This fall, after a year as a digital nomad, I signed a lease in High Falls and within a few hours moved into my new home — which at the time meant unloading my car and inflating my air mattress. Walking through my empty rooms, I faced the undeniable truth: I needed actual furniture if I was going to create a home for myself.
The old adage says we can do things fast, cheap or well. Sometimes we can get two, but it’s almost impossible to attain all three. This wisdom certainly applies to furnishing a home, and it definitely applies to furnishing a home sustainably.
There are a few key factors to consider when sustainably furnishing your home: what’s the carbon footprint of moving this thing and what was the environmental impact of creating it? Buying pre-owned is the best way to reduce the impact on the planet. The Hudson Valley has an abundance of vintage and antique shops, making it fun and easy to create beautiful spaces with minimal environmental impact.
Soft goods
Finding a clean, used mattress is tough, so a good first step is searching for mattresses certified by the global organic textile standard, which indicates environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing.
Mattresses are notoriously bulky to transport, but many newer brands sell mattresses that come vacuum-sealed in boxes and don’t require a box spring, making them friendlier on the environment. Another way to think about sustainability is to shop at locally owned businesses to keep your dollars in the community. Metro Mattress in Kingston is family-owned and carries a few made-in-the-U.S.A. brands.
Quality pre-owned couches aren’t as elusive as mattresses, and Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are good starting points. For those who don’t have access to a large vehicle to transport a couch, there’s Kaiyo, an online marketplace for quality pre-owned furniture which offers white-glove delivery from its warehouse in New Jersey.
A vintage dining table the author purchased off Craigslist in Saratoga.
Jaime Stathis / Special to the Times Union
A primitive trunk made into a seating area with the author’s pillows, purchased on Facebook Marketplace.
Jaime Stathis / Special to the Times UnionKaiyo has a wide range of styles and price points, and there’s something for everyone. Every piece is deep cleaned and ranked by condition from “like new” to “salvage.” If there’s any damage, it’s shown clearly in photos. My used couch looks brand-new even though Kaiyo described it as being in fair condition. While you can’t see the items in person before you buy, if you don’t like what you ordered, or it doesn’t fit in your space, you can return it minus the delivery fee.
The delivery price varies depending on the item’s size, but for the sectional couch I got, delivery was only $79 to High Falls, which included a complete setup. Buyers can also pick up items from Kaiyo’s warehouse. The company also works with the National Forest Foundation to plant one tree for every sale. Kaiyo sellers can opt to donate all or a portion of their balance to Trees New York, whose mission is to plant, preserve and protect New York City’s urban forest.
Curated collections
Furniture showrooms with their matched sets of living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms do nothing for me, but walking into an antique shop takes my breath away. Buying from a beautifully curated collection generally costs more, but the upscale antique shops on Warren Street in Hudson can be a great place to find inspiration as you design your spaces.
Antique Warehouse in Hudson.
Jaime Stathis / Special to the Times UnionThose shops are a great place to splurge if you can swing it. There are too many to list, but FINCH Hudson has a mix of vintage and modern, and the vibe in Colonia Antiques feels special and is worth at least a pass-through. If you haven’t been to the 40,000-square-foot Antique Warehouse (within a larger 300,0000-square-foot warehouse) just outside downtown Hudson, you’re in for a treat. Pack a snack because this isn’t a quick stop.
On the hunt
Driving around on weekends yields plenty of barn sales, yard sales and flea markets to explore, and during the week, there are dozens of local thrift stores to sift through, including Habitat for Humanity ReStores, which tend to have more furniture and other items you can get creative with.
Facebook Marketplace is one of the best places to hunt when you have limited time, don’t want to use up a ton of gas driving around, or want to shop from the comfort of a cozy couch. You can set your location and the radius you’re willing to travel. You can also search for keywords, which Facebook remembers (of course it does!), and the next time you log on, you’re shown listings based on previous searches.
Another great thing about Facebook Marketplace is you can see the profile of the person you’re buying from, so there’s an added sense of comfort and security. For that reason, it doubles as a great way to meet people in the community. I’ve met so many friendly, generous people buying this way, always leaving with a tip for a new trail or pizzeria to try.
It’s about the people
One of the best parts about furnishing a new place is getting to know shop proprietors. One of the best low-key treasures of the area has to be Corduroy Shop in downtown Catskill, where the owner, Chrisie, uses recycled textiles to create reimagined pillows and furniture. Picture this: a falling apart vintage club chair is given a new life as a Bohemian masterpiece.
I’ve had fun visiting with Ron Sharkey at his shop in Stone Ridge, hearing about his evolution from a casual buyer and seller in the city, to weekends in Accord with his friend Charlie Bee, to doing “field and barn” sales out of the black barn in High Falls that became Ollie’s Pizza. Sharkey now has his showroom in the barn behind his house, where he specializes in primitive pieces that work in old farmhouses or in brand-new modern homes that need warmth and texture added to the space. His prices are extremely fair and he’s also been helpful when I need help figuring out which pieces will best fit my needs.
A cabinet available at Ron Sharkey’s thrift shop in Stone Ridge.
Jaime Stathis / Special to the Times UnionSteve Antonelli recently revived Barking Dog Antiques into Curious Cat, which is in High Falls on the corner of 213 and Sue Paterson Way, the street named after the Barking Dog’s longtime owner. With the building, Antonelli purchased Paterson’s lifetime collection, including such antique finds as sewing machine drawers and wooden cheese boxes. These boxes are a fun way for Marie Kondo fans to organize kitchen or home office items without buying new containers, plus these vintage ones look much cooler.
Make it fun
Auctions are another way to shop for quality pre-owned items, and gamifying your home furnishing journey adds an element of fun to it. Bidding on items at Public Sale Auction House can be a blast. You can view past auctions (like October’s Conceptual Coherence) to get a feel for the quality of items and the prices they go for. Public Sale does 11 auctions per year, each with 400-500 lots. Its next auction is Nov. 26, and the preview starts on the 19th.
Other auction houses in the area include Hudson Valley Auctioneers in Beacon, which does an auction every 4 to 5 weeks, and Stair Galleries in Hudson, which does several auctions every month.
This list is hardly comprehensive, but it includes some of my favorites and hopefully inspires you to take a creative, sustainable approach to furnishing your home and hopefully have fun in the process.
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