HELP?! Where to buy furniture for new home

Hi Lovely Community!

I have just taken on two new properties and I am looking to furnish them in a modern, premium style.
Firstly, where is best place to shop?
Second, what should I expect to spend on full one-bedroom apartment?

Thanks so much!

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https://airhostsforum.com/search?q=furniture

Remember stuff will get damaged so error on the side of cheap, durable, easy to clean.

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I like buying my soft goods like mattresses and couches new and things like dressers, tables, and headboards secondhand because the quality is often better than what you can buy new (real wood over veneers).
The most interesting spaces will bring in some vintage or ā€œcharacterā€ pieces, so Iā€™d hit the thrift stores or family attics to see what you could repurpose. This will go a long way to keeping your prices down, too.

I like Article for good quality, modern design furniture. My boyfriend and I fight over who gets to sprawl on the Sven sofa we got from them. :wink:

Not a source, but an immense help in designing my place, was @1chicretreat. She does a wonderful job of mixing high and low-end things in a way that comes off very polished and beautiful. She has excellent advice on everything from lighting to what makes a good bedroom.

Her ā€œwildflower techniqueā€ is simply the best article Iā€™ve read on what makes good design.

Hereā€™s her article on the cost of furnishing a master bedroom which looks like it might qualify as the ā€œmodern, premium styleā€ youā€™re looking for.

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Where in the world are you? Hard to know the best choices, will be different depending on which country and where in said country you are.

RR

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Oh whoops New York! Sorry!

About 20 years ago I got a small MCM Danish 3 drawer chest at a local Goodwill for $15. It was structurally sound but needed some re-finishing and had a stain inside a drawer. It was before that look became all the rage but I know good furniture when I see it. No doubt itā€™s much harder to find that kind of bargain now, but not impossible. And thereā€™s something out there thatā€™s about to come back in style. MCM should be running itā€™s course here soon, LOL.

@KKC What a great find! Those MCM pieces are definitely picked over. An old boyfriend once had an original Eames sofa that heā€™d left in his motherā€™s attic. She decluttered and put the old thing at the curb. It needed to be recovered, but I think they run close to $10k in good shape. He looked like he might cry anytime he thought about it. LOL

Iā€™m afraid weā€™re heading into a 70ā€™s-80ā€™s revival - I can see it in all the brass and gold accents that are popular now.

@Gen, maybe you should do some Elvis style rumpus room to get ahead of the curve. :wink:

ahha thanks @Allison_H! and everyone for their advice. I just received an invite from these guys www dot finditirl dot com who are apparently launching a Shop with products from premium brands like Casper, Brooklinen and Snowe at up to 60% off!!! So I canā€™t want to see what they looks like when it launches! I have been getting free products like snacks and beauty products from them for a while which has been handy!

Yes. Great example. I always liked the non-shiny silver tones which is how I ended up with pewter instead of silver and brushed finish flatware instead of polished. I tend to like certain things and when they go out of style I go out with them. When they come back, I come back. I hear hiking sandals with socks are coming back.

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Great information thank you for sharing. I do have one issue with something that she said in the ā€œwildflowers ā€œ technique. I would love to have real plants in my rental but itā€™s kind of impractical due to the watering of the plants. I certainly canā€™t expect my guests to keep my plants alive while they are on vacation. I do have some small fake ones, in white modern pots, that I tuck on small shelves etc, and provide all guests with fresh bouquets from my cutting gardens.

I used Amazon.com. Found decent prices and free shipping. Only issue is that everything needs to be assembled.

I agree with going 2nd hand on some pieces. Facebook marketplace is awesome. I refinish and flip lots of dressers/desks/hutches etc. I make old & boring match my aesthetic rather than paying a premium for a readily done piece.

Iā€™ve purchased all my listings furniture from a combination of the following: Amazon, Target, Walmart, Ikea, and Wayfair. I generally spend $2,000 - $2,500 furnishing each listing, all of mine are studio apartments.

Awesome! Very cost effective! How long does that usually take you to source all the products?

One thing I donā€™t understand about designer blogs like the one called out above: in what rental is a host able to recuperate the cost of a $675 bench or $3k bed? Other than making front page of self-proclaimed designer blogs/mags, are hosts actually netting the $300/stay net profit needed to pay back a $30k furnishing job in a reasonable amount of time? Or is this just eye candy for those with $$$ to burn and magazine covers to make?

Completely understand using things like this for design inspiration just always amazed that they are promoted as any indication of what an average STR owner spends.

Absolutely everything second hand/ vintage/antique here, bar the linens and towels!
When I finally finish doing this there will be a spectacular auction / clearance sale.

Concentrate on the bed - a clean comfortable bed makes a huge difference. Style is important but not at the expense of comfort and function. I like the suggestion to buy mattresses and linens fresh and look for quality used pieces for the rest. I would also do any small electrical items new such as coffee makers and lamps unless you are sure that they are working safely.

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Since the world (and AirBNB) has changed since OPā€™s initial post, it might be worth expanding the discussion. Covid has brought about changes to what guests will be looking for and what will make hosts lives easier. These are just a few suggestions for those setting up their listing and/or revising:

1. Since ā€˜Work from Anywhereā€™ is the new norm, a desk or office will be a differentiator. Iā€™ve had this standup desk in my guest house for 2 years and never have I had more people asking where I got it than in the last few months. 2 were going to order it when they returned home.

It was available at Costco until about 2 weeks ago. I expect it to be back as their products tend to be seasonal and now their stock is going to be all about Christmas (yes, I said Christmas :christmas_tree:).

2. Cleaning is now a primary concern

  • Choose easy to clean surfaces that can sustain disinfectant products. This puts many natural woods at a disadvantage. The desk above has glass top surface that is great to clean.

  • Limit fabrics to those that can be washed. When possible choose leathers or ā€˜leatherettesā€™

3. Minimalism; banish all those non useful (dust collecting) decorative items

4. Plants. Replace those fake plants with real ones. There are some that are easy to maintain, donā€™t require a lot of water and provide other health benefits. I have had the following types in my listing (for 2 years) and they continue to thrive with little care. They werenā€™t expensive; I purchased them at IKEA:

  • ZZ plant
  • Snake plant
  • Cylindrical snake plant
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Excellent post as always.

Last year I replaced the wood desk and wood and cloth desk chair with a melamine desk that mounts to the wall. There are no legs to get in the way or clean around and it can also be lowered against the wall if what is needed is floor space rather than a desk. The chair is a leatherette with metal legs.

I applied a plastic material to the top of my bookcase and the top of my bedside table. When the time comes, replacing them with more durable materials will happen. Right now Iā€™m not making enough to consider investing in upgrades.

If I somehow stumbled onto someone wanting to rent my place for work purposes then Iā€™d be willing to spend on changes they needed. I could even remove the bed and store it in my garage. But El Paso generally doesnā€™t have many of those kinds of workers. I know some teachers who would like to have the space for teaching but they canā€™t afford it.

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