You look online and you want to find your ideal place in Valencia (or even beyond) and you keep seeing the same thing in all the properties for sale; the Billy Bookcase, the Hemnes Bed, the Ektorp Sofa (Apparently now RIP but I'm sure I saw one there recently), the usual IKEA decoration touches and one of those obligatory tea candle holders. Yes we are all being Hygged, we are all being Abba'd we are all turning into Swedes while eating meatballs and pork knuckle. But it doesn't have to be this way.
A Little History of IKEA in Valencia
IKEA wasn't allowed to be opened in Valencia for years thanks to the furniture lobby, yes there is such a thing. Valencia had plenty of independent and mostly expensive furniture stores and years ago they held a lot of sway in Valencian society and politics and they managed to delay the opening of the Swedish behomoth for years.
There were rumours about IKEA opening in Paterna opposite the Heron City cinema complex, L'Eliana and plenty of other places but somehow things never moved on. Valencians wanting IKEA furniture would drive on down to Murcia, 300km away!, and load up there. Eventually a deal arrived whereby IKEA opened on the Sedavi-Alfafar trading estate but it was to be surrounded by their competitors and representatives of the Valencian furniture makers in the hope of attracting the overspill from IKEA or people who were just sick of everyone having the same things. Not So Fun fact: IKEA has a car park on the ground floor level and the shop is on the first and second floor because the designers were aware that Sedavi-Alfafar is in a flood zone. Because of this IKEA was spared the worst of the DANA last year and a lot of the stores surrounding it are still yet to reopen.
What We Are Looking At Today
Now of course turning into Abba clones is better than turning into anything eminating from North America currently (You can never have too many Agnethas but one Donald and one Elon is one too many) There are other options and today we are going to look into the interior decoration options you have here in Valencia when you buy your ideal Valencia flat. How can you avoid looking like every other home but at a similar price point because yes, we know IKEA is good value?
So there is nothing here from, "if you need to look at the price then you can't afford it" boutiques, there are plenty of those designer places around still but I can safely say I know nothing about them. Every time I enter one the shop assistant senses my presence, looks down their nose towards my scruffiness and points me hastily towards the exits so I do not sully the general vibe. I just don't look like someone who will buy a designer sofa and that's probably because I most definitely wouldn't.
Jysk
For our first choice we don't move out the the Scandi look. Jysk is the Danish cousin of Ikea, younger, less experienced and not so labyrinthine. Yes, their shops are smaller. Most of my living room is Jysk bought. They are especially good for dining tables and a great selection of chairs to set around those tables and desks. If you don't have built in wardrobes then they have a good selection of standing wardrobes too. Pro tip, keep an eye out for their display model sales. I recently got a great sofa for my terrace for just 125 Euros.
Maisons Du Monde
Found near to me, right next door to Jysk, and therefore often visited at the same time, Maisons de Monde has a strange range of prices with certain things looking expensive and others great value. Big on mirrors, decoration and textiles, Maisons du Monde stands out for people looking for a bit of a Colonial style without the Colonial pricetags.
Casa
Just one warning with Casa, don't go to the one near the Mercado de Colón. The prices are ridiculous, probably due to the location and the rent required to have a shop there. Again there is one near to me in the Osito shopping centre between L'Eliana and La Pobla de Vallbona and that is just so much better and cheaper. Similar in size to Jysk and Maisons Du Monde, Casa has a selection of kitchenware, small bits of furniture and decoration to satisfy most tastes. Plenty of shelves, plantstands and sideboards here.
Practica
Think of lamps, shoe racks, office tables and chairs, small stuff and at the cheaper end of the market. There are Practica shops in many places around Valencia and there isn't much room in any of them as they pile it high as they can and give you little space to browse. Oh and headboards, they do a nifty line in cheap headboards.
Conforama
Cheap and cheerful, maybe a bit too cheap at times. However their sofas, dining room choices and selection of beds are excellent. They deliver and put things together for you too if you want and they usually have a good selection of available stock so that what you see you can also get delivered the next day. Conforama also has a good selection of white goods if you need to put something in your kitchen and washroom and these are also well priced.
Tuco
Bedrooms for kids, cheap sofas and lots of colourful stuff much of which looks good with its mates in the shop but maybe not when mixed with other things in a more eclectic way. Tuco has always had an issue with delivery but recently it seems to have sorted this.
Banak Outlet
Banak is an expensive shop for East Asian Colonial style furniture. Want it six months later when it's no longer considered fashionable and they need to free up the store for the new arrivals? Then go to Banak Outlet. It's extremely good quality and heavy, very heavy. Think dark wood and plenty of fabrics on their bedroom furniture.
Corte Inglés Outlet
Now don't get the Corte Inglés Outlet confused with the Corte Inglés. The Corte Inglés is expensive, they never have anything in stock and again they have shop assisants who believe that because they have a job in the Corte Inglés then they can look down on you. Yes, that's a thing, an attitude thing that persists to this day even though it was originally prevalent back in the 80s when the Corte Inglés was the place to buy in Spain once you had made it, a department store with everything in it, a sort of offline Amazon so the kids of today can understand it or an upscale Grace Brothers for you UK kids of the 70s.
