If you’ve tried to buy a piece of furniture in the last couple of years, I can guarantee you’ve run into major backorders, out-of- stock notifications, and seven-to-eight-month lead times on new furniture orders — not so fun!
But, if you’re open to a little legwork and don’t mind the idea of sourcing used, you can pretty quickly find what you need for any space.
Personally, I love the hunt that comes with sourcing used furniture and decor, as well as the layered and eclectic aesthetic it creates. While I don’t often utilize found pieces with my interior design clients, in my own home, I’d say 80% of the pieces are vintage or used.
This is a great option 1) if you’re on a budget, 2) if you don’t want to wait seven-plus months for a sofa, or 3) if you are interested in a more sustainable way of designing your home since you’re able to utilize pieces that already exist in the world — hurrah!
Some tips for finding and sourcing used and vintage furniture
1. My favorite place to look for used and vin- tage pieces is Face- book Marketplace. I’d suggest you narrow your search radius to your local area, maybe 10 to 15 miles max, and change the search options from “shipping & local” to “local listings only.”
2. On Facebook Market- place, you can search by category, and many folks are open to nego- tiating on prices as well. If you have a particular piece in mind, I’d sug- gest checking back 2-3 times each week since new listings always are being published, and the good deals tend to go quickly.
3. Don’t be afraid of out- of-style fabrics or col- ors on pieces you find. Casegoods (dressers, desks, etc.) and tables are easy enough to update with a quick coat of paint or new hardware, and uphol- stery — dining chair covers, armchairs and sofas — can easily be reupholstered, especially if it’s a quality piece.
4. Esty is great source for vintage decor finds, particularly artwork and rugs. My favorite source for vintage rugs is an Etsy shop called TurkishRugEmpire — they have a huge selec- tion, great pricing and super-fast shipping times.
5. Local resale and vin- tage shops are anoth- er great source. Some of my favorites include Lost & Found: Trea- sures of Old & New (Downtown GR), Changing Thymes (Grandville), The Parsons Nose Antiques (Oak Park), and Simple Redesign (online only at Simple Redesign.com).
6. Don’t underestimate a good old thrift store (places like Goodwill, New2You and the Sal- vation Army). I’ve found some fantastic pieces at places like this! I especially love to check out the pottery and baskets for any unique vessels that can be used for house plants, and I always make sure to flip through the art section for any interesting frames or pieces that I can use or repurpose, since new or original artwork tends to be quite expensive.
So, there you have it! If you’re fed up with the supply chain issues and want to try a more sus- tainable, cost-effective and quicker approach to furnishing a room in your house, vintage and used furniture and decor is a fantastic approach. Happy hunting!
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