Help for basics shopping in SW France?
September 6, 2010 2:44 PM Subscribe
Furnishing a vacation home in southwest France... what's the best places to pick up critical household goods? (more inside)
So we're heading to our (mostly empty) vacation home in southwest France in about two weeks, and one of our goals is to pick up some furnishings and such.
We were crushed when we discovered that the only things we could order online for delivery through IKEA were large items like beds and sofas.
So there went our go-to source for everything unless we want to take a 2hr field trip to the IKEA in Toulouse. (which is not yet out of the question)
But before we resort to day tripping -- any recommendations for places around Carcassonne/Narbonne to pick up good quality, but reasonably priced things like bed linen, quilts, pots, pans and silverware?
We already checked out Carfour and Eleclerc but kind of get the sense that they're on the same level as walmart or maybe a target.
We were hoping more Crate and Barrel/West Elm.
Any suggestions from folks who have stayed in the area? Or is our best bet a field trip to IKEA?
So we're heading to our (mostly empty) vacation home in southwest France in about two weeks, and one of our goals is to pick up some furnishings and such.
We were crushed when we discovered that the only things we could order online for delivery through IKEA were large items like beds and sofas.
So there went our go-to source for everything unless we want to take a 2hr field trip to the IKEA in Toulouse. (which is not yet out of the question)
But before we resort to day tripping -- any recommendations for places around Carcassonne/Narbonne to pick up good quality, but reasonably priced things like bed linen, quilts, pots, pans and silverware?
We already checked out Carfour and Eleclerc but kind of get the sense that they're on the same level as walmart or maybe a target.
We were hoping more Crate and Barrel/West Elm.
Any suggestions from folks who have stayed in the area? Or is our best bet a field trip to IKEA?
Best answer: Oh, unless you mean you are close to Carcassonne and Narbonne. *facepalm*
posted by beerbajay at 3:09 PM on September 6, 2010
posted by beerbajay at 3:09 PM on September 6, 2010
It looks like there's a Conforama in Carcassonne and a BUT in Narbonne. I can't speak French and have never been to this region; this is the result of searching for "meubles" on google maps and looking around.
posted by beerbajay at 3:22 PM on September 6, 2010
posted by beerbajay at 3:22 PM on September 6, 2010
Best answer: My impression of French house furnishings is they are awfully expensive for what you get, in comparison to the USA. The IKEA stuff is pretty good for the money and that's unusual in France - it's also why the stores feel so crowded.
There is an IKEA in Montpéllier visible and easy of access from the A9. We rented a van in Narbonne, drove it over, filled it up, dumped all the goods in the house and gave it back. The sous-sol was full of boxes for a while.
We learned to use up our luggage allowances to take bed linens over, they're pretty nasty at the Carrefour as you have discovered as well as awfully expensive and hard to find in cotton. Also take with you: door stops (the French ones don't work at all); microplane graters which are not sold there; gallon Ziploc bags.
Brocantes and vides-greniers often offer things you might want but that's pretty random. Also, the soldes in July/August offer opportunities for good-sized savings.
posted by jet_silver at 3:33 PM on September 6, 2010
There is an IKEA in Montpéllier visible and easy of access from the A9. We rented a van in Narbonne, drove it over, filled it up, dumped all the goods in the house and gave it back. The sous-sol was full of boxes for a while.
We learned to use up our luggage allowances to take bed linens over, they're pretty nasty at the Carrefour as you have discovered as well as awfully expensive and hard to find in cotton. Also take with you: door stops (the French ones don't work at all); microplane graters which are not sold there; gallon Ziploc bags.
Brocantes and vides-greniers often offer things you might want but that's pretty random. Also, the soldes in July/August offer opportunities for good-sized savings.
posted by jet_silver at 3:33 PM on September 6, 2010
Response by poster: @beerbajay, I marked yours as a favorite just because it was so awesome and made me laugh.
@jet_silver, great advice, thanks! The IKEA in Montpellier is actually bit closer than the one in Toulouse, and it's comforting to know it's easy to access.
It's really amazing to me the things that you just can't find over there (or find of the quality we're used to.)
Our luggage allowance on this trip is already being used to bring over towels and yes, door stops (we must have been to 3 mister brico type stores and couldn't even find any when we were there last) and wood shims amongst other oddities.
posted by finitejest at 7:32 PM on September 6, 2010
@jet_silver, great advice, thanks! The IKEA in Montpellier is actually bit closer than the one in Toulouse, and it's comforting to know it's easy to access.
It's really amazing to me the things that you just can't find over there (or find of the quality we're used to.)
Our luggage allowance on this trip is already being used to bring over towels and yes, door stops (we must have been to 3 mister brico type stores and couldn't even find any when we were there last) and wood shims amongst other oddities.
posted by finitejest at 7:32 PM on September 6, 2010
Best answer: A lesser-known counterpart of brocantes are dépôt-vente places, which are basically secondhand stores for furniture and so forth. I've bought most of my major furniture pieces from dépôt-ventes here in Nice. I got a French art deco couch and two matching chairs for 50 euros, for instance. Nope, no missing zeros — all three for fifty euros total!! It's best to drop by these places often since their stuff can turn over pretty quickly, and nice pieces with minor problems (like my oak Louis XV table that had some surface scratches) can get big mark downs if/when they don't sell right away. That table? It was originally priced at over 300 euros. I ended up getting it a few months later (I can be reeeeeeaaaally patient when money's tight) for 150.
You could try 3Suisses, which is pretty nice — everything's online, good selection, usually good prices. Decently nice linens, though you'll need to pay attention to thread count and user reviews. (No link, because you'll find it easily enough on Google, and fair warning: if you buy anything from them, you WILL get spammed with loads of "special reductions", which is why I ain't linking. I really like them, I do, but I get tired of the spam. The coupons do come in handy when you need them, though. Ahh, ambivalence. *grumble*)
Another, more expensive but great quality store you could try is Habitat, where you can also purchase online. All my bed linens are from them; I've had most for 6 years now and they're still in perfect condition. Definitely worth the price. Can't speak to their furniture, though, since I can never afford any of it...
For home electronics, I have no complaints about Darty. They're a national chain here and have always held up their end of warranties, plus their prices are quite all right. Online as well, if needed; free delivery and installation for most stuff.
You're absolutely right to stay away from Carrefour and Leclerc. Also avoid Auchan. Monoprix can be OK but they're sometimes as expensive as Habitat with not-as-good quality.
posted by fraula at 2:08 AM on September 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
You could try 3Suisses, which is pretty nice — everything's online, good selection, usually good prices. Decently nice linens, though you'll need to pay attention to thread count and user reviews. (No link, because you'll find it easily enough on Google, and fair warning: if you buy anything from them, you WILL get spammed with loads of "special reductions", which is why I ain't linking. I really like them, I do, but I get tired of the spam. The coupons do come in handy when you need them, though. Ahh, ambivalence. *grumble*)
Another, more expensive but great quality store you could try is Habitat, where you can also purchase online. All my bed linens are from them; I've had most for 6 years now and they're still in perfect condition. Definitely worth the price. Can't speak to their furniture, though, since I can never afford any of it...
For home electronics, I have no complaints about Darty. They're a national chain here and have always held up their end of warranties, plus their prices are quite all right. Online as well, if needed; free delivery and installation for most stuff.
You're absolutely right to stay away from Carrefour and Leclerc. Also avoid Auchan. Monoprix can be OK but they're sometimes as expensive as Habitat with not-as-good quality.
posted by fraula at 2:08 AM on September 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
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posted by beerbajay at 3:04 PM on September 6, 2010