Craigslist Chinoiserie Find

7:00 AM

Are you shopping for a small chest or cabinet to add a little character to a corner or narrow entry way? After knocking out the major furniture needs (couches and a bed), I turned to Craigslist for the smaller accent pieces that I hope will bring more character to our new house. Of course, my inspirations are always lofty:

French-inspired bow front chest via

The pefect little chinoiserie chest via

Bone Inlay Chest via

I have been strongly considering the faux-bone inlay chest that is on clearance at Pier 1. But even at $249 on clearance there are some things that give you pause about Pier 1 furniture.

It is "engineered" wood. I hate that. I like real wood furniture when I am spending enough money for it (though I know on clearance at sub $300 that is pretty decent).
When you buy furniture from Pier 1 you have to pay an arm and a leg for shipping. If you buy online you have to pay $40+ shipping to the store, then you still have to go pick it up and bring it home yourself. It costs even more to ship it delivered to your door (between $119 to $149 additional surcharge). You have to factor this hidden cost into your purchase every time you see a great sale because if you are buying furniture you are never eligible for any free shipping promotion.

With that being said, I find that I like a lot of the things in their store, and have to talk myself out of purchasing them with point one and two above. This really is an attractive chest for $249 if you forget about those extra expensive shipping surcharges.

Red Surma Chest

Just as I was contemplating making this purchase, I started obsessively searching Craigslist. It didn't take very long to find my Craigslist addiction delivered again. I have to say I am thrilled with this black enamel chinoiserie chest. And at $100 I could have bought 3 of the above chests at the clearance price. Thanks Craigslist!