It is important to use different techniques when looking for second hand or used furniture when shopping online. I use the term second hand to describe any item that has been previously used, and therefore not a new item. Many types of furniture can be a good bargain second hand. Of course most wood based products that are not made of fiber board can last a long, long time. Items that contain upholstery present other challenges and show signs of wear and tear much more easily. Some people are uncomfortable sitting on upholstery used by another family. A remedy to mitigate this issue can be to recover the piece in new fabric if that eases your concern. Thus, you can enjoy a traditional classic piece of furniture with your own flair for fabric and color selection.
Antiques come to mind for me when I think of second hand furniture. By definition an antique is over 100 years old. I can tell that you there are lots of other great classic traditional pieces that are much newer than 100 years old. The old adage "you get what you pay for" holds true when considering second hand pieces. A quality constructed piece of furniture is built to last for a long time and thus, can provide for a good bargain for the persistent online shopper.
Television shows such as Antiques Roadshow have popularized the bargain hunting experience. It is a rewarding feeling to get a great deal on something to learn later that it is much more valuable than what you paid for it. The by product of this popular TV show is increased competition as more and more people are bargain hunting.
The greatest obstacle to bargain hunting is having proper knowledge of furniture. Knowledge is paramount to be able to spot pieces and identify then to a manufacturer and an approximate date of construction. Other items of importance are being able to spot condition and also if any piece has been materially changed or hand reconstruction work performed. Reconstruction work makes the piece of furniture less original and thereby typically lowers the value of the piece. Another challenge is the number of imitations of the original piece. Let's face it. Once something becomes popular, competition will always attempt to duplicate it. These duplicates are often only worth a fraction of the original design and yet can be deceivingly difficult to identify as knock offs.
If you are interested in older pieces of furniture consider increasing your knowledge on the subject. There are many bargains out there to be hand if we can spot them. I wonder how many times I have walked by items at a resale shop, antique shop or garage sale and passed right by the incredible bargain.
A good story featured in the April issue of Metropolitan Home talks about Shawn Henderson, who furnished his Manhattan apartment through buying furniture on Ebay. Shawn Henderson was an interior decorator who formed his own business. Later he was asked by Ebay to head up their "Home and Garden" category. At any one time there are up to 850,000 live listings for the category accounting for $5 billion in sales. That is a staggering number to consider. When I first learned about Ebay many years ago, I did nothing. I figured that it was an online fad that would not last and that I had other things to spend my time on. Well times have certainly changed! Too bad I did not have the foresight to invest in that stock.
Now in 2007 Ebay is a powerhouse in almost all retail areas. Some people still think that there are only items in used or second hand condition for sale similar to attending a live auction. I am surprised when I talk of the company the reaction that I receive from those people. I do not have the exact numbers, but I would venture to say that a majority of listings are brand new products where sellers are using Ebay as their retail storefront.
Another amazing feat of Ebay is how they have established themselves into merchandise categories that historically would be viewed as needing a salesman or a "brick and mortar" storefront. Ebay Motors is now the number one seller of automobiles in the country. How can people buy a car without looking at it first?
Car dealers have always provided a service by offering knowledge, test drives and repair facilities. I can tell you first hand that looking at cars online is very easy and informative. I can look at listings in mere minutes as opposed to driving to car dealership lots. Additionally, I am not a fan of the "hard sell" and prefer to look on my own terms and not hear the sales pitch until I am ready to listen and therefore, further along in my decision making. The listings provided have an incredible amount of detail that can easily be followed. Another advantage is the relative ease of comparing prices, models, extras, mileage from your mouse.
The same circumstances that apply to cars hold true for furniture. There are thousands of listings for chairs, sofas, barstools and tables that can be delivered directly to your house. In future articles, I will discuss in more detail how to use Ebay to find furniture online that suits your interior decorating tastes.
I recently purchased a new home and could not wait to make a personal impression on the basic white walls that surrounded me. As many of you have done I resorted to the multitude of color swatches the local paint and home improvement stores offered to shed some light on the subject. There I was introduced to some really great colors and proceeded to paint a few rooms. Of coarse I am no Rembrandt but I can tape and roll with the best of them and this proved to be a great improvement. Then I was told about Faux painting and decided to take my décor a step further. I admit I was initially intimidated by the beautiful walls the professional had done, but I really wanted to make my home spectacular. One of my goals was to accent the furniture and accessories I decorated my home with for a complete and well matched appearance. For a good color guide I looked in many of the current periodicals such as Metropolitan Home and Elle Décor to see what the best and most current trends looked like. This was very helpful and I did change to a much lighter theme as a result.
