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.
Ashley says
It isn’t noticeable in the original picture from the listing that one whole chunky round leg (far left) is sort of chopped in half on the front side (plus a piece from the one next to it). Obviously you knew you were getting an aged looking piece of furniture, but were you even a little bummed about the leg once you saw it in person and knew you were already committed to buying it since you didn’t agree to look at it in person first? It’s apparent that the rest of the piece makes up for it, but just curious. Can’t wait to see it styled – anything you two touch turns to gold!
~A
YoungHouseLove says
She actually mentioned that in a follow up email and we didn’t care! We thought it was very nice for her to tell us before coming out there, and in person it’s really not noticeable since generally I find myself looking at the overall shape and the top/fronts (since the leg is just shaved in the front, it still has the same silhouette as all of the others). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Laurie says
I think her name should be Fern!
Patricia says
Are you guys doing anything for wedding week like you did in the past?? Or has everything been covered? I loved wedding week and was looking forward to it this year! I’m engaged now so am scouring wedding stuff. Also thinking of starting a blog for it so I have a place to post the photos of everything I do in the next 11 months before the wedding. Haha. And happy anniversary!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Patricia! For the past few years we’ve been doing less since five years of covering wedding stuff leaves us pretty much covered – haha. We do like to do a post about what we do for our anniversary along with any annual traditions, and we usually try to get the giveaway to be somehow related (like how this week’s was a bunch of bee stuff since we had bees on our invitation). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Rachel says
OOooo it’s so pretty!!! I just bought a telephone bench/gossip bench/funny table chair duo-thingy and can’t wait for it to sit in our front hallway. Also a 20 dollar find like Clara’s dresser!
Heather Gearhart says
I am SO JEALOUS!! That is beautiful and the color goes perfectly in your house. I have been searching for something similar for some time now and have yet to score like you did. Just gotta keep checking the site I guess!
I have also found that it is strangely difficult to find cool old wooden chairs. My goal in life is to have 4 different chairs in our dining room that will all be purple… I only have 1 so far.
YoungHouseLove says
I love that goal! I’m sure you’ll get there! Good luck with it!
xo,
s
Kelly @ View Along the Way says
Okay, so I am totally TOTALLY in-love-slash-crazy-with-jealousy over that amazing sideboard!
BUT I have to tell ya, you’re doing the craigslist searching thing all wrong! I just wrote a post about mindblowingly useful craigslist tips and it will rock your craigslist-hunting ways: http://www.viewalongtheway.com/2012/02/my-best-online-shopping-tips-part-1-craigslist/
Now if I could just find something exactly like your buffet for $150 here in Atlanta!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- love those tips! Thanks!
xo,
s
Laura says
WOW! What a find…y’all really lucked out with this one. If you decide to sell it down the road…come find me! :) The color is so lovely, too, IMO. Very “in” right now.
I have two main rules about craigslist, specifically in Richmond: 1) keep an eye out for weeks, but ultimately trust your gut. It’s really easy to avoid settling for a crap piece (or apartment!) when you see that it gets relisted again and again. but when you see the one, go for it (like you guys did)! and 2) if a seller doesn’t seem to know the value of the piece (c’mon..you can tell) or it’s been listed for a while, don’t be afraid to try to talk them down. i recently got a beautiful mahoghany-stain 1920s bed frame from someone in richmond for $40! she had originally listed it for like $60 but i don’t think she knew much about the piece and it seemed like she just wanted to get rid of it.
susan greene says
But a coat of briwax on your new/old piece. It is an English furniture wax…amazing stuff. It will clean up the piece and seal in all the gorgeous patina . I used to paint furniture and finished every piece I painted with Briwax. I now order mine from Amazon.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip!
xo
s
Julie says
I LOVE that sideboard. What a great find and a great price!! I’m seriously obsessed and heading to CraigsList right now to find my own gem of a sideboard.
Andrea Melberg Thompson says
Like MANY I now note on blogs, etc… I have this buffet too! I got it at the Salvation Army Thrift store for $65. I saw it on a lunch break from work one day, and I made my husband drive back into the city that night to buy it!
Rachel says
that “old” table brings such balance to the otherwise modern room. it is one of those pieces that, once you get, you think…. THAT’S what was missing!!!
Kathy says
Have been reading the blog for just about a year. Stylistically we’ve nothing in common (I prefer old with original painted surfaces). Then when antiques went price crazy I became the original current Pottery Barn look, sort of like the person above who does old and IKEA.
But when Sherry mentioned her fine arts background the other day I knew what the missing piece was to why I love your blog! And I want to go on record to say, that I see Sherry using her degree everyday, maybe just not in the way that she expected to!
I am a huge fan and tickled to death to see the “old” arrive in your home. Now…things are going to get interesting!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Kathy! You’re so sweet!
xo,
s
Tiffany says
Great craigslist tips! As someone who sells stuff occasionally on Craigslist, though, I wanted to add a thought. If someone emails me and only says, “Is this still available?” I DON’T respond at all…because 90% of the time, they are a spammer trying to get my email address. Seriously, every single time I break my own rule and write them back, I realize its a spammer.
BUT…if you say something specific about the piece so that I know you read it, or leave your phone number (so that I can tell you are local) then I will write you back. I’m also more likely to write you back if you say up front that you are interested in checking out/possibly buying whatever I’m selling that day or the next day.
Just my addition to your great tips!
YoungHouseLove says
Great tip! I usually say something specific (ex: I love that buffet and it would be perfect for my living room – is it still available?” and I leave my number).
xo,
s
Kristin F says
Awesome piece, it looks like it was meant to be in that room. I too am amazed at the prices people put out there, estate sales are getting that way too. Used to be you could get great deals at garage sales, estate sales and CL but seems those days may be gone. I’m on the hunt for rocking chairs and appliances on CL with little luck so far. My last great CL find was a real wicker set last summer for $163; that was two chairs, settee, and table in great shape that just needed new paint.
Kristin F says
Oh, I forgot it at the time I posted, but there is still a great place to find less expensive furniture finds: church bazaars. Some places call them yard sales, rummage sales, etc. but all the items are almost 100% donated by parishioners, all the money stays at the church so the prices aren’t totally jacked. We got two barrel shaped (not sure how else to describe them), velvet covered occasional chairs for $10 at our church yard sale a couple years ago. Their still waiting to be painted and reupholstered, but the stripe that’s on them works in the LR for now.
Just a tip, so keep your eyes out for those!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that tip!!
xo
s
Annie says
Awesome find and deal! Here near Minneapolis a piece like that would be at least $300 and not quite that cool-either too ornate and freaky looking or something new made to look old. As furniture refinish-ers, my husband and I go gaga over buffets/dressers like that. Great craigslist tips too. We don’t mess around either when it comes to furniture finds on the site.
Valery says
I love that sideboard! I’m in love with old furniture- I have to work to make sure I balance it all out- so I love that you’re now on the train. Welcome aboard! :)
Sabrina says
I love it! I have been looking on Craigslist for something similar and nothing was popping up in my pricerange until today. Same look as yours for $25! I have been waiting all day to hear back from the seller. Makes me wonder why its so cheap though lol Termites? Ghosts?
Morgan says
Had to come back and revisit this post to share our vintage buffet in the dining room – because I am totally on the train with you! http://www.pepperdesignblog.com/tag/dining-room/
Lovely find, it looks great in that space and brings in just the right amount of antique.
YoungHouseLove says
Gorgeous!!!
xo,
s
Christina @ The Frugal Homemaker says
Wow, this is sort of the last thing I thought I would see when I clicked over to your post. Just didn’t think it was your style. BUT now that I see it in your house and in that color, I totally see it.
I am with you on mixing modern(which my husband prefers) with vintage and older pieces. Thanks for always providing great ideas and inspiration!
Krystin says
This piece has got to be my favorite thing I have seen in a while! It is absolutely stunning! Sideboard of my dreams!
Amy Knisely says
Wow… your Craigslist luck just baffles me. I can never find anything good up here. My brother and sister-in-law that live in Richmond have worse luck than me, but I don’t think they look as often as I do.
You Suck at Kijiji says
Those are all some tremendous tips. Offer cash, say you’ll pick it up TODAY, and never ask “is this still available?”
But honestly, it never would’ve occurred to me to recommend testing for lead. I tend to get into the electronics and musical instruments more than furniture, but that’s an excellent piece of advice.
I run a site about exactly how *not* to use Kijiji (like Craigslist, but dominant in Canada, if you haven’t heard already)… I won’t spam your site with the address, but it’s easy enough to find. I’d love to cite your recommendations in an article there, to get people on the path to being better buyers.
