From the Mailbag: Where to look for great looking affordable furniture
Originally published 10/10/11
I’m a recent college graduate working as an Electrical Engineer and am furnishing my first home. It’s proving to be a more difficult task than I imagined. With the thought in mind that a bachelor pad is as much a statement of a man’s style as his clothing, where should I start looking for furniture?
– Brigman
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He’s completely right. Finding good looking furniture on a budget is more than difficult, it’s a pain. It’s also time consuming. Rush through furnishing a new house, apartment, or an office, and you’ll end up broke. Worse yet, you probably won’t even like the finished product. But it has to be done. You just can’t use stolen milk crates for book cases all your life. The key is to look in the right places for certain items. Time and money will be saved. Here’s where to look for what, plus your suggestions & furniture success stories are welcome in the comments…
1 .Consignment Stores – For tables, trunks, desks, and bookcases
Consignment stores are NOT thrift stores. These stores aren’t donation based, and therefore all the crap gets filtered out. Consignment stores sell a client’s furniture and the store takes a cut of the take. That means the store has more skin in the game and only accepts solid stuff that should net a fair price. Used, but still good stuff with great character.
2. Cost Plus World Market – For big upholstered stuff
Cost Plus is a step above Target when it comes to furniture quality. Still very affordable, their cloth stuff holds up quite well. Their leather will almost always be bonded, but that keeps the price down. You’ll have to sacrifice some craftsmanship, but that’s what happens when you’re on a budget. Just treat your couch carefully and you’ll be fine.
3. Craigslist – Appliances, and everything else if you have the time to look.
Craigslist is the Wild West. Ugly as sin garbage will be priced like it’s some work of art, while a chair that looked like it was pulled from an oil baron’s mansion will be dirt cheap. There is no sense here. One way to boost your furniture budget is to go with a washer & dryer from Craigslist instead of new. My $50 Craigslist Sears washer has been just fine for 5 years.
4. Thrift Stores – Smaller stuff like cabinets, side tables, etc…
There’s a lot of rough in a thrift store. But if you keep an open mind about what something can be used for, you’re likely to find a few diamonds. Had no idea that film project was even in the box it now sits on. I just needed some storage and it was inside. The cabinet has a great antique but not girly look. Makes a hell of a small office bar.
5. Target – Chairs, stools, and lamps.
Again, more bi-cast / bonded leather. But not all of us can drop $1200 on a chair. I’ve had a bonded leather chair for three or four years that I’ve got my money out of, and it’s not showing any wear yet. Target also has basics like stools, wood chairs, and mix and match lamps and shades. They’re inexpensive but not cheap looking.
Where else? Are you an IKEA believer? Have you scoured estate and yard sales? Leave your favorite places to get good looking affordable furniture (plus what you’ve purchased at what price) in the comments below.
I got a couch, loveseat, & recliner at big lots of all places for around $500. You never know what they’re gonna have because they are overstock, but occasionally they’ll have something nice. It’s kinda like a thrift store in that they’ll have one nice set and a lot of ugly stuff or sometimes they’ll have nothing worth buying.
Great post Joe.
I’ll throw my own $0.02 in and say if you can also snag some art for your walls that matches your aesthetic, so much the better. Remember, just like we’ve graduated from college clothes, we’ve also graduated from movie and band posters on the walls!It doesn’t have to be all one-of-a-kind stuff necessarily (if you can afford it, terrific!) Target sometimes has interesting stuff, watch Art.com for sales, date someone who works at an art boutique (or marry one, like I did…), whatever works.
Even Ikea has some interesting stuff to hang on your walls. I can’t say enough about how big a fan of Ikea I am. If you happen to live near one and haven’t visited, do yourself a favor and pop in (well, plan on a couple hours, since they’re enormous). Ikea balances your need for decent quality and affordable price pretty well. The store is great at space-saving arrangements as well. You’ll see what I mean if you ever visit.
Inam somewhat of an ikea believer, as I’m usually on a pretty tight budget. Their accessories (lamps, etc.) are good for a good price. I’ve had great luck with am inexpensive couch and one of their more expensive entertainment centers.
That said, antique shops can be amazing too. I always have the best luck in smaller towns. I got a fantastic steamer trunk like the one up top, but in better condition, for $40. Those act as great coffe tables and have the bonus of storing a lot of stuff.
