The Ten Commandments of Buying Used Furniture You see a chair on the curb. It's sitting right in front of your building and it's free. Or, you're at the thrift store and spy a cheap sofa. But something holds you back. If only there were guidelines — holy reminders if you will — of things to keep in mind while looking at used furniture. How do you decide if it's the right thing to re-do? Or if you should run in the other direction? 1. Thou Shalt Look for Tags - This should be first on the checklist: flip the piece over and see if there's a tag. If it says IKEA, boohoo. If it looks like it's from the 70s and reads Thayer Coggin, put a sheet and some caution tape around it as camouflage, then run — don't walk — to find someone help you haul it home. Random side note: This isn't to say that you can't take home the IKEA item; just don't invest money in re-doing it. See this side table/stool thing? I bought it at some random secondhand store in Burlington, Vermont. I think it was like $20 and it reminded me of these so I quickly bought it.
As soon as I got it home, I flipped it over and — lo and behold — there was the dreaded Walmart sticker. It's still in my living room, and will do for now, but I shouldn't have even paid twenty bucks for it, and certainly would never bring it to some guy to refinish. For other inspiration, the women at Chairloom are always doing great work. Thou Shalt Not Worship False Furniture Thou Shalt Sit On It Thou Shalt Examine Any Cushions Be Not Afraid of Simple Fixes Thou Shalt Not Kill Strong Odors & Pests (Easily) 8. Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness to Your Wallet - Don't get swept up in that $60 price tag, without considering the very real expense of getting it re-done. Even with re-usable cushions, you'll still have to purchase yards of fabric, then pay someone to upholster it. Mentally calculate what it will really cost you when all is said and done. Is it worth the expense? Thou Shalt Not Covet For example: I got this sofa off Craigslist for free a couple of years ago, and couldn't part with it.
I love the chrome against the fabric and it's otherwise very basic, clean and in good shape. For years I moved it around to various awkward spots in my home and garage. Then, as part of the August Style Cure, I finally traded in the Scandinavian crack den look and redid the room, along the sofa. In this instance, I'm glad I hung onto it, even if it did take a while. Remember Your Day of Rest - Re-edited from a post published on 2/28/2013 - DFThe “Navasota-Charcoal” upholstery collection features a soft chenille upholstery fabric surrounding beautifully rolled arms adorned with nail head accents along with plush pillow back cushions to create the perfect Traditional Classic furniture to enhance any living room décor.As promised, I am back with before/after pictures of the apartment! It’s taken a lot of work, several arguments and tantrums over Ikea assembly directions, and many trips back and forth to stores all over DC, but we finally have a place that is coming together and feels like our own.
There is still lots of work to do, mainly getting more pictures and paintings on the walls, but we hope you enjoy what we’ve done with the place thus far. In an effort to prevent you guys from going crazy scrolling back and forth between this and the previous post, I have included the “before” pictures in here as well! Check out the captions if you would like to know where we received some of the things you see in the rooms. (Below: Painting (my own from high school art class), sofa (Ikea Kivik; natural grey—gift from Connor’s grandfather), lounge chair (Ikea Poang—Craigslist), coffee table (Ikea LACK) & media console (Ikea LACK—Craigslist), oriental rug (Connor’s grandparents first oriental), lamp (BB&B), sofa side tables (BB&B—discounted nesting tables $25) (Below: Target “desk”—free from previous tenants—converted into hallway console table) (Below: Lamp (hand-me down from older sister—believe it’s BB&B), table (my parent’s first table!), chairs (hand-me down from parents), rug (Ikea GISLED—$19.99)
(Below: Table (old Ikea table which my parent’s bought, they still sell it!), painting (my own from college), lamp (grandfather’s), (Below: Lamp (college—BB&B), rug (BB&B $25), bookshelf (hand-me down), lounge chair (Ikea Poang—Connor’s) (Below: paint color (Benjamin Moore “Repose Gray” lightened by 50%), bedding (Vanessa floral; Pottery Barn—move in gift from parents), glass lamps & shades (Ikea), print & frame (Ikea), bedside tables (repurposed bookshelves of Connor’s) (Below: Dresser (Connor’s), laundry hamper (Connor’s—possibly Pier 1 Imports?) (Below: Stainless steel open shelves, hooks & spice storage (Ikea Grundtal series), etched glass containers (Ikea), microwave (previous tenants $10) (Below: Open cabinet door (removed and stored in closet to open kitchen up), magnetic knife rack (Ikea), utensil holder (BB&B), tableware (BB&B) porcelain round mirror (hand-me down from Grandfather)) (Below: kitchen cart (Ikea—bought from previous tenants)
(Below: Terra Cotta pots (hardware store) painted with leftover chalkboard paint, plastic Adirondack chairs (BB&B-$19.99/each), black table (part of nesting table set seen in living rom—BB&B)Hope you guys enjoyed the tour. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask! Back soon with a new muffin recipe! The first tested baking recipe to come out of the new kitchen and it was a success! Have a great rest of your weekend. Luckily, the weather is cooling down from 100 degrees here in DC to only (!) 90+ for my 24th birthday tomorrow. Here’s hoping I don’t melt in the bakery! IKEA FAMILY products & offers Rattan armchairs for unique elegance Our range of rattan armchairs add a touch of the exotic, and are perfect for the conservatory. And they come in a range of styles and colors, from the white patterned FINNTORP design to the black STORSELE high-back chair. Some of them are even stackable, like the AGEN wicker armchair, which can save a great deal of space.