I find some of my favourite pieces at thrift stores! Here are my tips for thrift store decorating and what I always look for when I visit the thrift store lately.
It never fails. When I’m out styling a home for a shoot, the homeowner or the designer I’m working with will always compliment me on the thrift store items that I’ve brought along as styling supplies. It doesn’t seem to matter how many fancy, high-priced decor items I bring along, the thrift store pieces are the ones that make them say “Oh, I love this!” There’s really an art to choosing and using thrift store pieces though because it’s a fine line between a space looking interesting and character-filled, and it just looking kind of junky and cluttered. So I thought today I’d share a few of my thoughts on thrift store decorating as well as the specific pieces I look for!
Thrift Store Decorating: Striking the Right Balance
When you find a beautiful piece at the thrift store, you want to make sure that you display it in a way that will show off its best attributes. These pieces usually have a lot more character and are a lot more unexpected than other, more mainstream decor pieces. Every space needs a little bit of character, but too much can be overwhelming and confusing to someone who’s looking at a photo of a space. The key is to use thrift store pieces very sparingly.
It’s funny because even though those seem to be the pieces that people will notice and gravitate to first, I find that when I stand back and look at how I’ve styled a space, there are usually only one or two thrift store pieces, and they’re balanced out by a whole lot of more “current” choices. So that’s important to keep in mind.
Thrift Store Decorating: What I Look For
Vases and Jars With Handles
A lot of high-end home decor shops are re-selling real vintage jars right now. They just add so much character, but if you can find them yourself, you’ll save about $100. I often spray paint them matte black, but if they’re done in a nice neutral stoneware, I’ll keep them and use them as-is.
If You Can’t Find Them in the Thrift Store:
Black Handled Vase | Cream Handled Vase (under $20 option!) | Tall Black Handled Vase
Curvy, Organically-Shaped Vases
Another great candidate for a couple of coats of matte black spray paint! I look for softer, less structured curves.
Styled and photographed by Art & Spaces for Oak Barrel Cabinetry.
If You Can’t Find Them in the Thrift Store:
Ridged Ceramic Vase | Curvy Cream Vase | Round Metal Vase
Gold and Silver Frames
The best gold frames always seem to be found secondhand and little silver frames are always in style. I love to see a whole collection of them together.
Neutral Coffee Table Books and Cookbooks
I’m always looking for books with neutral-colored spines to use for styling for shoots. They’re hard to find, but once in awhile I’ll hit the jackpot with a really good one. I use them together with my newer neutral books to add just a bit of something unexpected, while still keeping the look current.
Favorite Neutral Decor Books and Cookbooks
Sunday Suppers | Flour Water Salt Yeast | Habitat | Made for Living | Travel Home | For the Love of White
Bowls With a Modern Shape
I love a good traditional footed bowl, but I get a ton of use out of simpler, more modern bowls, either stacked up or just by placing one on top of a couple of books, so these are what I look for most. I love wood bowls, stoneware bowls, or bowls that I can spray paint matte black or white.
Umbrella Stand | Mirror | Vase | Similar Large Baskets | Similar Ginger Jar | The Kinfolk Table Book | Similar Black Bowl
Handmade Pottery Pieces
I just can’t resist these. They have so much soul to them, and despite the fact that they’re really popular right now, I have a lot of luck finding them at thrift stores. They’re always really under-priced for some reason, so definitely a good item to add to your list of things to look for!
Styled and shot by Art & Spaces for Erin VanderSluis Design
Plant Pots
The plant pot section of the thrift store doesn’t always have something for me, but when I do find something good, it’s usually really good. Plants are usually used in decor to add life and personality to a space, so if a plant pot is a little different, that’s usually just fine, as long as you love it. 🙂
If You Can’t Find Them in the Thrift Store:
Large Curved Black Planter | Textured Black Planter | Modern Black Planter
Classic Staples of Traditional Decor
If you lean traditional like I do, the thrift store is the place to find so many of your staple decor pieces, it just might take you a little while to find them. Buying these items brand new works when you find a trusted retailer (I love Rainsford Company), but the quality is often lacking in these pieces and they won’t really stand the test of time the way a lot of thrift store finds will. If I find something that just says “classic” to me, I grab it. Some examples of this are vintage globes, small wood decor boxes, green glass demijohn bottles, and brass book ends.
MORE IDEAS LIKE THIS
- My Top Ten Favourite Dollar Store Decor Finds
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- Things I Love More Now Than When I Bought Them (Home Edition)
- How to Propagate Pothos Plants
- The Creek Line House Decorating Idea Archives
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Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.