Furnishing, DIY Decor

[sho646]

I’m currently in the process of purchasing a house which I plan to fully renovate, including furnishing the entire property, like Sofa, bed, tables and Decor etc. I’m looking for recommendations on where I can buy reliable, good-quality furniture either online or in-store that’s reasonably priced, not too high end or luxury, but still durable and stylish enough for a modern home. Please if you can suggest. Thanks

The IKEA stuff is OK if your budget is tight - though I'm not personally a fan of their designs and the quality of most stuff is only acceptable at best. John Lewis are great to deal with but a bit pricey when you look carefully. It really depends what kind of thing you like. Personally I like older better quality stuff and have spent quite a bit of time buying better pieces second hand at house clearance auctions. You probably have one near you that's worth starting to go to viewing days to see what comes through. If you can find this type of auction house in an affluent area they often have some really nice stuff popping up.
I would focus on the costs of your full renovation first. It's eye-watering how much more expensive trades and materials have become recently. Truly shocking.

Try Facebook marketplace and auctions. There are loads of bargains to be had if you're prepared to hunt a bit. If someone is selling something you like on fb, take a look at other items they might have too.

Ikea has different price points, the cheapest stuff is, understandably, the less hard-wearing. But that doesn't mean its automatically crap.

Hardly anything in our house is new, apparently from an ikea sofa. Pretty much everything else was sourced via FB, auctions, friends and family who were updating. It gives a more 'natural'feel than something that's been put together by someone else and purchased all at once.

see independent shops- different for wooden tables, different for fittings
check camerich for sofas

I'd also highly recommend searching out bargains on the likes of eBay and local auction houses (via platforms such as The Saleroom etc) as well as fleamarkets/car boot sales/charity shops.

Like @Seaside3 we have virtually no stuff that was purchased new in our house (with the exception of our super king bed, mattresses and all large/small appliances other than our reconditioned range cooker). We've been buying on eBay for 20+ years and most of our furniture/soft furnishings/decorative bits were sourced there 😁

Imho, it's far more interesting to mix old (vintage/antique) and new as it makes for a more personalised interior style than something that looks straight out of a showroom/store/catalogue. Obviously there are exceptions as some people don't like the idea of sitting on someone else's old sofa!

Homesense/TK Maxx used to be a good - if somewhat unpredictable - source of one-off pieces, but since the pandemic everything just seems to be cheap Chinese rubbish.

Having done this recenlty:

People are snobby about Ikea but its actually excellent, esp in the last few years, and esp if you mix and match a couple of bits in each room.

JL.is good but overpriced - dont get their anyday bedding, its awful, (some).of the ikea stuff is way better.

Wayfiar you can obv get all sorts at all prices from different suppliers. My experience is the cheap stuff is crap quality.

Dont get a sofa from The Lounge Co. Terrible quality.

It depends on what style you want I suppose.
new and modern…ikea, next..some local furniture shops might do deals.

older style/vintage…then Facebook or online, eBay, charity etc

Cheapest place to get quality furniture is eBay or auction houses.