Furnishing a new home - where's best?

Spiritseeker

Occasionally Very/Littlewoods do some good clearance deals of ranges. I bought my 1st home 2 years ago and had to furnish it fully and fairly decently as I was taking in 2 lodgers to help with the mortgage.

I bought chests of drawers and wardrobes from Littlewoods, desks from Argos, and shelving units from Ikea. All different ranges but in the 'oak' finish so look as though from the same range, and it doesn't look cheap. All have stood up well though only 2 years have passed. I bought beds from ebay from a local furniture shop selling off ex display stock - got a real bargain there.

My 'splurge' item was a coffee table - I could have spent £20 in Ikea but spent £70 (not a massive amount still I know!) which I almost couldn't justify at the time when money was so tight - but it's probably the piece that gets used most - all 3 of us use it in the lounge. It's the Oakleigh 3 drawer coffee table - I wanted to buy more of this range at the time but couldn't afford to. It's fantastic quality, very solidly built (it is self assembly but was very simple, and much better quality than Ikea in my opinion), and gets moved *a lot* - hoovering under it, moving out of the way for the Wii, shifting to the end of room to use sofa bed in lounge etc. If you can afford oakleigh for the living room, I'd rate it as fantastic for a low-mid price range. I personally would be buying this set if I had a dining room - the chairs alone would probably cost at least around £200 at least for faux leather, and these are real leather covers: http://www.pinesolutions.co.uk/dining-room-furniture/dining-sets/dining-table-and-6-chairs/oakleigh-dining-set-extending-table-6-chairs/ (though I would say the RRP was incredibly inflated!). But ebay often do good prices for this range. I sound like a saleswoman for them now so I'll stop!

I got 2 leather sofas too, from Sofa Sofa. They often do discount codes, and the wait time was only around a month. One is a sofa bed, has been used only a few times as a bed but both sofas are always in use as sofas. They've done really well over 2 years too.

For second hand, try out http://www.preloved.co.uk. Some wonderful items on there, and not as well known as ebay so not so many people competing - not that it's a bid site, it's classifieds, but as it's less well known you're more likely to have an offer accepted.

Hope something in there helps!

Francesanne

Argos is good if you buy already assembled & not flat pack. You do pay extra for better quality but it's worth the expense.

asbokid

depends what you want.. is the flat modern or old? would antique furniture suit the place? if so, maybe there's a local auction house you could have a look round? you might even spot the Duke, if you're lucky!

All the home furnishings and DIY sheds carry their own ranges of furniture, but independent retailers often have handmade furniture in softwood and hardwood that has a uniqueness about it that you will never find in a retail multiple. check the quality though.. you don't want a chest of drawers ("chester draws"!!) with hardboard drawer bottoms and chipboard back.

Also, look for proper dove-tailed jointing, nice wooden feet, properly turned knobs, and go for a waxed or oiled finish instead of polyurethane varnish which tends to yellow, or even turn orange.......

The Duke: What a bobby dazzler!

flimsier

Another vote for IKEA here - even if it falls apart in 2 years, it's better than the 5 year stuff that is 10x the price.

don't do DFS

scooterpig

I've got Ikea bookcases (the Billy range), and chests of drawers in a bedroom. They are ten years old now, and have survived two house moves (including an emigration) and are still holding up very well. I think the trick is to ensure the bookcases are well anchored to the wall.

I was convinced they'd never survive the emigration but they arrived intact, and I'm actually waiting for the Ikea which is due to open about 50 miles away from me here in order to buy some more as I have a room which I can properly kit out as a library. (The next closest ikea is 800 miles away!) The only annoying thing is they've changed the style of the glass doors since I bought them and they also don't do the decorative end units any more.

The drawers have also held up well, not bad considering how much I overstuff them! I'm considering jazzing them up a bit by adding handles (they're the Malm front front range).

I think the trick is not to do your whole place from one shop, or you get a bit of a bland look. So find some things you really love, buy cheaper for the things you don't care about so much, and upgrade as you go along.

poppy_f1

bedroom furniture from Ikea - much better quality than argos (malm in my room amoba(sp) in spare room)

livingroom well i got most of mine from argos and asda but i was looking for black glass and chrome so had to get it from where it was easy and not expensive

sofa i bit the bullet and got from scs and no issues and thats been a year

i was lucky i was in the position where i could afford to get what i wanted when i bought my house last year