Help me find nice second-hand furniture in south london to suit 1930s house

[SarfE4sticated]

Hello! I've never been on this board before .
I live in Lewisham, and we are just about to buy a 1930's semi. We are moving from a flat which has some habitat furniture, but is mostly furnished with ikea stuff. Our new house is much bigger, so we'll need bookcases x 4, sideboard, dining chairs etc and I'd like to start getting some stuff that will last.
Sadly I don't have vast wads of cash, so would like to get stuff from charity shops or second hand shops, but not 100% how it works. DH and I work full time, so no time to wander around hundreds of places, would an auction house be good? I found one closeish to here that seems to specialise in fine art prints! but I need something a little more reasonable than that. House clearance places perhaps? Do they have websites?
Have looked at some lovely shops (online) in Crystal Palace but the stock mostly mid-century teak stuff or Ercol. Not sure if our new house would suit that period. I guess what I need is a massive warehouse selling quite cheap reasonable stuff (Like Ikea ha ha?)
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

have a look on freecycle. there is only a general london group afaik, but someone is giving away these shelves (they are in north west london) that might fit?

We are doing the same and like you, don't have the time to make full day trips to wander round antique fairs etc.
Having said that, there are a handful of dependably good charity shops and an antiques warehouse that I try and stop by a couple of times a month.
I've picked up a beautiful, solid oak Victorian dressing table from BHF recently for £60 which I was pleased with.
On the other hand, I got a dresser for £90 off eBay (bargained e seller down from £175) and paid £60 for delivery with a man and van, but the furniture quality isn't that great. Bit disappointed.

So even if I'm buying at a low price I still like to see things in person. Facebook/Freecycle/eBay / gumtree can reveal gems though. Got a 6 seater extending teak exterior table and 4 chairs for free recently too

Sorry for waffling - my point is that it's helpful to try and have a regular jaunt round certain charity shops and set up alerts online for things you're looking for. You will need to be much more patient if you don't have ££££ but ultimately more satisfying and you can also renovate old furniture which is good fun.

Hi- the big place in Crystal Palace does all eras not just mid century modern - only one floor of it is focused on that. I’ve bought loads from there, from Victorian stuff onwards - probably for something in almost every room of my house. There’s also a house clearance place in West Wickham (best way I can describe it is drive to west wick ham and turn as if you were going in the general direction to the Princess Royal hospital and it’s just on the left... it’s in an old fire station. Another place worth a look is the British Heart Foundation place in Croydon. But as has been said, you do sort of have to keep going back and looking for when new things come in and you probably won’t fill your house in one go. Also join local Facebook groups - it’s amazing what gets given away free (I’ve given away tons of stuff). Appreciate you work full time but then so do lots of people and you just need to find your best time to slot it in, eg a quick morning in CP before having lunch.

Have you been to the reclamation yard on Loampit Hill?

Hi second thanks for that - that’s great news. I can get to CP easily and often so that really helps. As much as I love mid century stuff it wouldn’t work in our new place.
Thanks yippie as well. I have been to Alladins cave but the furniture seemed really huge and grand. I will go back though.
Tiddle There is a British heart foundation shop on the old Kent road which I’ll look at too - thanks!
Thanks everyone 🙏🏻

I would disagree your house won't suit mid century modern, our last house was 1920s and our early G plan sideboard (so 1950s) looked fab, and importantly was much larger than modern sideboards so fitted perfectly.

I'm not really keen on it either CountFosco I grew up with the high street version! I also prefer pale wood really.

Will look forward to a good poke around Crystal Palace one weekend soon.

I see I have contradicted myself there! I know that this isn't AIBU, but I feel i should explain. I appreciate the aesthetic of the mid century stuff, I'd like it in a gallery, but don't want to live with it.

OK that's fair enough, I thought maybe you had some and were worried it wouldn't work. I think if you only buy stuff you live it will naturally go together, because your own asthetic will be constant.

@SarfE4sticated also thoroughly recommend the antiques centre in Crystal Palace & the old fire station in west wickham, I have bought loads from them, also British heart shop in Bromley & croydon they are always worth a look.

Greenwich has some lovely shops and the market

Go to Putney or Northcote Road OP

A wide selection of charity / second hand shops and the one near my sister kn northcote road always has people lining up outside every morning so I’m assuming they have good stuff.

In Putney along the upper Richmond road there are again a few shops and they have great stuff in there. Designer stuff or proper vintage goods for less than half price.

Worth a look

There’s a great auction house in Greenwich, heaps of furniture at reasonable prices

Posted to soon, also CP has loads of different period stuff not just mid century, I think also auction houses in Greenwich & Norwood which have regular sales,.

Yy Northcote Road is worth a look as well, or if you do get some time off Margate/Rye/Hastings

I would second British Heart Foundation furniture stores and also Salvation Army. They both deliver too which is a bonus. For some reason SA always seem to have lots of dark oak 1930’s furniture going silly cheap (probably house clearance stock). Don’t know if that’s your thing but I’ve had some really good results from rubbing down the dark stain and going over with clear satin. I also havea 1930’s house btw.

I buy a lot on an Irish site which is equivalent to eBay. It takes a lot of time. I found some really lovely glass china cabinets from the 1930s which I have polished up and use as a china cabinet (in dining room) and a toy storage unit in the playroom.

I have just bought an antique dining table of the period but it took 5 years to find - be patient, carefully curated, a mix of period and modern in a 1930's house like mine looks fab, but it takes a long time. I have had a pine table in my dining room which we have owned for 20 years, and I can now sell since I found the right replacement.

Good luck and enjoy, you will also get to know the right people and they can look out for items for you.

Also don’t discount FB marketplace. I’ve bought loads of lovely things from there. Our house if furnished almost entirely in second hand stuff

Got an amazeballs walnut and glass cabinet from circa 1900 with beautiful detailing from FB marketplace this week for £50

I visited the ww shop today... very reasonable prices

There's a second hand furniture shop on the corner of Malpas Road and Lewisham Way - near Goldsmiths. I have got some lovely 30s chairs there. Also I second the Aladdin's cave suggestion. Keep going all the way out to the back, it goes on and on. I regularly keep an eye out there and have picked up some lovely stuff. All of it has needed some work to get it back to its best though.