Where to find affordable furniture

Although it had probably been five years since I’d last set foot in the place, I found myself strangely disappointed by Habitat’s demise. After all, there aren’t that many furniture chains that straddle the middle ground between cheapo Ikea and the my-God-you-want-how-much? Conran Shop. So with Habitat out of the mix, where are the best places to head for affordable furniture?

Sunbury Antiques Market

The beauty of antiques – aside from the quality, provenance and whathaveyou – is that these days they tend to be much, much cheaper than their contemporary equivalent. And there’s no better antiques market in the UK than Sunbury, which takes place bi-monthly at Kempton Park. Admission and parking are free, but get there early (by which I’m talking about 6.30am) as it gets rammed with people hunting for bargains from the 700 or so stallholders. As well as English antiques, you’ll find continental dealers selling French farmhouse furniture, Belgian chandeliers, etc.

For details and dates, visit Kempton Antiques.

Lille flea market

If Sunbury sounds a tad small for your tastes, make a trip of it and head to Europe’s biggest flea market, which takes place in Lille in a couple of weeks’ time. Here you’ll find a staggering two million stallholders, as well as an olde-worlde atmosphere and stalls selling roast meat and mussels. The Eurostar can take you straight there – the only problem being how you cart your purchases back.

3 & 4 September 2011, Lille Flea Market

Travel outside London

If you’ve a taste for antiques, you’ll find – unsurprisingly – that the best deals are outside London. Antique hunting is a good excuse for a daytrip and there are plenty of towns handy to London boasting quality antiques shops, along with some nice spots for lunch.

Farnham in Surrey has a number of well-regarded dealers, such as the Bourne Mill Antiques Centre and the Antiques Warehouse, where you’ll also find home-made cakes and live piano music at weekends.

Also worth a visit is Lewes, Sussex’s county town. Rummage in the shops along Cliffe High Street, then have lunch at either Bill’s or the Buttercup café, a fantastic little find tucked away in Pastorale Antiques on Malling Street.

Oxfam furniture

Oxfam has 15 furniture shops selling good-quality furniture at low prices. The bad news is that the only London store is in Streatham, which means a schlep south is involved.

For more info, visit Oxfam Furniture Shops.

Warehouse sales

It’s not only clothing designers who hold sample sales – the odd furniture shop, such as Graham & Green, Heals and the Rug Company, also has them. Admittedly these are often held in far-flung corners of London and can be busy (The Rug Company’s bi-annual sale, held at the 20^th Century Theatre in Notting Hill, is a bunfight) but that’s the price you pay for a bargain. Sign up to www.dailycandy.com to keep abreast of upcoming sales.

Freecycle

This non-profit site is all about reuse and keeping things out of landfill, but better still, is a great way to access free stuff. Sign up to your local group and find out what people are giving away in your area. There’s an element of luck involved, but it’s an excellent source of everything from TVs to cupboards to sofas.

For more information see Freecycle.org.

Learn to make your own

Reupholstering an old sofa is a great idea in theory, but expensive in practice. One solution? Do an upholstery course and learn how to do it yourself.

For more info, visit upholsterycourses.co.uk or for other DIY inspiration take a look at FruGal’s step-by-step guide to a budget sideboard makeover.

Where do you head to for affordable furnishings?

{Photo: Paolo Marconi}