Looking to buy a bookcase and looking for Ikea-like pricing, so wondering what the other options are? Have already scoped out Tesco Direct but can’t think of any others.

Yer B&Q and Homebase will have stuff but it’s all pretty crap in comparison.

If on a budget, why not make your own, if you are reasonably handy? A simple book case is a relatively easy project.

That way, you could tailor make one to fit perfectly into the space it’s going to occupy, or do an inertesting design.

Of course you could quite well go mayd and get carried away….

if you want something other than the shite IKEA crap then you can generally get some good stuff at those reclaim places! we got a solid oak folding dining table for £45 from one plus a tenner for some chairs!

Oh and what Onions sed; most cheap stuff is pretty crap really. For the same money you could probbly build something much better yourself. I’m waiting on some scaffold boards which will be cleaned up and turned into a nice bookcase.

Through divorce and circumstances,since last year I have had to buy a lot of furniture all over again,and bought secondhand.Emaus which recycles furniture in aid of the homeless is a favourite haunt of mine.
Aslo got a lot of stuff free from Freeccyle and cast offs from friends.Some of it is surprisingly good and much better than Ikea.

Agree with druidh. I’ve been seriously impressed with Ikea furniture although my bookcase isn’t from there. Dining table and chairs are though.

I’ve got a fair few odd bits from the tip. Solid good stuff just need a sand and a paint. Otherwise furniture auctions, most of them are not like Christies. Plenty of good solid stuff at good prices, again you can find peace that you you can customise.

If you have access to a van then look for second hand on places like ebay. I know that there are some real furniture bargains to be had as people seem to want to buy new stuff rather than second hand and/or can’t pick stuff up. My parents got a solid wood dining table for £50 they were goign to buy a new one but saw that when they were selling there old stuff.

I’ve been impressed with second hand furniture stores in the past, you need to be patient but sometimes you can find some really good stuff.

If you want to buy new then Next?

“You can furnish a home from an auction house for the same amount of money as you could from Ikea”
According to Merryn Somerset Webb in the Prosper Autum / Winter 2011 supplement to TheWeek magazine.
“Take what… a Cambridge auctioneer, calls a “classic George III mahogany bureau”. Back in the 1980s and 1990s one would sell at auction for £800 – £1500, … a dealer would then pass it on for £2000 -£2500 . Today you can pick one up for £300-500. The same goes for other pieces.”

2nd hand antique/collectable bits. As long as they’re not Antiques Roadshow type things are a much better bet.

Here’s why:

Cheaper
Nicer to look at
Better made and longer lasting
You don’t have to go to Ikea!

APF

If you like Scandinavian things, we have got a bunch of stuff from:

http://www.danish-homestore.com/

Varies in price, sometimes cheap, some shockingly expensive stuff, so not as cheap as Ikea, but the things we’ve got all seem a lot more solid and a lot nicer (plus I didn’t have to build them up from a flat pack).

Expensive delivery if you don’t live near Nottingham though.

Auctions – just get in at the viewing and check the stuff over – most of it is estate clearances – dead people’s stuff, and most dead people were old so a smell of wee or other old people aromas are not too uncommon. Does mean that we’re coming in to a busy time for the auction rooms now

Got a small Ikea wardrobe and a decent 4 drawer chest of drawers waiting to go on eBay. Based on Merseyside, open to offers, buyer collects?