Furnishing tip

[Philip2749]

When we furnished our barn as an AirBNB we bought flat pack furniture.  Probably a big mistake.  Whilst it was obviously new it was a bit lightweight and, in the case of a drawer unit, decidely not robust enough to cope with some of our guests.  So, when I furnished our next property, I bought from our local auction house - and that pfroved to be hugely successful.  Not only is the furniture bought by auction far superior to the flat pack furniture but also it's actually cheaper !!  Win win.  

[Huma0]

Thanks @Marie6762 !

[Ann72]

@Jenny  This photo shows a mix of vintage, modern, and flat-pack.  I got the farm table at a junk shop up in Maine.  It was covered with chipped white paint so I stripped it down.  The red chairs (super comfortable, btw) are from Design Within Reach, and the white sideboard is from Ikea.  The picture, vases/pitchers, and trays on the sideboard are from Ebay and junk shops.

[Jenny]

You've put things together so well, @Ann72! 

I'm a big fan of getting things like vases and pitchers from junk shops, car boot sales or in a few cases via Instagram!

One of my favourite bits of decor is a stone cider bottle.  It sits on my mantelpiece and I admire it often!

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jenny You only have to look at our listings to see the antique furniture. Some we have painted grey to modernise but most is as it was when made 150+ ago.

[Jenny]

I love your listings, @Mike-And-Jane0, and particularly love the bedroom furniture for Cedar View!  

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@JennyThanks.  The linen press is the bedroom is stunning. The sad thing is this 19th century piece is probably worth less than £150 in today's market although I am told brown furniture is coming back into fashion. To make this today would cost thousands.

[Jenny]

I'm actually stunned that it's worth less than £150, @Mike-And-Jane0, as it looks like it should be so much more expensive!

[Gillian166]

 we love upcycling vintage furniture, although it does very much suit our home/listings. flat pack furniture has its place too (esp if you need to replace something TONIGHT, you can rely on Ikea to have stock of whatever you need immediately), but in general i love the quality of older furniture. 

[Jenny]

I've just been looking at your listings and dreaming of a few weeks somewhere warmer than Scotland!  I was delighted to see the rotary phone you have - is it in working order?  I have a similar table top version here at home, which belonged to my late grandfather!

[Philip2749]

LOL.  I am lucky that my property is fronted by a strip of land that is not public highway and so there is no chance I could get done for fly tipping.  I have read of over zealous councils who do prosecute and despair of their pettiness.  Anyway, great to know that folk are re-cycling this way and that the auction houses are also proving to be asource of robust furniture suitable for the rigours of AirBNB guests.  Be lucky.

[Chris232]

I am a firm believer of recycling and have either given away items or found items online.

In the UK (and across the States +) there are;

trashnothing.com

Freecycle Uk

am sure there are many others, these are free to join and there are many groups across the country.

Definitely worth checking out a local group if you are refurnishing or in need to give away

On a positive note my 2 sons have just bought their 1st homes, money is tight but they have both had great success with the freebie sites

[Jenny]

Thanks for the reminder about Freecycle, @Chris232! I haven't used it in years but I'll have to have a look tonight and see what's on offer!

[Huma0]

@Jenny 

I haven't used it in a while (I'm trying not to buy more things for the house) but found some cool things on Freecycle. I haven't had so much success donating things on there though. People can be insanely picky and annoying even when something is free! 

I tried to get rid of a substantial Ikea TV stand (one of the more expensive items in there when I bought it), but I just got endless silly questions on Freecycle. So, I just put it outside one weekend and it went in no time.

I also had a complete nightmare trying to get rid of an large, Victorian safe. This was a collectable antique, worth quite a lot of money, but I just didn't have room for it and wanted it gone quickly, so listed it for £50 on Ebay and Facebook marketplace (I could have listed it for free, but that encourages even more time wasters). It turned out to be a complete nightmare.

Luckily, I eventually heard from someone who understood what it was worth, how difficult it was to move (mentioned all of this on the listings, but people don't read) and was super happy to have it. He even tried to give me more money for it, but I was just happy to see it go to a new home where it would be restored and appreciated in all it's glory.

So, sometimes it can be a real effort to recycle certain things, but I guess it's worth it to save those things from landfill.

[Michael-O-Reilly0]

 

 

A bit of tender loving care can  give old furniture a new lease of life, I've modernised old furniture to give it a fresh modern look, all it takes is a bit of sanding and about 2 coats of suitable paint, Chalk paint is very easy to apply and comes in a variety of colours. You can also buy  paint specifically for furniture..attached pictures show lockers which were previously brown in colour, now painted with gloss white.

Local community bulletins often advertise furniture for free, and car boot sales often have superb quality furniture for sale a great prices.

[Stephanie]

@John5097 this is definitely a topic for you!