Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Hacks & How-to's
  3. Inspiration
  4. Style
  5. Evergreens

21OAK may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

We found the absolute best places to buy affordable midcentury modern furniture

Here's where to get midcentury modern furniture on the cheap

Table with coffee cup on it
TierneyMJ / Shutterstock

Furnishing a home or apartment can get uber expensive, especially when you’re all about creating a stylish, cohesive look in your place. So where can you buy midcentury modern furniture cheap, which is in fashion right now and shows no signs of going out of style?

Inexpensive midcentury modern furniture can be hard to come by in a typical, big-box furniture retail store. This style will only be a small part of a vast collection, and normally at a high cost. But there are many other ways to find the chic pieces you’re looking for. Lo and behold, we present our guide to buying affordable midcentury modern furniture.

Woman working at home with laptop computer
Anna Shvets/Pexels

Resale websites

Midcentury modern furniture is quite popular — and for good reason. It’s easy to mix and match different pieces. The style is simplistic, vintage, and modern all at once. Its prevalence just means that there are lots of people who own and resell their used midcentury modern pieces.

Used doesn’t mean old. You can find tons of furniture in great condition at reasonable prices from people who may just need to get rid of the item — so don’t be shy about negotiating the price. You can find pre-owned, inexpensive midcentury modern furniture on various online marketplaces. Here are a few to start with:

Midcentury modern yellow chair and side table
Ground Picture / Shutterstock

Local antique shops

Since vintage and midcentury modern looks are so in style, so are antique shops that often carry this kind of furniture. Chances are, no matter where you live, you can find at least one antique store within a 10-mile radius. 

What’s great about antique shops is you will find unique furniture that you wouldn’t be able to purchase anywhere else. You’re not getting a new piece that’s being mass-produced. Instead, you’re getting a midcentury modern piece straight out of its era. 

Antique shops normally get their goods from estate sales, auctions, or local residents who sell them their old items. Furniture prices will vary, but they’re typically much cheaper than anything you’ll buy new. Plus, antique store owners often have a wealth of knowledge about different furniture styles and where to buy them, so you can always ask them about what you’re looking for.

Midcentury modern chair with leather seat by a desk with an industrial lamp and a retro typewriter in a white home office interior
Ground Picture / Shutterstock

Estate sales

For some of the best prices on affordable midcentury modern furniture, find an estate sale in your neighborhood. You may have to wait for a while until one pops up, or you can Google search “estate sales near me.” 

Families or homeowners running estate sales usually want everything gone quickly, so this is a great place to find cheap furniture that needs a new home. In most instances, older folks lived in the house, so the midcentury modern style will not be hard to come by.

You can also check out yard sales, but these will be more hit-or-miss than a good estate sale.

vintage midcentury room
followtheflow / Shutterstock

Thrift shops

Thrifting is not just for good deals on clothing! You’d be surprised what your local thrift shop may have in store for you in terms of furniture. Many thrift stores have a furniture section that’s constantly getting new items. There are even some thrift shops that specialize in used furniture, and midcentury modern is a common style of furniture that people recycle.

Midcentury modern chair and table in bedroom
LEKSTOCK 3D/Shutterstock

Retail home goods stores

If you do shop at a retail store, go to one that specializes in home goods but doesn’t exclusively sell furniture. Though they may have fewer options, we’ve found that they typically have a well-curated selection with a focus on cheap midcentury modern furniture. 

For retailers that are inexpensive compared to large furniture stores, check out these spots near you or shop them online.

Woman doing online shopping at home
gpointstudio/shutterstock

Online retail clearance sections

Lastly, several online retailers specialize in home decor and furniture, aka the Wayfairs of the world. Shopping websites like this are always having sales and offering coupons so you can get your midcentury modern furniture for less. 

The best part is that these online shops have a wide selection. Whether you’re looking for a desk, a couch, bedroom furniture, or any kind of tables and chairs, they have you covered, so go straight to that clearance tab and start mining for cheap midcentury modern furniture at some of these online retailers.

Shopping for stylish furniture for your home or apartment doesn’t need to break the bank. There are so many options for buying cheap midcentury modern furniture to create a chic, sleek, and vintage look in your new space.

Whether you’re furnishing a home office, a living room, a bedroom, or a kitchen, midcentury modern furniture works in any room of the house. These affordable ways to find awesome furniture pieces can truly save the day for any interior designer or new homeowner on a budget.

How to Style a Coffee Table That Feels Collected, Not Cluttered
Plant, Furniture, Table

A well styled coffee table can make your formal living room stand out and should feel intentional, considered and appropriately arranged. The goal is balance, and it should support the room rather than compete with it.

Start with a foundation. Use one or two large books to ground the arrangement. Choose books with substantial covers that reflect the palette of the room, whether neutral or tonal, and complement the space. Stack them rather than spreading them out. This creates structure and gives everything else a place to sit.

Read more
Flowers From the Garden: A Summer Centerpiece Method
Flower, Flower Arrangement, Plant

A simple, season led approach to summer florals, built on what is in bloom rather than what is in stock.

There is a particular generosity to summer that no other season offers. The garden is full and the flower markets overflow. The roadside stands begin to set out buckets of zinnias and dahlias by mid June and July. The backyard, once an afterthought, begins to feel like an extension of the home itself. The question is no longer whether to bring flowers into the house, but how often.

Read more
The Easiest Way to Set the Table
Cutlery, Fork, Spoon

Have you ever wondered why the fork sits on the left and the knife on the right? Or why Europeans eat “Continental style,” holding the fork in their left hand and the knife in their right, while Americans cut, switch hands, and then eat? It turns out there’s a reason for all of it, and once you understand the history, setting the table suddenly feels far less mysterious. Before beautifully layered place settings and Pinterest-worthy tablescapes, dining was far more practical. Medieval feasts were less about etiquette and more about survival. Plates were often shared, forks were nonexistent, and eating with your hands was the normal standard. Tables were filled with trenchers (pieces of bread used as plates), and the idea of “proper placement” simply didn’t exist.

By the mid-to-late 1800s (around 1860–1870), European dining evolved again as meals began to be served in courses. This shift introduced what became known as the Russian style of dining, where utensils were laid out intentionally and used from the outside in. The fork stayed in the left hand, the knife in the right, and the table itself began to reflect structure, rhythm, and order. This approach eventually became the “Continental style” still used across much of Europe today.

Read more