The Corte Inglés Outlet is what they couldn't get rid of at those high prices reduced by up to 80% which just about puts it in line with the other shops here listed. If you can see it you can buy it but don't expect them to have fifty in the back of the shop, there's the display model and little else so if you fancy something you have to reserve it as it might be gone later.
Muebles Boom
Get your cheap sofa here. In fact get your cheap whatever here but remember it might look a bit cheap because if anywhere needs to be known as cheap and cheerful it's Muebles Boom. A new kid on the block, Muebles Boom is colourful, loud and what's that word... oh yeah cheap. They say they make everything themselves too which is why it's cheap. So yeah, it's cheap... some might say a little hortera or cutre but I couldn't possibly comment. You need something inexpensive, you go here.
Specialists
If you want a sofa made for you at a decent price or a particular type of bed then you have options for made to measure places. Tresillos Rivadulla and Biosofas for example will make you a sofa with your requirements and materials based on their range in the showrooms. It might take a few weeks to be made and delivered but it's worth it, especially as their prices are similar to stuff you'll find in IKEA. For beds there are also plenty of places but again for a made to measure and whatever materials you want type bed then Max Colchón is a great option.
The Other Options
If you are willing to mooch around some of the worst 70s tat you will ever see in search of that pearl in the shell then you should be looking at the second hand furniture shops and recovered building materials shops too. The Rastrell in Valencia is an interesting one for finding those bits that will make your new place look a bit eclectic without being tacky. Derribos Andres in La Pobla de Farnals is the place to go to get aged wood to convert into tables, wooden beams, knick knacks, old decorations, in fact just about anything but you may need to do a bit of recovering, painting or hobbying to. These are just a couple of examples but there are plenty more you just need to search them out.
Valencia Property Website News
The main website was down last week again so we finally decided to say goodbye to Siteground after a year of problems with the php. Siteground, you are terrible hosts. Yes it was stressful and thanks for your sympathy. Slowly over the last month we have been moving things over to a new server with a concurrent website mirroring the main one. However the back end hasn't been moved yet so we are currently waiting for that to happen so we can upload the logjam of properties we have waiting to appear for your delight. (Over the weekend the move was made, it went really badly and we are currently back on Siteground for a bit. We will have to put up with their meddling and messing about for a while longer)
We will have to move the Valencia Remodels site, the Stepping Stone Rentals site and also this blog and get everything working well with the sites talking to each other before we press the final leaving button.
Property of the Week
Now listed on the main site despite the issues above... this apartment in the heart of the Carmen is currently offered on Stepping Stone Rentals and is now available for sale at 228k.
Come and enjoy this historic home in the center of Valencia: El Carmen. Located in a lovely plaza famous for it's old Olive tree that grows right in the middle.
This is a quaint apartment with balconies off the living room and the master bedroom. It gets alot of of natural light from all sides and the kitchen is newly modernized and equipped with new appliances and furniture. 1 double bedroom with a smaller room that's already been fitted with an office desk.
Stepping Stone Rentals would be willing to place a dramatic bet on this being one of the best spots of Valencia, naturally, because of course we'd come out winning - 90% of our clients ask for this location! You have the Turia Gardens a few metres away, the great Cathedral another few metres, and coffee places, restaurants, and nightlife around the corner.
If You Liked This...
Then maybe take a look at some of our other recommendations, cafes in L'Eliana, Restaurants and more. Just click on the images below. And next week we have an extra podcast coming up, all about building standards and sustainability. Our podcast feed is below. Be sure to subscribe.
Having it All in The Cabanyal 750K
It is not that long ago that if you told the average Valencian that you lived in Cabanyal, they would raise their eyebrows and mutter something like, gitanos, drogas. In other words, are you sure you want to live there? If you mention this now, a few people will still have this association, but the majority will say: caro! (expensive).
And that's true, the neighbourhood has undergone an enormous change in the past 10 years, and I know because I lived there myself. If you walk through the colourful streets now, you hear and see construction work everywhere. Many houses and apartments are being refurbished and spruced up. The streets have been repaired and repaved, trees have been planted and new bars and restaurants are constantly being added. It is a very popular neighbourhood, especially among foreigners like us. As a result, prices have risen enormously in the past 10 years, because we all know how it works, something to do with supply and demand.
A whole house, which also meets today's requirements, does not come on the market very often. It is enormous. It has four floors, six bedrooms, a patio and a terrace and even a real paellero. It has a spacious living room and a huge open kitchen. There is so much space here that you could almost start a catering business.
You can walk to the beach, where you can take a dip in the sea after a run (why the current residents have a treadmill in the living room is a mystery to me), and the neighbourhood is well connected to the city by bus and metro, or you can just hop on your bike. If you would like to know more about this house or this lovely neighbourhood, please contact us.
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