Let’s talk about shopping for furniture. But first let me tell you a story. Last night a friend and I were out to dinner in the Lower East Side when a few tourists asked us where they should go out for the rest of the night. My friend, who lives on the LES and is generally much cooler than me, instantly rattled off a litany of places. I was like, um… whatever she said. But then one of them asked for shopping recommendations. That, of course, is where I shine! She handed over her phone and I quickly jotted down 10 of my favorite spots.
I tell that story because I am once again, out of my element. I am re-doing 3 rooms in my apartment, which is thrilling and terrifying at the same time. I am GREAT at shopping for clothing. I’ve been doing it for over 20 years and have definitely surpassed 10,000 hours. I am SO GOOD at it. Shopping for furniture, however, is a much different story.
Way Back When
I remember for one of my first apartments in my early 20s getting a cute lampshade at IKEA. After maybe 6 months I wasn’t into it anymore and I bought a different one. Then I realized… what do I do with this extra lampshade? I probably eventually brought it to Goodwill, but that was the point where I realized if you buy furniture you don’t like, you can be stuck with it.
I can count on one hand the number of furniture pieces I liked and chose: the West Elm desk, a vintage sideboard and coffee table, the IKEA Kallax shelf. Everything else came from family, friends, roommates, or was the cheapest version at IKEA. The coffee table I have now is actually something I found on the sidewalk in my old neighborhood, Windsor Terrace. That’s the upside of living in a quiet neighborhood with tons of families – it may be boring, but they throw out great stuff!
So here I am:
My roommate recently moved out and took most of the furniture with her. What’s left is basically my vintage sideboard, my sidewalk-find coffee table, and my assortment of bookshelves from friends and IKEA. What’s now missing is: a dining table, a couch, an accent chair, a side table, and kitchen storage. What’s more, I’ll be moving into her bedroom, which means I’ll now have space for a desk, a nice bookshelf, and an armoire. That’s a lot of things!
If I were smarter I would have started looking at furniture inspiration from the day my roommate told me she was moving out. Although to be fair, it took a couple of weeks for me to even confirm with my landlord that I could stay (and get a new roommate). So “where am I going to live” was more on my mind than shopping for furniture. On one hand, I don’t want to rush into anything. I want to take my time to build a beautifully assembled space. On the other hand, not being able to multi-task in the kitchen because the cutting board is on the stove, and having my bed be the only cushy place to sit is already getting old.
One other thing:
I’m trying to be socially and environmentally conscious. I was originally really excited to use Apt Deco because it’s a more streamlined way to buy secondhand furniture than Craigslist. That, however, has been a complete bust. The shipping fees were irregular and hard to make sense of. Even then, I ordered 3 items, all of which ended up being cancelled, but not before I was locked into a delivery window wherein I had rearranged my schedule to end up with nothing. I ended up going back to Craiglist and finding one of the items I wanted – posted for free! But it was in a 3rd floor walk-up in Chinatown/Little Italy and where was I going to find a truck and tools and another person on such short notice?
West Elm has a beautiful desk that’s on sale! I don’t even like mid-century design but I love this desk. Plus, it’s made of FSC®-certified wood and is GREENGUARD Gold Certified which means it meets or exceeds stringent chemical and VOC emissions standards. That’s enough for me to assuage the guilt of not buying secondhand. The delivery fee includes unpacking, assembling, and removing the packaging! And did I mention it’s on sale? Instead of $699 it’s a measly $559.20.
Somehow I found my way to Amazon and I’m confused. Can I really get a stylish, comfortable couch for under $300? Does buying furniture on Amazon make me a bad person? I feel like maybe it should? Jeff Bezos has billions of dollars and I pay more in tax than Amazon does. But also I have Prime and I already buy tons of stuff there, so why not furniture too? And not for nothing, I found one of my cancelled items from Apt Deco on Amazon for LESS MONEY AND LESS SHIPPING. I guess there’s a reason Jeff Bezos has a billion dollars.
Who is in, who is out?
If this were Project Runway, Apt Deco, Craigslist, West Elm and Amazon would all be in the top & bottom, and Wayfair, Overstock, and IKEA would be safe. I’m neither egregiously in favor of, nor opposed to them.
In conclusion, I am way out of my element. Have any tips for shopping for furniture (or living in an empty apartment)? Let me know in the comments below!
What's your opinion?