I’m no stranger to second-hand stuff and add a piece or two of consignment/thrift furniture when I find something I like. Sometimes a piece fits in a room perfectly, and sometimes it doesn’t. I’ve learned this the hard way and am trying to be choosier. It’s been a hard lesson, but I’ve come to realize that unless I just love a piece of thrift-store furniture, I need to pass it by despite it’s enticing $25 ticket because another $25 piece will just take its place.
In small-town Mississippi, I don’t come by fabulous furniture finds very often. Craigslist turns up more duds than studs, for sure. So, when I see something I love (and at the right price), I grab it ’cause it’ll be gone in 5 minutes. Case and point: right after Edmond and I bought our house, I went to the local consignment shop and saw this amazing (ah-may-zing) bedroom suit circa the 1960s. A double (or queen?) bed frame (head and foot boards), dresser, and two nightstands that were spot on for the mid-century Danish look we all love so much. And all for $270. I loved it! Except we were on our way to a furniture warehouse to look at sofas and weren’t really planning to replace any bedroom furniture at the time. So, I skipped it. We went to the warehouse but weren’t inspired by the sofa selection. The next day, I went back to the consignment shop to grab that bedroom suit because I figured we’d eventually replace the guest room furniture and I’d never find something this awesome at the small price tag, but it was gone. Gone! In a matter of hours! I asked the owner, and she gave me this sad little look that said, “You consignment-furniture newbie, you.” And then she really said, “You’re the fourth person who has come in about that bedroom suit. When you see something on consignment, you better grab it before it gets gone.”
So, lesson learned. Yesterday I went to lunch with some friends at a local restaurant that has an amazing (there isn’t a better word) leather sofa I envy every time I go there. It looks kind of like this but leather.
Image credit: Room and Board
I jokingly told my friends I wanted to steal it. They offered to drive by while I hoisted it in their car. We had a good laugh. (Perhaps you had to be there.) Anyway, I left, yet again, without the cute, yellow sofa.
But when I left work and was heading to yoga class, I passed a local thrift shop that frequently puts merchandise outside and saw this:
Brown, tufted-leather sofa
As I passed by, I thought to myself, “I’ll stop by tomorrow on my lunch break and see how much they want for it,” but then that consignment lady’s “look” came back to me, and I knew I had to stop then. So I did. She wanted $75 for it, I bargained to $65, and the next thing you know, I have a new, in-great-condition, mid-century sofa in my den. The nice shop owner delivered it to my house for $5 (we don’t have a truck), so I guess I really paid $70. Still a steal in my book, though.
Some things about the sofa:
- It has a wood frame that is in good condition but could use staining.
- The leather is a dark chocolate and in good condition.
- Except for one place where a seam popped and has been temporarily repaired.
- The previous owner is completely crazy to have not taken it to the consignment shop where it would have sold for much more than $65.
Before
Not terrible, but not great. We spend a lot of time in this room as it is the room with the DVR, and this little loveseat is jut not conducive to lounging.
And here’s what it looks like now:
After
Much better, huh? I think so. And this one will be so much easier to clean and keep from smelling like dog. Also, I can stretch out completely–very lounge conducive.
Here’s a picture of the rip:
Popped seam
The previous owner did an okay patch job, but I plan to call an upholstery person to see about getting the seam fixed. Otherwise, there are no scratches on the leather. Score!
This sofa fits in perfectly with my other consignment purchases in the room:
A mid-century end table ($35), a mid-century-inspired frosted-glass vase ($3?), and a big lamp ($15). Sorry for the crappy camera angle.
End table, lamp
And another end table ($35), period unknown but looks like maybe the 1970′s. Please ignore the plant in obvious need of water.
End table
Record-player table from the thrift store ($25). I’m guessing 1970′s here too, but I’m not sure.
Accent table
And a floor lamp ($20).
Floor lamp
The green loveseat is circa sometime in the 1970′s and has seen better days, but I haven’t parted with it yet. I’m a big fan of the winged back and slim arms, but it desperately needs to be recovered. I’ve moved it to a different wall for now while I decide it it will go away for good or be reupholstered.
Old loveseat
I’m a big fan of the way the new sofa looks in our dated, knotty pine den and am just giddy over the $65 price tag. I hated to miss yoga, but I’m glad I didn’t waste my meditation thinking about a couch. I did some yoga at home and enjoyed lots of peace and comfort on my new sofa!
New sofa