Mindy Cummings says
I am so super jealous!! I have been combing craigslist for a buffet/sideboard to turn into a tv stand. I have an amazing idea for one when I find it, unless of course I find one that is all antique-y like this, but I’m saving it for a blog post. Thanks for the tips. I will definitely not give up my search.
Alecia @ ChickenScratchNY says
That’s beautiful! I love that you brought a little ‘shabby’ in to your house.
I found a (freakishly) similar buffet on the side of the road in the rain so I brought her home and fixed her up ( http://www.chickenscratchny.com/2012/07/road-kill-rescue-buffet.html ). I have such a love/hate with craigslist, around here all the people with awesome stuff never answer their emails!
YoungHouseLove says
That turned out amazing! I love it!
xo,
s
Felicity @ ourlittlebeehive says
That is some seriously impressive justification on the price. I like your style! :)
Kaity says
I love this! My partner and I love to fill our home with finds like these. I really think a few quirky antique pieces mixed with some more modern items can give a room so much character. Thankfully we have very generous parents/grandparents with a handy tendency to hoard fantastic finds and then distribute them among their children/grandchildren :-)
Noel says
Going through old posts to see if I can find a site – maybe you can help! I read on a blog (thought it was YHL) about a site that is like CraigsList but is picture based and really simple. You click on the pic of the item to get all the details, and I found it so much easier to use. But since then had my computer wiped and now I don’t know what it was called. Any idea?
YoungHouseLove says
Anyone remember? I forget the name too! But now craigslist has a button to click to see thumbnails of everything as you browse, so that’s nice!
xo,
s
Tonia says
Do you guys have a craigslist app for your iphone? I want to install one but there are so many! Just wondering which is the best one…?
YoungHouseLove says
I wish! We don’t have one. Anyone know a good one?
xo,
s
Whitney says
Ok, I know this is an old post but I was just so excited and had to tell you guys. We just bought a new house that has this giant kind of main two story living room area that I’m still not quite sure what to do with. But for now it has our dining room table and our china cabinet which are both beautiful pieces but I was so over the china cabinet and all of it’s formal glory. SO,I’ve been searching and searching craigslist for an old sideboard and look what I brought home this weekend http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/fuo/3231733594.html. I AM IN LOVE!! She posted it on the 20th and I hadn’t been on in a week or so and couldn’t believe it hadn’t sold yet. I offered $125 and she was sold. It needs some work, especially the two metal things on the doors…one is missing so I’m not quite sure yet what I’m going to do but I’m going to let it marinate in the big room for a while as I think about it. I don’t really mind the chips but I’m not digging the color much at all so I think it will get painted at some point.
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! That’s so exciting. Congrats Whitney!
xo
s
Kellie W says
Hello! I just wanted to say that I just put into practice a few of your tips for Craigslist (offer to pick it up that day, offer a little more than they are asking), and I scored myself a great accent table as a result! Thanks for your great advice :)
Ashley says
This might be a weird question but what is the height of the sideboard? I am looking for one online and they all seem short to me, but maybe they’re really not. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s 37″ tall. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Lisa says
A VERY similar sideboard is on J & M right now for $970! You guys never cease to amaze me with your finds!
https://www.jossandmain.com/The-Dutch-Farmhouse-Riviera-Sideboard~DIRE1086~E3056.html
YoungHouseLove says
No way! Love that!
xo
s
Cara says
My mom and dad have the same one in their house! Theirs has a dark wood finish and some damage to the varnish on the top but my mom covers it with a runner. As soon as I saw the Craigslist picture I knew it was the same one!
Vanessa W says
I know this is a super old post but I found your amazing buffet’s long lost sister out here on the west coast… for $600! yikes.
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/fuo/3989116891.html
YoungHouseLove says
No way! That’s so funny!
xo
s
Evie says
Sherry, hi. I just read this…………LOVE the old green sideboard! (What’s the difference between sideboard and buffet????????) But what I really want to know is where it lives now in house #3! Do you still have it? And the other thing, do you have photos someplace of how you decorated it in the room where it first lived? I’d just love to see. Thanks!
Evie
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we still have it! It’s in our dining room, but we haven’t shared many photos of that room since it’s still very early on in its evolution. You can see it here: https://www.younghouselove.com/2013/11/whos-more-sick-of-wallpaper/
And as for how it looked in our last house once the room was done, here’s a house tour with shots of it: https://www.younghouselove.com/photo-gallery-2/our-current-house/
xo
s
Evue says
Thanks, Sherry! I still love it, and I’m glad you do, too!