Cragislist Furniture: Family Room Upgrade
My obsessive need to match everything and have decor look just right is a blessing and a curse. I have a sharp eye for color and can detect slight variations in shades most people cannot. I excel at buying second-hand furniture and clothes because I can quickly spot imperfections in products, and I'm also able to easily diagnose how much work it would take to fix said flaws.
For these reasons, I'm able to help others decorate, select furniture and clothes. But I also go a little nutso when things in my own home don't coordinate, are off balance or are otherwise just not right. A picture askew can cause me anxiety. I spend days rearranging ornaments on the Christmas tree.
So imagine how I've felt having a cheap, brown cabinet in my red, black, white, tan and silver family room.
When we moved in nearly two years ago, the cabinet was supposed to be a temporary solution to our smaller kitchen. We used the cabinet to hold the pantry food that didn't fit in the kitchen.
Although the pantry cabinet clashed with everything, was made from flimsy pressed wood and one of the doors was wonky, it did the job while I searched for a replacement. It was convenient and functional, just not pretty.
But as I searched Craigslist here and there, I discovered that most people ask a lot of money for their cabinets, if they're any good. Even if the cabinet is essentially the same version of my crappy brown one, just in white, sellers still wanted $30 or more.
As we generally don't pay for cheaply made furniture, I had a hard time justifying spending the money on anything that wasn't a significant upgrade. We like solid furniture that has good resell value. Our brown cabinet was a freebie from a friend, and we knew once we had a replacement, we'd pass on the cabinet for free.
As time passed, I became less irritated by the brown cabinet, but nonetheless resolved to one day upgrade.
That day finally came.
Following my general rule that I only upgrade my furniture with profits from a Craigslist sell, I sold our old washing machine for $75 after receiving a front-load washing machine for free. (Goodbye agitator; I don't miss you at all.)
With that money I bought a gorgeous sofa (more on that later) and two solid, stylish cabinets for $40 to serve as the family room pantry.
Not only do these cabinets replace the flimsy pantry, but they also replace my husband's junk and medicine shelf next to the sofa. (That area started off organized, evidenced by this post, but as this is my husband's domain, it did not stay that way. And yes, the picture below represents how my husband prefers his loveseat.)
Together, the two cabinets are a little longer in length and a little shallower in depth when compared to the previous cabinet. As a result, we were able to ditch the extra black stand next to the loveseat, while at the same time opening up the room more.
We used to keep the Rock Band drums next to the entertainment center, which was a pretty terrible spot. Moving them next to the loveseat also helped free up needed space. Additionally, we added the wire magazine rack (which I've had since I was a kid!), next to the loveseat so Aaron's music books are handy and organized.
Now, the room feels bigger, and I no longer have to groan when I look at our food pantry. It also looks great across from my China Cabinet.
I really love Craigslist.
For these reasons, I'm able to help others decorate, select furniture and clothes. But I also go a little nutso when things in my own home don't coordinate, are off balance or are otherwise just not right. A picture askew can cause me anxiety. I spend days rearranging ornaments on the Christmas tree.
So imagine how I've felt having a cheap, brown cabinet in my red, black, white, tan and silver family room.
When we moved in nearly two years ago, the cabinet was supposed to be a temporary solution to our smaller kitchen. We used the cabinet to hold the pantry food that didn't fit in the kitchen.
Although the pantry cabinet clashed with everything, was made from flimsy pressed wood and one of the doors was wonky, it did the job while I searched for a replacement. It was convenient and functional, just not pretty.
But as I searched Craigslist here and there, I discovered that most people ask a lot of money for their cabinets, if they're any good. Even if the cabinet is essentially the same version of my crappy brown one, just in white, sellers still wanted $30 or more.
As we generally don't pay for cheaply made furniture, I had a hard time justifying spending the money on anything that wasn't a significant upgrade. We like solid furniture that has good resell value. Our brown cabinet was a freebie from a friend, and we knew once we had a replacement, we'd pass on the cabinet for free.
As time passed, I became less irritated by the brown cabinet, but nonetheless resolved to one day upgrade.
That day finally came.
Following my general rule that I only upgrade my furniture with profits from a Craigslist sell, I sold our old washing machine for $75 after receiving a front-load washing machine for free. (Goodbye agitator; I don't miss you at all.)
With that money I bought a gorgeous sofa (more on that later) and two solid, stylish cabinets for $40 to serve as the family room pantry.
Not only do these cabinets replace the flimsy pantry, but they also replace my husband's junk and medicine shelf next to the sofa. (That area started off organized, evidenced by this post, but as this is my husband's domain, it did not stay that way. And yes, the picture below represents how my husband prefers his loveseat.)
Together, the two cabinets are a little longer in length and a little shallower in depth when compared to the previous cabinet. As a result, we were able to ditch the extra black stand next to the loveseat, while at the same time opening up the room more.
 |
| This is a low-on-groceries-day, thus the empty shelves. |
We used to keep the Rock Band drums next to the entertainment center, which was a pretty terrible spot. Moving them next to the loveseat also helped free up needed space. Additionally, we added the wire magazine rack (which I've had since I was a kid!), next to the loveseat so Aaron's music books are handy and organized.
Now, the room feels bigger, and I no longer have to groan when I look at our food pantry. It also looks great across from my China Cabinet.
I really love Craigslist.
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