In what state do you live?

Are you looking for mid-century modern? You say walnut, so 60’s furniture was not walnut. Fruitwood, like Pecan, was popular and, from personal experience, I would not recommend you go in that direction. I had a dining room set and the table was beautiful. The host chair could have accommodated the Pope’s at his coronation.

This article will help:

https://estatesales.org/thegoods/7-midcentury-modern-brands-to-find-at-estate-sales

Buying on-line can be rewarding if you find a great vendor who will stand by his listing. Always ask for proof of the maker.

I’ve purchased 2 pieces from Madsen Modern ( https://www.etsy.com/shop/MadsenModern?ref=pr2018_faveshops) They restore using original finishes . They were wonderful to work with. If you near them they will let you visit in person to view the items and pick up for free as well.

I grew up in a home with 90% MCM pieces many of which were walnut and the rest teak. As for buying without seeing I wouldn’t do it but you can at least check the sellers reputation.

I think it's worth a road trip if there's a concentration of places you could reasonably find things. There's no substitute for seeing it in person. You could even rent a van.

Your local Craig’s list should be a good resource. Also Restore has some good quality wood furniture but it might take you a few trips to find what you want. Estate sales and auctions could be yet another good find.

Thank you all for the input, I live outside of Old Forge, NY. Theres not exacrly a lot around here other than hunting cabins and snowmobile trails. :)

Ive been looking at garage sales and on Craigslist for about a year now with no luck, that’s why I was starting to check out Etsy. I tend to take reviews with a grain of salt so I’m curious if there are certain features I should ask for more photos of or details to confirm.

Is there an advantage to buying a refinished or original? I’m not really concerned about resale as I tend to keep furniture 10+ years

I agree that lots of it is walnut. I have my grandmother's bedroom set, purchased in 1966. My parents still have their 1966 walnut dining room set, which is probably exactly the kind of thing you're looking for.

Have you ever been to the Brimfield, MA flea market? It's about 4 hours from you, but it is insane how much they have. It makes a nice weekend trip (or longer) and is a lot of fun. They have it 3 times a year. Probably won't be happening in May because of Covid 19 - but there's always July and November. It's blocks and blocks of great stuff. https://brimfieldantiquefleamarket.com/

You could try ebay also. Lots of antique stores sell quality furniture on ebay.

We have bought several pieces from Etsy, and first dibs. I look for something I want for a bit when the right piece becomes available we make a road trip out of it. Sometime just a long drive in one day, but we have stayed over for a piece. I have also bought a piece from Cherish that I used a shipping company on get it to me. Most vendors will take the time to answer all your questions and provide measurements and additional photos.

A few years ago I bought a mid century desk; it had to be a certain size with a file drawer so it took a while for the right piece. It was a road trip purchase it look good enough in the photos to take the drive. They advertised it as teak when I saw it in person I could not pay for it fast enough. Long story short it is solid walnut and a top brand for the era. The dealer was not familiar with mid century as they did not usually deal it in, but had pick the desk up at an estate sale in their small town.

My husband tells me that as long as we are enjoying the process if we don’t make crazy decisions no mistake is that big of a deal.

Shop and enjoy the process.

Ps Craig’s list is a good place too the prices are a bit lower. In fact I have seen the same item posted on both Craig’s list and Etsy with the price being 25% more on Etsy.

I agree with watching Craig's List. I scored a teak dining room table, six chairs, plus a buffet all for $250. The seller had children returning home after graduating college and just had to make room for their stuff. I did have the chairs reupholstered.

I widened my search on Craigslist and found one about 3.5 hrs away. Now I just have to see if it’s still availabile and figure out how to get it given Covid

I noticed the the Kent Coffey pieces are considerably less than Broyhill Brasilia. Is that just reflective of the popularity of the Brasilia or were the Broyhill pieces always better quality?

That is so pretty! Only 3 1/2 hours away, how lucky could you be???

You can seldom depend on photos to truly represent the condition of a piece of furniture. Seeing a piece in person is really the only way to examine it for flaws and structural defects especially in the case of sofas and chairs. You can count on reupholstering to be expensive - sometimes prohibitively so. Refinishing wood is also expensive. DIY refinishing is not so hard but it is time consuming . Reupholstering requires a higher level of skill. BTW love the hutch you posted! Good luck!

Sasha, also check OfferUp and Facebook Market Place. Also google for estate auctions in central New York— there are websites that list all the auctions going on in a region and they often post pics—i.e. ‘Invaluables‘. You can register your email and be notified. There is one online auction site called EBTH that has great mid century listings that go for cheap. They will arrange shipping for you. Sign up for alerts with them.

And don’t pass up e-bay. You can search Ebay for your area—just look on the left side of the Ebay search page and enter your zip and any other filters you are interested in. You will notice there are antique dealers who list a lot and you can develop relationships with them, ask questions etc. If you put an item on your watchlist you will sometimes get a lower offer from the dealer and you can further negotiate for a lower price. Just be sure to look at the photos carefully and read the fine print. You can sign up for alerts on Ebay too. If you find a vendor you like on ebay you can sometimes find out if they have a shop or warehouse and they may let you visit if they think you are a serious buyer.

Also check thrift stores like Good Will and Salvation Army and the hospital and heart association thrift shops. Good Will has half off days. And local consignment shops. We have one in our neighborhood where you can find the MCM pieces and Baker, Century, Mastercraft, Widdicomb, Dunbar Wormley for a few dollars.

You will have to do your research and learn the market and recognize quality but it is a fun hobby and a way to furnish your home with quality for reasonable dollars. You will make some mistakes but you can always turn around and sell it to someone who will like it better.