Secondhand Furniture Bargain Bonanza
But you gotta move fast.
Greetings Spendthrifts,
And Happy New Year! (A greeting which is valid through January as far as I’m concerned). I hope your 2026 is off to a good start - I started mine with a 10-day solo writing retreat in Amsterdam, c/o a friend who very generously lent me his empty flat (Eduardo, ¡te amo!) and it was exactly what I needed.
I’ve been to Amsterdam a few times before but this was my first time visiting during winter - my trip happened to coincide with a week-long stretch of snowy weather, which made sitting by the fire writing (and, ahem, watching Traitors) feel even cosier and more atmospheric.
I’ve written about writing retreats in this newsletter before - how to plan ‘em, how long to go away for, how to get the most out of them etc—
—and this one really helped me get back into the headspace of a project I’d felt out of touch with for several months now, so job done on that front (and long may it last!)
And obviously I managed to squeeze in a few little side quests during my downtime - I stopped by Carmen Amsterdam for lunch and a snoop:
And woke up at SIX AM (me!!) to go to a flea market I’ve wanted to return to ever since I first visited it a decade ago and swore to come back to when I finally had my own place.
I ended up leaving with the floor lamp below, an absolute steal at €60 (I’ve since discovered they go for several hundred pounds on eBay, 1stDibs et al). Now I just need to find the right lampshade for it - I’m thinking something tall and conical, or maybe (bear with me)… some sort of metallic… mesh?
(Look I’m obsessed with Wretched Flowers chainmail lamps okay? Alas, I don’t have $10k to spare, so trying to recreate their ~vibe~ on a budget):
Full debrief on the flea market - where it is, what to take, and how to get the best deals - is post-paywall, as is the main part of this month’s newsletter: a selection of secondhand furniture and interiors gems I’ve unearthed by trawling through Facebook Marketplace so you don’t have to.
Before we get to all that though, a quick recap of all my Grazia Culture Debrief columns since my last newsletter send: I wrote about The Traitors racism problem, and why I dislike the phrase ‘unconscious bias’ so much (this one, to quote Harriet, really set the cat among the pigeons over on Instagram). These are my 2026 Ins and Outs, let’s check in again come December. I cosplayed as Club Chalamet* for a hot second and wrote about Timothée Chalamet’s innate understanding of the attention economy (*which is probably fine given she seems to have set her sights on a new target…). Curse of America’s Next Top Model was one of my favourite podcast series last year, not least because it revealed so many juicy tidbits about the show I’d never have suspected. And all the way back in November, I wrote about how Sydney Sweeney’s months-long silence about the American Eagle campaign was sending the wrong message - and mere days later, she finally issued a statement (sorta) distancing herself from the MAGA crowd. Coincidence? I think not. And, oh! I also interviewed Kate Winslet for one of Grazia’s December covers :)
Speaking of interviews, I was very flattered to be included in the new Winter issue of Kinfolk, talking about class, privilege and my own relationship with money, as well as why I’ve (mostly) stopped writing about money these days, and what I’m working on at the moment. The feature was accompanied by some lovely photos—
—and the entire issue is money-themed and a 10/10 read. It also features conversations with HTSI Editor Jo Ellison, author of the moment Solvej Balle, artist Maggi Hambling and tonnes of other fascinating people (i.e. endless reasons to pick up a copy besides yours truly).
Also coming up in this month’s culture recommendations section, two STUNNING end of year reads that turned around what had otherwise been a pretty dismal reading year, and the Aaliyah-esque musician soundtracking my winter evenings.
Let’s get into it.
THE SHOPPIES
A brief run through of things I’ve been wearing, buying and coveting.
1. This sheer pink Fruity Booty tank (as seen on food writer Panayiota Soutis, below) which also happens to be on sale.
2. APC’s Virginie box bag. It took me a little while to figure out how to style this one as it’s a more structured handbag than I normally go for. The answer? As an evening/date night/party bag that’s large enough to carry all your stuff but still polished enough to look like eveningwear. (FYI - the crinkled leather version is currently on sale).
3. I am astonished - ASTONISHED - that these Mango shoes (now on sale for £36) haven’t yet gone TikTok viral and sold out. They are a perfect dupe of the (long sold out and £1200+) patent Chanel moccasins from their Resort 25 collection, and while I’m not usually a dupe person these were honestly just too good to resist.
I ended up wearing them loads during the festive season when I wanted to dress up for parties but couldn’t bring myself to wear heels, and I think they’ll also be a good spring shew, per the collection of images I’ve put together below:
I’m so pleased with them I’m tempted to buy a second pair for after I’ve inevitably worn my current ones into the ground.
4. Tortware hair clips - so cute, I can’t pick just one!! Okay maybe this one.
5. Been tempted to gatekeep these Cup + Cloth rugs (I think they’re throws really) because I ultimately want one for my flat but they’re just so nice and also made by a small independent business so… here you go.
6. &Daughter knitwear keeps me going during winter - I wore one of their snoods the entire time I was in Amsterdam (much prefer snoods to scarves), and this jumper is also currently on heavy rotation, and on sale! (Their entire winter sale is actually worth a look FYI - I find their stuff really lasts, so justifies the £).
FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE
Facebook Marketplace is for the rummagers; for the people who love the thrill of the hunt. I realised as I prised myself out of bed at 6am to venture into the snow for a Dutch flea market, that you’re either built for this life (rummaging) or you’re not. To my eternal surprise - as someone who values comfort, efficiency and sleep above all else - I actually am.
And my favourite place to rummage of late has been Facebook Marketplace, mostly because I can do it from the comfort of my sofa. Through months of painstaking work (scrolling), I’ve manipulated my algorithm into only showing me really excellent secondhand/vintage furniture and homewares (Zuckerberg’s algorithms = bad unless they’re specifically helpful to me!!) - and now I’m sharing the fruits of that labour with you. We all have that friend with the unbelievable coffee table/dining set/armchair they “got off Facebook Marketplace for only 50p!” (dickhead)- well, now’s your chance to be that friend.
I’ve set my search settings to only show me items within 50km of London, and I haven’t included anything that needs to be reupholstered or otherwise repaired, because really - who can be f*cking bothered. It’s an eclectic mix - mainly Art Deco, mid century and brutalist items, which is where my own tastes lie - but the main thing they all have in common is that they represent good value.
As with all things you have to move fast if you see something you like - the best stuff moves quickly on Marketplace (there are so many links I wanted to share with you here, only to find the items had already been sold). Sellers also tend to prioritise whoever will make their life easiest, i.e. whoever can come pick an item up first (do NOT try to put things on hold on FB Marketplace).
All listings below are available as of send-out this morning - happy rummaging.