It was now time to learn how to create some of the various styles from simple sponge painting to some heavily textured almost stone like finishes. I found a leisure learning class that was extremely helpful and in a matter of hours I had a well rounded knowledge of the overall concept. A few art niches and accent walls came first and later I moved to the bathrooms not to over do the larger rooms. The true test was my first dinner party, and everyone was not only impressed with my great new look but they could not believe I had done this myself. Some of my guests even wanted me to help with their homes. One thing I strongly suggest is to practice on white posted board to perfect your masterpiece and get the desired effect before you tackle the walls. Consider leaving the ceilings a solid color for some dimension, you can over do a good thing. Finally do not try and skimp on cheap paints and glazes, the designer paints have a better end result and paint is a reasonable way to change looks anyway. Good luck and go for it, remember you can always go back to white anytime, and if I can do it you can too.
I thought this was a humorous account from reporter, John Boyle. This story is John's account about the High Point Furniture Market that takes place in North Carolina. His account is very accurate about the size of the show and the world wide draw of designers, buyers and decorators to the event.
Here's what I know about furniture: I like to sit on it while I'm watching TV.
And I like it to last a really long time so I don't have to shop for it very often.
So you can imagine what a rube I looked like in High Point last week at the semi-annual Furniture Market, which draws 80,000 attendees from all 50 states and 110 countries, according to the American Home Furnishings Alliance.
We're doing a series on furniture starting later this month, and I drew living rooms, so it was my duty to patrol the market in search of the latest styles.
My wife, Grace, found this amusing, as we haven't replaced our family room furniture in 15 years. Upon my return, I tried to convince her that dark floral tapestry is making a comeback, but she wasn't buying.
I expected a crowd in High Point, but I had no idea it would be the jet set one. Walking the streets or getting on elevators it was common to hear people jabbering away in Italian or Japanese, with all the men wearing the latest suits and the women dressed to the nines in heels and dresses.
Continue reading "Propsective on the High Point Furniture Market" »
Helps lower price points for similar leather offerings
AT THE MARKET -- Leather upholstery producers are working with a variety of new covers here, including fabric, leather/fabric combinations and what's called bonded leather -- a new, somewhat controversial leather-like material.
Higher-end manufacturers including American Leather, Elite Leather and Palliser have launched full-fledged fabric programs.
At the promotional end, companies like Klaussner and Catnapper have added bonded leather, which contains 10% to 17% leather.
As bycast -- polyurethane-coated leather splits -- was viewed with skepticism when first introduced about five years ago, bonded leather -- a layered mixture of polyurethane, cloth, glue and leather scraps or shavings -- is perceived by some as a threat, a falsehood and a fraud.
Ashley is urging buyers to "be aware" of bonded leather.
"We just want people to be aware of exactly what they are buying," said Tom Leon, president of Ashley's Millennium division. "We are not taking a stand either way, but we do want dealers to know what it is and that it is not leather."
Leather suppliers are selling the product, however, displaying it in leather-designated showroom areas. Leather upholstery companies categorize it as a leather SKU. It is as flexible and supple as a leather cover and can be processed to carry a flat, grainy or two-tone patterned effect. It also affords an almost waste-free yield of nearly 100%.
Klaussner has built a program around bonded leather.
"It has the same polyurethane face as bycast but it's less costly than leather," said Chuck Welch, leather product manager for Klaussner. "We've created a new category for it, like bycast or microfiber."
With bonded leather sofas retailing from $699 -- compared with $1,199 for similar leather frames assembled domestically -- Welch predicts the alternative material will take away from leather on retail floors.
And bonded leather isn't relegated to mainstream merchandise only. Simon Li/Trayton America has introduced a reconstituted product, producing a textural Nubuck effect.
"It's bycast with a suede top, not a polyurethane top," said Peter Pilgaard, sales and marketing director. Simon Li calls the product "suede leather."
"It is like leather to work with because 65% of its thickness is leather," Pilgaard said. "It is a good way to control price points in the wake of leather hikes."
Ashley, Flexsteel, Universal, Nicoletti and Natuzzi are among those companies that don't carry bonded leather in their lines.
Source: Joan Gunin -- Furniture Today
