Good but Cheap place to buy Furniture?

beachbeth

We are hoping to move house this summer and will need some new furniture when this happens, such as dining table and matching units, nest of tables and two beds (probably doubles depending on the size of house we buy). I don't want cheap, nasty looking furniture but can't afford to buy really expensive furniture either.

Can anyone recommend anyone that sells cheap furniture that looks expensive?

annie-c

do you have any sort of budget in mind?

Options I can think of are:

1 Look through house magazines and shops to find out what you like and then scour sales/price comparison sites to see if you can get good deals on what you want (also check ebay -you'll often get companies selling off surplus stock through ebay shops)

2 If you don't mind secondhand, then try auction rooms/freeads/freecycle. Old items can be re-covered/refinished and will look fab with a little effort.

3 Have a good look round IKEA. Often basic flatpack furniture can be made to look expensive by changing the handles, staining, oiling etc. Same applies to discount/DIY shops like The Range, Focus DIY, etc.

I have done a combination of all of these to furnish my home. I'm particularly proud of the solid oak bargains that I've picked up in sales and on the internet, but my most admired item (by others) is a flatpack table I bought form IKEA, stained, oiled and changed the handles and for £30 created a beauty that people mistake for expensive hardwood every time!

tiff

Not sure what you mean by cheap, but I just ordered a solid oak tv unit from here http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZcontainerclearancecompany

You can either go through the auction, or put in your best offer. I bought the Cuba tv unit for £147 plus delivery charge.

Only trouble is you have to wait 6 to 8 weeks for delivery but it could come much sooner than that.

ashli_2

We are moving from a furnished rented house to our own house in the next few months and we'll be furnishing from scratch. I have been scouring ebay and my local forums and have found some proper bargains, a few new pieces at really low prices and some second hand bits of very good quality.

Start as soon as you can and keep your eyes open!

beachbeth

Thanks for your replies. Ive never actually been to Ikea! I'll have to go and have a look and I didn't think of going on Ebay either! Think I will have a look. I can't buy anything yet because we don't know what furniture we will need until we find a house and know size of dining table and where other pieces will fit.

Melissa177

Check out any shop which sells the Corona Mexican Pine range - it looks really nice, but it's still quite cheap. I paid £139 for a dining table and chairs, £99 for a solid TV unit, and £79 for a coffee table.

Ebay is another good place - you can find corona mexican pine on there if you search.

never_enough

Also ask around friends & family. It's amazing what people can come up with. It might not be your ideal choice, but could give you time to save up once you're in your new place. You can customise older furniture with paint or stains plus some new funky handles.
Local papers often have a second hand section where you can find al types of things.