The reality for most of us, renovating or not, is that buying furniture can be very, very expensive. If you’re anything like me you’ll love finding a bargain. I also have a love for older furniture, quirky pieces and beautiful antiques. Whilst antiques can be expensive, unless you’re looking for rare, super pristine pieces, chances are you can pick up something beautiful with a smaller price tag.
The good news is that lovely furniture doesn’t have to cost the earth, plus there are so many ways you can make a piece work for you whether it’s upcycling, remaking or making small changes, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get things you really love for your home.
There are plenty of great places to pick up furniture now, not only do we have sources like eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree etc. but there are usually plenty of local gems if you look online, on your local high street, hidden away on industrial estates and in places you wouldn’t expect. I’m in South Wales and am lucky to have plenty of places to shop so I thought I’d put together a list of some great places to find amazing treasures!
Kismet Vintage
Photo: Kismet Facebook
About
“Offering a good selection of Antique, Retro, & Pre-Loved Furniture for sale.
Furniture repair, restoration, painting, paint stripping & upholstery service.”
Location
75 Dillwyn Rd, Sketty, Swansea SA2 9AH
Social Media
Black Bear Vintage
About
“A simple online shop selling vintage, retro, weird & wonderful things at honest prices. Based in South Wales.”
Location
Sometimes Ragamuffins Emporium, mostly sells online
Social
Lollybird Vintage
Photo: Lollybird Vintage Facebook
About
“Vintage, retro, antiques bought and sold. New stock weekly! furniture, homewares, clothing, accessories, taxidermy, jewellery, salvage and collectables sourced by hand from all over the UK.”
Location
Catherine St, Swansea SA1 4JE
Social Media
Wooden Tops Home
Photo: Wooden Tops Facebook
About
“Buy & Sell Antique, Vintage & Retro Furniture & Chesterfields. Commission Work | Paint Workshops. Official stockists of Frenchic® Furniture Paint & all you need to start upcycling!”
Location
15-16 Queens Ct, Bridgend CF31 3TQ
Social Media
Ragamuffins Emporium
Photo: Ragamuffin Facebook
About
“Suitcases/trunks/chests, vintage, retro, antiques & collectables, shabby chic furniture & paint, vintage clothing & much more.”
Location
The Old Barclays Bank, Commercial St, Pontypool NP4 6XX
Social Media
Halfway Antiques
Photo: Halfway Antiques Facebook
About
“Everything from traditional furnishings to bizarre and unusual collectables.”
Location
2 Glyncoed Terrace, Llanelli SA15 1EZ
Social Media
The Pumping Station
Photo: Pumping Station Website
About
“Once a Victorian Pumping Station today an impressive Grade ll listed building, home to a friendly group of 45+ independent traders all trading under one roof and set over 32,000 sq. feet.
The Pumping Station is crammed full of ever-changing quirky, unusual and sometimes bizarre items from a range of antique and vintage items, catering for all tastes and covering many periods from Ancient Roman to Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, Art Deco, Retro, Mid Century, Industrial through to modern and contemporary.”
Location
The Pumping Station, Penarth Rd, Cardiff, CF11 8TT
Social Media
Other Options
Auctions
John Pye Auctions. UK-wide but in South Wales, they are located in Port Talbot
Sullivan’s Auctions. Merthyr Tydfil.
Jones and Llewelyn Auctions. Llandeilo, Auctions every two weeks.
Love 2 Recycle Auction House. Swansea. Auctions every two weeks.
Chain Options
British Heart Foundation Furniture and Electrical Swansea
British Heart Foundation Furniture and Electrical Cardiff
Independents
“Toogoodtowaste is the leading re-use charity and social enterprise operating in Rhondda Cynon Taf. We reduce waste by collecting re-usable household items and redistributing them via our charity showrooms. The income we raise enables us to help low-income households and provide training and volunteering opportunities.”
“We are one of Wales’ largest furniture and electrical reuse centres – With a 15,000 square foot warehouse open 5 days per week in Rhymney, with our online store open 24/7. We are passionate about second-hand furniture and electricals, to the extent that we vacuum and upholstery clean 90% of all fabric items that come into our premises as well as repairing and up-cycling where possible – We really do get a kick out of reviving pre-loved items.”
“Historically, markets are good for second-hand items, curios and antiques. That is what you will find here, by the truckload. If you enjoy hunting through treasure troves and finding bargains, this is the place for you. Amongst other things, you will see loads of stuff that you remember from your childhood. If you aren’t uttering “well look at that” at least a few times, well then you have no nostalgia in your soul!”
This is by no means an exhaustive list, in fact, I’d love to hear about your favourites. Find me on Instagram @firsthomeatnumberone and let me know about some more hidden gems in Wales!