You know how a bunch of designers have been saying things like “every room should have something old in it”? Or have I been the only one noticing that lately? Sort of like how they say “every room should have something black in it” (but other than oil rubbed bronze curtain rods or dark mocha wood, virtually nothing in any of our rooms is black – although 95% of my shirts are black, so maybe that counts?). Either way, it’s official. I’m on the “something old” train.
It all happened when I was browsing craigslist (searching the words “dresser” and “sideboard” and “buffet” every week or so, if you’re wondering about my craigslist technique) since we want to convert a big piece of wood furniture like a dresser/buffet/cabinet to be a TV stand in the living room and also want a big buffet-ish piece for the entryway next to the front door. Then bam, out of nowhere, this happened:
I went crazy with sideboard lust. I immediately emailed the seller (it had just been posted that morning) and said “I love your sideboard, is it still available?” People ask us for craigslist tips so here ya go. Tip number one: don’t inundate the seller with a bunch of questions. I’ve found one of the most successful ways to get a good response is just to tell someone you like what they’re selling and ask if it’s still available. No complicated questions about size, finish, defects, delivery methods, price-negotiating, etc. That all makes you sound high maintenance off the bat. Just see if the thing is still for sale first.
Thankfully I heard back from the seller about five agonizing hours later and her response was very friendly. She indicated that she had a number of people interested and she was just going to sell it to the first full price bidder to come get it. This info was no surprise to me (aka: I knew she wasn’t bluffing) since about 99% of the dressers/buffets/sideboards on craigslist here in Richmond are listed for more money and aren’t half as easy on the eyes. We’re talking particle board dressers from Walmart listed for $180! Crazytown. Most other solid wood sideboards usually run around 400 beans like this one:
Tip number two: I like to use the “we’ll come get it and pay you cash right now!” approach when I’m trying to talk someone down on the price of something. But that only works when you’re one of the only people interested (when lots of people are vying for the same piece the seller will usually just wait for the highest bid since their fears of no one wanting what they’re selling are gone). So as soon as I heard that others wanted my buffet I knew it could come down to how badly I fought for it. And we wanted that sucker. Bad. John included. As in, he was totally crossing all appendages with me as an act of sideboard solidarity.
We probably would have paid $200 for it, especially after doing some googling around for something similar and coming up with other solid wood sideboards of about the same size on sites like antiques.com and craigslist alike for around $400 and $500! And when I looked for similar painted sideboards (in that pretty antique blue-green finish like the craigslist one) the prices got even higher. Like 695+ bucks.
So we probably could have purchased a wood sideboard and painted it to look distressed, but I wasn’t finding any other similar solid wood sideboards with the same chunky curved legs and perfect hefty size as the one that already came painted (and it was a few hundred less than the wood ones!). So we went all in. I emailed her back and said “Oh please oh please let me buy it! I’ll pay $155 so you’ll pick me over the others! I love it. If you’re available, we can come get it tonight and pay you in cash. Just say the word. I really am in love with it and promise to give it a nice home!”
Tip number three: if you want something on cragislist, especially something you think is worth more than the seller is asking, definitely give them at least full asking price or it’ll end up going to someone else. Often folks will buy things that are priced too low on craigslist just to resell them for more themselves (and I knew this buffet could go for more if someone linked to a similar one for $700 and made a good case about why it should be $400). So five bucks over asking price was my way of telling her “please pick me!!” – it was certainly worth five bucks to get the advantage and stand out from the pack.
Tip number four: if possible, offer to get the item right away (that way they won’t get an email from someone else offering them $50 over your offer in the day or two that it takes you to collect said item). So I shot off that “please pick me” email and then I waited. And about half an hour later I heard back. Sold! We just had to go grab it that night and bring the cash. So we switched cars with John’s dad (he has a Honda Pilot that has room in the back for pieces like this) and made haste over to the seller’s house with cash in hand while Clara hung with the grandparents. Tip number five: when you know you’ll be carrying a giant piece of furniture down three flights of stairs, it’s always nice to leave children in someone else’s care whenever possible – just so it’s one less thing to worry about while you’re cursing the day you ever laid eyes on that heavy-a$$ solid wood buffet.
About a half an hour later, this guy was in our entryway. And we were totally staring at it in that love-at-first-sight-in-a-cheesy-romantic-comedy way.
