Where to get cool furniture?

Hubby and I just moved into our new house. This is the very first place we bought together as a couple so I'm excited!!! :)

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f281/Emzak/38.jpg

The only problem is we spent so much $$$ on the house itself that we can't really afford furniture right now. Our house is 80% empty! :eek:

Anyway, where do you guys get your furniture? I'm trying to stay away from cheap stuff like Ikea. I'd rather stick with our plastic crate and K-Mart furniture for a bit longer while we save up for some nice solid pieces.

Auctions, thrift stores, and alleys.

Have you looked for maybe saw mills? Places where they make furniture? We just bought a new OAK coffee table and foyer table for about $80 a piece. There were tons of stuff there. And, the less expensive stuff was the showroom furniture and the ones with minor defects. Also, and this might take some work, but you can try http://newjersey.craigslist.org. It's a great site where people sell things second hand. They also have one for New York, but I didn't know how far you were from there so I posted this one. Just some thoughts!

Alanna:o

My dad's in the furniture business!! So that's where I got mine. Just to give a sense of the quality of GOOD solid Oak furniture... I am still using the bedroom set my parents got me when I was 3!!!
It's 25 years old!!! (it's got a dresser, aimoire, 2 nightstands (that look like antique iceboxes) and a queen sized bed). I love it, and will probably give it to my daughter (or son, it's pretty unisex) only cause I want to get a Cal-King bed!!!

Other than dad, try Restoration Hardware!!! I LOVE Mission furniture!

love your house!!!

take your time with the furniture...buy the best you can and make sure you "love" it!

What a gorgeous house! What style of furniture do you like? I think it's better to save up for quality pieces, cheap stuff usually doesn't last anyway. IKEA is a good place for good looking, cheap furniture in Europe, I don't know if it's the same in the US.

eBay (I got a LOVELY crib there that usually costs about $800, cuz it converted into a toddler bed and dresser... really cool) for about $200, and the couple drove halfway to us.

Goodwill and Salvation Army often have excellent stuff... real wood furniture that you might be able to refinish or reupholster yourself. I've done it. ;)

Estate Sales, Auctions and YARD SALES.

I am the queen of thrift. Until the last couple years, I had NEVER bought ANY new furniture. Ever. In the last 2 years, I finally bought a new dining room table (Schewels Furniture) for a good price on sale and with my tax return last year, I bought a couch with a chaise lounger... otherwise, everything I own is second hand and I could care less. Buy a lot of cheap throws/blankets, etc. :eek:

Ikea actually does have some nice stuff. Especially guest room furniture and the like.

Your new house is absolutely GORGEOUS. Take your time and build a home together.
~phos

Ugh I wish they made houses that looked like that out here! I miss the NE colonial homes...!

I bought a bunch of stuff off craigslist... Nothing upholstered (ick!) but some dressers and barstools.

Thanks for all the suggestions (and the compliments). :) I like what some of you said about yard sales, ebay, craigslist, etc. I really want to get stuff that's unique to US--I don't want guests to come into our living room and say "Hey, that's page 74 of the Pottery Barn catalog!"

We probably will end up getting a lot of small stuff from Ikea ($10 lamps, $1 toilet brush, etc.), esp. since we like the modern streamlined look. However, for the BIG stuff like a couch, dining room table, armoires, etc., I'll sit tight and wait to come across some good stuff.

Right now, we're trying to pick out paint colors. All my life I've had white walls but now I plan to go crazy with color! And no wimpy creams or pastels either--we're going with bold reds, oranges, and yellow, including an eggplant (dark brownish-purple) study. :D

What colors are your walls???

All my walls are light cream coloured, but I'm only renting, so I'm not allowed to paint them. I love the idea of eggplant coloured walls, especially in a study or bedroom. Might steal that idea for when I get a place of my own some day.

:D Color!!!

My great room/kitchen is Dark Forest Green.

