Shopping for French Country Furniture

Shopping for French country furniture can be easier than you may think and not as expensive as anticipated — if you shop wisely and take your time.

When I began this series of articles on the French country style — a style I truly enjoy — I decided to actually start with the basic information and then try to find the furniture at a bargain.  Let me reiterate for anyone who may not know my practices, I am a big proponent of purchasing used furniture when possible.  The quality is often better than what can be purchased in retail furniture stores today.  The prices are generally better, especially considering the quality of what you can purchase.  And, there is still a little room for creativity.

The Estate Sale

I decided to take in an estate sale, in search of anything that could be used for a French country style home.

The house where the sale was held was built in the early 1900’s and had been lived in for over 60 years by the same family.  The exterior of the home was quite impressive so I expected to find some good pieces.  I just didn’t know I was about to walk into the perfect environment for finding French furniture.

The truth is that most of the pieces — as you will see from my selections — have been re-upholstered in less than French styles, but the frames are ideal for the example of French country furniture.  The quality is right and so are the prices.

The French Country Furniture

Hopefully, you have read about the styles of the three periods of “Louis” furniture and are somewhat familiar with the shapes and styles.

So, here goes.

After carefully examining the crystals, I was more than assured they were authentic.

This chandelier is not exactly like those shown in the “designer” pictures, but I believe this piece is close enough to work well in the French country decor.  The price was right for the size and quality.  And, there is no way a chandelier could be purchased new in a retail store that has this quality.

As a hint, let me say that I purchased this late on Sunday afternoon — my second trip to the estate sale.  I was not guaranteed that it would still be there, of course.  But, over the years I have learned that most companies who hold estate sales on weekends will greatly reduce the prices on the last day (Sunday, in this case) as the afternoon wears on.  I purchased this about an hour before the estate sale was due to close.  And, YES!  I did a little haggling since I was going to take the light fixture down and remove it myself.

This little beauty is perfect as far as styling goes.  It is quite small and not exactly designed for daily sitting, but I can see it in the corner of a bedroom near a dressing table or in a corner of the family room.  The wood is painted gold and already distressed to a degree.

I am fully aware that I have previously recommended that one should never purchase upholstered pieces.  Of course, there is an exception to every rule.  Here is one of the exceptions.  The frame is sturdy and the seat cushion can be totally replaced at very little cost when I have it upholstered.  The back of the chair may or may not need to be replaced prior to being re-upholstered.

Every upholstered piece I purchased at this sale was purchased with the full understanding that it may be stripped down to the wood frame and rebuilt.  Yet, to my surprise, the most of the pieces have had very little use and apparently were in rooms where the family seldom spent time.  So far, I have found no stains on the interior padding and nothing to indicate any sort of mold or infestations.

Check out the chair to the left!  This is a true find.  The wood is in excellent condition, and possibly the upholstery can be kept as is.  This is a case of being familiar with the estate and knowing that much of the furniture in the “front” rooms was seldom used.  In fact, it was much like a museum just waiting for me to come in to pluck the fruits.

Seriously, I cannot say as yet if I will keep the upholstery “as is” or not.  The pattern could possibly work quite well if the colors will.  Although I am considering the lighter colors similar to these, there is always room for slight decor adjustments once the pieces are collected.

I will show a few more pieces in days to come, but for now let me say that I purchased quite a few more pieces and spent close to $1500 for over 8 pieces.  Depending on where you live, that price may seem unreal.  I have noticed that when I venture north to do a little scavenger hunting I always expect to pay much more than I do here in the south.

*** Just so you know — In my opinion, regardless of what any “book value” may be, and there are plenty of books that offer values, a piece of furniture is worth what it sells for on any given day.  I say this for one reason and one reason only.  My mother-in-law used to always try to impress me by opening a book of antiques and antique values and pointing to an exact piece or something really close.  Before I got into the business I was probably quite impressed.  Years later — and more experience than I care to mention under my belt — I can honestly tell you that a piece of furniture is worth what it will sell for on any given day.  Period!

Much depends on the region and regional values as well as what is in favor or as we say online “what is trending”.  There is no “one value” for anything. 

An auction value depends on how many people in the audience want the piece and who has the money.  In other words, if you happen into an auction that has any one of the pieces or something similar I have shown above and you are the only person who is interested in the French style or French country furniture, you are going to get a bargain in most cases.

If you happen into an estate sale, spend an hour or so seeing what is selling on the first (or second) day.  Notice if there is a little friendly haggling or if the buyers are paying marked price.  Try to wait until a couple of hours before the estate sale is over to make your purchases.  The prices are usually almost half on the last day.  Remember, the estate seller does not own the items.  They are hired to sell them.  They want to make as much money as possible and having pieces left over that did not sell is actually money they did not make.