Tip number six: if a piece is old and painted, it always makes sense to test it for lead. Just to be safe. I used one of those lead paint test strips from Home Depot (they sell them in a set of four) and it tested out clean (many antique pieces were kept au naturale for decades and only painted in more recent years after lead paint was phased out, so I had pretty high expectations that this wasn’t lead paint but was very happy to have it confirmed). Whew. I do plan to use some sort of clear sealer on it, just to keep it from chipping any further, but I don’t mind the chips at all – I think it totally looks like something Anthropologie or Restoration Hardware would sell for 1K after sanding the heck out of a new piece to make it look old like this.
Once I saw it in the dining room I realized it was totally worth the price and those three long sets of stairs that John and I dragged it down. Doesn’t it look awesome with the green tones in the dining room curtains? This is the view from the kitchen peninsula. Can’t wait to add lamps and stacks of books and art behind it. Wahooo.
It’s pretty much my favorite thing in the whole house. There’s so much storage space and I love those curved baluster legs of hers. And every time I get a little pang about spending $155 for it, I just remember that we only paid $20 for Clara’s dresser that we refinished back in 2010…
…which we’ve now seen selling for $200+ every single time it pops up locally. So I guess scoring one big six drawer dresser and one giant leggy sideboard for $175 total brings the average price per piece down to $87. I can totally live with that. That’s basically the price of a three drawer dresser made of laminate from Ikea. And we actually got the old wood dresser in our bedroom as a hand-me-down from John’s parents (aka: free) so if you add that into the mix, we have three old wood pieces in our house for an average of $58 each.
So as much as we love clean and modern, we have to agree that an old piece in every room is beginning to sound like an awesome idea (we already have that old dresser in our bedroom along with an old chair & dresser in Clara’s room and a pair of old secondhand chairs in our office). And I guess we shouldn’t be surprised about the old furniture thing – I mean we like older homes packed with character, so it makes sense that an old piece of furniture with charm to spare is right up there with a box of Oreos and a Don’t Be Tardy For The Wedding marathon. For me. John wants me to clarify that that’s his idea of a nightmare.
Krissy says
I danced to that song in a dance recital when I was younger. Imagine black sequence train engineer overalls with parachute pants-style legs.
I love having a mix of old and new stuff in our house, especially because most of the old things are sentimental value.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha thank you for that mental picture of you dancing.
xo,
s
gemma@thesweetestdigs says
Totally love this piece!! I always like an old piece in every room. Definitely adds so much character!
One of my faves in our pad is this old coffee table that we found in my in-law’s barn. It needed some serious TLC, but we adore it now! It’s made out of an old ship’s hatch. Cool eh?
http://thesweetestdigs.com/2011/10/13/re-finishing-a-coffee-table-and-a-room/
YoungHouseLove says
So cool!
xo,
s
Anne says
It’s beautiful! That’s a good tip about testing for lead paint, but now I’m curious. What would you have done if it had been lead paint? Is there something we can and should do in that event, assuming we’ll still want that piece of furniture?
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, you can seal it with Safecoat, which is what is recommended to safely deal lead in for an everyday piece that you can use without worry.
xo,
s
kris says
Please, please don’t ever decide to paint this thing white or yellow or at all! :)
YoungHouseLove says
No worries, we love her just the way she is.
xo,
s
Emma says
Beautiful! I got something very similar from CL for $140 but it wasn’t painted. I call such finds “CL unicorns”. You don’t see many in your lifetime but they exist. Like you, I borrowed my mom’s car and picked up my sideboard *that* night. I store table linens and large serving pieces in mine (it is in my dining room). Enjoy!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha Craigslist Unicorns = hilarious and totally true.
xo,
s
Emma says
May there be more Craigslist unicorns in your future :)
Brynn says
I love craigslist and I love that piece! It’s almost identical to a sideboard we bought and refinished to use as a dresser/changing table in our soon to be little one’s nursery. It was actually the first piece we bought, before we even had any sense of what we were going to do in that room, and I love it. We saw it at an antique place here in Denver and we just HAD TO HAVE IT. They were going to re-paint it and sell it, so we got an awesome deal by finding it before they put any elbow grease into it. My husband very lovingly refinished it, we got her some new fun knobs, and it has this crazy, tigers-eye (making up terms here) patterning on the drawer & door fronts. We live in a 100-year-old house but our taste is definitely more on the modern side. But, I fully agree with the approach of putting at least 1 cool old thing in each room.
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!!
xo
s
Kathleen says
Nice dresser, such a pretty color. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Craigslist! I obsessively search Craigslist daily. In the Chicagoland area I find bargains all the time. I get really excited when I find vintage DESIGNER furniture for $50! My big problem is that I have a small car and no way to go pick up the furniture. I also don’t NEED any furniture as my house is “done” and I get yelled at for constantly wanting to change things up. I think about purchasing and reselling the finds and get really excited about it, except for the small car, no storage issues.