My front room is called the "Mango Library" because it looks like a mango insides. (Faux rub on finish, base color yellow, over color was a translucent glaze mixed with a dark orange paint - YUMMY!)

Our computer/music room is dark Taupe (look at Nessa's pic, as that was taken in there) with white trim and some black in various places.

Our bedroom is DARK red (almost like Chianti wine color) with white trim. Although, I need to paint the back of the door white. DOORS and trim work, in my humble opinion should always be ONLY semi-gloss white or WOOD. Colored trim makes me go ICK... *shrug*

The kids rooms are waiting until our current reno project is done. The bathroom we're working on will have black and white 12 x 12 floor tiles, white tile up to chair rail height with a black tile toppers and the walls will be FIRE ENGINE red. :D I plan to do a black and white border around the top of the room and use a black and white Escher-esque bath curtain. The two rooms we are building back there by that bathroom (the future master bedroom and nursury) will be colored, but we haven't decided.

I'm like you, Emzak. Spent too many years in rentals and can't STAND white walls anymore. COLOR COLOR COLOR!! I want to do my sons room in dark navy blue with white trim and stars on the ceiling (glowy!) and I want to do my daughters in purple with a mural of fairies and a rainbow (her choice!)

~phos

My FAVORITE furniture store is Z Gallerie. They have a big variety of furniture...and I love everything they have there. Some things are a little on the expensive side, but most pieces they have there will probably appeal to your streamlined taste. (I love modern and contemporary furniture...and I absolutely love that store.) I'm not sure where you live, but everything is available on their website.

I also plan to go crazy with color when I buy my own house...but right now, at my parents house, my room is a cocoa brown. You'll be suprised what color will do for a room!! It totally changes everything!!

By the way Emzak, I love your house...its adorable!! Congratulations!!

Elle.jay, I will definitely check out Z Gallerie. Thanks! Cocoa brown sounds nice and cozy. I might use that in the guest bathroom. :)

Phossy, do you have a pic of your Mango room? It sounds awesome and I'd love to see it! I want to try the faux finishing too.

We are renting, but the owners painted our condo before they left, so it's not stark white like all the other units... most of the walls are a light or dark yellow... and the trim, doors, mantle, etc. are all maroon. It's a nice combo and I like it!

My boyfriends office is completely maroon... thats a little much.

I have issues with Ikea! I'm still dissappionted that the furniture doesn't come with the gerourgous Swede to put it all together!!
(I have a gorgouse Irish- Dane at home so I'm happy!)

a linen white...every single one of them!
i'm the type of person that in a years time...i have to change something. be it the chair, pictures, curtain, comforter...so white works with this "obsession"

Phossy, do you have a pic of your Mango room? It sounds awesome and I'd love to see it! I want to try the faux finishing too.

I have some pictures of it on my home computer, so I'll try to remember to dig one up to post for you later tonight... :D

By the way, faux finishing is a LOT easier than one would think. Just paint the base coat like normal. Then mix the top coat with the translucent glaze mix and choose your method of applying it. I, personally, prefer the rub on effect... it's got an old style appeal to it. Use a damp cheese cloth, just dip it in the glaze mix and rub it on... or pat in on... whatever you prefer. Home Depot has a nifty little FREE guide to faux finishing it their paint department which gives you the basics on sponge painting, rub on or rub off painting, dry brush, the linen look, etc., etc..
~phos

By the way, faux finishing is a LOT easier than one would think. Just paint the base coat like normal. Then mix the top coat with the translucent glaze mix and choose your method of applying it.

Is the top coat supposed to be the same color as the base coat? Sorry if it's a dumb question--I'm a total newbie at this. Also, what does the translucent glaze do?

No no, no dumb questions here. ;) The top coat is not usually the same color. It's something either complimentary or warmer or cooler or the other color you want to go with it. My favorites have been combo's like this:

Base Coat: Yellow, Top Coat: Rust/Orange
Base Coat: Salmon, Top Coat: Antique White
Base Coat: Cool Seafoam, Top Coat: Light Green

You get the idea, right?

