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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

...to want to spend 3k on bookshelves...?

114 replies

titferbrains · 13/07/2009 13:54

before you judge me...

we buy all our furniture on discount it seems, and factory outlets etc. I'n a sale junkie and where I'll spend hours hunting for discounts once we know what we want, my DH tends to spend 3 minutes looking before either getting fed up or buying something nice but not necessarily the best choice (eg cream rug the year before we had our baby. Great. I didn't argue with him because it was in the sale and I'd struggled to persuade him to even come to the shop...)

We also were left a few grands'worth of stuff when we moved into this house, because the sellers were moving to oz and clearly couldn't ship it all.

We have loads of books and I've spent years ogling those fabulous italian style arty cool book shelves and I know we can afford them, it's just that it seems loads because we always get stuff on sale!!!

my hubby works hard and we are comfortable, just think I'm going to struggle to persuade him on this one.

OP posts:

Rhubarb · 13/07/2009 15:00

Look titferbrains, sorry I am probably feeling vulnerable. I lose my job in 2 weeks and there is nothing on the horizon. £3k is a lot of money to us, a LOT.

If you really want good bookcases I think you should buy British, get a local carpenter to make them, he won't charge you £3k and you'll have something much more unique than that.

But as you posted in AIBU you should expect people to say that you are.

Original poster

titferbrains · 13/07/2009 15:01

feeling, thanks for the link, I also love that style when you fill the wall completely with shelves but not quite appropriate for our room. One day!!

are any of you in the sw london area and if so can you recommend a carpenter or joiner?

OP posts:

Rhubarb · 13/07/2009 15:03

Damon - if you didn't patronise posters you might not get an angry response.

beanieb · 13/07/2009 15:04

I'm not even spending 3K on my wedding but if you have the cash and nothing better to waste it on - knock yourself out

PinkTulips · 13/07/2009 15:05

good furniture is always a good investment if you can afford it

those bookshelves are not good furniture though, they'll look dirty and messy within a year, dated within 5.

preggersplayspop · 13/07/2009 15:05

Try checkatrade, they give reviews which are very helpful. I've never had a bad experience through people from there.

FAQinglovely · 13/07/2009 15:06

look I didn't post it to say "oh you could buy this" - I posted it as an example of something that was nice (and imo worth more than the ones you like, but still not worth 3k )

And I don't think the ones you've linked to are British are they???

Original poster

titferbrains · 13/07/2009 15:07

Well actually we've just completed work on a bauhaus style chicken coop...

I was posting on here more because it's something I really want and would be nice to just get the thing I want rather than doing my usual shop round to find the cheapest option despite knowing that I just want the expensive one, IYKWIM.

After thinking about it, the last full price item of furniture we bought was our baby's changing table, and that was only because the seller of the 2nd hand one I'd wanted pulled out at the last minute. We have a houseful of discounted stuff! I'm actually quite proud, I must have saved us a small fortune over the years!

OP posts:

FAQinglovely · 13/07/2009 15:09

but do you want those shelves because they'r expensive, or because you like the design? Because to be honest I'm genuinely failing to see why they're priced at £3,000!

Original poster

titferbrains · 13/07/2009 15:10

the ones I like aren't british no but see my previous post re why I came on here.

OP posts:

DamonBradleylovesPippi · 13/07/2009 15:11

Are they 3k each or is 3k for those you need?

Original poster

titferbrains · 13/07/2009 15:11

faqing it's only because I like the design.

OP posts:

DamonBradleylovesPippi · 13/07/2009 15:12

I think if you really really like them and have been thinking about it for long time and want a present for yourself than yes go for it!

pointydog · 13/07/2009 15:13

yabu. They don't look like three grand's worth of shelving.

If you're gonna buy expensive shelvage, make sure it looks like expensive shelvage.

Original poster

titferbrains · 13/07/2009 15:14

3k for 2 in white. 2.5k for one in wood, which is what I'd prefer. So will prob keep looking and consider the carpenter option also.

OP posts:

PinkTulips · 13/07/2009 15:14

rhubs, it's not the op's fault you're losing your job... this isn't the place for guilt tripping thos who aren't suffering due to the current climate.

3k is an unimaginable amount of money to us too, doesn't mean i feel the need to gripe because others can afford things i can't. If the money is there then good quality furniture is a fabulous way to invest it and it will give them so much joy comapred to shitty ikea flat pack nonsense, why should everyone deny themselves lifes pleasures just because some of us aren't rolling in it money wise?

Original poster

titferbrains · 13/07/2009 15:15

I really don't understand why this type of furniture is so expensive. It's bloody annoying. But when I look at the stuff in Heals for example, it's the right kind of style but feels poorly made ime.

Will get hunting for that carpenter now.

OP posts:

noddyholder · 13/07/2009 15:17

I am not getting dragged into the debate just want to say to op have seen those irl and they are stunning not cheap at all

Original poster

titferbrains · 13/07/2009 15:21

ooh noddy where did you see them? shop said they are being shipped to them in Sept??

OP posts:

katiestar · 13/07/2009 15:23

Please tell me you are joking ? I was envisaging some lovely highly polished hard wood intricately ctafted bookcase probably with glass doors.
That is mass produced on a machine and MADE FROM MDF for gods sake.Then sold by some arty company who are brazen enough to ask £3k for it because some mug will be daft enough to pay it.
(suddenly clicks- this is a wind-up isn't it ?)

edam · 13/07/2009 15:26

£3k for MDF?

FAQinglovely · 13/07/2009 15:32

but PT - it doesn't even look like good quality furniture - it's massed produced for starters - for 3k I'd expect something handmade and bloody gorgeous and unique!

Penthesileia · 13/07/2009 15:34

I think the OP is interested in the solid wood ones, not the MDF ones.

If you have the money, and you like them, then go for it. You don't need anyone's approval. You have, however, committed the cardinal MN sin of mentioning the sum of money involved in your thread title.

However, don't buy until you've seen them in RL - it would BU to spend that much money without seeing them first.

I disagree, btw, that a carpenter would necessarily be cheaper. Sure, you'll get a bespoke design; but we've had quite a lot of carpenter-made furniture, and it's never cheap. Especially not in the UK...

I'm going to stick my neck out here, and act as bait to draw the wrath of various posters here away from titferbrains and Damon... But my first thought when I read the title of this thread was, "Lightweight! " DH and I own about 10,000 books (possibly more - we've not actually counted...), and we've recently bought a house with a barn specifically to convert into a library. So we're going to spend considerably more than £3k housing our books. Are we BU?

DamonBradleylovesPippi · 13/07/2009 15:37

Yes a carpenter could make them exactly the same and in MDF could cost you very little. However in solid wood I doubt it'll be much cheaper, like Penthe said. And yes go and see them irl first.

BitOfFun · 13/07/2009 15:38

Pent, you need to check out the Sony e-reader my love

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