My quest to re-decorate the majority of our home has me in a bit of a pickle.
Ideally I want a home that evolves as we evolve, that looks collected and comfortable - not thrown together in one afternoon. In 10 years I don't want to walk into our living room and think, "this is SO 2010."
That said - I want everything changed. Yesterday.
So what's a girl to do?
Well I've taken a hint from the design blogs I've been reading lately and am hitting up an old stand-by, Goodwill.
I am hugely envious of bloggers who constantly brag about the great deals they score at thrift stores. A Queen Anne chair for $20! A vintage light fixture for $5! Seriously!? The closest thing to a vintage light fixture in our Goodwill is a builder-grade brass chandelier from 1994. What kinds of thrift stores are in these folks' hometowns?
Giving the matter a bit more thought, I realized that I currently visit my local Goodwill exactly twice a year. Once just before tax time to make a donation and once around the holidays to get a tacky Christmas sweater and/or a White Elephant gift.
So last month I wondered if maybe the issue was not the quality of the local merchandise but rather the frequency of my own visits. Maybe all of these bloggers are simply getting to the good deals more quickly than me.
I began frequenting our own thrift shops weekly to see if I could become one of those envied bloggers. (Reason #482 being a full-time mom is great. You can drop by Goodwill once a week.)
And whaddya know?!
I scored this.
And this.
On the same day! I was thrilled.
After a bit of spit and shine my $3 silver tray now looks like this:
And for $20...this mirror has greatly upped the sophistication level of our living room.
Where do you go for decorating inspiration? Magazines? Home stores? Design blogs?
What else can I do to achieve my evolved look??
I love your thrift store finds! You've inspired me to check out Goodwill sometime soon.
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic! I shop everywhere from thrift shoppes to ebay ,tuesday morning (tuesdaymorning.com) tjmaxx, shopstyle.com, amazon clearance sections at target and others. The key is to have a wish list so when you see it you will know to grab it. Take a look at what you like on the design blogs and make a list. One of the things I love to go to thrift shoppes for is picture frames. The key to thrift shoppes is each one has something they are good for and you just need to unlock it's secret!
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