furniture?

[Ames980]

for those of us pre-allo students who will shortly be moving into apartments, just wanted to see what people were doing for furniture.... i have a couple good pieces im stealing from family, but i need new a new dresser, desk, etc -- does anyone have experience with ikea? it looks too good to be true online; is the quality really poor? i dont want to dig myself into a hole with this stuff but i also dont want to be searching for socks in november and have the damn thing fall apart on me... any insight?

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[Fed Meat]

Ikea stuff is a mixed bag. Some stuff is great. Other stuff is junk. Most of it looks fairly nice, especially for the price you pay. I think it's definitely a good place to be shopping for a student's apartment.

 

[kgoods5]

Ikea is great. The furniture and stuff is more than good enough for students and is pretty fashionable. There are other odds and ends they have too that are cool, you just have to be able to sort through some of the junk.

 

[akpete]

I love Ikea!!!!! Esp. cuz I'm poor.

 

[SteveUTexas]

If you like Ikea's stuff but want higher quality try Eurway.

--Steve

 

[MEG@COOL]

for those of us pre-allo students who will shortly be moving into apartments, just wanted to see what people were doing for furniture.... i have a couple good pieces im stealing from family, but i need new a new dresser, desk, etc -- does anyone have experience with ikea? it looks too good to be true online; is the quality really poor? i dont want to dig myself into a hole with this stuff but i also dont want to be searching for socks in november and have the damn thing fall apart on me... any insight?

Dont worry. Buy plenty. More can come, but less can never be made up for. Set your expectations high. Even if you can never hope of getting into med school.

 

[jllander]

If you like Ikea's stuff but want higher quality try Eurway.

--Steve

But Eurway is only in Texas....

 

[adennis]

Check out consignment stores and thrift stores.. and if you're bored... spend a couple of Saturdays going yard sale-ing. You'll be amazed at what you'll find... some people are "afraid" of buying used things.. but honestly, you'll find a lot nicer, "expensive" (but super cheap) stuff doing that than buying from a major chain....

good luck!

 

[katiekate]

Check out consignment stores and thrift stores.. and if you're bored... spend a couple of Saturdays going yard sale-ing. You'll be amazed at what you'll find... some people are "afraid" of buying used things.. but honestly, you'll find a lot nicer, "expensive" (but super cheap) stuff doing that than buying from a major chain....

good luck!

Garage-sale-ing and Craigslist.com if you're in a large city are the best ways to get quality furniture. Also, you should have a "going to med-school" party for your family and friends and instead of asking for money/bought presents, make a list of things that you would love to have if they have extra's laying around the house (sets of silverware, desks, cookbooks, etc). Go "shopping" at your grandparents/aunts/neighbors basements. I've done this before and come away with some great antique stuff that my family wasn't using anyway and has great history. If you find furniture that is great in construction but not in looks, make it a summer project to reupholster a couch or re-finish a dresser. HGTV.com has lots of great ideas. I hope I can use this advice for myself!! Still waiting on acceptance to two schools. Happy Hunting!!

 

[tigress]

We got all of our major furniture by asking relatives if they had any extra. My parents were redoing their sunroom so they gave us the couches, and my aunt and uncle were buying a new bed and dining room table so they gave us their old ones. Other stuff like dressers, side tables, etc. we got at Ikea. The prices there are good, but you have to shop around to find stuff that's good quality. Some stuff is so cheap it's worth it even if it's not great quality, like these great little circular end tables. The going away party is a great idea; for wedding presents we asked for nice bookshelves and a desk. I personally have never been successful with garage sales, but if you have the patience I'm sure they're great.

Have fun decorating your new apartment!

 

[Ames980]

i know i know - ive been to so many consignment shops recently im going a little nuts. all good fun though! it gives you that wierd i-get-to-look-through-other-peoples-stuff feeling haha.... and the party is a great idea - i keep on thinking how when people get married they get all the good stuff with the send off, and how i need one a few years early!

 

[brats800]

ikea is great. where did you decide to attend, ames?

 

[Ames980]

well, im currently going to une, but am holding out for suny buffalo/loyola - fell head over heels for those 2 programs so we'll see how the may 15th season treats me! but une has an awesome prgram, so im psyched for the fall regardless youre heading to loyola, right?

 

[brats800]

yup. loyola it is. hopefully you'll see some waitlist movement there soon.

 

[rugirlie]

Ikea is great but be warned that you must put together everything by yourself! The worst part is that all the directions are picture only and it makes it really hard (at least for a non-handy girl like myself) to understand... I definitely have put two things from IKEA together wrong the first time and had to redo them. GRR... but its still nice and cheap and purty!

 

[doc05]

Ikea is low quality, but it will last at least 4 years of med school.

