THE NEELY HOUSE

Wow. What can I say? I mean I've been craigslist-ing, salvation army-ing, garage sale-ing, etc. and never have I come across the exact pieces I've been searching for... and for an affordable price. But, the vintage furniture thrifting gods smiled upon me this last week. And then smiled again, as a good friend offered to pick these pieces up for me in Springfield (as he travels there for work). Perfection. More on that in a second.

So, if you've been living under a rock, you might not know that I'm a furniture-a-holic. A mid century modern furniture-a-holic to be exact. And on a budget! There's not a lot to be had in these parts. And what I have found has been the cheap, laminate pieces that look terrible all ready or will look terrible soon and laminate is not easy to refinish and/or make look good.

When Md and I lived in Chicago, it was easy to go pick something up at Ikea. But now the closet Ikea is 6 hours away. And frankly, I'm sick of spending money on furniture that is just going to fall apart in 5 years. I can't afford to buy furniture from design within reach, so in comes vintage furniture. A lot of people don't know what they have and some people are just giving this stuff away. GOOD. SOLID. 100% WOOD (not particle board) furniture. So, this has spurred me on to find "the good stuff" and not settle for the first laminate/veneer credenza that comes my way. Restraint is hard yes, b/c as I said, modern lines are not easily found around here. But definitely well worth the wait.

About 6 months ago, I bought an entire bedroom set (dresser, chest of drawers, mirror, 2 nightstands, & a headboard) ALL for $350 (just to put things in perspective, the dresser alone easily goes for $350 in Chicago). Are you serious? I snatched it, sold my Ikea platform bed and side tables for $325. BAM! What a deal. The furniture I bought was solid wood, walnut, and made by a famous mid century modern furniture designer, Kent Coffey (Marquee Modern series). Its gorgeous and its in great shape. I really love it, but there's something about it, that's just not EXACTLY what I wanted. I still love it and find it beautiful. But I thought, its the right era, the right shape, the right quality, the right price... so I did it. And I'm glad I did. its ubber classy.

Just last week I was looking on craigslist in Springfield and found THE pieces. THE Kent Coffey pieces I was looking for (I had a couple series in mind that I really liked after having bought and researched my last Kent Coffey buy.). I called, thinking, oh I'm sure SOMEONE (if not many someone's) has already called and bought it and she just didn't delete the ad, but decided to call anyway, and lo and behold, they were still available! wha!? I could not pass up the amazing deal these were.

And what I love most about mid century modern furniture is that I feel like the pieces are so versatile. The dresser is a buffet is a credenza is a tv stand, and could even go in a hallway... I mean the proportions are always right.
So, before I give you some eye candy, here's my reasons for buying used furniture.

5. money. its less expensive than buying new, no matter if you get average quality pieces.

4. quality. you can get a good-excellent quality vintage piece for the same price as a flimsy Ikea piece... or less! They don't make 'em like they used to!

3. recycle folks. There are plenty of fantastic pieces out there to fit most everyone's style without losing the rain forest. Ok, I know most of the furniture I buy ISN'T actually made of wood from the rain forest, but it just sounds more impactful.

2. sell-ability. So, I paid $350 for an entire bedroom suite. Chances are, someone else would to. And even if they don't, say I have to sell it for $300... I'm only out $50. And if its been in my bedroom for a year, it only cost me $50 to have that furniture. You can't RENT furniture for that cheap. And since I'm a re-arrange-a-holic as well, I can interchange pieces, sell and buy at whim, knowing that I'll recoup most of what I paid for an item.

1. did I already say they don't make 'em like they used to? I'm a HUGE fan of danish modern furniture. now, I live in Joplin... where am I gonna find local, danish furniture, that I can afford? SALVATION ARMY! woo hoo!!!

And without further adieu, I died in the arms of Kent Coffey once again... "The Tableau" series. Oh and I have the mirror to boot! I will be "refinishing" these pieces... they are pretty good, but I've been dying to try out Howard's Restor-a-finish... and these pieces seem perfect. Not too beat up, but beat up enough that a good coat of this stuff should make them look brand new again!

sure hope we find a house soon... they are obstructing my living room a bit... :)