So you’ve just moved into a new place. The initial excitement of the move has abated, and you look around, realising that it all looks a bit empty. This is because your new home is missing furniture! Tables, chairs, sofas and beds – without them a house is just a series of blank rooms. Many people nowadays are opting for antique furniture because of their homey aesthetics and sense of historicity. So which types of antique furniture will look great in your home without killing your budget in the process? This nifty guide will enlighten you in these matters, while also telling you where to look and how to go about doing so.

If you’d like to bestow your home with a touch of class then antique furniture is the way to go. From victorian mirrors to sturdy wooden cabinets, antique pieces carry with them an ingrained sense of history as well as looking great. Furthermore, they do not have to be restricted to old-fashioned-looking buildings, since they can easily complement the interior of a modern apartment while existing alongside contemporary furnishings. Part of the attraction of antique shopping is acquiring something at a bargain price, and you should always aim to purchase pieces for significantly lower than they are worth. Antiques are big business in the UK, and there are a variety of places where you can go shopping for them. Car boot sales usually take place during weekends and involve people selling items they no longer need. You’ll never know what you might find at a car boot sale and because the sellers tend not to be specialists they will be less likely to know the true value of the furniture they’re selling. Most sellers will be willing to negotiate so always start with a lower offer. Alternatively you can head to an auction house and battle it out with other bidders over the perfect piece. Or you can visit an antique shop were you will be more likely to find antique furniture specifically but may end up paying a higher price.

As much as antique furniture will make an impression, replica antique furniture will do the same. Online companies like Alfred Huntington Furniture specialise in creating items based on renowned pieces that look and feel exactly the same as the originals. The benefits of replica furniture are numerous. Firstly, they are affordable. An original Chesterfield sofa will set you back thousands of pounds but a near identical replica will do the job admirably while costing significantly less. While much original furniture is likely to be rather worn and damaged replica pieces are provided in a brand new, untouched state. The best manufacturers will supply bespoke furniture which you can tailor to your own personal tastes or to the requirements of your home. Perhaps you have fallen in love with the shape of a particular bookcase but would prefer it to be made of mahogany rather than oak. Or perhaps you would prefer a leather sofa in red leather rather than black. All of this is possible when purchasing replicas.