I enjoy finding furniture at garage sales or on kijiji or craigslist for great prices. I have also been busy lately selling furniture that we no longer need.
In trying to define my decorating style I am selling the pieces that I don't LOVE in order to make room for furnishings that I love and that suit our family lifestyle. Selling them also gives us a bit of money to use for other pieces.
Author and decorator Lynette Jennings, in her book No Compromise Decorating, uses the example of sorting your furniture into three types, Love It!, So-So... and Leave It. I have some real Love Its! that I would have a lot of trouble parting with. These are pieces that suit our home and design style, like the Mennonite pine harvest table and Windsor chairs we bought with wedding gift money. Great memories, quality construction and the right touch of rustic country style that we love. Or the heritage leather couch that I dreamed of for years and finally splurged on. The Love Its! are the foundation pieces of our home.
We also have some So-Sos... that are functional but that I am slowly replacing with things that better suit my design style. Sometimes So-Sos...can become Love Its! with a new slipcover or paint treatment.
I found this armoire for $75. It is solid pine, has four doors and lots of shelves for office supplies on the top and extra Tupperware in the bottom. I like having a taller weightier piece in this spot. I considered painting it, but love the rustic look of scrubbed pine and this is pretty close. An armoire like this can also be used in different spaces. It would work in our bedroom or basement guest suite just as easily. This is a Love It!
The armoire replaced this little antique secretary that I recently sold. I liked it but it didn't store enough and I never seemed to find the right spot for it. It was a So-So...
This weekend I listed and sold this wine cabinet in two hours for the same price I paid for it! Again, a nice piece, but not something that I loved.
Also this past weekend, we sold these IKEA three drawer dressers that we were using as nightstands. Totally functional but not my style and a bit too big. I want solid wood pieces with a more rustic look. The blue bed was something we didn't plan on selling right now, but my niece and her hubby offered us a leather headboard and stronger frame and we couldn't pass it up. So, this blue king bed has now sold (for the same price we paid for it 10 years ago!)
We found this set of solid pine dresser, mirror and two night tables from a local lady who was downsizing. She sold us all four pieces for $75. They will go in our bedroom and I hope to start painting them this week. She also gave us the old fashioned lamps, but I won't be using those.
(seller's home, above)
Last weekend I picked up these two little tables from a neighbour's garage sale for $5 for the pair. I forgot the before photo, but this is after the first coat. They will be just the right size for the tv room in the basement. I'll share the after photos when they are finished.
I have lots of painting to do but hopefully there will be some extra time after work this week. I'll post pictures as things are completed. I think a lot of us would decorate differently, or would replace many of our furnishings, with an unlimited budget. Since our budget is not unlimited, my goal is to continue to work towards living with furnishings that we love. Furnishings and things that suit our style, our family, and our budget.
Is there a piece of furniture in your home that you would be happier without? Is there a way to make it something you can live with, or a way to replace it?
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→Buying and Selling Fun
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