Another great place to get furniture and appliances is ReStore. ReStore is run by Habitat for Humanity, and it sells mostly unused, or gently used, donated furniture and appliances that for some reason can’t be sold at regular retail (made in the wrong color, custom cabinets that are the wrong sizes, etc.). I guess you can call them “factory seconds.” Anyway, they’ve got locations across the States and Canada.
Love Craigslist. The key is you can’t be in a hurry. If you’re willing to come up with a few items and just check regularly eventually you’ll get exactly what you want at a huge bargain. I picked up $2k worth of couches for under $500, basically brand new. I’m still waiting for the right table to pop up.
Adam is right on. I’ve used Craigslist with positive results – but – it isn’t the quickest course of action. Good write up.
In general, don’t buy any furniture from Target. You can buy the same thing at IKEA for less. However, after saying all that, anything under $50 should be fine when buying from Target.
Steamer trunks are awesome. Mine is a bit gigantic for use as a coffee table, but, it’s good for seating and makes terrific storage. And… it’s in great condition thank you very little 🙂
I’ve done the craigslist route for some antique-y stuff and basic essentials. Again, it’s not the best quality, but I had good luck with Value City Furniture… Pretty cheap but it looks nice and it’s held up well for a few years.
just want to add my opinion as an architect and designer. just like with fashion there are some things that you can go cheaper on when it comes to furniture and decorations. bookshelves are an example and ikea or target are good places for those items. there are some things however that you shouldn’t go cheap on, just like a good pair of shoes furniture is an investment. going cheap on a couch or bed or dining table isn’t a good idea. if your fashion is a public representation of who you are then your furniture is a private representation and is important. to me a place like west elm or crate & barrel are good places to get quality furniture from but target is more for decorative pieces or small side furnishings.
i work at cost plus world market….good furniture, but we will usually come way down off the original price, plusw there is a huge leather sale on right now!
Lamps and lamp shades: Marshall’s/Ross/TJMaxx/the like. Also little things in general. I like checking those places out to fill out the details.
Restoration Hardware is full of really nice things but is wildly expensive. However, I once walked through their outlet store and found tons of great deals on expensive, high quality furniture. I’m not saying that the regular price dining table for $2400 is actually worth that amount, but when its on clearance for $200 thats a pretty good priceon any high quality table.
I agree completely. Use Target and Ikea for accessories and stick with the better stores for the essential pieces that get a lot of use.
If you would have asked me 2 weeks ago, I would have given your readers my living room. IKEA can be good, but be sure to visit in person. Somethings look great but are horribly uncomfortable while others can be extremely comfortable.
As you said, consignment shops can be great. But research first. I went to one that was selling a couple used chairs for more than if I bought it new at the store. One was a chair from IKEA that retails for $69 and they were selling it for $99.
One final recommendation is the estate sale/auction. If you look in the classified section of your newspaper (or online newspaper) you can usually read what they are highlighting and based on that you can tell whether it will be worth the trip. If everything sounds like it is original coming out of a 1960’s rambler and you are looking for something more antique and less vintage, you don’t go.
Odd ball places where I have found great deals on furniture:
Nordstrom’s Rack: This is where all the furniture, that no one knew Nordstrom sold goes to die.
Home Goods: Not sure how widespread their stores are, but it is like a clearing house for odd household knick nacks and really expensive ones at that. I have found stuff in there that was selling for 10x the price outside the store. Also good deals on Art, but stocks varies widely by store.
Restoration Hardware / Outlet: Here is something I learned from a Restoration nut, if you go to their stores you can call dibs on the demo furniture before it gets move to the outlet. They retire the demo furniture every season, so you just ask an employee to put your name on the list to call when they retire it. The outlet, as already mentioned, has good deals, but still might be out of the reach of a new grad.
Another vote for Home Goods. Definitely a great place to look for stools, lamps, chairs, etc. Also, in hunting for some accessories lately (decorative plates, small dishes, etc), I noticed that the prices were actually very similar at Home Goods, Pier 1, Pottery Barn, Cost Plus, etc. I don’t think that it is the case with all items, but on some smaller items, this proved to be true. Just an FYI.
Yes! Estate sales can be awesome to finding stuff. They’re like garage sales, except you’re buying stuff that people actually wanted to keep, rather than the junk they’re trying to get rid of.
The downside to estate sales is that, much like garage sales, they have a bit of a cult following (depending on your location) and buyers can get pretty aggressive/competitive. Probably not a method of shopping for the faint of heart.
