Having to no longer save every penny for application fees and moving expenses for grad school, I have been doing some furniture shopping. I’ve learned that furniture is hard to buy—it is either too expensive or doesn’t match anything I already have. Nonetheless, I have acquired quite a few pieces in the last several months. I originally took the feel-good approach by buying what I liked when I saw it and hoping to somehow make it fit in the room when I got it home. The results of this experiment have been hit and miss, but collectively a miss. I’ve ended up with a beautiful antique rocker, a modern-pattern wingback chair, a retro-style bench, and a traditional china cabinet/hutch.
Antique rocker from Mint
Bench from Mint
Most pieces have come from the local consignment shop Mint or a discount sale somewhere, and I really like the pieces I’ve bought, but, unfortunately, they don’t work that well together.
Most recent Mint find: china cabinet
Currently, all of these pieces reside in the same room with my previously owned blue gingham love seat and side-table speakers. Perhaps these last two pieces of the equation are mostly to blame, but I’ve recently decided that a new approach, perhaps a permanent one, is in order for big, costly furniture items.
My new approach to this domestic chore is to buy what I really want and look for matching pieces in the store if possible. So far, a hit. I found a sale at Pier 1 and bought a couch and two side chairs. Although they aren’t at my house yet, they looked great together in the store, and I’m confident that they will get my living room off on the right foot. Did I spend a little more on them than if I had shopped for months at the consignment shop? Well, yes. But I decided that couches and chairs are pieces I’ll live with for a long time, and it was okay for me to buy what I really wanted (and what already matched).
I bought two of these from Pier 1 (image from Pier1.com)
I still plan to be a Mint regular, but I’ve learned a valuable furniture lesson: Buy what thou dost want and happy thou whilst be.
***I practiced the rule this summer and was successful then as well. My dining room furniture and sideboard might have cost more than Target furniture, but they look pretty damn good and are going to last much longer than I will.
Reclaimed lumber table and chairs from Woodland Furniture
And they’re made out of 150-year-old wood salvaged from Chinese docks, which means no new trees were killed for my pretty furniture. I wish Pier 1 had this salvage policy (or that I had the will power to only shop for salvage furniture), but their Unicef endorsement made me feel okay about my purchase. Not enough, you say? You’re probably right, but we can’t save ‘em all!
Reclaimed lumber sideboard from Woodland Furniture
