VaVoom Value Furniture: Nadeau like Playdough

On the top - a selection of metal storage
from Restoration Hardware for $149-169.
On the bottom - similar options from Nadeau for $69.

Almost everyone loves a great deal (some snooty patooties like to brag how much they pay, but not any of my friends.) 



Stagers by our very nature, HAVE to find good deals.  We need a table that looks super fancy, but my client needs the price to be super tiny.  Inventory items have to be sturdy enough to move from house to house and still look great.  We want to spend the least while making the most impact.  I do check Craig's list and Goodwill, but I have a favorite place that you may not have heard of.  You may have driven by and never guessed at the treasures within.



This is my love letter to Nadeau, furniture with a soul. It is the perfect furniture store for me.  It is one of the reasons I wanted to become a stager. They have so many pieces I love, but my house can never hold them all.  Now, I can help others pick out some to go in their house and then add a dozen couple to my inventory.

all the treasures piled up, this
one is for my sistah (shhh)
via facebook

There are only in 17cities, but I had no idea they were so rare.  We had 3 at one time in Charleston, so I thought they were all over. 

Everyone loves IKEA and I love the sleek look and great prices -- no one loves the wordless directions and that crazy little screwdriver thingy. It is a giant, well lit box filled with treasures and they babysit your short people. As close as that is to perfect, Nadau is a completely different kind of wonderful. It feels like a crazy furniture dream exploded into a warehouse space.  There are dressers stacked on top of one another, chairs on top of tables, screens peeking out from behind consoles.  There are distressed pieces next to deeply carved next to brightly painted next to Asian inspired next to primitive.  It is a wonderland for those of us who love to dig and explore.

bed, dining, dresser, orange shelf with green pigs department
BUT THE BED IS ONLY $535!

The prices are unbelievable on everything.  It would allow your designer to pick the perfect piece for your fabulous 3rd country estate and then mark it up a gazillion percent.  Since I only have one servantless house, I go digging for my own perfect piece and drag it home in my F-250. 

Pottery Barn version

My first piece was our beautiful farm table. I had been lusting in my heart over the Pottery Barn version. I had shown this collection (over $3000 on sale plus shipping) to Hunky Husband several (thousand) times.  On a whim, I ended up cruising through Nadeau and saw the exact same table for $400.  It is not the exact same though, because this table was made of solid Plantation grown Mahogany, the PB version has a MDF top with veneer. 

Southern Living shoot $465 Nadeau version

Big girlie doing homework at ours

Hunky Husband was not happy to be summoned to a furniture store.  His mood improved exponentially when he saw the price/value/beauty of the table.  Let's be honest he really only cared about the price. He was so overwhelmed with relief that he had dodged the "if you love me you'll buy this Pottery Barn table" bullet. He picked out two bookcases and an end table to fill the adjoining Living Room. The total purchase was still less than the PB table alone.

Some of my Friends may or may not have used that same trick once they heard this story. I take no responsibility if you do the same.

The bookcases are in my office now holding the revolving collection of treasures when they are not on the table at a party or in someone else's house.  The end table is the nightstand in my little girlie's room.

Value aside, I just love Nadeau furniture.  My huge TV cabinet is one of my favorite pieces of furniture ever. You don't hear women say that very often. It looks as if a classically trained furniture maker fell off a ship and landed alone on a deserted island. It is the kind of furniture he would make -- traditional lines, rough hewn, hand rubbed, imperfectly perfect with 2 tons of character.

Each store location has different availability of items and they get different shipments all the time. In case you're wondering, I have never worked for them and did not receive any payment for this post. Besides my credit card slips, they do not know I exist.  The important thing is, now you know they exist. You even know how to pronounce it.

 So, good luck & happy hunting.  You'll find something to make your home more visit ready. 

just bec

adding this post to a great linky party at HOUSE OF HEPWORTHS. Hundreds of links for you to check out with projects, recepies & ideas.

my dream TV console for the bedroom, On the left, Z Gallerie's Planters Buffet for $999. On the right, Nadeau's nearly identical buffet $676.
Both are made from sheesham hardwood.

great for staging that awkward hallway/doorway space, but I'll prolly paint it out
via facebook

where else are you going to find shelves made of ox carts?
via facebook

Is Your Dining Room a Duck?

If it walks like a duck and it talks like a duck, it must be a duck. If it looks like a recycling bin or it works like a playroom, how is anyone supposed to know it is a dining room?

houzz via pinterest

Large, open kitchens, with an island are the top requests for home buyers according to market watch. adding one to your current home may not be in your budget. They are pricey. And huge. And my house is neither. However, for the price of a pack of pledge wipes and a table cloth, many of us could add the dining room back into our homes. We can show off the flow, the ability to entertain -- even if we never do.

You don't have to be like those people on "Mad Men," passing around martinis and finger foods. You may only have your extended family over 4 times a year. You may just use it to store all those wedding gifts you registered for.  Whatever state your dining room is in, dust it off and set the table for an offer.

Many of us are using that extra square footage for completely un-food related purposes.

candace olson before via hgtv

My friend k.c. had a precious play area for her little girl in their dining space. It kept the toy clutter out of baby's room and she could watch her play while fixing supper.  That is where staging and living in your home part ways. Even potential buyers with children don't want to see your childrens' toys when they view the property. Remember, you are selling, it is just a property. Deep breath.

Our dining room is serving duty as my office.  I can see into the living room and the girlie playroom.  It is pretty enough to be in the front of the house. The shelves hold my revolving collection of treasures (when they are not staging someone else's space).  Love this blue carpet -- not my choice, it is a rental.

my baby via my cell phone, tell you later what 3 little girls can do to a digital camera

Believe me, if we were selling this house it would look like this.

traditional homes via pinterest

I'll do another post soon showing just how much furniture you can take out to make your room feel bigger and still say "dining" louder than a dinner bell.  But, if you've never used your room for dining, moving furniture out is not your problem. So you can:

world market via pinterest

• borrow from another room.  A long low dresser (without the mirror) can serve as a lovely buffet. the bench from the hall can serve as casual seating for that whole side of the table.
• borrow from a friend. If she only uses it 4 times a year, you and hunky husband can carry it 2 houses over.
• borrow from a relative. So many older aunts have sets that never get used or even spare ones in storage. You never know till you ask and she may even make you cookies when you go to pick it up.

target.com

• dress it up. This season's target tablecloth may be all it takes to make grandma's old table look modern & chic.
• make it. Vintage doors and old balusters make gorgeous chippy tables. They can be found at any salvage yard or Habitat Re-store. An undersized table can be beefed up with a piece of tempered glass.
• fake it. I gave a very fancy baby shower with a piece of plywood covering two card tables. Long enough linens cover a multitude of sins.  Flat bed sheets go down as low as $5 during back to school season and they starch/iron up like a dream!
• goodwill, salvation army, thrift store, yard sale, craig's list. Even a non-matching set of chairs can be spray painted to look collected & eclectic. Check out pinterest for one of the million tutorials on repainting and recovering the seat cushions, like this one from isabella and max rooms.

• rent. I list this last, but sometimes it is worth spending a little to make a lot. Even renting a few key pieces could make the difference.  That is what staging is all about. Sometimes you don't have enough time to scour the flea market. -Sometimes there just aren't enough rocks.

You may also take this chance to buy the set you have always dreamed of (Dave Ramsey hopes you have also been saving for it). Like all furniture upgrades, it goes with you, in the truck. Please be careful. Only do this if it fits in your budget and you are sure that the piece fits in your new space.

My blog hero, thrifty decor chick was talking about turning her dining room into a study/library/chill space today. That is the way so many people are going. I giggled out loud when she addressed resale and how easily it could be returned back into a dining room. How did she know I was half way done with this post? Here's one quick switch idea for ya' chick.

the house that a-m built

just bec

before & after party @ thrifty decor chick nifty thrifty tuesday @ coastal charm show me what you've got @ our delightful home  tuesday to do @ the blackberry vine get your craft on @ today's creative blog tip me tuesday @ tip junkie  tutorials & tips @ home stories a to z  take a look tuesday @ sugar bee crafts  one project at a time@ a bowl full of lemons  tuesdays treasures @ my uncommon slice of suburbia  wow me wednesday @ ginger snap crafts   tuesday time out @ reason to skip the housework  sugar & spice @ 733 a creative blog  whatever goes wednesday @ someday crafts show & share @ southern lovely wow me wednesday @ polka dots on parade  under $100 @ beyond the picket fence  show off your stuff @ fireflies and jelly beans  pinspirational thursday @ the artsy girl connection   hooking up with hoh @ house of hepworths  strut your stuff @ somewhat simple    share awesomeness thursdays @ the 36th avenue  a glimpse inside @ catch a glimpse   feathered nest friday @ french country cottage  freestyle friday @ happy hour projects  thursday temptation @ two yellow birds decor   flaunt it friday @ chic on a shoestring  the pity party @ 30 handmade days  weekend wrap up @ tatertots and jello anything goes link party @ bacon time  friday free for all @ five days five ways  frugal friday @ the shabbby nest  mad skills party @ mad in crafts  serenity saturday @ serenity you   manic monday @ serendipity and spice