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.  

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Philip2749 Indeed when you can but an 18th century table and chairs for well under £100 you know you have got furniture built to last. It works well in older properties - May look a bit out of place in modern properties though.

[Philip2749]

I reckon our best buy was a dining table (extendable to 12ft), plus 6 dining chairs, a side board and two coffee tables - all matching, all solid oak, for £120.

[Huma0]

@Philip2749 

I totally agree with you. I host in my own home, so I buy things that I like and I usually prefer old furniture anyway, but when I bought my first home, I mostly furnished it with Ikea or similar stuff, as I thought at the time that was the best value. Wrong. Apart from one small bookcase, I don't have any of those things anymore. They might last a few years with careful use, but you're right, they don't stand up to the wear and tear of STR.

Most of my furniture now is vintage or antique and none of those pieces were expensive. Most were bargains and some were free! People usually assume they are very expensive though. I've not bought from auction houses, but I got a lot of my furniture on Ebay. One man's trash is another man's treasure, as they say. Even when I didn't like the finish on something, if I like the shape and the details, I would get it anyway and then paint it.

This furniture is so well made compared to what you can buy now. Okay, you can buy really good quality, well crafted new furniture too, but that of course costs a fortune. I bought a very beautiful dressing table on Bay (the seller just didn't have space for it). It looks antique and is very detailed, but is reproduction. I think I paid something like £150, so it wasn't super cheap. However, when I looked up the company that made it, it originally cost over £2,000!

[Patti-And-Marty0]

A good used piece is always better in the long run. In our area we have a twice yearly "free verge pick up" where you put the stuff you don't want out on the verge (garage sales are not a thing here). Before the local council picks it up you can browse and help yourself. We have found some real gems. Our own home and STR are both a mix of expensive things and free things and everything in between.

[Jenny]

I love the idea of the "free verge pick up", @Patti-And-Marty0 - in Scotland we have to pay the council £40 to remove up to 6 items which are just taken to the local dump.

What I have found though, is that we have what I call "trash fairies", who drive around in a van and who will collect things left on the verge and take them away without you knowing they've been there!  People just need to leave a "free to good home" sign and give it 24 hours!

[Huma0]

@Patti-And-Marty0 

I wish that was a thing here. I would love that! However, here it's actually illegal to leave stuff out on the street. It's classed as fly-tipping and you could get fined. Like @Jenny I am supposed to pay the council to take things away and it's sad to think of those things being wasted rather than going to a good home.

So, I will put things out on weekends only and if the weather is dry, usually with a note. If they aren't taken, I'll bring them back in, so that I'm not just dumping stuff on the street. However, just about EVERYTHING gets taken and usually quickly. I am happy if it can be useful to someone else. Many of my neighbours do the same thing, so I guess we are not taking the fly-tipping rules too seriously!

I have found some great things put out in my neighbourhood. It's a shame the council doesn't do a similar event here, but I just don't think people would go for it because of the amount they charge for pick up. Even if someone took it before the council collection, you'd still get charged.

[Jenny]

That's a good point @Huma0 - I have some more furniture to get rid of - but the Council have a cut off point where they won't refund a bulky uplift which makes it hard to co-ordinate having things outside and the trash fairies turning up but also making sure I can get a refund!

[Helen3]

In England if you do that -  it's called fly-tipping @Jenny and you can be prosecuted 🙂

You can put stuff on your wall just not out on the street 🙂 if you want someone to take the items

[Ann72]

I love the "free verge pick-up"!  In Brooklyn where I used to live @Patti-And-Marty0 we would put things out on the far edge of the sidewalk, then take bets on how quickly they'd be gone.  Rarely would they sit more than an hour.  

[Jenny]

Hi @Philip2749 

This is a fantastic tip - one that I'm keeping in mind for my own home - though I'm not hosting (yet)!

If anyone would like to show off their vintage furniture then I'd absolutely love to see it!

Jenny

[Huma0]

@Jenny 

I bought this French antique bed on Ebay. It had been newly painted and reupholstered so was in great condition. The sellers were super nice and even assembled it for me. The chest of drawers next to it are vintage, but I painted them.

This is what the drawers looked like when I bought them. They were also an Ebay find and cost next to nothing. The chalk paint is a bit pricey but a little goes a long way. A sample pot would probably be enough for a piece this size if you painted it one colour.

[Jenny]

Wow @Huma0 - I love your taste!  The bed especially, it's gorgeous!  I also love the paint job you've done on the drawers, I wish I had your talent!

[Huma0]

@Jenny 

Thank you. The painting is not that difficult to do when using chalk paint as there is usually no stripping or sanding (the parts I really hate) involved, although you do need to wax and buff the furniture afterward to protect it, but that's not complicated. I wish I had discovered it earlier. 

Obviously, with these drawers I went for something more ornate and decorative but that was after I tried painting a few other pieces in a more simple style first. There are also lots of tutorials on YouTube etc. about upcycling with chalk (or milk) paint.

[Marie6762]

@Huma0 

Both pieces are gorgeous; I love what you did with the drawers!