I’m pretty obsessed with Craigslist, guys. Due to Cayce’s 10-bookcases-and-pretty-much-nothing-else furniture situation in her old place, she was looking at furnishing the new apartment almost from scratch. That means I’ve pretty much sent spent the last month living on Craigslist. I’ve literally started dreaming about it. But then yesterday, after I put the finishing touches on her coffee table, I realized… we’re done. Her apartment is furnished. There are no more vintage casegoods left to buy. And suddenly my life feels empty. I see a Kent Coffey dresser on CL for $25 and there’s nothing I can do about it, because nobody I know needs a dresser. It’s super tragic, pretty much.
So in order to get it out of my system, I’m gonna put my favorite stuff here! Because new furniture is for suckers, and so is assembly.
If I didn’t already have so much MCM wood in my bedroom, I would 100% be picking this up today. This is kind of a no-brainer, right?
Art deco dresser with round mirror, $65
I’ve been getting super into veneered Deco-style stuff lately , and I’m like 90% sure it’s sloooowly going to start replacing MCM for some people. Generic MCM has started feeling a the tiniest bit boring to me (thanks for that, Wayfair et al.), so I love how the veneer creates interest while keeping relatively simple lines. This dresser needs a serious cleaning and oiling (and holy crap that glass needs to GO) but it has the potential to be super super pretty.
Okay honestly I have no idea what I would even do with these, but I love them and I want them. They are so fabulous and would go perfectly with a 50’s formica table. Somebody NEEDS to get these.
The chair is kind of whatever, but omg the desk is amazing. The finish is pretty rough but it wouldn’t be too much work to sand it down and slap on some Danish oil. Orrrrr (and please don’t report me to the authorities for this) you could totally paint it and keep pictures of the busted finish to show people who give you shit about painting vintage wood. This is an incredible amount of desk for $50, and honestly I’m pretty sure you could re-sell just the drawer pulls for at least that. [Edit: I just found the same desk for the same price, but in way better condition. So definitely only buy the one above if you’re going to paint it.]
Super cute coffee table/end table, $15
One of the corners is a little messed up, but a little sandpaper and a wood marker would improve it a ton. The top looks like laminate, but that’s actually a pretty good choice if you live with people who cannot seem to understand the function of coasters. (Also maybe you should rethink your relationships to those people because honestly, what is wrong with people who don’t use coasters???) The brand isn’t listed but I’m pretty sure it’s a Mersman.
How cute is that caning detail?????? I would also be driving to pick this up today if I had any room whatsoever for it in my apartment. How cute would be it in an entryway? You could put your shoes under it and stick mail in the cubby and you’d have a place to put your boots on and I seriously cannot believe I don’t have space for it.
Strange little ornate side table, $35
Okay, this is weird and filthy but I love it. The little door opens to reveal a BEVERAGE COOLER. I mean, come ON. It just needs a wipe down and some better pulls and it’s perfect… for something. I don’t know. The integrated cooler is just so neat!
Little Kroehler buffet and hutch, $60
I mean, just look at it. No further comment necessary.
Stereo console with record player, $150
So normally this is more expensive than I would consider for a unit that isn’t guaranteed to be working, BUT the genius of this unit is that you pull the front down to access the components, rather than flipping the top open like on most record player consoles. That means the top surface is actual usable space, so it could double as a TV stand or a hall table or or record storage or whatever. $150 isn’t really in my budget right now and I’m trying out this new “financially responsible” thing lately, so somebody else should totally buy this and report back to me so I can live vicariously though them. (P.S. I just found an incredible record player repair guy who will yell at you for 20 minutes about how dumb it was to buy an old broken stereo console and how old record players are shit and how you’ve clearly made a huuuuge mistake, but then he’ll fix up your shitty record player for an extremely reasonable price. He’s a fellow indignant obsessive and is currently my favorite person in the world, so lemme know if you need a name.)
I ❤️ you, Craigslist! Anyone have any awesome scores they want to brag about? I looooove hearing about CL steals!