 

[PineappleGirl]

Okay, call me crazy but I get most of my furniture by going through other people's trash.

Seriously, find out when the move out dates are at local colleges. I usually just hit my own college, because I know where all the dorms are and where the good pickins are to be had, but you can check out other colleges as well. It's usually pretty easy to sneak into the dorms. The parking garages are usually open to everyone and you can always pretend like you are helping your sister or brother move out or insinutate yourself into a pack of parents and sibs. There is some seriously quality stuff to be had in the dorms. If you don't want to deal with the sneaking around, just hit the campus dumpsters. You will not believe the quality of the stuff people are throwing out. I got all my coffee tables and end tables this way. I'd be reluctant to take things like a couch or stuffed chairs, but some people do this.

Another tip, find out when trash day is in one of the chic neighborhoods in your city. Ask a friend who has a van or a truck to drive you around early in the morning (this might take some bribing with beer or other goodies). I've managed to pick up some great chairs and tables doing this. All for free!

And remember, you can always wash your hands.

G'luck.

 

[PineappleGirl]

Btw, now is prime time for getting stuff from college campuses! It's graduation/ move out time!

Happy hunting!

 

[Ames980]

Ikea is great but be warned that you must put together everything by yourself! The worst part is that all the directions are picture only and it makes it really hard (at least for a non-handy girl like myself) to understand... I definitely have put two things from IKEA together wrong the first time and had to redo them. GRR... but its still nice and cheap and purty!

lol! as if its not challenging enough in the first place, i always manage to screw up picture-directions....
also - went to the mill store [unfinished furniture] this weekend and got a really nice desk, coffee table, and 2 end tables for about $200 - i have to stain it, but you cant beat the quality for that price.
and the post-college group is a great place to look too! good idea

 

[dianamd]

the thing to remember about ikea is that delivery is very expensive-- almost as much as buying the objects themselves. so you have to drive and pick it up.

 

[tigress]

the thing to remember about ikea is that delivery is very expensive-- almost as much as buying the objects themselves. so you have to drive and pick it up.

Yeah, that's one of the ways they keep their prices down. And the way they package everything flat and don't use extra packaging or shopping bags or things.

I also agree with the above poster that Ikea isn't the best quality (like I said before, you have to shop around the store a while), but if you're nice to your furniture it should last you until you have an actual salary and can afford nicer furniture.

I actually have a question. Who knows of inexpensive ways to decorate walls? Not like for a dorm room, but a nice apartment. Wall art in insanely expensive and we can't afford it. We were thinking of enlarging some of our more artsy photographs we've taken and framing those. I also had this idea of making square wooden frames and stretching pretty fabric over them and hanging them on the wall. Does anybody have other ideas? It would really make our apartment more cozy if the walls weren't bare white!

 

[liverotcod]

I actually have a question. Who knows of inexpensive ways to decorate walls? Not like for a dorm room, but a nice apartment. Wall art in insanely expensive and we can't afford it. We were thinking of enlarging some of our more artsy photographs we've taken and framing those. I also had this idea of making square wooden frames and stretching pretty fabric over them and hanging them on the wall. Does anybody have other ideas? It would really make our apartment more cozy if the walls weren't bare white!

I have absolutely no fine art painting skill but decided to stretch a few canvasses and paint some geometrics on them. I used some of my wall paint colors and some accent brights. The results are pretty good, cover the walls, and it was pretty cheap. You could try splatter-painting, too. You can also buy the canvasses pre-stretched and primed.

The paintings go well with my Ikea furniture. We've been especially happy with our leather sofa, coffee table and area rugs.

 

[PineappleGirl]

I actually have a question. Who knows of inexpensive ways to decorate walls? Not like for a dorm room, but a nice apartment. Wall art in insanely expensive and we can't afford it. We were thinking of enlarging some of our more artsy photographs we've taken and framing those. I also had this idea of making square wooden frames and stretching pretty fabric over them and hanging them on the wall. Does anybody have other ideas? It would really make our apartment more cozy if the walls weren't bare white!

What I like to do is hit an antique store and buy some old post cards of exotic locales like Paris or Rome. These are usually between $1 and $5. They are usually easy to fit into a 4x6 or 5x7 frame. You might have to cut them just a little. They look classy but for very cheap.

 

[biendesalud]

Goodwill and Salvation Army have been good to me over the years.

