Oh, I understand!!

I love being able to pull off beautiful rooms without a) debt or b) worrying that my perfect, just-bought furniture will be ruined by its first nick, or c) just plain paying ridiculous retail prices, regardless of the amount in your bank account or d) debt (did I say that one already?)

I just bought an enclosed kitty litter pan off of craigslist. It looks like a piece of furniture, sort of like a nightstand with a lower door with a kitty door. It's white and kind of cottage-y. Very pretty. It will go in my bathroom, which is in the process of going taupe & white, and will serve the purpose of keeping kitty litter off the floor and providing a tabletop where I can put my laundry basket so that I can pick it up without straining my back.

I really love shopping on craigslist. So many really nice things! I hope you are able to get the rest of your items for your room. It really is going to be spectacular when you are finished. Make sure you keep those before-and-after pictures up-to-date!

VC

That's a great example of a different kind of CL shopping. You don't just have to look for something really inexpensive, but can also shop 'value'.

There was someone on Chicago's CL, today, that was looking for a dining room set. Wanted Baker, Henredon, etc. and was willing to pay up to $3,000 for it. Might seem like a lot of money, but if you stacked it up to the cost of a new set...it's a good value.

Great piece, estreya. I'm really looking forward to seeing your room when it's completed (and along the way). :)

Thank you so much! Compared to so many of you here, a snail would outpace me. Slowly but surely, though, i'm making progress. :)

This is inspirational. Really! I get an idea of what I want sometimes, & look for several weeks (on CL) & don't find it, so I give up & get something that works, even if it isn't what I really wanted. Impatience gets the better of me.

Lately (I think partly because of all of the beautifully done spaces I'm seeing here) I'm developing more of a "wait until I find what I want" attitude - I'm sure that your living room looks better in its spareness, while you're holding your vision, than it would if it were filled with "just OK" stuff.

I've been looking for the perfect desk - I know it's out there somewhere! Thanks for the additional shot of snail-like patience :)

hahahaha estreya ( a snail would outpace me) You found a wonderful, good looking buy and your room will be wonderful. I love the lines of what you have in mind. Good choices.

What are those fabulous chairs?! Nice ottoman, but I just couldn't really get past the chairs...

And I LOVE your mockup, btw :) So endearing :) and I completely know what you mean.

Estreya, congratulations! The ottoman is beautiful and the room looks so serene and pretty. The big arched window is lovely. How clever you are to have pasted together a mockup. It gives you very clear goals that you can truly visualize. What an exciting day for you! CL is the best!

That is so classic and beautiful. Great find!

Wonderful find, the ottoman is fantastic!

I also agree with Flyleft, your chairs are stunning too!

Count me in as another CL fan. After we completed our remodel and additions last year, I wasn't willing to spend the $$$ on new furnishings to update or replace what we had. CL has been my friend! You truly do need to be patient, but I've found some wonderful pieces at fabulous prices.

For instance, my china cabinet (a year old) is still being made by the mfr and is advertised on their website for $3400. I paid $500 for it, barely two years old. My dining room table (with the leaf that's folded underneath, it seats 8) and six chairs -- all with beautiful carvings -- is marked underneath with 1937. I paid the full asking price of $700.

For our new office I really lucked out. A kitchen and bath showroom was updating their space. They sold me Kraftmaid office cabinets with a desk area and three drawer banks of files, in an 8x5 corner run, top and bottom cabs, glazed cherry with rope details in the upper and lower moldings -- and the granite top -- AND delivered them to me -- for $500. They're three years old and in perfect condition.

Over the holidays I bought a year old cherry bookcase, 48x84, $200. Can't forget my beautiful round coffee table. Oh, and the media cabinet, 70x28, with glass doors and pull out shelves for CDs, $300.

I sold a piece on CL, too. We had a Marge Carson sofa that was more than 15 years old but in wonderful, like new condition. $500, no questions asked.

I still browse CL every day. I just found this piece this morning: cabinet

Yeah, CraigsList!

oofasis: okay - so you are the one that kept on buying all my CL finds? :-D move over lady. :-D

Solana beach is close to our house. We have to meet up sometimes!!