P.S. I don’t want to get all unnecessarily masculine here, but another option for simple furniture is to build it yourself. You don’t need fancy tools to build something like an end table or some simple shelves. My roommate built an end table with scrap wood and simple tools (hammer, saw, screwdriver), and he even covered the top with an old Ouija board to add some character. Besides, when someone comments on your interesting new coffee table, wouldn’t it be more awesome so say, “Thanks, made it myself” than “Thanks, I bought it at IKEA, its name is Siggurd. Would you like some lingonberry preserves?”
And like shoes, that’s all great if you can actually afford it. A $250 – $300 pair of Allen Edmonds just aren’t possible for many. Same goes for an expensive dining table. You can get some of that higher quality stuff for lower prices at consignment stores and on craigslist. But like shoes, a lot of it depends on use. If you don’t wear dress shoes every single day, a pair of $100 Kenneth Cole New York dress shoes will work for a lot of guys. Better to live within your means privately and publicly than be broke and maxed out on credit cards. Totally hear what you’re saying, but sometimes a $200 barely-leather chair does work out for many of us.
Off topic here, but if you can’t afford the Allen Edmonds I’d rather see someone by a pair of Bates for $30 which are at least made in the USA than a pair of Kenneth Cole’s made in China. A bit plain to be sure but they are my winter beater shoe and have held up very well.
http://www.copshoes.com/c-bates-shoes-p-B-968SA.html
There are some really great silk screened gig posters and movies posters being produced today for relatively inexpensive prices. And as for finding art for your walls I would hit yard sales first.
Haha. Allow me to pull my foot out of my mouth, didn’t mean it that way. Ours look nearly the same, I was just very pleasantly surprised when I found one so cheap in such good condition.
I second this opinion. The key is to spend a week or so browsing daily to establish a fair craigslist price–which, as Joe wisely notes, has outliers on both ends. Once you know what good stuff can go for and bad stuff will go for, pull the trigger when you know you have a deal. The best part is, you can offset some of your cost by selling your old, (presumably) crappier stuff at inflated prices. Or, if you’re dealing with clutter, price it to sell fast.
I recently purchased a gently used $800 rug for $40 and $300 island and chairs for $80.
Great idea with the resto. hardware/outlet spots. Nice.
Unless, of course, they respond to your first comment with, “That’s great man. Do you happen to have any lingonberry preserves.” Then you’re SOL.
Then you say, “No, but I can go out and forage some wild berries and cook them down while we sit in front of my manly fireplace on the pelt of the bear I killed with my bare hands last week.”
I can’t believe no-one has suggested etsy. As a furniture craftsman, I think that having one of a kind, handmade items is the best way to show your individuality and taste, and also support artisans. Not every piece of custom furniture is exorbitantly expensive, you might be surprised at what you can find outside of the big box stores.
Jim,
Definitely agree on the decorative wall art and what-nots as a great way to graduate to a more adult style. In my case, in addition to all of the above, I also frame puzzles of cityscapes. They look awesome finished, plus they’re a conversation piece.
And you’re right on selling your stuff. 2 days later I sold my old couches on Craigslist for $100. So net cost was $400 on the couches.
Also agree here. With CL, you need to be patient. Finding my couch took a month of searching, but it paid off big. It’s also smart to do your own research on the side to figure out what brands/designers/styles you like so that you know what to search for. Knowing that you want a Parson’s desk instead of just a “desk” or a Room and Board couch instead of just a couch (in my case) makes the search process much easier.
Estate sales and auctions are great! For example, you could get a decent leather couch for $5 (personal experience) depending on who’s there and what they’re looking for.
I always look at thrift stores first when purchasing furniture. If I don’t find anything to my liking I’ll look at department stores (ie. Crate & Barrel and its ilk), but I’ll only purchase if there is a sale. Although not inexpensive, I have great respect for Amish furniture. Their products are straight from their farms and just by feeling the texture of any given item one can notice the love, labor, and talent that gave birth to such a product. My dresser is made by the Amish and it’s definitely going be a heirloom if I ever decide to keep it till my death.
etsy is great. I have found, and I have been greatly tempted to purchase, some things on there that aren’t even furniture.
Try Freecycle.com – sometimes there are real steals there.
Something I discovered recently… making it yourself. I know this sounds complicated, but honestly some projects (coffee table, end table, etc) can be really simple. Home depot will make a lot of wood cuts for you in the shop and then you just have to assemble and finish on your own. Check this site for some good plans – http://ana-white.com/2011/05/pallet-coffee-table
Also check scratch and dent areas of local furniture stores. I got an awesome marble top dining room table years ago that I could not find a single defect on, but they had it in the scratch and dent section for $150 marked down from $800.