The translucent glaze makes the paint more translucent, instead of entirely opaque as it usually is. So, when you mix it and apply it over the base coat, you can sort of see through it? But yet, not really. You CAN do the top coat without using the glaze, but then you dull the base coat significantly. The glaze is awesome and easy to work with and mixes well, too. So, instead of buying 2 colors and 2 cans of paint, you buy the base in a gallon (for average sized room), a quart of the top coat and a gallon of the translucent glaze. The mix for the top coat is, I believe, 1/4 paint to 3/4 glaze. Then you rub or sponge or dry brush that on over the base coat.

Here are some various links with tutorials which should be helpful:
http://www.artsparx.com/Decfinhome.asp
http://www.behr.com/behrx/expert/activity.jsp?aid=602&subnav=interior&leftNav=noSteps

My personal favorite:
http://www.behr.com/behrx/expert/activity.jsp?catId=600&aid=605&subnav=interior&leftNav=noSteps

Dragging:
http://www.behr.com/behrx/expert/activity.jsp?catId=600&aid=604&subnav=interior&leftNav=noSteps

Color Washing:
http://www.behr.com/behrx/expert/activity.jsp?catId=600&aid=610&subnav=interior&leftNav=noSteps

Hell, once you're at the behr site, just click on any of the other faux methods.
And a word to the wise here... BEHR paint RULES. I have tried the Lowe's paints, Sherman Williams, and every other "brand" name you can think of. BEHR is THE very, very, very best Latex paints on the market, hands down. To work with, durability wise, cleanability wise, you name it. BEHR.

Oh... and another tid-bit for when you have a baby/toddler in the future. If you need to crayon off the walls, use WD-40. :eek:

And on a final note, before you paint, if you have ANY stains ~ water stains, oil stains or INK, be sure to use one coat of KILZ. Nothing seeps through it. LATEX Kilz, I should add. LOL. And if you paint in a dark color, be sure to get the paint people to give you a dark base primer. Don't waste time doing 5 coats of a dark color. LOL.

~phos

Thanks for the info. Gosh, what would I do without you guys?? I'd be living in a house with a botched paint job and plastic crate furniture! :eek:

Regarding paint brands, a friend told me I should use Benjamin Moore. Is Behr better? :confused: And yeah, she also recommended that I get eggshell semi-gloss instead of matte (sob) because toddlers apparently think their hand prints look great all over the walls. Is there any way I can "fake" the matte look and still have walls that are easily cleanable?

Also, how much faux painting can I get away with in a house or a room before it starts being over the top? For example, can I do the whole room in a faux finish or just one wall? All the rooms in a house or just one or two rooms? Is too much faux painting like using too many spices when you cook?

I did a faux finish in my office here at work...it was REALLY easy and its REALLY pretty...I used Ralph Lauren "Suede" paint. All you do is paint one coat, let it dry, then use a paint brush and make X's all over the wall...it really looks like suede and really doesn't take long. It's also rather subtle...so it works well in smaller rooms. ;)
Oh, and Emzak, as far as how much...I think you'd be okay in most rooms, depending on the colors...usually when it flows through your house...its not over the top..

Sometimes if you want to do an accent wall, then you could do the one wall in the faux finish and then the others in a color that goes well. Just try it, anyways, because if it feels too overwhelming, then you can always paint over it!! Show us some pictures if you try something you like!! :)

Well, Emzak... I've owned 3 houses and paint most rooms almost every year and I gotta tell ya, Behr is the best paint I've ever dealt with on every level. It's less expensive than the "designer" paints and just plain the BEST to deal with.

As for "too much" or "too little"... elle is right here, you can do it on ONE wall as an accent or two walls and two walls solid or the whole room. Some rooms in a subtle faux, others in more dramatic (ie. sponge as opposed to linen)... I would avoid using faux finishes in very, very small rooms or hallways.

