Cheap furniture shops?

[GeorginaA]

Strapped for cash, but desperately need some extra items of living room furniture now we have the extension (yay, time to hide some of the toys away!) but can't find exactly what we want at the usual suspects (argos, index and ikea). Have also looked at most of the department stores online and they're out of our price range and not exactly what we want either.

Any ideas for other cheap/flatpack furniture places online? Preferably one which doesn't have the same old same old as all the other places!

Futon Company does some nice simple solid wood things at good prices.
Ex catalogue shops?
Second hand stuff?

Show us an "out of our price range" picture so we know roughly what you're after

Or...enjoy the empty space for a while!
That is the ultimate luxury I reckon,room to move.
You should see my house.Like a monk's cell!!

Room to move? We keep breaking our necks on all the toys

Okay, vaguely what we want is a double length low bookcase with the bottom shelf being cupboards. The whole unit being no higher than the TV on its stand. Either with or without a corner TV unit that preferably connects to it, where the gubbins under the TV (sky box, dvd etc) is covered by a glass door so certain little fingers can't work their mischief!!

Out of price range is probably a bit of a moveable feast, but I did see a bookshelf unit thing with a drawer underneath rather than a cupboard and was only half the width we really wanted and it was £170 in the sale! Probably a bargain, but so not prepared to pay that especially not being exactly what we want.

So either cheap and cheerful that's a "nearly there" from Argos or similar that we don't mind the kids kicking to pieces over the next few years, or pay a little more for a spot on perfect.

Actually, I'm just loathe to pay loads of money for furniture anyway because I get upset if it then gets damaged!

Natural wood or coloured?

Surprised Ikea don't have something actually. They're usually good for that sort of thing.

This is the Ikea one I was thinking of. NORREBO. It's a modular system so you can build your own combination.

That's getting closer... no glass in front of the dvd / sky box though which is a problem.

We got our TV and stereo stands from Focus. They were meant to be cheap and cheerful as we bought them to tide us over while we were doing our place up until we bought exactly what we wanted, but they're still going strong 7 years later (as are the renovations!).

OMG, SoupDragon, thank you! That Ikea link had a link to the Ikea wardrobe planner I searched for IN VAIN the other night. Nearly posted on MN to ask if anyone could find it

Thank you! I need a wardrobe to house all the lovely clothes I'm treating myself to later in the week.

Sorry for hijack, GA!

Make something? We have a great friend/builder. I just sketch something out and he does it for a fraction of the price of shop stuff. You should see my mega groovy floor to ceiling bedroom cupboards as well as my dd's bookshelves, not to mention my utility room

that's okay, hunkermunker ... soupy found a different section of Ikea's site that I hadn't seen either

dh now throwing different suggestions of furniture back into the mix, so now don't know what we're looking for anymore rolls eyes emoticon

Well, at least I'm good for something

Is there any reason the DVD/Sky box has to go under the TV - couldn't it go up out of reach? Little fingers soon learn how to open glass doors. After they've smeared them with Toddler Goo of course.

You're good for LOTS of things... chocolate brownies for example

moondog, am dead jealous of your bespoke furniture

surfermum: hadn't thought of the diy type places - will have a browse around them too...

I just think it looks more balanced that way Plus, if you don't add the handle to the glass doors it keeps 'em foxed for longer

Oh, I know what you mean. I saw one of the other Ikea systems where the DVD etc was above the TV - sort of hanging underneath a shelf - and I thought it was so much more practical. Just not right though

have you tried www.dwell.co.uk? good luck finding what you are after