Many expats move to the capital with the intention of saving money, so it doesn’t make sense to pay a fortune for furniture. Abu Dhabi Week looked at some inexpensive home furnishing options
Generally properties in Abu Dhabi come unfurnished. Rent is higher for a furnished place, so unless you plan to stay a short time in Abu Dhabi it’s more economical to opt for an unfurnished property.
“An unfurnished one-bedroom apartment could set you back AED 80,000 up to AED 90,000 per annum, whereas a similar furnished unit is in the range of AED 130,000 per year,” said Loshini Lawrence operations manager at Better Homes Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi has many home furnishing shops to choose from including The One, The Home Centre, Pottery Barn and Western Furnishing. An obvious inexpensive option is IKEA on Yas Island.
Selecting the cheapest options available at IKEA would cost around AED 1,050 to kit out a bedroom. That figure includes a double bed with a mattress and bedding, drawers, a double wardrobe, mirror and curtains.
The cost of sparsley decorating a living room, choosing the cheapest items, is around AED 920. That price covers the cost of a wooden coffee table, a two-seater sofa, two armchairs, a TV bench, and a floor lamp.
A more economical alternative is to buy second-hand furniture online from sites such as uae.souq.com or uae.dubizzle.com.
If you were to furnish rooms and purchase similar items to those listed above on Dubizzle it would cost from AED 375 to furnish a bedroom (excluding bedding) and from AED 435 to furnish a living room.
“The most obvious benefit of buying household items secondhand is that you are sure to save yourself an awful lot of money!” said Ann Boothello marketing specialist at Dubizzle.
“Our classified section, which includes household items and furniture for sale, receives over 20 million page views a month. Our users place a full range of furniture pieces up for sale, some high-end more expensive items and other very affordable pieces.”
Boothello offers these tips for bargain hunting online:
Double-check the facts. When you contact the seller make sure you ask about the original price and any defects the item may have. Go and see the item before making a final decision
Buyers should make their payments face-to-face with the seller
Users can place the items they like in a ‘Watchlist’ for future reference. Every add has an eye icon on the bottom right-hand side; click on this to put an item you like in your ‘Watchlist’. Later go back to your list, take a closer look before deciding which sellers to contact
You can bargain on almost anything on Dubizzle. Make sure you are getting the best price by openly discussing it with the seller. In most cases you can get some discount on an item, unless the seller has explicitly said that it is non-negotiable.
