If you’ve ever sniffed at this blog, then you know I have a deep affinity for scouring estate sales, antique stores and thrift stores for diamonds in the rough. All over my house(s) lie shiny turds that I’ve polished into golden nuggets. Like these guys:
(BARNWOOD FRAME, $10, via a pile in some antique store. DRESSER, $125, via Habitat for Humanity in Mt. Pleasant, SC.)
(BUFFET before version via a Salvation Army somewhere in Columbus, OH that I should’ve NE-VER walked into without a bulletproof vest, $25)
(BUFFET after version – see it behind the settee! – in my C-bus dining room. The table was $30 on Craigslist and I refinished it the night before Thanksgiving Day one year for extra seating… gold tipped flutes were $0.50 from Goodwill… you get the idea.)
(VINTAGE DRESSER, $40 via High Street consignment shop in C-bus, sandblasted and shellac’d in green.)
…you get the idea. It pays to go thrifting! It had been awhile since I’d ventured out and waded through piles of misfit furniture, or had one of those perfectly indulgent fiddle-faddling weekends, so that’s what I did: made zero plans except to sleep in, take Gus dog to the beach, go to yoga, drink a whole pot of coffee while I get lost in the glistening sea of Pinterest, peruse the Cedros Design District, hit up Mexican + Margs with a girlfriend… then hit a gaggle of new thrift stores on Sunday. Those kind of weekends are to me what March Madness is to dudes – utter bliss. Anyhow – kids (!) Purell your hands & put on your big girl pants – cuz we’re going thrifting.
CEDROS DESIGN DISTRICT, Solana Beach
First, let’s clarify: there’s nothing entirely thrifty about this little North County slice of heaven – peppered with vintage finds and John Robshaw pillows and sparkly gems – but it’s a good source of inspiration, and it’s where I spent my Saturday afternoon. Plus Solo was having their annual sale, so that counts… sorta.
–SOLO–
I bought that vintage “pas de bon cafe sans chicoree williot” jar. $88 $20.
I need to find candlesticks just so I can pop some of these pretty tapers in them.
Salvaged metal turned cool frame. Solid addition to any Bachelor Pad.
These are kinda funky but a friend of mine in Charleston used to make them, too. They’re decorative vinyl “rugs” – perfect if you have a rental with a godawful/unsightly, say, kitchen floor you can’t do anything to overcome. Just cover it up with one of these. I think they were about $45.
The sweetest little peanut who wanted to take Gus home with her.
Little hearts to corral your jewelry on the bedside table. Or coins. Or gold teeth – whateva.
I always scour Solo for kantha quilts, since they did me so proud on the prettiest one I ever saw that I made into euro pillows. This bluesy denim-hued one was cool, but pricey at $148.
PS – this is also the place where we got the Bolivian blanket to re-do Karrie’s dining chairs in. Did you miss that post? Here she blows.
Kinda greyish/kinda greenish seeded glass margarita glasses.
Kewl tumblers.
Sharon & Gus also fell in love – right by the back door and the Bolivian blankets. She’s one of the sweet ladies who works at Solo.
Favorite sighting of the day. These glorious occasional cane chairs. Which would be perfect anywhere… opposite a living room sofa, as host chairs in a dining room, in the window in a bedroom with a little footstool. I die.
Love the shape and patina of these wood trays.
The Wall of Robshaw never disappoints. I usually just walk in that little vignette and stare at it awhile. The kaleidoscope of color is also a reminder that sometimes, when you put together all the things you love in one space, it just works. And the curtains don’t *always* have to match the drapes if you know what I mean.
That chair + that pillow = serenity.
-BRICK LANE-
…the little shop next to Lockwood Table – always good to peruse while you’re waiting to be sat for brunch. They have a good selection of kanthas as well (a huge stack)… some are new – which also means they’re stiffer/not as soft, and that they haven’t been washed a million times and the color could bleed or fade, so I skip those and go for the vintage ones.
Hey Gus – make yourself at home, buddy.
I found this one at the bottom of the stack. The colors are perfection, and it’s gorgeous on both sides – usually kanthas are fugly on at least one side. This is one of the best ones I’ve ever seen.
I bought it thinking I’d upholster something with it, but I think I’m gonna leave it as is at the foot of my bed. Oh hey Gus! Comfy? Can I get you a cocktail?
If you haven’t been to this little hidden gem that overlooks the Montgomery airport, you gotta put it on your list. If only for the jet fuel margs and the carnitas tacos.
That’s my friend Hope before we hit up the Mexican joint (note how gorgeous she is sans makeup). Gus feels like he has to clobber her every time she comes over. Also super pumped that he dug for treats in the dirty clothes basket to bring her.
This place is a good little staple that should be in everyone’s diet. Not cheap but not unreasonable. Always has great finds. Someone should go snag these little mirrored cubes stat.
This is also the place where I found these cane chairs a few months back. See what I mean? The owner/buyer/whomever has a great eye.
This is one where you’ll wanna bust out your Purell, cuz yer gonna haftah dig and it may not be pretty. And it kinda smells like the mothballs in Grandma’s attic. But everything is currently 20% off of already reasonable prices. So there’s that.
I bought this 6-piece set of Midcentury campaign furniture (there’s also an armoire, headboard, and a chest of drawers). It was a STEAL. Plus it’s been awhile since I dusted off my power sander and pulled a Bob Vila, so I figured it was time.
Chair – about $69. That sucker’s begging to be spray painted and reupholstered.
Funky artwork / an easy addition to a gallery wall. I think this was <$10.
Demi-lune entry table, just over $100. If I needed one, this would’ve been a goody to revamp. But the finish is in great shape as is.
–MATTSON CO ESTATE LIQUIDATION & THRIFT–
I didn’t buy anything here, but there were a few cool pieces. It’s a consignment shop downstairs and a thrift store upstairs.
Asian brass coffee table, $150. I don’t need one, but it was definitely boss.
Antique walnut headboard. It wasn’t priced, but the ones around it were not $$. Maybe $25. I’d lacquer this thing in white and pop it in a sweet little girl’s room.
I mean, maybe if Cleopatra had a baby this would be fun hanging in a frame over the crib? I love the colors.
Antique armoire. There were a pair of these and this was the smaller of the two.
I think you would have to juxtapose this with something modern and a little edgy in the room to keep it from going too WWII era-Granny (like this baller Mid-Century Modern Lucite + String fella from Chairish, or some Tord Boontje garland lights hanging over the nightstands or something – know what I mean?)
Danish console, $1499. NOT a thrift store-esque price but solid, in great shape and definitely worth the $. About 90″ long which makes it a perfect living room console. They’re getting ready to have it professionally refinished, which will drive the price up some.
I was surprised to find a few antique Turkish Kilims there too. The light was funky in there so the photos don’t reflect how rich and gorgeous the colors really were.
That’s all I got! Hope you guys had a great weekend 🙂 I’ll keep you posted on my Geppetto-esque progress on the campaign furniture. I’m going to have to buy out Lowes’ stock of sandpaper, and probably rent out an industrial space to do it, but they’ll be fab when they’re finished!
xoxo,
