Why thrifted furniture is better...

Buying furniture pieces off of Facebook marketplace or from an antique / thrift store is probably up there on my list of favorite hobbies, specifically wooden furniture. Almost every room in our home boasts a secondhand something. Here’s why I personally do this & why I’ll always do this despite our budget along with a few tips for locking down some treasures of your own.

1. Cost; The number one most obvious reason for doing this in the first place is the cost. More often than not, you can lock down a piece of used furniture for anywhere between $10-$400 depending on what it is you’re in the market for! This was the case of our oval coffee table in our living room. I saw a brand new one (similar looking to the one we have) I loved online for over $350 but that wasn’t exactly what I wanted to spend. Que FB marketplace. After only 1 day of searching I found ours in my in-laws town for ….. wait for it ….. $10.00!!!!! That’s a steal. It’s solid wood. A lot of times I’ll sand & stain something that isn’t quite the color I want but I actually wanted a painted piece for this so I spent about 15 mins painting it with SW sealskin & voila! She’s a functional beauty! Don't come for me for painting wood, I would never paint a vintage piece but I could tell this was probably not made prior to the 90's. When it comes to the case of our pantry door, I actually spent weeks stripping paint from it to return it to it's former glory, so it all balances out. ;)

coffee table before & after

2. The quality; not everything secondhand is great of course but so many new furniture pieces today are manufactured with low quality materials. Furniture can be an investment piece & an item worth passing down if it’s something sustainable & sturdy. I always opt for a solid wood piece instead of something with a wooden veneer. This way it can be sanded down if needed from wear & tear. Wood filler can be used & I know it will last.

3. One of a kind pieces; Finding a true antique or vintage piece of furniture probably means it’s the few of its kind or maybe even a one of a kind treasure! This is fun because it’s not something anyone sees everywhere. It’s most likely rich in history & was handmade by someone that put a lot of sweat & love into it! This is definitely more on the sentimental side & speaks to an old soul so if that’s you, this is just an added fun element to thrifting & antiquing to me! Our dining room chairs are a perfect example of this. Because they were handmade, each chair is actually slightly different from the next one which I think gives them so much character!

Okay, now that you know you want to hunt down your own secondhand pieces to furnish your home with, here are some of my best tips.

1. Be persistent; If you've ever purchased off of FB Marketplace then you know it's sometimes hard to tell exactly what you're getting yourself into. Learn to spot the difference in quality from a good solid wood piece (which I always recommend) or one that was cheaply manufactured. Be persistent with the seller when asking questions about material, dimensions & condition. Honestly about 8 out of every 10 sellers is pretty good with this. I wish you all the luck on that end!

2. Be committed; If you're determined to find that ~one specific~ piece of furniture with the it factor you want for your space I would recommend you devote at least 20-30 minutes in the morning & also in the evening to checking marketplace each day until you do! Sellers list items that sell within the hour so it's worth it to keep checking back for new listings. The same goes for antique & thrift stores. You're most likely to find something if you visit the stores at minimum once a week.

3. Have an open mind; It's rare that I find a piece that I don't end up changing at least a little bit. I got lucky with our dining chairs, but our coffee table & foyer table both, I knew I'd have to paint. They had the shape I was looking for but not the color. And our kitchen hutch was *almost* perfect it just needed some glass knobs & ring pulls to date it back even further! Try to visualize the piece in your space the way it is then instantly start thinking about what you could change about it to make it that much better. If it has potential & it's in your budget, that sounds like a win in my world!

This hutch in our kitchen had wooden knobs when we bought it, we swapped them out for these and now she's perfect!

4. Train your search engine; This is specific to FB Marketplace of course but when searching for items, use key words for the style you're looking for in addition to the literal name of the item. Examples would be "mid-century armoire" or "vintage end table" This will show you items within that style realm more often when you check back. If you REALLY want all of the suggestions from FB, then on top of that I recommend "saving" any item that catches your eye, even if you don't plan to buy it. This will keep the system recommending similar items to you & you're more likely to find what you're looking for!

5. Don't settle; My mother-in-law and I searched for (not exaggerating) OVER 6 months to find the right hutch for our kitchen. This was a larger purchase; I knew what look I wanted (more importantly what look I didn't want), there were some logistics that needed to fall into place like size & a more open bottom since it'd be sitting over the only vent in our kitchen. This one was no easy feat but let me tell you, the joy I felt when we finally found the right one was through the roof and it was half the price I was willing to spend on one. WHAT?! Patience persevered here but ohhh the temptation to find a manufactured hutch that looked "vintage" from Wayfair. Don't just buy something to buy it. Wait for the perfect piece & stick to your budget, it's so worth it.

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Thanks for being here!

Most Sincerely, Carrie