Advice on furniture suppliers

If you are planning to buy a rental home, or you're thinking about what to do with one you have just acquired, this is the place for any questions about starting out in the rentals business.
LazyDog
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Advice on furniture suppliers

Post by LazyDog »

Hi everyone, we are completing on our first holiday cottage and need to furnish from top to bottom. In your experience who are best for price/quality/service - and can deliver? Thx
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Blanche
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Post by Blanche »

Is it too far to hop on the M4 with a hired van and go to Ikea in Cardiff?
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LazyDog
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Post by LazyDog »

Good idea Blanche, although I don't think my wife likes the IKEA stuff. Thought there might be a dedicated Holiday Let supplier out there.
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Casscat
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Post by Casscat »

You have to start with your style and work from there. The look you are aiming for will determine where it's best to go for furniture and accessories.
zebedee
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Post by zebedee »

Thought there might be a dedicated Holiday Let supplier out there.
No, it's not like with AST lower end accommodation whereby you get middle men supplying everything.
You need to determine your market. If you are going for anything above bunk house accommodation then the property will need to have good quality furnishings and equipment.

Do a search on your local competitors and see what they offer and the price ranges they charge. That will help you develop your ideas, but think also about being different to them if you can, as that will generate interest in your property.
LazyDog
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Post by LazyDog »

Good points zebedee.
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

Don’t put in any furniture that you wouldn’t have in your own home. If it’s not good enough for you, it’s not good enough for your guests.
In fact you’ll probably end up removing stuff when it’s too tired for the let and using it yourself!
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

Other than furniture, for all the other things such as crockery, kitchenware, bed linen, towels etc etc etc look at the specialist catering suppliers such as Out of Eden, Richard Haworth, Nisbets, Mr Whiteware, Global FSE and more. Particularly useful when buying crockery and glassware that’s designed to stand up to commercial use and is repeatable, and get plenty of spares - if a plate gets chipped it has to come out of the let (fine for our own use of course!).
ianh100
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Post by ianh100 »

We got a really good deal from a distributor based near Bristol last year. The have a number of ranges that you will see in many local furniture stores. Prices were about 20% less than we could find anywhere as a consumer.

Take a look at the site and ask to open an account https://www.ametis.co.uk/
Norfolk Canary
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Post by Norfolk Canary »

When I furnished our small place in Norfolk, the only furniture we purchased new was the bed and mattress. I wanted to put good quality items in throughout, but the cost would have been rediculous buying new. Ebay etc is full of top quality used furniture that is as good as new. I bought a lot of the M&S Sonoma range, for example a sideboard that was over £1000 new I got for £250 from a woman who was downsizing and a three door wardrobe which was about £900 new I bought for £200. I have quite a large car, so most items went in that and I travel around with my work so I could collect from all parts of the country. I did have to hire a van for a day which was about £70 from memory. You would not know they were not new. My original furnishing budget was slashed. Another advantage is that it will not be so hard to accept if something does get damaged!
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Rogthedodge
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Post by Rogthedodge »

greenbarn wrote:Don’t put in any furniture that you wouldn’t have in your own home. If it’s not good enough for you, it’s not good enough for your guests.
In fact you’ll probably end up removing stuff when it’s too tired for the let and using it yourself!
Now that to me was pure brilliance.. summed it all up a treat. Well said sir.
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Blanche
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Post by Blanche »

Exactly! I am using teatowels with burn holes, towels with bleached patches, and one of my sheets has indelible bootprints on it, and another nail varnish.
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

Norfolk Canary wrote: ............ I wanted to put good quality items in throughout, but the cost would have been rediculous buying new. Ebay etc is full of top quality used furniture that is as good as new. ........
Absolutely agree. Top quality used furniture is very cheap, and a lot of it is difficult to sell simply because of the cost and hassle of transporting it. Top quality stuff that is 10 years old will always look better than cheap stuff that’s 10 weeks old. Dovetail jointed drawers anyone?

The downside can be the time it takes to find what you need and want, but that can also become an entertaining pastime in its own right! When starting from scratch there isn’t always the luxury of time to search, but if you don’t adopt a rigid style to start with swapping out pieces as and when is a definite option.
amandajane
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Post by amandajane »

I agree with Norfolk Canary and Greenbar. One of our bedside tables came from the tip shop! I spent a very agreeable afternoon in the sunshine, giving it a few coats of Farrow and Ball et voila! Loads sturdier than Ikea stuff and cost a pittance.


We also got a very heavy table and six chairs from eBay but they were hard work. Again, sanding and painting plus recovering the seat cushions. But it doesn't hurt nearly so much when children manage to damage the top by doing their crayoning or whatever without any padding between their paper and the table. And they're so solid they're almost indestructible.

Try googling "EBay local deals mapper". It finds local items that are collection only so attract fewer bids.
Mel House
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Post by Mel House »

We are in same position as you LazyDog, starting to buy furniture as the sale progresses.

We are buying a Regency property that has some fantastic original features and therefore want to furnish it in keeping with the age and style of the property. My wife has been fantastic at scouring for sensibly priced furniture. Good sources so far include Facebook Market (I think it is called) and eBay. The pain is storing it and at some point transporting it.

However, for some pieces we are resigned to having to go to auction to get the right pieces. If anyone knows of anywhere suitable in the East Anglia / Eastern Counties region I would love to know.
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