Krystle @ ColorTransformedFamily says
I love it and that you didn’t do anything to it. Great find.
Erin says
Do you ever use Craiggers? It saves a lot of clicking, as you can see promo photos on the main search page.
https://www.craiggers.com/#!/
YoungHouseLove says
I love that but always forget to use it. Haha.
xo,
s
Nicole @ Post Grad says
Gah – we just did the same thing. Check out the $35 vintage magnavox record player console we found on Craigslist. We’re in love. Originally we were going to refinish it, but we kind of love the old beat up look now. It contrasts all the modern stuff we already have and the green color is just to die for in person.
YoungHouseLove says
So cool!
xo
s
Tara says
I love it! I scored one almost exactly like it (I think mine’s a little smaller) for less $ (hooray for Iowa CL prices) but it was UGLY…someone had painted it yellowish beige and put icky stencils on the doors. It also had a crack in the top where the wood had split slightly along the grain. I sanded it all, filled the crack, and painted the entire thing rich espresso brown, then covered it with a Martha Stewart glaze that has just a bit of sparkle in it. It is one of my favorite things too! Congratulations!!!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome. You rescued it!
xo,
s
Melanie says
I love it… actually I have the same sideboard with the matching china cabinet and dining room table. We are currently using them at the cottage. They were passed on by my dad’s grandparents! Ours on in original finish but they are beautiful. Maybe I’ll consider bringing them home with me and using them everyday. You’ve got me thinking!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so cool! I love it.
xo,
s
[email protected] says
Seeing as almost all of our stuff is old (read: used and thrifted) I’m thinking we should flip your advice and have one NEW piece in every room! :-)
That is an awesome find. Like East Coast Creative, I find that listings in our burb are way more overpriced than in Portland (OR) proper. And it’s often horrible (to us) stuff! We generally know if the listing says “gorgeous” that it’s not.
Maria @ All Things Luxurious says
Lol! You crack me up! That is such a beautiful piece — I love it! And thanks for the Craigslist tips — my husband and I are in search of lucite chairs, and we’ve never bought anything off of Craigslist before, so I’m glad I know a good way to go about buying from someone if they pop up! :-)
Jennifer says
Love the piece and it is going to look fab all decorated up! I totally just subscribed to the whole “one old thing” in the room theory a few months ago and also bought a great, vintage dresser (for our living room tv) off of Craig’s list.I love your tips you have in communicating with sellers.
danielle says
that is a really nice piece and a great find.
I’m not sure why you spend all that time justifying spending $155 on it though.
YoungHouseLove says
I’m a cheap girl so I have to talk myself into things. Haha.
xo,
s
Erin says
It looks great! We just bought an antique dresser for $15 on Craigslist yesterday. It’s not in perfect cosmetic condition, but I plan on painting it anyway and it has awesome hardware. Bonus: when we showed up to pick the dresser up, the woman selling it was one of my former classmates! It’s a small world on Craigslist.
Amy @ a new old house says
WOW- that buffet is amazing. Great job snatching that up (and thanks for the tips on how you did it!)
I think the thing I love most in this post is your rationalizing the three dressers for $58- I do that ALL the time (though my husband doesn’t usually buy into it!)
carolyn says
Sweet CL score! It’s really pretty and works well in your home. I love the chippy painted look but I think it’s fun in small doses just like Ikea stuff. Moderation is key.
I love your blog. You’ve been my daily fix for a couple years now. I love how you keep it real (did I really just type that?). Anyway, thanks for keeping me sane at work.
Briana says
My great-grandmother’s hutch has been sitting in my garage for the better part of a year — it is nearly IDENTICAL to this one! It’s been sanded down, but now I don’t know what to do with it. Was going to stain it like Clara’s nursery dresser but now I’m thinking color, maybe? It’ll go in our living room, which is painted Ben Moore’s Baja Dunes. Any expert suggestions you want to throw my way would be greatly appreciated! You guys rock!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, Baja Dunes is such a neutral you could use any color I think! Maybe robin’s egg or a soft celery color or if you want something bright you could do a sunny yellow or a bold navy!
xo,
s
Vanessa Gasca says
I love this piece of furniture. My mom recently gave away a buffet table just like this but it wasn’t painted. She offered it to me and I said no since I didn’t have room at the time, I kick myself for that one. Now looking back I could have made room and it had sentimental value since we had it through my whole childhood. My mom ended up passing it along to a friend, I so regret that!!!!
Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says
I’m an avid train rider of the ‘black in every room’ car. But after hearing there is such a mantra as ‘something old in every room’ that is great because my pinterest project is staining something old black! Look at me…all trendy like a boss…
I love your new addition. Its tres chic.
My best, Lynn
Katy says
I antique furniture and sell it at a co-op (a.k.a. an “Antique Mall”, depending on where you are from). I would kill for that piece. It is chippy aged perfection. I agree every home needs an old piece or two. I think this is the direction design is heading. I believe (but good be wrong) that it is a backlash to “Hollywood Regency”(oh how I once loved you). This is usually the way of things.
Sam @ The Junk House says
You guys got an amazing deal! I’ve been looking for a piece just like this for months and haven’t seen any in that condition for that price. Everything is like $400 or it’s a piece of junk!
Anna says
I love this. Usually I see pieces like this for $200 – $300 and when they are re-finished they go for $500+ Most of the furniture I have in our house is from thrift stores, garage sales, craigslist etc.
I just re-painted an old dresser for our family room tv stand:
http://anna-kiwiintexas.blogspot.com/2012/07/bold-blue.html
YoungHouseLove says
That’s gorgeous! What an awesome piece!
xo,
s
Melanie says
Ha!!!! My friend in Manassas (I’m in Fredericksburg) made an offer on that buffet! She sent me the link and we were absolutely drooling over it. She was so bummed when she missed out. I’ll have to send her the link to this post. LOL! Love it!
YoungHouseLove says
No way!! What a small world!
xo,
s
ruthy says
this is so helpful! i realized i usually ask too many questions in the first email–going to implement this as i finish up getting things for the baby on its way!
Ashley Guttuso says
Awesome piece. We got a similar one at an auction Memorial Day weekend for $30. Totally worth having to drive back to the auction house (from Amelia, VA to Elizabeth City, NC) the next day. Keep in mind I was 8 months pregnant with swollen ankles at the time. We don’t love the buttery color it is painted but are waiting to paint the dining room before we commit to a color for it. You’re right about the amount of storage these pieces provide. I keep shoving things in there and there’s still plenty of room.
Ours has a built-in silverware tray in the top center drawer and I’m considering moving our everyday silverware to it. Right now it’s very close to the dining room table. The dining room is adjacent to our kitchen (which is not big enough to eat in).
If you’re looking for more old pieces auctions are actually a great way to get them cheap. We’re on hold as far as furniture auctions planned for the near future (baby #2 due this Thursday) but have a multi-estate auction in the works for spring. You can check out the current inventory here: http://www.auctionzip.com/cgi-bin/photopanel.cgi?listingid=1492083&feed=129&gid=0&category=0&zip=&kwd=.
YoungHouseLove says
Cool!
xo,
s
Stacy says
Besides the clear sealer, are you going to leave it as is? It’s amazing how well the existing color works in that room!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah I love the color and the chippiness!
xo,
s
MegP says
Such an awesome Craigslist find! I love that shabby chic green color, so gorgeous.
The only luck I’ve ever had with Craigslist is finding my office desk, which is actually an entertainment center that a sweet lady DIYed into a cool desk with a crazy huge amount of storage space. I love it.
Also I wanted to wish you both a belated happy anniversary, and I hope you had an awesome day!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Meg!
-John
Gina says
Love it! I’ve never bought or sold anything thru Craigslist but know there are great deals out there. Thanks for the tips!
Summer says
Bah! I’m so jealous! I’ve been scouring Craigslist for something exactly like that for months! Great find!
Tanja says
I am in LOVE with it.
Jessica G says
i LOVE the sideboard! remember that time when Katie Bower refinished a dresser and used it as kitchen/dish storage? We’re doing that with a dresser from the side of the road this summer…but it’s more 50s/60s with a curvy side line and retro pulls. I said that because it will also be our sideboard/buffet, not because I like weird tangents. Oops.
Also, Sisqo and Quad City DJs in the span of two posts?! Be still my late 90s/early 2000s heart! :)
Emily says
That dresser is SO GREAT! I’m a huge fan of craigslist and I was on the edge of my seat when you were talking about other people wanting it. Well done! I’m not usually a fan of “shabby chic” but this is authentic and in a charming way!
