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I love to decorate.... whether it be one style at a time or all at once...

Monday, February 22, 2010

week end find..I found a beauty! & 4 tips to help you get a bargain!

Call it luck, call it fate... but sometimes I get an eary feeling when I come across something that I know was just meant for me! With my new lounge room now built ofcourse I would be needing a lounge to sit on but knew I would have to wait a while to get the one I really wanted due to financial reasons. But I was happy to wait, I'm pretty much used to it!  I knew what I wanted in the back of my mind, a nice comfy lounge with big cushions for Fred and 2 french inspired armchairs, you know the ones with the ornate wood trims,  to give the room a french feel.
Well Fred and I went to a swap meet this weekend, he goes for car parts and I go for my treasures. We rarely walk together as we don't like to slow each other down looking at things we're not interested in. 

So guess what I came across.. I couldn't believe my eyes! A beautiful french Louie style lounge suite! OMG! That's when that eary feeling came over me and I knew that lounge was coming home with me! It would need a fair bit of work to bring it back to it's former glory... but that's ok.






Tip no. 1 - ALWAYS ask for the price. the lounge already had a small tag of $250 on it, but I've learnt that peoples emotions and needs fluctuate constantly when selling, so never take a price tag as the right price.

'How much do you want for the lounge' I asked
'$150'  he said.... so there you have it, he'd already reduced the lounge by $100 without me even trying..
'I just want to get rid of it and really don't want to take it home'  so at this stage I was hearing horns and sirens in my head because I knew he was open to more negotiation.

Tip no.2. -NEVER look too interested, even when you KNOW you are going to buy it.
'Mmmm,  I wish it was blue not green, do you know how much they charge too reupholster lounges' I asked. This part is true, I do not have a clue how  much they charge.. but I thought at that price I can afford to give it a go  myself.. so.. as fate would have it, Fred was coming towards me from the other direction,  and before I even mentioned the lounge he said 'that's a nice lounge'.. well that's all I needed to know.

Tip no. 3- ALWAYS haggle the price.. I'm a pretty good haggler.. and what's the worst thing that can happen?... they'll say no. Either way I was already happy with $150 but the guy didn't want to take it home right?
'Will you take $100 for the lounge?
Approx 10 seconds later he said 'OK'  ..and that was that.... yay!!!!!!!!

Tip no. 4 - CLOSE the deal and pay in full if you can, especially if you aren't taking it with you right away. Like that the deal is closed and he won't be tempted to sell it to the next person who comes along that may offer him a better price.

 So, if anyone out there has any tips and suggestions on how to reupholster I'd be so happy to hear from you.. I'll try googling it and see what I find.  I 'll be painting the wood trim white ofcourse and antiquing the ornate bits for more definition. I'll also try to replace the foam bits and then recover it all in an offwhite fabric. I can't wait to see it finished!  Hope you all had a good week end too! take care, Maryann    ps. I know alot of people don't like to haggle, but asking that one question saved me $50 and if he had said no $150 is the lowest I'll go I would have just said fair enough, I'll take it any way. easy peasy!

13 comments:

Rebecca Nelson said...

I use to be toooo shy to haggle. Now I'm FULL of my OUTGOING SELF! If it saves me a dime then I'll haggle away! hahhahah'


xoRebecca

Kristopher K said...

how wonderful - looking forward to seeing your new lounge finished too (now following your fabulous blog :) - What a bargain find !

Kristopher K said...

how wonderful - looking forward to seeing your new lounge finished too (now following your fabulous blog :) - What a bargain find !

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

I always ask for a "best price". What a great buy! I LOVE it and can't wait to see what it will look like when you have it reupholstered.
Hugs,
Penny

Anna Rosa Designs said...

Hi Mariondee,
Wow, what a find! Love the new suite.
Hm, I use to haggle, but seem to have trouble with haggling as I've aged.
Oh, that frenchie bike looks great as well.
Hugs,
Anna

Rie said...

Oh, wow, I am so jealous! Absolutely beautiful! Can't wait to see what you do with it.

Gail McCormack said...

CONGRATULATIONS!

Perfect, perfect
so true about your hints

Look forward to seeing these revamped, although for the time being they're fine as is I think

xo

Tania said...

Im so jealous you lucky girl. What a great score. Its going to look amazing.

Anonymous said...

Hi maryann, well it was me who had the eerie feeling when I read this post as a similar thing happened to me!!! I have been waiting for ages to find the right lounge suite for our front room and lo and hehold it turned up at just the right time for us. It is actually quite similar to yours but in pink. Would really love to hear how you go with the reupholstering as although ours is quite presentable as is i think I would also like the frame limewashed and a different fabric. Have a peek at some of my ebay auctions you can see it a bit in those.
alicia :0)

My Cottage Charm said...

girl, you got a deal and a half! :) I LOVE to haggle with people....even walking off on occasion only to have them come after me and say, "you can have it at that price". :) I don't do the walk off if I really want it bad though, someone else might grab it! lol :) I cannot wait to see what it looks like when you're done. I had a friend give me a duncan phyfe sofa and I reupholstered it myself...so you can do it! I had never done it either, but I just used the old fabric as a pattern and all went well. :) Good luck!

Caroline said...

oohh...can't wait to see the 'after' photos!!! You got a great deal.

Sandy~Romantique Inspirations~ said...

Yeah, way to go MarionDee, that's my kind of girl.... what a deal, and what a fantastic piece. I have a chair that I just love sitting out in the garage and hopefully I'll be able to get it painted and upholstered in the spring. It was a yard sale find at a good price too. Maybe I'll post it one of these days...

I keep looking back at the chair--- Gosh it is so beautiful with all the curvy legs and all.... I want it!

You are on a role that's for sure- I'm so looking forward to spring to see what I"ll be able to find at yard sales.. Just thinking about it I get a HIgh-

Hugs

Anonymous said...

I have done a simple recover , this is a blog i have book marked that will show you a simple , quick way. Hope it helps .
http://tickingandtoile.blogspot.com/2010/05/settee-rehab.html

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