Eating Cake

There are many cheap places to buy your furnishings ranging from Ikea to Ilva, Tesco to M&S. These outlets are good sources of EDLP (every day low pricing) but for something a bit more special, we need discounts and bargains galore. Here are some good places to look:

	www.eBay.co.uk Search for your favourite designers – Cole & Son, Nina Campbell, Osborne & Little – and try think of any careless spellings, such as Osbourne & Little. If you know a reasonably priced upholsterer or can even do it yourself, antique furniture is unbelievably reasonable and can be cleverly updated with modern fabric and a bit of judicious gilding.
	www.freecycle.org The best reported freebie in my circle was a pair of Art Deco club armchairs, normally retailing for £500 at a vintage furniture shop near you.
	www.gumtree.com Some things are free, some are at knockdown prices, most are second hand. www.craigslist.org is similar.
	www.homesandbargains.co.uk A great resource for current sales, permanent discount shops, useful advice and fabulous websites such as www.kitchenclearout.co.uk.
	www.curtainfactoryoutlet.co.uk It’s easier to physically buy from the warehouse and given that most fabrics (Ralph Lauren, Mulberry, Zoffany etc.) are priced at £6.99 per metre, the savings will justify the farthest journey. Incidentally, they charge a fixed £10 fee to deliver anywhere in the country.