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New Furnishings

Date: Dec 12 2003

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

When moving into a new place, it’s important to figure out how to furnish it. There are many different options when it comes to furniture, and some of them can be very expensive. However, there are ways to find good furniture at a reasonable price. Some great bargains are out there, if you’re willing to take the time to find them.
Miguel recently moved into a new apartment. Listen to him talk about the process of finding furniture.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

The first thing you need to know about me is that I’m very picky when it comes to furniture. I’m interested in architecture and design, so it’s important to me to have furniture that reflects my personal aesthetic. That sometimes makes it difficult to find the furniture that’s right for me.
Now, if I had lots of money, I would just go to a place like Design Within Reach (www.dwr.com) and buy everything I want. Unfortunately, I’m not rich, so I have to find other places to find things I like. A good alternative to DWR is IKEA (www.ikea.com). IKEA has lots of beautiful, well-designed furniture for very low prices. However, the closest IKEA store is in Seattle, which is about a 2.5 hour drive from Portland.
The next step for me is to shop around and look for stuff that’s on sale. Often times, it’s possible to find very nice furniture that’s on closeout, or selling at 50% off for one reason or another. I recently found some amazing chairs that normally cost $70 each, for only $14. That was a great bargain!
Another option in the furniture search is the secondhand store. Places like Goodwill (www.goodwill.org) often have nice stuff, but it takes a lot of work to find it. In the past few weeks, I’ve spent hours and hours looking for something I want at stores like this, and had no luck.
For me, the last (and often best) option when it comes to furniture is to make it myself. For example, I made a dining table yesterday. I bought some recycled glass, wood and steel from a place called the Rebuilding Center (www.rebuildingcenter.com) and used it to create a nice, big table. Building it was fun, and I think it turned out well.

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Discussion

Miguel has a lot of good ideas for finding furniture, doesn’t he? It seems like he really enjoys the process of shopping for furniture. In fact, he likes furniture so much that he builds some of it himself. The whole process is like a hobby for him.
If you’re moving into a new place, I hope you find the furniture that’s right for you.
Good luck!
John