Kitting out my new house!

[OhTinky]

I'm a soon to be first time buyer (if the solicitors actually do some work, but that's a whole other thread). And now i need to furnish a 2 bed house and garden on a bit of a budget.

The house is a 1920s terraced property, nothing grand, but i'd like to fill it with decent furniture. Sofas, kitchen table, wardrobes etc. Any recommendations for good solid furniture - i've had a lifetime of Ikea and i like it but enough's enough!

My question is - is there anything on an Ikea budget which isn't chipboard/flatpack?! Or are there any reasonably priced furniture retailers out there - i recoil in horror frequently at the prices in John Lewis etc!

Ebay?
Second hand shops? You can probably find cheap chest of drawers for insntace, that you can turn into interesting pieces with a leak of paint and changing the handles (Zara Home does nice handles)

I still think that Ikea beats most of its competitors. Some ranges are better than others of course. At the moment I am quite fond of the Hemnes range.

I agree the Hemnes is the best of the Ikea stuff at the moment, it felt the most solid in the store. I think i just have some horrible memories of ikea laminated wood, melamine? furniture falling apart when i lived in student houses, but their actual wooden furniture is lovely!

Have you got an auction house nearby? They often have good bargains - great for sofa's etc and other bits and pieces from house clearances etc. You might find something you really like there and not run of the mill. Don't automatically expect it to be expensive because its an auction house, they often do modern stuff too and job lots.

(My mum bought an entire 12 piece dinner service a really lovely one for about £100 which sounds alot but the plates individually bought new would have been £30 each!)

Oooh, what a good idea, im moving to Hertfordshire so im off to look for auction houses in the county!! I like the idea of unique pieces, there's nothing like putting your stamp on your first home.

second hand proper solid furniture all the way. I scour charity shops and second hand shops and ebay and gumtree for proper pieces of furniture second hand. You pay for quality that way, Ikea prices but will last longer than you will.

What everone else has said really, all our furniture comes from auction, ebay & junk shops, even antique shops & fairs can have some great bargains, I have a pair of beautiful, really simple 18th C oak chairs that I picked up from an antiques fair for £80 - don't know where you could buy a new equivalent for that.

Plus it's lots of fun furnishing your house that way.

And looks miles better.

John Lewis has a budget range of bedroom furniture ( Kirby range), they are flat pack but they are well made.

John Lewis has a budget range of bedroom furniture ( Kirby range), they are flat pack but they are well made.