Thursday, July 31, 2008

Thrift Store bonanza

I'm a bonofide thrift store junky. I get a thrill and such a deep sense of satisfaction by using something from the past and finding that diamond in the rough. My decorating aesthetic leans heavily toward the 60-70's.I guess it's because I was born in the 1960's and remember the 1970's fondly. I love low profile, dark wood, clean line retro looking stuff. My home is decorated in a mix of my finds with a few contemporary pieces thrown in for good measure. You'll never find a matching suite of furniture in any of my rooms and I like it that way! As far as where and when I find stuff it really varies. I can go months and not look or if I look not be able to find anything that strikes my fancy or I can have week like I'm having where every time I turn around something awesome is waiting to come home with me. It literally started on Sunday when I read an article in Parade magazine by Jacquelyn Mitchard who wrote the book "Deep end of the Ocean". In the article she writes about how she loves the idea of decorating with inexpensive found items and how it just doesn't make sense to her to spend a ton to have style. I say preach it sister! That's exactly how I feel. I love that my home can't be found in any magazine. That when my dd drops her pizza on the couch, well...it's okay (sort of). I love that I found 2 matching crystal lamps at different stores at different times and didn't pay more than $5 for either one.
My latest acquisitions have me reenergized for thrifting. I've been looking literally for months for the perfect buffet. I knew I wanted something retro (1960-70's) and dark with lots of storage. I've been prowling thrift stores, posted on freecycle( you never know)and haunting Craigslist and yesterday there it was. The perfect piece had been posted on Craigslist over the weekend and it was Tuesday. Surely it wouldn't still be there...but it was and the best thing, the lady selling it literally lived 3 miles from me. I went to pick it up last night. It's in awesome condition, weighs a ton and has a gaggle of storage. It surely is circa 1970's and was from Drexel(before they had Heritage, lol) so I'm guessing it was a spendy piece in it's day. The wood is thick and solid, no pressed wood here. I love it! It fits perfectly along my short wall and I added my 2 lovely crystal lamps atop. Today I thought I'd run in to the Goodwill near my home and low and behold I found a solid metal round wine rack/bar combo. It's about 6 ft tall, heavy and just incredible. I can't believe I scored it! I've been looking for a wine rack for ages and now I found something even better. I also found a little leatherette storage bench to go at the foot of our bed. It'll be a nice place for sheets and extra blankets. I found a large mirror in a baroque style frame to hang above our fireplace. All total I have spent about $200, you got to love the prices!

0 comments: