Furnishing a whole house - help!!

[ukoz71]

We will be renting a home in oxfordshire for 1-2 years (we are Aussies) and we need to furnish it from head to toe and I'm getting stressed at the thought of the money involved!! I am someone who loves interiors so I guess you could say I would like my home to look nice! As it's a farmhouse, I'm favouring a rustic look - we need everything from white goods, dining, bedding and beds, sofas, crockery and cutlery, pots and pans - even curtains (personally I think that's a bit cheeky). Can anyone steer me to a good website where things are cheap but nice?! Is gumtree a good option? I'm all for secondhand! Help please!!!

Search for local car boot sales, local paper small ads and also local second hand furniture shops, including charity shops. British Heart Foundation have a chain. Also Freegle/Freecycle.

Nice stuff is always snapped up so you may have to be flexible if you don't want to break the bank. Will you ship anything back at the end of your stay?

I've used a lot of local charity furniture shops, gumtree and eBay (you can search locally). Also Facebook local selling groups can be great - either to make requests or see what comes up! You can search but lots of the groups are closed so you'll need to ask people when you arrive. Look for local flea markets too.

Our place is a farmhouse and I've got some great antique oak stuff (although we did have the basics before we moved).

Also homesense (home version of t k maxx) can be great for stuff like utensils, bedding, towels, curtains etc.

Good luck - bit daunting but exciting!!

Try ebay for curtains - might be a bit more than charity shops but easier to see what you are getting
I think ikea are hard to beat for good value bedding, crockery etc.
Also some charities have specific furniture shops which are usually good value - might be worth looking for those.
never had much look with car boot sales but it would be worth looking at gumtree and preloved for bigger items. I think that on one of those you can post wanted messages.

Local furniture charity shops often Hospice related.

If you don't mind having 'brown' furniture - ie old fashioned wood furniture - you can pick up some real bargains. It might look like stuff your granny might have used but it is not seen as desirable in modern open plan houses and flats. Try auctions for that kind of furniture. Auctions tend to be more expensive for good pine furniture but cheaper for dark wood furniture that isn't quite antique - they are often houses clearance items, often from the clearance of deceased estates.

Second-hand furniture shops and some Annie Sloan paint might sve you a fortune if you like shabby-chic look (plus you may be able to sell it on when you leave).

Also we hired some furniture once when we moved for 6 months. I can't remember the name of the company but it was very efficient and good quality and they supplied everything including bedding if required. This is not the company we used but will give you an idea www.roomservicebycort.com/furniture-ranges
fullyfurnished.com/furniture-rental/

I buy stuff from:-
Charity shops
eBay (order search by nearest first to avoid postage charges)
Gumtree
Freecycle

I have also discovered Dunelm Mill recently. Some of it is tat but a lot is great value. I think your nearest stores would be Reading and Hemel Hempstead (better store).

The quality of second hand stuff in Oxfordshire should be pretty good.

If you want old stuff get the local auction houses to email you their "general auction" catalogues - lots of very cheap but solid wood stuff comes up.

Furnishmyproperty.com

It is for landlords and the property industry. But you can ask your landlord if they want to order for you, they can reclaim any vat. Or, maybe the company will be able to make an expection, seeing as you are furnishing a whole house for two years.

It is good quality. We did that when our house was tenanted. We just paid 1500 to furnish the house, opting for a 3 bed basic package, and we had no problems selling the furniture on, on ebay (aside from the sofa and armchairs, and kitchen table and chairs which we kept).

They offer bedroom packages with bedding and linen, kitchen packages with pots and pans, and white goods.

You can also rent furniture.