Moving into a new apartment or home is a difficult and expensive process. After the stress of a housing search, cleaning a new space, and unpacking boxes, it's difficult to find the time and resources to furnish a new home. Worse yet, many affordable furniture options from big retailers are constructed of flimsy, low-quality materials and often require replacement within the first few years. Your grandparents turned out to be right when they said, “Things just aren’t built like they used to be.”

Luckily quality options from years past are still available at Michaan's Annex Auctions. Every month, we sell hundreds of gently used furniture pieces, each featuring a unique and beautifully crafted design that will last decades longer than the modern alternative. Better yet, gently used furniture from Michaan’s Auctions regularly sells at lower prices than in-store options. 

In this series, we will highlight a few examples of furniture and other home goods recently sold at Michaan’s Annex Auction and compare them with their supposed equivalent from a retailer such as IKEA, Wayfair, and Target.

We’ll start with an overview of the few mid-priced options from IKEA’s range of dining room tables. The MÖRBYLÅNGA Table appears to be a beautifully designed centerpiece from the Swedish company, featuring an oak veneer, floating tabletop, and dovetail joints. However, beneath the nominal 1/8” of oak sits standard particle board, at the cost of durability over the lifespan of the piece. Also notable is the required assembly, which necessitates two people and an eight-page instruction manual. This dining table is offered for $999.

Second is the STRANDTORP Extendable table, also from IKEA. This is a cheaper option, at only $649, and offers two self-storing leaves to extend the table’s capacity to up to 10 guests. This table, like the more expensive option listed above, also features wood veneer over particle board and requires significant assembly. It also has metal legs rather than veneer, leading to a disjointed appearance.

Either of these tables would do a serviceable job in the right living space but lack some of the character and durability of similar pieces from years past. That’s where shopping for vintage options at Michaan’s Auctions can make a difference. 

Offered in Michaan’s Auction November Annex Sale is an Oak Ball and Claw Foot Carved Dining Table (pg. 1) which could have sold for only $3. It is constructed from solid Oak and is beautifully designed with an ornamental fringe and Ball and Claw Foot legs. The table includes leaves, to expand the seating capacity and a drawer. It requires no assembly and only has light surface imperfections. With its sturdy construction this table will easily maintain its quality for years to come and its elegant design means it is capable of handling even the most extravagant of dinner parties. 

Also sold in Michaan’s Auction November Annex Sale is a Louis XV Style Dining Table with Two Leaves, which is an even lower cost item and sold for only $26. It is constructed from solid wood and is beautifully designed with a rounded shape complete with scalloped edges. The table includes leaves, to expand the seating capacity, and is strongly constructed. While the table has some damage to the surface, it requires no assembly, and will easily maintain its quality over the years.

If we consider IKEA’s line of dressers, one mid-range choice is the MALM Dresser for $299, a serviceable option that, while lacking character, provides plenty of storage space. However, when we investigate the materials, we again see cost-cutting options, including fiberboard and particle board making up the structural elements of the piece.

For comparison is a Georgian Style Mahogany Six Drawer Double Dresser which recently appeared in November’s Annex Auction. Selling for a price of $52, the piece is of comparable price to the mass-produced option noted above. However, again we see that there are significant differences in quality. This second-hand dresser is constructed with full wood pieces, creating a durable item that will last for decades of use, and comes with a fitted glass top to further reduce wear. While it is of similarly contemporary design, its hardware is of a much higher quality than the IKEA model, not to mention it requires no assembly, and has no visible damage.

As you can see, Michaan’s Auctions Annex Sales can offer a higher quality item for a lower price than major retailers. Registration and bidding are intuitive processes and can be done 100% online! You don’t even need to watch the auction, simply submit an absentee or online bid, and check back at the end of the sale to see if you’ve won the item.

The December Annex Auction is being held Monday, December 11th; Tuesday, December 12th; and Wednesday, December 13th. This venue gives collectors a wide variety of jewelry, fine art, decorative arts, furniture, Asian art, stamps, and coins to choose from. The auction includes over 2,500 lots, most estimated under $300.

Michaan’s Auctions catalogs can be viewed on our website (www.michaans.com), LiveAuctioneers, and on our Michaan’s Live site. Bid live in our gallery or remotely via absentee, phone, or online.