Moving in

[Boslow]

I'm sure it's a question that hes been asked many times, but I am new to this forum, and will be moving into our house in the South East in the new year. The question is - is it better to buy furniture in the UK..thinking about the weak pound, or buy in France? If I buy in the UK it will cost about £850 to hire a van and take it there, so the savings would have to be quite considerable. I see from other threads that Conforama have some issues so where do we go to buy furniture at reasonable quality / value in the Carcassonne / Narbonne area? 

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

Got most of my furniture from But. Was reasonably priced and has lasted well. This was 4 years ago mind.

Personally, I'd buy in France. Less hassle, if anything goes wrong with the furniture (unlikely I know), it's easier to deal with.

Plus think of all that boring, long, monotenous drive from the UK to SE France. And back again to drop the truck off.

[Clair]

Hi Boslow

Have a look at these websites to get an idea of what it could cost:

• But
• Atlas
• Fly
• Gautier

[amos]

Our house is near Narbonne, we got most of our furniture in either Fly in Narbonne or IKEA in Montpellier. Ikea will deliver or fly will lend you a van to deliver the stuff yourself there and then, which is handy if you need to get a few items to get you over the first few days.

[Cendrillon]

• But
• Atlas
• Fly
• Gautier

I agree with the other replies and would recommend the first three companies listed above, have not heard of Gautier though.

Apart from paying the transport costs,  furniture brought over from the U.K. sometimes does not look quite the same when it is  in a French style house.

For our second home in France we bought beds from But, they are now in their 10th year and still good. The house is let when we are not there. We have a Click-clack from Atlas, which is very good quality and furniture from Ikea has also done us proud.

Be aware that French beds are slightly different sizes and sometimes bed linen from the U.K. does not fit.

Good luck with your move.

[nectarine]

yes French beds are a different size so be warned!

Re. furniture, depends what you want. If you want character furniture then there is plenty of older stuff available from depot-ventes and trocs. Id' never dreamt of buying a secondhand three piece suite but the one we had from England didn't look rigiht in our old farmhouse so I sold it, and bought a country style one. Actually it looks just right and, better, I don't mind animals on it or worry about it getting dirty as it cleans a lot easier than my 21st century smart one did! Occasional tables and bookcases, all came from trocs are reasonable prices and just look right, look like they should be in this house.

So it depends what style you want. I think furniture is more expensive over here (apart from 2ndhand) but unless you own the van then the costs of removing furniture and transporting it might negate any saving in the UK.

[Scooby]

Same here Necatarine.  We bought most of our wooden furniture / beds etc from the trocs.  The only modern furniture in the living areas are sofas we got from Fly.  We got a fab deal in the sale - 500 euros the pair - they are a lovely cream colour, with lots of cushions..and, best of all, removable, washable covers!   We also bought children's bedroom furniture from Fly - because we wanted something fresh and modern.  The 'problem' we had is that our lounge / dining area is huge (66 sq metres) and quite rustic with lots of stone work, beams and a massive fireplace  (5 adults can stand quite comfortably in the opening!).  Modern Ikea style furniture would have looked very out of place. 

I'd also add that, if you buy a bed in France make sure you buy all the bits you need.  The base and mattress don't come as standard!!

[Gardengirl]

Most of the furniture for our modern apartment was bought in UK. Because I suffer from a bad back I wanted to be sure I had a bed to suit me. We'd recently had a new one in UK, so bought the same at JLP. They arranged shipment for the bed, a nifty computer desk, patio furniture and a few other things we bought from them. As the exchange rate had become worse, we also added other things to the load separately; an armchair (also excellent for my back), and our shower cubicle. That was mid-price range in UK, but hugely expensive for exactly the same model in France (my husband really wanted that model). We also added in bathroom cupboards. The cost of sending it all out was high, but the saving on the shower cubicle made it better value, and knowing back ache would be minimal was a big plus.

Since then we have taken a dining table and coffee table to France in the car; we were unable to find just what we wanted in our area. We did buy the Italian sofabed there; we saw it in UK and bought it in a nearby town. We bought shelving from Castorama, and small items from Ikea.

So for economic and bad back reasons, most of our furniture is from UK. In our apartment block, there is pretty much a split amongst those from UK. Some brought everything right down south by hired van (one couple got stopped to have the van weighed; they held their breath until it was found to be just under the limit); others went to Ikea and bought everything there, again delivered by van. I know several people who have used trocs and found just what they wanted.

GG

[goose]

We moved into our house here in March and had a problem finding suitable furniture. We had already ordered 2 beds from Furniture for France based in Brive and they were excellent value. The owner is English but delivers all over France and is very helpful. We have since purchased 2 sofas and more beds from them and are really pleased with everything.

Have a look at their website for more info www.furnitureforfrance.co.uk/

Good luck