How To Style Your Home With Second-Hand Steals
Shopping sustainably can be overwhelming and confusing. Does organic mean sustainable? What about greenwashed brands? This gets even more challenging when sourcing pieces for your home. On one hand, buying everything brand new isn’t the most sustainable choice, but finding cute and cohesive styles that fit into your space in a sustainable way? In a word: difficult.
Since I moved from Phoenix to Portland and majorly downsized my life last year, I’ve focused on slow decorating, or the idea that my place (currently a 620 square-foot apartment that I adore) is a blank slate, and I am leisurely filling it with things that I love. Instead of ordering a rug online as soon as I moved in, I checked out our local second-hand store a few times. When searching for new art, I usually go straight for garage sales. People often ask how I get everything to match, or how I find such specific pieces, or if I could have just gotten that on Amazon. With some practice and a little luck, I think anyone can transform their space in a more sustainable way through thrifting and second hand shopping. Today I want to share some personal tips & tricks for styling your home sustainably, no matter your space, style, or rising moon sign.
1. Manifest it, baby. Keep a list of items on your phone that you are currently searching for, find Pinterest pictures of “The Perfect Space,” and use those as a reference on your thrift hunts. Or embrace the magic of The KonMari Method and just let it spark joy.
2. Always check for Pyrex glassware, cast iron goods, ceramic, copper, brassware, or any other high quality decor items. A current trend is buying “ugly” thrift store vases and spray painting them to look like high end pottery. Depending on your personal style, what is considered a thrift store treasure is really up to you!
3. Also always check frames, art, rugs, and even textiles! As long as most things are in decent condition, this area can be a literal goldmine. Interesting art can almost always be found at thrift stores, garage sales, and estate sales - and who knows, maybe you’ll find a hidden gem. Pillows can also be bought for cheap and used as inserts in other, trendier cases.
4. Thoroughly check the condition of every item before you buy it. Flip it over. Check the inside. Is it scratched? Does it need to be refinished or professionally cleaned? Is it made out of high quality materials? When thrifting, just because an item is inexpensive, doesn’t mean you should compromise on quality. By being choosy on condition and quality, you will avoid buying items just based on emotion and instead bring home pieces that can be loved for years.
5. Determine a color-way or an inspirational era, or even just a vibe for what you want your space to look and feel like, and then seek out items that fit within that idea. Don’t worry about pieces matching! As long as you are choosing pieces you LOVE, you will create your own unique style and ideal space.