Thank you so much for your kind and supportive words, everyone. It means so much to me. To address a few specific points:

Moonkat99, the only time i feel embarrassed about all my naked spaces is when someone new comes by and asks if we've just moved in. :) Personally, i don't mind all the "blank canvass" areas because they give me something to aspire to. It's also kind of nice to have several places i can consider if i happen to find something i "must have." I just know you'll find the desk of your dreams eventually, or more to the point, the desk of your dreams will find you!

Flyleft, those chairs are called the "Luxe" chairs from Hancock & Moore, and they're the new purchase that was saved for in 2007 & 2008. One of them has been returned because it arrived with a very noticeable defect on the arm. I'm sorry to say i've had to scratch and claw 'til my fingernails were bloody to get them to agree to replace the defective leather panel. Mind you, these two chairs were purchased this past June, and i've been jumping through hoop after hoop and negotiating excuses and delays ever since. Finally, i demanded they take both chairs back and issue a full refund. That seemed to do the trick. Hopefully, i'll get my properly repaired chair back within the next few weeks so that room can be enjoyed, albeit in it's current sparse state.

Oceanna, you're absolutely right about the mockup, especially since i don't like to bring something home unless i know roughly where i'll put it and how it's likely to look. I fall easily in love with so many beautiful things, but as is the case with infatuations, falling in love with something (or someone!) doesn't mean you'll be able to live with it.

Oofasis, what a wonderful list of treasures you've accumulated over time! Mine is not yet so impressive, but i intend to keep working on it.

Thank you again, everyone, and happy bargain hunting!

Thanks for the information on the chairs, estreya, and I'm really sorry to hear about the troubles. It's definitely a disincentive to deal with them, despite the great design.

estreya: the mock up is very clever idea. I too have the problem w/ falling in love with so many things. :-D

While waiting for my perfect piece of furniture, I would get not-perfect-but-usable furnitures from CL. And after I acquire my dream furniture, back on CL the other things go.

Would you still buying from CL if you are rolling in $$$? Are you turn off by the "eewww" factor ?? I love buying from CL but my DH has this strong aversion to buying used furniture. He thinks it's creepy to hang out on other people's stuff, especially if they are dead. Once I bought this old dresser from this lady's estate (she passed away) & did not tell him because it would freak him out. The lady never once came back visiting her old dresser & eventually, we resold when we moved. I used to live in LA and there were a lot of things w/ "history" -- like people would advertise that a certain desk had been used by certain author to pen certain movie script. Somebody I know bought a sofa that were in -----'s house. Kinda cool to have a story to everything you bought.

95% of my furniture old & used. don't know if this is a thing I should brag a/b. :-)

Bellaflora, i love playing the "what if i had all the money in the world" game!

Suspending reality for a moment, i admit i wouldn't spend so much time pouring over Craigslist pieces were it not for the financial necessity of doing so. But it's not because i find old things icky, or because i fear a prior owner might visit in non-corporeal form. I simply wouldn't have time to sift through the listings because my efforts would be focused on antique store hopping, 1stDibs ordering, art-gallery shopping, and of course collecting things from my travels abroad. There's also the "it won't end up in a landfill" component to buying used things that really appeals to me.

Having said that, i also think a space is much more interesting if there's a mix of new and old. So i would likely purchase a few new pieces as well, only it wouldn't take me years to save for them. The problem with new furniture is that quality pieces are astronomically priced, and i refuse to buy something affordable that's going to break and be discarded in two years.

So in summary, a home that's artfully put together with 95% "previously loved" pieces is definitely something to aspire to and brag about once achieved. :)

estreya: That is a lovely piece and I definitely agree CL is a great avenue if you know what you are looking for and are patient. Both my LR and DR were furnished almost exclusively from CL with a couple of splurges on WTs and a new sofa from Calico Corners. One other tip is to shop (judiciously) the estate sales that are often advertized on CL as well. It definitely pays to do keyword searches on the better brand names. You have a lovely room and I can't wait to see it.