New house furnishing and appliances shopping advice

g000444555

Edit: Maybe going off on a tangent a little but do you have children? That could affect the wear and tear on your new goods too. I know some people prefer to buy better when they are older and less likely to cause accidents but that's just me.

I don't have children but I might use it as a party house for several years until I exit my 30s. I won't go paranoid about the wear and tear though, the things are there to serve us and not the other way around. Also, if something breaks early I would rather have it new as it might be covered by insurance.

warby68

You might be better on more specialist boards dedicated to decor. This site has money saving as its over arching ethos so having a designer dress your home might not be something many posters can meaningfully comment on.
My advice would mainly be don't rush - get in there and take your time to decide what kind of look and what kind of things you want in the various spaces, using cheap basics or what you have meantime. 
One other thing is that there is a lot of ground between the 2 stated options in your OP. Lots of mid range high street stores have a design service at modest cost which will put room plans together for you without much obligation for example.
What I used to do was use Rightmove (or predecessors) to view for decor, furniture and ideas in similar or usually slightly aspirational properties as, for the most part, these are presented as real lived in homes, not artificially dressed ones like the old showhome with mini furniture and the no TV or fireplace trick.

csgohan4

research the appliances if your thinking about changing them, we use miele Washing machine and Neff gas hob/ Hood and oven, again as above, it's personal preference and your own budget 

Smodlet

warby68 said:

You might be better on more specialist boards dedicated to decor. This site has money saving as its over arching ethos so having a designer dress your home might not be something many posters can meaningfully comment on.
My advice would mainly be don't rush - get in there and take your time to decide what kind of look and what kind of things you want in the various spaces, using cheap basics or what you have meantime. 
One other thing is that there is a lot of ground between the 2 stated options in your OP. Lots of mid range high street stores have a design service at modest cost which will put room plans together for you without much obligation for example.
What I used to do was use Rightmove (or predecessors) to view for decor, furniture and ideas in similar or usually slightly aspirational properties as, for the most part, these are presented as real lived in homes, not artificially dressed ones like the old showhome with mini furniture and the no TV or fireplace trick.

Yeah... The name of this site is not moneynoobject.com...

BikingBud

Don't forget or neglect supermarkets where small domestic items can be had for an absolute steal, not literally of course.  Also if you use Amazon make sure you use CamelCamelCamel, look it up elsewhere on here if you're not sure.

See:
how-to-haggle-successfully

Doozergirl

Smodlet said:

warby68 said:

You might be better on more specialist boards dedicated to decor. This site has money saving as its over arching ethos so having a designer dress your home might not be something many posters can meaningfully comment on.
My advice would mainly be don't rush - get in there and take your time to decide what kind of look and what kind of things you want in the various spaces, using cheap basics or what you have meantime. 
One other thing is that there is a lot of ground between the 2 stated options in your OP. Lots of mid range high street stores have a design service at modest cost which will put room plans together for you without much obligation for example.
What I used to do was use Rightmove (or predecessors) to view for decor, furniture and ideas in similar or usually slightly aspirational properties as, for the most part, these are presented as real lived in homes, not artificially dressed ones like the old showhome with mini furniture and the no TV or fireplace trick.

Yeah... The name of this site is not moneynoobject.com...

I would have thought you'd been here long enough to comprehensively understand that Martin's ethos is that people can buy, have and enjoy what they like.  The purpose of the site is to help save money on whatever purchases one makes, or where a discount might not be available, to help save money in other areas to allow luxury purchases to be more affordable.  

If the OP is considering a designer then they can learn to save money in different areas.  Someone's already pointed out that certain retailers offer a discounted design service. 

I design home interiors, not the soft stuff, and I certainly don't design for myself.  You have to be sensitive to what people like and help them to interpret that.   I've put in plenty of stuff that I wouldn't choose for myself.  An orange bath was a good example.  I found it, ex-display for a client knowing that she'd love it and she's enormously proud of her mid-century style bathroom.   She loves design but I know that she'd never have been able to put together what I did for her, with a small space and some pretty awkward corners to contend with, so I'm proud that she gets to enjoy it every day.  We also went to the Porcelanosa garage sale and picked up her tiles for £5 a metre.  

I was in a clearance shop the other day looking specifically for a higher end client to try and save them some money.   

My wallpaper and soft furnishings lady sells wallpaper and fabric at internet prices whilst offering the design service with it.  Trade discounts with a margin can work out less than going to shops, even with an MSE hat on.   

There's not a shadow of a doubt that a designer can achieve much more beauty than the average house.  If that's what motivates you, then have one.  If not, then Instagram is absolutely full of people just doing it for themselves and showing videos of how and why and where.    There's no need to take from one place, in fact, taking from one place can be pretty boring.  Buying second hand or up-cycling or just rethinking where an existing item is used can be really rewarding.  

OP, I can recommend John Pye auctions. You'll find them online. I got that tip from an Influencer!  There are some outrageous bargains to be had from retailers like John Lewis, M&S, Made.com, Loaf, Feather & Black, Bathstore etc...   I recommend going along to view though, because things are sold as seen and even an item in a box may not be complete.  That said, the prices can be worth the risk.  I picked up some Bathstore pieces that I was specifically looking for, for over 90% off their RRP.  

Oh, and OP, yes, black appliances are coming in everywhere now.  I was at the KBB show last week, and it's where things are headed, no doubt.  Like the colour of TVs, there always seems to be a fashion that lasts a decade or so. 

In the past, I found rooms that I liked magazines and taken from that as an influence for a room in my own house.  With Instagram, it's pretty easy to find something you like. 

GaleSF63

Doozergirl said:

 

OP, I can recommend John Pye auctions. You'll find them online. 

I more or less filled my first house with stuff from John Pye auctions when they used to have a shed full of house clearance  at the cattle market in Nottingham in the 1970s!  Certainly got some bargains (still have some).

They've grown a bit since then.

DCFC79

For me the Dishwasher will hopefully be a Bosch, washing Machine will be Zanussi and the fridge either Bosch or something like Haier, Dining table and chairs from the local Heart Foundation and TV from Richer Sounds. White goods could come from Amazon but Ill see what offers are around when I look later in the year, I know I wont use Groupon though.Other furniture Ill look at what offers are available, value for money will be the main focus.

gozaimasu

For my first house, I knew I hated it and didn't want to stay there long term, so I bought cheap stuff and decorated it myself. The only thing I had workmen in for was to replace the bathroom, which was done in a week.

The sofa in my first house was £150, terrible quality that had butt prints in. So much so that a charity furniture place refused to take it when I moved. My second house I "splashed out" on £575 new sofa. I wish I'd gone to a charity furniture place because you can get some really decent quality items in those.

The dining table in my first house was free from a friend. The dining table in my next house was £175 new. I then later saw a pine dining table in a charity shop for £50. My dining chairs were £10 each from a charity, very comfortable and sturdy chairs but they needed re-uphostering: £15 for materials and easily done myself. Not as perfect as getting a professional to do them, but they look so much better and they're still comfy and sturdy.

All the decorating has been done myself as I hate having workmen around the house. It is indeed extremely tedious work, but I like the result and I can be proud that I did it all myself.

My appliances were second hand from a person I knew, but when the washing machine broke I bought a new one. After trying to repair the first one, of course, which turned out to be a waste of £40.

GaleSF63

If you have the money and want everything new and untouched, that's fine.
What people here don't want you to do, is miss out on alternatives because you didn't realise they exist. 
Don't rush - that's the surest way of regretting something later.