Lifestyle

Firsthand experience on shopping for secondhand furniture

When faced with an empty apartment, it’s easier to prioritize temporary convenience over long-term money management.

JWessel Photography for Rachael Dotson
Heather Evans, a columnist at Dear Avant Gardener and a former managing director at J.P. Morgan, furnished most of this room with secondhand items:
--Pale blue leather-covered side chair | flea market
--Chartreuse leather-covered chairs from Louis XV period | auction
--Vintage zebra rug | flea market
--Chinese-style covered vase |estate sale
--Yellow garden stool | auction
--Louis XVI period Bergeres (tan and blue chairs) | flea market
--Antique Aesthetic period low chair (next to the yellow sofa) from Herter Brothers | flea market
--Chinese portraits | estate sales, eBay, and auction
--Modernist glass and metal table | auction
(JWessel Photography of Rachael Dotson)

By Cathy Ching

4 minutes to read

Many young adults buy cheap furniture when they furnish their first apartments, but secondhand stores offer the chance to buy something that will last.

When faced with an empty apartment, it’s easier to prioritize temporary convenience over long-term money management. In the years to come, however, purchasing used furniture will pay off financially, reduce your environmental footprint, and present the opportunity to create a home full of unique finds. People dispose of 9 million tons of furniture every year, according to Environmental Protection Agency estimates. Thrift stores, garage sales, estate auctions, and online resale websites are only a handful of the opportunities to find “pre-loved” goods that will last for decades.

Advertisement:

Older furniture is often more durable and made with better quality material and more “personality,” which will make buyers less likely to throw those pieces out later on, said Heather Evans, a columnist at Dear Avant Gardener and a former managing director at J.P. Morgan.

Heather Evans filled this foyer with stunning secondhand finds:
— Vintage Chinese rug | eBay
–Antique Federal period mirror | auction
–Small antique French chair: | auction
— Frances Elkins plaster hanging light fixture | estate sale
–Set of American Victorian side chairs | estate sale
–Pair of cast-iron planters | estate sale
–Pair of Chinese blue and white ginger jars | thrift store
–Japanese hanging screen | auction
–Metal painted garden table with stone top _ auction
–Pair of Chinese green porcelain table lamps | flea market — JWessel Photography for Rachael Dotson

BEFORE: This thin-legged table is scarred with watermarks and by wear and tear. — Bonnie Borromeo Tomlinson

The table’s next chapter, at Bonnie Lia Interiors, is as a beautiful nightstand with a dark top. — Bonnie Borromeo Tomlinson

“When you’re young and renting, it makes sense to spend as little as possible on your furniture and save for longer-term goals,” Evans said, “whether it’s buying a car or a home.”

But you don’t need to sacrifice quality.

The first step to finding home goods that fit a realistic budget is to erase the mindset that old furniture has already served its purpose. Although sales for thrifted clothing have been skyrocketing — totaling $44 billion so far this year — the same cannot be said for secondhand furniture.

Advertisement:

One theory is that people equate “used” with “dirty.”

Bonnie Borromeo Tomlinson, author of “Stop Buying Bins” and a former home organizer, offers a different perspective: What about the hundreds of people who eat in restaurants using the same utensils as everyone else?

“We use used things all the time,” Tomlinson said, so it just comes down to knowing how to clean them properly.

Before: A painting of oars awaits a makeover at Bonnie Lia Interiors. — Bonnie Borromeo Tomlinson

AFTER: The canvas, now brighter and more colorful, awaits a buyer. — Bonnie Borromeo Tomlinson

What types of furniture and home goods should renters look for? Anything that can be cleaned and/or fixed easily, Tomlinson said. This can include wood furniture, picture frames, mirrors, curtains, kitchen serving pieces, and anything decorative.

MORE on shopping

The key thing to keep in mind at secondhand shops is how much effort it would take to preserve the cleanliness, quality, and durability of the item you have your eye on. For example, a vintage lamp may look great in your new apartment, but does it work?

BEFORE: The wood on this table has seen better days. — Bonnie Borromeo Tomlinson

Bonnie Borromeo Tomlinson took a table in rough shape and, with a lot of paint, turned it into a lovely bathroom addition. — Bonnie Borromeo Tomlinson

The experts we consulted said there are several items buyers should avoid — mattresses, pillows, bed linens, and appliances that are too small to clean — because they may carry pests.

Near the top of the “steer clear” list is upholstered furniture. The fabric can be difficult and not worth the expense to clean — unless you find something you simply cannot leave behind, such as the striped velvet vintage couch Evans’s daughter purchased for her Brooklyn apartment.

Advertisement:

Going into secondhand stores should feel like a treasure hunt, which is why it takes patience.

When in doubt, you can seek the advice of a home consultant like Taylor Amaio Fletcher, the owner of Avelon Home, a vintage and modern décor store in Portsmouth, N.H.

“The shop is almost always different every time you walk in,” said Taylor Fletcher, owner of Avelon Home in Portsmouth, N.H. “Our hope is to inspire our visitors that if you think outside the box a bit when trying to create your own home aesthetic, that you can find an authentic and mindful connection to your belongings, where every piece can tell a story.” — Taylor Fletcher

Shopping for vintage goods can be difficult, Fletcher said, so renters could start with a piece of art for inspiration and then purchase furniture that compliments it.

First-timers should wait to purchase goods until they find those dining chairs, coffee table, or glassware that they absolutely love, and not just because they are inexpensive, Fletcher said.

A before-and-after look at a reading nook Taylor Fletcher of Avelon Homes designed using secondhand items. — Taylor Fletcher

Measuring your space and the item you want to purchase is also crucial.

Finances aside, shopping secondhand furniture and décor can make an apartment feel like a home — one that isn’t a carbon copy of everyone else’s. Whether it be a coffee table or something as small as ceramics, the excitement of bringing home a rare find outweighs the patience it takes to get there, the experts said.

“How you feel when you’re in your space feeds into everything else in your life,” Tomlinson said.

“I can’t imagine coming down to the kitchen to make coffee and not having it be in my favorite mug.”

Advertisement:

To comment, please create a screen name in your profile

Conversation

This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com