Wirecutter for furniture?

February 28, 2020 11:02 PM

I'm looking for a curio cabinet for a bunch of crystal figurines and am not sure where to start. I was wondering if there's any site that's like Wirecutter but for furniture (i.e. for any given category they'll give you a few thoughtful recommendations). Alternatively, I'm open to just receiving curio cabinet suggestions for showing off crystal glass.
posted by jtothes to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

If you're on Facebook, I'd check on Facebook Marketplace, especially if you live in a suburban area. SO many things are available and the prices are usually reasonable. Even if you don't buy anything, it can be a good place to see what you might want in terms of size and design.
posted by XtineHutch at 4:48 AM on February 29, 2020 [2 favorites]

With the explosion of IKEA there’s so much amazing secondhand furniture available for cheap. (At least in the US, unsure if your profile location is still accurate.) IME especially large display pieces like curio cabinets, buffets, sideboards, that sort of thing, everything other than the first several pieces you’d furnish an apartment with: bookshelves, dressers, sofas, tables, and beds. Stuff from 50-70 years ago that’s not a big name is only marginally more than IKEA around me but infinitely better made and more durable.
posted by supercres at 6:29 AM on February 29, 2020 [5 favorites]

I was looking for a specific style of chair and posted on Next Door asking for recommendations, since I wanted to be able to sit in it to try it out. I got two great suggestions for furniture stores in my area that I hadn’t been to that had that style. So you could try that.
posted by FencingGal at 8:30 AM on February 29, 2020

I've looked but never bought from therm, but you could try chairish to cast a wider net.
posted by dum spiro spero at 8:40 AM on February 29, 2020

This doesn't quite answer your question, but I would set a Craigslist alert or several. You can do this by logging in to your account, then setting a couple searches in "furniture," "free," and maybe "antiques." I'd search for "curio," "display," and a few more things; you'll get several emails a day that will include images and link directly to the listings. It'll be much, much more hit than miss, but if you run across something that's absolutely perfect, you'll get a notification for it right away, before someone swoops it up.
posted by tapir-whorf at 1:17 PM on February 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

If you've got tight constraints about the size of this piece (length, width, or height), Wayfair allows filtering based on dimensions of the things they sell. I think quality and price are aaaallllll over the map in Wayfair's offerings--but narrowing it down to pieces that fit in your space may help you get an idea of what you like, don't like, etc.
posted by Sublimity at 4:47 PM on February 29, 2020

Are there architectural salvage places near you? I live in the Bay Area (California) and there are a few that frequently get antique furniture and have reasonable prices. Curio cabinets are definitely things I see there a lot. They're more likely to be made of solid wood and have good construction over buying new.
posted by ananci at 5:05 PM on February 29, 2020 [2 favorites]