As for eggshell white... meh. Go with white. Use "ceiling" white on all ceilings (color just looks dorky and unprofessional), white "semi-gloss" on doors and trim. If you think eggshell or antique white will look better with the color you chose for the room, that's fine, too. As for the walls themselves... stick with FLAT and remember my trick. WD-40. Look at the back of the can sometime.. it's amazing the things that stuff is used for, but cleaning walls is one. And the Mr. Clean magic eraser works, too.

There's another kickass thing you can do on an "accent" wall (a single wall in a room). You can paint it the regular base color, then tape off vertical stripes and use a CLEAR gloss on every other stripe. Looks badass when you're done! It's almost like wallpaper looking, and very classy.

~phos

Oooooh I'm definitely gonna try the faux painting, esp. the gloss stripes. Thanks guys!

I love furniture!!! I have lots of "used" goodies, antiques, rustic pieces, etc.
But I also have some more contemporary pieces. I like to mix it up so I get my home stuff from a bunch of places (to avoid that catalog look ;) ) - thrift stores, estate sales, I love antique shops that specialize in asian stuff, and I usually turn to the independently owned home goods stores - especially the hispanic ones cause I love me some latin flavor! As far as the bigger stores, I also like z gallery and Room and Board. But my funds are limited so I can't say that I have ever bought anything from there. OH, OH and do you have a World Market there? That place is awesome!!

Good luck, and congrats on your new home!!!

I like IKEA for newer homes/condos/apartments..along with a mixture or a random antique/vintage piece here and there (I love to shop at antique and vintage stores for certain things).

When we owned a more traditional home (many years ago) we shopped at Ethan Allen alot...there furniture bores me now..maybe because I like a little more modern/contemporary look now than I used to..I dunno..maybe brings back memories better left to the past as well I suppose. :)

Good suggestions here as to places to buy furniture. I have an 80+ yo house and wanted furniture to go with the era....I found a dining set at a yard sale, made for JLHudsons, from 1920! Then last year Art Van had a sale- no surprise there- but I found a living room set that fits the decor-no interest for 2 years..

And this is the time of year for yard sales, have fun!! And I really luv that style of house!

I know! I'm looking forward to yard sales. :)

Nice house, Emzak!!! Congratulation!

Since i live in the other side of this earth... Sorry i cant help you much :(

Oh Em! Your house is just so dreamy. I absolutely love it.



Shan

Aww, thanks guys!

I have to say though that the ONLY reason this house is "dreamy" is cuz Zakem lives in it. :D

I just had to add this in...I just got a catalog for West Elm..and I LOVE their furniture. I will definitely be buying things from there in the NEAR future.

If you like contemporary furniture, dark woods, and bright colors -- look here.
www.westelm.com

Congrats on the house, it is beautiful!! I love color on the walls. My kitchen/dining area is olive green, we are about to paint our living room a mocha and our family room is sort of a sage green. I hope to have our bedroom painted soon too. But still not sure what color.

BEAUTIFUL house,you'll have fun decorating it...I go for the "shabby chic" look myself when it comes to decor.I love vintage prints,floral overstuffed furniture,old stuff.

Just thought I'd say... ACE Hardware is having a big Memorial Day Weekend Sale and their Adirondack chairs are going for an unspeakable $29.99. :eek: They are over $120 at LL Bean and like places. You know, these for outside:

http://www.abetterabode.com/images/OA/AF-OAAdirondackChair80.jpg

See the ACE circular on their site:
http://acehardware.shoplocal.com/acehardware/default.aspx?action=browsepageflash&pretailerid=-99385&siteid=622&promotioncode=ace-060501EVN-1&pagenumber=1&storeid=2433981

~phos

Wow, I love those colors! If you have pictures, I'd love to see.

Just thought I'd say... ACE Hardware is having a big Memorial Day Weekend Sale and their Adirondack chairs are going for an unspeakable $29.99.

That's a great deal! Did you guys get any for your place?