**Check out www.craigslist.org and pick your city. If you are in a small town, there probably won't be much. The website started in SF and has become 'the' marketplace for used items. Things generally sell within a few hours of being posted there. It's a great resource if enough people in your area know about it!**

 

[Ames980]

also - as far as pictures/framing goes -- you can get really inexpensive, simple ones at the christmas tree shops [if there are any around you] and target usually has frame packages. at craft stores, you can get inexpensive frames and mats, if youre looking for a more professional look without paying $50 a picture.... and with the kodak printer things [drug stores, walmart, etc] you can blow up any photograph and make it black and white - which im personally a big fan of

 

[liverotcod]

Ikea also has some interesting prints. I draw the line at that, though. It's one thing for you and all of your friends to have the exact same furniture, but quite another for you to all sport identical Ikea-look art.

 

[PineappleGirl]

also - as far as pictures/framing goes -- you can get really inexpensive, simple ones at the christmas tree shops [if there are any around you] and target usually has frame packages. at craft stores, you can get inexpensive frames and mats, if youre looking for a more professional look without paying $50 a picture.... and with the kodak printer things [drug stores, walmart, etc] you can blow up any photograph and make it black and white - which im personally a big fan of

I LOVE Christmas Tree Shops! Soooooo wonderful! Also they have tons of cheap kitchen things like spatulas, serving spoons, dishes and the like all for your new apartment.

 

[prana_md]

Okay, call me crazy but I get most of my furniture by going through other people's trash.

Yay, it's not just me! Most big cities have "Big Trash Day", which means everyone puts their unwanted stuff out on the sidewalk. In the posher neighborhoods, Big Trash means perfectly good furniture. You can usually find out when BTD is by going to the city's web site. SF has it two or three times a year, and it's a blast.

Also, Craigslist.

Also, I've just started subscribing to ReadyMade, a magazine all about doing home improvement and crafty stuff for yourself on the cheap.
http://www.readymademag.com

Have fun!

 

[oniwindu]

also - as far as pictures/framing goes -- you can get really inexpensive, simple ones at the christmas tree shops [if there are any around you] and target usually has frame packages. at craft stores, you can get inexpensive frames and mats, if youre looking for a more professional look without paying $50 a picture.... and with the kodak printer things [drug stores, walmart, etc] you can blow up any photograph and make it black and white - which im personally a big fan of

If you have a Costco membership, blowing up pictures to 11x19 are cheap as hell. $2.99 a print. Amazing photo quality and great for framing. Additionally, someone mentioned yard sales and thrift shops. If you happen to be at yard sales looking for furniture, look for photo frames, too. If you're lucky, someone will be wanting to get rid of huge unused frames.

As for making a border for the frame, just buy posterboard at Staples and use an exacto knife to cut out the border.

If you don't want to waste time at yard sales or flea markets, AC Moore or Michael's also has great-quality frames for a reasonable price --even lower than Target. I know AC Moore has sales every month or so where it's about 40-50% off their stock of frames. Dirt cheap. I personally love photography and will be hanging up my own prints.

 

[nicholasblonde]

for those of us pre-allo students who will shortly be moving into apartments, just wanted to see what people were doing for furniture.... i have a couple good pieces im stealing from family, but i need new a new dresser, desk, etc -- does anyone have experience with ikea? it looks too good to be true online; is the quality really poor? i dont want to dig myself into a hole with this stuff but i also dont want to be searching for socks in november and have the damn thing fall apart on me... any insight?

All I know is that the IKEA catalog is the only publication worldwide which is in higher circulation than the Bible--

 

[PineappleGirl]

overstock.com also has some decent framed prints much much cheaper than those you can find other places like art.com and the mall.
I highly recommend overstock.com for lots of stuff. There are some good deals to be had there.

 

[sakura181]

If your landlord is OK with you painting the walls, why not paint one accent wall? It's a great way to bring color into an apartment without having to paint the entire room and also makes a nice focal point. IMO, pictures look so much nicer against a colorful background.

 

[PineappleGirl]

If your landlord is OK with you painting the walls, why not paint one accent wall? It's a great way to bring color into an apartment without having to paint the entire room and also makes a nice focal point. IMO, pictures look so much nicer against a colorful background.

Yeah one of my friends did this in her small apt. She painted one wall bright orange and another a dark yellow. I know, it maybe sounds a little weird, but it looks really good and makes the place look fun. She did have to paint it when she moved out, however, which was a real pain in the a$$.

 

[myodana]

don't forget the best way to make a desk, ever! my brother came up with this one. you buy 2 short file cabinets (like 30" high, either from the container store, ikea, or someplace like that) for storage space. find a door and slap it on top of the file cabinets. the door makes a really solid surface for the desk, and when my brother made his desk this way, he took off the doorknob and used that hole to thread all of his computer wires through to the floor! cheap, simple, and super functional.

 

[relema]

Have you tried target. Some of my furniture came from there. They have some real wood pieces and other furniture that looks really upscale and is resonably inexpensive. It's not the cheap particle wood furniture places like walmart sell. You have to put it together yourself though. My desk, tv stand and side table came from there.