from my previous house in Canada years ago, and a wooden chair that I found by the side of the road as garbage years ago, and painted up and made a cushion for. The desk/counter is built-in concrete. There's literally no space for anything else in there and still have room to comfortably move around 🙂 But the room and bathroom is an unusual shape, rather than a little box, with lots of windows and high ceilings, so it doesn't feel cramped at all.

[Ann783]

I have a few older pieces from my primary residence that I’ve used in my Airbnb. Recently, I used Modsy to go a room refresh of our loft space. You upload photos of your space and they do a 3D design. We used it for a play area and extra sleep space when our kids were younger. We wanted to keep our old sleep sofa but do some upgrade to include seating, space for a desk, TV etc. I’ll try to post before and after pictures. The service cost me $99 - which I was returned when I purchased some of the room items.  

[Ann783]

Before

After

After

[Ann783]

Before- sorry for the inverted images

[Kelly149]

@Laura2592  I like to intersperse old with new (pet peeve when entire place is straight out of ikea). But I agree with you that furnishings should pair well with the architecture & definitely not be too precious. 

[Julie660]

We just did an entire apartment with amazing finds on Facebook marketplace.  Seriously amazing designer on trend designs for a small fraction of what they would cost new.  It's a very curated look.  Definitely consider facebook marketplace.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

As our house is Georgian with Victorian extensions we tend to buy from auctions. Brown furniture is ridiculously cheap these days so we are happy to put quality 200 year old antique furniture in the apartment and don't need to worry about it getting battered (not that it does!). To modernise a couple of the rooms we have painted some lesser pieces keeping them smart.