Stacia Reagan says
AWESOME find! That piece was just meant to call your place home. I am definately with you on the “I-look-every-week-and-maybe-buy-two-things-a-year things.” Ironically I am usually the person selling something for really cheap. Once I get around to listing something, it’s because I want it gone that day, so I price it accordingly. :-)
J says
Love it! But from one bed bug sufferer to another, arnt you afraid they’re hiding out in crevices!? I use to be all over craigslist. Now I’m scarred.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh I check things like crazy. I know what to look for so it makes me feel more confident (check out my post about that for those tips).
-John
Linda says
That’s fantastic! I love the piece. Oddly enough I bought an old secretary desk on Saturday from Sals for $50! When I checked online the same style can go for $400-800. It was a pain lugging up two flights of stairs but worth it!
Angie says
Wow, that looks like it was made for the room. Even the wood peaking from underneath looks the same honey color as your wood floors. It was Kismet!
Whitney says
LOVE IT!!! What a find! I never have that kind of luck….I have been looking for a similar piece for about a year, but living in Connecticut all the sideboards that come up on craigslist are over $1000!!!!!! I did once get a Bentwood Rocker for $50…that was a Steal!!
Tracy says
Love it! Was worried you were going to show us you had painted it black or something. This is definitely a “keep it as is” piece. What a steal too – congrats on grabbing it!
BTW, I saw someone else made curtains from the same fabric (or are they store bought panels?) in a magazine recently (BH&G or Good Housekeeping, July issue, last page, “I did it” feature).
YoungHouseLove says
Spotted that too! It was in BHG, I believe.
-John
Sarah says
Love it! And this post couldn’t have come at a more perfect time!
I’ve been obsessing over getting a Karlstad sectional. I love it in your home and have wanted one ever since.. but I keep putting it off because I don’t need one and there is nothing wrong with my couches. (They’re just black leather and I HATE Them!)
Well, I saw a posting this morning for a Karlstad sectional priced at $450!!!
I followed tip #1 and am patiently waiting. :)
What are your thoughts on buying someone else’s couch. Any concerns of bedbugs or some other gross/creppy thing? The fact that I can wash the slipcovers or even buy new ones puts me a little at ease…
YoungHouseLove says
Wahooo! I hope you get it. Good luck!! As for buying something upholstered, I would look into the cracks and crevices (under the pillows, around the legs, etc). Bedbugs are 100% visible (they’re not that tiny, sort of look flat, and leave visible droppings as well- so you should see signs of them if they’re there). Since Karl is upholstered you could just launder the covers assuming you don’t see bedbugs (if you see them I wouldn’t get it at all) and it should be as good as new since not only the cushions are covered, the whole body has a removable slipcover. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Brittney says
LOVE LOVE LOVE. Like drive to Richmond and steal it from your house.
Ok, that’s extreme, I wouldn’t do that, but I do love it. Great find!
Amy B. says
We scored an awesome library ladder for $200 on Craigslist. Most were selling for $400+ not including rails!
Our post has details about how you can set up an automatic “ifttt” recipe to email you any time something with your search term pops up… helps get the early jump on things you really want! http://contemporation.com/journal/rolling-library-ladder/
tracy says
That piece is simply stunning! I am literally drooling all over my computer. 100% jealous and can’t wait to see you dress her up!
pattilouwho says
I have been searching for a dresser/buffet/sideboard for our playroom. I thought it would be cute to have all the toys stored away in there. And the day my dog can figure out how to pull drawers open, I’m in trouble. She’s a pro at pulling toy bins open with her nose so she can sacrifice another My Little Pony. Bad dog! This one you found is such a score! In CA, that would have gone for at least $600. Congrats on your awesome score!
Marissa@ohhhsolovely says
such a fantastic piece! i’m so glad you all snagged it because the color really works beautifully in your room!
Cristina S. says
Hope you guys had a great anniversary over the weekend :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Cristina!
kim says
You can come buy my antiques! Garage sale in 3-4 weeks. My Dad just sold my grandmother’s house; that my parents moved into. Both my mom and grandmother passed away 3 and 5 years ago, both were collectors that went to auctions for fun. I have no Ikea furniture in my house as it is full of antiques. Now I have to get rid of another house full of them, so my Dad can move to BC with his new girlfriend. I am exhausted going through boxes of stuff, books, nic naks, paintings, crafting stuff. Your just starting out, this is where Clara or your grandchildren will be some day, were I am now! LOL
Liz C says
~solidarity fistbump~ We got ours at Habitat for $50, but it’s got, um, lots of interior “character” that made the lower cost make sense for the piece. http://www.flickr.com/photos/emcadorette/5197078740/
I am extraordinarily jealous of the paint finish on yours, though. Totally agree that it looks straight out of RH or Anthro like that. Fantastic find!