The Interior DIYer
Environmental Resolution

Secondhand French provincial sofa and armchair

Despite it being a Monday, I’m very excited to share photos of our new secondhand French provincial style sofa and armchair that we got our hands on last weekend through Kijiji! And I am so in love with them.

I had been searching Kijiji for vintage and vintage-style sofas for a while and every time was met with either beautiful sofas that were way outside of our budget (a months rent minimum) or the polar opposite of threadbare couches with disproportionate price tags. Then one afternoon while Cora was napping, I logged onto Kijiji to see if there was anything new (or, I should say, ‘new’) and there on the first page was a peach coloured French provincial sofa and armchair …


The seller was looking to have the set gone by the weekend, so she marked them as free. F R E E. You can imagine the sounds I made when I saw those four letters, so I sent a message, made a few phone calls later and the next day the sofa and armchair were being delivered to our apartment.

There are a few stains on the fabric and the foam cushions have seen better days (which is understandable, I mean, it’s a 30 year old set), but it’s otherwise in incredible condition. Both the sofa and armchair are very firm and comfortable and are just what I’ve been needing for my hip problems (yay, ongoing post-pregnancy issues). The wooden frame of both the sofa and armchair are incredibly sturdy and the springs in each are perfect. But I do have big plans for this set. I’m planning on having them reupholstered in a dark gray velvet and have the back of both pieces tufted. Not too unlike this beauty …

I’ll be getting a few reupholstering quotes in the coming weeks and I’m hoping the cost of reupholstering both pieces will be exorbitantly cheaper than buying a brand new sofa (which I’m not totally against, but the past few months have been very expensive so I’m trying to keep costs down. I might splurge on a new footstool).

In the mean time, I’m happy to keep a peachy sofa set in our living room. And so is Juniper, in case you were wondering.

Image four credit.

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Furniture

2018 Style Trend – Modern Victorian

Yesterday Emily Henderson shared an Instagram post that actually made me utter a very unflattering sound and comment on her photo in capital letters. She shared her thoughts on what 2018’s design trend would be and let us all in on Modern Victorian. And I was elated.

Not that I actually pay much attention to trends because if I don’t like a trend I don’t like it, regardless of how popular it is. However, the idea of a trend that will encourage people to buy secondhand? I can get behind that.

I love buying secondhand furniture where I can (and where appropriate) vs. brand new pieces because I feel like I’m saving something from the landfill. 9 times out of 10 secondhand pieces are cheaper than buying brand new and there’s also the appeal that you’re buying something that not many other people may have. I buy secondhand as often as I can. Case in point; last weekend we got a French provincial style sofa and armchair secondhand on Kijiji …

The owner of the set said that if I hadn’t taken them, both the sofa and armchair would have been brought to the landfill the next day. I’m only sharing a sneak peek of it right now but WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE THE WHOLE THING! It’s gorgeous. I think so at least. Now yes, it’s not Victorian but it is oldy timey and I’ll be the first to admit that the old pieces we have are from all over the timeline and not exactly Victorian. But it’s close enough. And this Modern Victorian trend? I am more than happy to say I’m on board with it.

If you’d like to read more pieces I’ve written about going secondhand, here are a few …

Environmental Resolution

Secondhand baroque style mirror and console

Kijiji has fast become one of the most visited pages on my browser since moving to Canada [actually, since before we moved to Canada. I found our green chaise lounge and even our apartment on it]. More recently, one of the many things I’ve been looking for is a fancy mirror for our hallway. I came close to it a few weeks ago when I found a [proper] vintage ornate gold mirror with built-in candelabra’s, but at the last minute, the seller sold it to someone who had a car and could collect it themselves [welp]. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because just this week I found a baroque style mirror AND console table for half the price … 

Neither are antiques but TBH I don’t care too much about that stuff. Trust me when I say these photos don’t do either much justice. The mirror looks very plastic in the first picture, but it’s actually plaster and VERY heavy. The console table is solid but it isn’t marble; the seller was upfront about that and it’s not hugely obvious. And more importantly to me, it’s not something that bothers me. 

I was hesitant about hanging the console table here because of the heater in our hallway, but I mean, the heater is prettier than the storage heaters in our Dublin apartment so I’m not going to loose sleep over it. It’s a perfect spot for us to drop our keys, leave our laundry money and maybe a candle [because MOAR CANDLES]. I already have big plans for our little hallway and can’t wait to paint it [after the living room is finished being painted of course. I try to finish one project before starting another.]. 
Not bad for $75.