Was going to mention that.
http://goo.gl/ATyut
Just like clothing stores, furniture stores change their inventory and freshen up their floor models, forcing them to sell their existing floor models at some point. Check with stores you love to see where their floor models end up.
Room & Board sells all of this at an outlet in Minneapolis. It’s only open on weekends and the hours are limited, but the deals are worth the tiny scratch, that–let’s face it–is inevitable. It’s located at this address 4680 Olson Memorial Highway Frontage Road Golden Valley, MN 55422
I got a couch, recliner, and queen size bed + boxspring from Menards for $800. Then I got a TV stand, computer desk, dining set, cube organizer (to use as a dresser), and 2 bookshelves that I use as a nightstand for the bed and end table for the couch from Target for $600. Long story short, I completely furnished my 1-bedroom apartment for $1400 and all of the wood matches.
For the apartment/dorm college student, Ikea is probably your best bet. Yes, Ikea products are generally of cheaper quality and won’t withstand many moves, but that is the whole point. Ikea furniture is cheap; comes in a box and is simple to install. Most of their products are attractive and come in a variety of colors and styles that will fit a wide range of tastes and personalities. If you’re hung up on not wanting to buy cheap furniture- get over it. Save your grandfathers hunky, vintage wardrobe for when you have a real house. When you move out, just tip over your Ikea furniture, it will shatter, recycle the material so a playground can be built. The children are happy, the planets happy, and you’re happy. Win.
Mike, I owe you for this one! This is like an online version of Handyman magazine, but it’s free! I’m going to need a lot of wood this summer.
I don’t want to be alarmist, but with used furniture, you really should be on the lookout for bed bugs. There are many good resources which can help you identify the signs, and it is worth doing so, because those things are really difficult to get rid of.
agree with people who have commented about buying the cheap furniture… what good is buying two $250 couches made of particle board (because the first one broke), when you could have spent $400 on a hardwood couch that lasted twice as long? plus, all the good furniture stores should have free financing, so it works nicely in the end. Save Target for the small accessories… Ikea for shelving.
that doesn’t mean, however, you can’t find a good deal on some quality stuff at a consignment shop… the wife and i found a $2000 Pier 1 hardwood dinning room table (with six chairs) for $600 at a local consignment shop. look around. buy quality… it’s better in the long run.
and, don’t forget the DIY option… $70 of hard wood at the lumber yard will make a darn fine bookcase… or dinning room buffet… or storage shelf. but, also helps to have a friend at work that has a wood working shop in their garage.
I have a similar pair of those I got my freshman year of high school from JNROTC (7 years ago). I own a couple pairs of nice shoes and those are by far my favorite. Maybe not as flashy and dapper as others but with the right insert they are by far the most comfortable. The best part is I never feel concerned wearing them – raining outside, no problem – because they can take anything you throw at them and only need a good polish afterwards. I feel like every man needs at least one pair of those.
For outdoor/patio furniture, the quality of these cannot be beat. I’ve had two adirondack chairs last me through 6 years of NC rain on my porch. Love that they are made in America too. From what I can tell, the company mostly focuses on hi end children’s furniture, but few items work well for adults too (patio chairs, bookcases).
http://www.littlecolorado.com/stock140142.html
The quality of the kid’s stuff is remarkable too for the price. Personalized step stools have made amazing gifts for my godsons.
If you use ifttt you can write a formula to get a notification when a new craigslist posting is up that fits your search criteria.
You can get some amazing deals at antique auctions, as well, if you can spare the time to go. Most dealers have weekly auctions that are attended mostly by retailers. The deals are unreal. A sampling of what I’ve got:
Huge bedroom dresser in great condition with original hardware: $160
Dining room breakfront with original hardware and blown glass: $300
Solid Mahogany bedside tables (2): $120 for the pair
Or, learn to build your own stuff. There are plans all over the internet how to build a farmhouse table, end tables, dining chairs, beds, etc. You need the tools, but a miter saw, a jig and a good drill will get you pretty far. Or, rent stuff at a Home Depot or Lowe’s.
Side benefit to building your own: Invite a romantic interest over, cook him/her dinner and tell them you built the table you’re eating on with a pile of lumber and your own two hands. You will NOT be disappointed.