The Thrill of Thrifting

Finding beauty in something unlikely is my main attraction to thrifting. It’s an addiction. By simply thinking outside the box, you can easily breathe new life into old pieces and transition them from thrift store trash to a beautiful addition to your home.

This past weekend I did some thrifting in my all time favorite thrift location of Waynesville, North Carolina. For some reason, the prices in North Carolina are unbeatable and I always find amazing pieces that I can’t wait to incorporate into my home. This trip was no exception. Below is a small sampling of the things I picked up.

 When thrifting, it is essential to keep an open mind. Something like this can quickly become overwhelming:

Try to stay focused and pick up broad pieces you can easily incorporate into your own home. Items I regularly look for at a second hand store include: vases, china, storage bins, frames, lamps, mirrors and linens. I also have found my fair share of amazing chairs, but it is important to inspect the fabric really well to make sure there are no tears or small holes, which could be an indicator of bugs. Whenever I bring anything home from a thrift store, I ALWAYS soak items really well, wash linens twice, and shampoo/steam clean and vacuum covered items such as chairs and couches.

About 99% of what I pick up at thrift stores, I change with paint or fabric, but occasionally you can find a true diamond in the rough. The point is, try to imagine something in a different color or texture. For example, these frames look like total trash, but recovered and repainted, they are suddenly wall ready. (Sorry about that flash reflection).

I love Restoration Hardware, West Elm and Anthropologie as much as anyone, but who can really afford their stuff? By using great furniture stores as inspiration and shopping thrift, you can achieve a very similar look for much, much less. And you can even afford to change things up when you get sick of them.

Make sure to tune in next week when I reveal how these thrifted items are now making themselves at home in my apartment. Also, I have some really exciting news to share with you guys tomorrow, so stop in and join the fun!

Follow me on twitter @trimandtailored, and don't hesitate to email me with any questions or ideas at trimmedandtailored@gmail.com.