Thursday, June 08, 2006
Buying furniture
I am a subscriber to the swapandshop yahoo group where expats living here post their messages for the things they like swap or sell. It seems the expat community of Switzerland is using IKEA very often.
It is quite affordable and the IKEA quality is well tested. There are two near Zurich and I am happy with our IKEA stuff. However IKEA charges a lot for the shipment (sometimes more than the goods bought) so you better do it yourself and arrange it beforehand.
For those seeking higher quality, the furniture shop called Möbel Phister has a near cult status here. Everybody talks about it. I bought quite a few from there and the quality is very good but I’ve yet to figure out where the fame is coming. It’s good but not as impressive as the ones you see in Milan.
The opposite end is Brocki shops selling everything used. They are often charity organizations reselling things given to them and using the proceedings to help the needy. (So it might be a good idea to give them what you don't need when you are leaving.)
I use those shops very often for the books (a real treasure hunt for me) but there are a lot of furniture as well. If you have a special talent of mix-and-match you should surely check as you can find some great designer stuff being sold rather cheap.
For a extended list of furniture shops check this
Well, I think this covers all budgets and tastes however you may obviously prefer the last alternative: Renting. They don’t quote prices in their web site but I don’t think they are addressing the price sensitive people. Knowing their existence is good though. (another option)
It is quite affordable and the IKEA quality is well tested. There are two near Zurich and I am happy with our IKEA stuff. However IKEA charges a lot for the shipment (sometimes more than the goods bought) so you better do it yourself and arrange it beforehand.
For those seeking higher quality, the furniture shop called Möbel Phister has a near cult status here. Everybody talks about it. I bought quite a few from there and the quality is very good but I’ve yet to figure out where the fame is coming. It’s good but not as impressive as the ones you see in Milan.
The opposite end is Brocki shops selling everything used. They are often charity organizations reselling things given to them and using the proceedings to help the needy. (So it might be a good idea to give them what you don't need when you are leaving.)
I use those shops very often for the books (a real treasure hunt for me) but there are a lot of furniture as well. If you have a special talent of mix-and-match you should surely check as you can find some great designer stuff being sold rather cheap.
For a extended list of furniture shops check this
Well, I think this covers all budgets and tastes however you may obviously prefer the last alternative: Renting. They don’t quote prices in their web site but I don’t think they are addressing the price sensitive people. Knowing their existence is good though. (another option)
