Nearly three decades ago, Diana and I were newlyweds setting up our first house on a shoestring budget in Lexington, KY. We found a modest two-bedroom ranch in a lovely neighborhood. There, Diana, a newly trained interior designer, put her skills to the test salvaging family furniture castoffs to create a cozy but affordable home.
We scoured our families’ attics and basements for furniture. One joyful find: a glass dining table from my in-laws’ houseboat on Lake Cumberland. We found chairs for it in one aunt’s basement and a brass bed from her mom’s attic. Our only splurge was a new sofa.
These days, Covid is creating challenges that remind me of those early years. Supply chain snafus are making it almost impossible to furnish a home. Shoppers are waiting months to get new furniture and appliances delivered. That means that many homeowners are doing exactly what we newlyweds had to do decades ago. They are salvaging old furniture and making it work with paint and new upholstery.
Homeowners are beginning to get the message that the days of the quick furniture fix — ordering from a catalog and getting their stuff delivered in days or a few weeks — are over, at least for a while. Instead, many homeowners are learning how to repurpose items they already have so at least they’ll have enough chairs to host the family for Thanksgiving.
Some advice for the wise: you’re not the only one to realize you’re going to have to make do with reupholstering that old sofa or refinishing that hand-me-down dining table. So don’t wait too long to contact your local upholsterer or furniture refinisher. They’ve been swamped with business during the last year and you may have to wait in line for them to tackle your project.
At Furniture Consignment Gallery, we continue to attract the finest pre-owned furniture in New England. And many of our customers are far less concerned these days with the color of the sofa, knowing they can slipcover or reupholster to make it work in their home. Homeowners are far less fussy about making everything matchy-matchy. They’re rightfully focused on making their homes warm and cozy and livable for the next few months.
Hurry in quickly, though. Our customers are thinking ahead towards the holidays, and good quality furniture rarely lasts long in our stores these days. Make FCG your go-to source for every room in your home. You may need to exercise some creativity in your design, but you’ll enjoy the reward of knowing you’ve met the challenges of these trying times and succeeded in furnishing your home.