Second Hand Furniture (and other great stuff)

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It’s Yard Sale and Flea Market season!

And if you’ve been around here for more than a hot minute,

you can probably tell that I love a good flea market

or yard sale

or thrift store

or estate sale…

The other day, I was looking around my house and noticing all the things I have that are second-hand.

And let me tell ya — it’s a lot!

(and that’s just what’s out during our remodel!)

I’m not sure what it is for me that’s so appealing about used stuff —

Maybe it’s the thrill of the hunt

or the surprise of finding a treasure

or maybe I just love getting something on the cheap!

But whatever it is

I love decorating with second-hand furniture and gently used or vintage pieces!

So today I thought I would show you some of my favorite second-hand treasures:

FLEA MARKET FINDS

I love this wall-mounted coat rack made from a drawer front that I found at a vintage flea market. You can read more about it HERE. The hat is from a thrift store and I found the tree branch in the street after a wind storm. And Mr. Redoux has had this vintage water bottle since the sixties.

These vintage mirrors are from a flea market.

I stenciled this one and put it in our guest bath. You can see the tutorial HERE.

The stone pillar on the table, vintage gold frame and rusted enamel pot are all flea market finds.

The metal letter ‘D’ on the shelf above my desk is a flea market find. The filing cabinets we transformed into this desk were hand-me-downs from a friend. And the Humanscale desk chair is also second-hand furniture. See how we made this desk HERE

And this vintage fan and phone…

From a flea market!

Read the story behind this bookshelf makeover HERE

YARD SALE AND ESTATE SALE TREASURES:

I scored this vintage mirror at a yard sale…

This vintage ‘No Vacancy’ sign is one of my all-time favorite Estate Sale finds! And I found the little bench and the straw hat at yard sales.

This vintage bucket is also a favorite Estate Sale find.

I stumbled across this vintage embroidered linen tablecloth in the last hour of an Estate Sale.

This is what I did with it:

See how I turned it into pillowcases HERE

This is an old wooden ladder I ran into at an Estate Sale. I took it apart and this is the back of it. It’s perfect for hanging throws and baskets on.

I bought this chair and ottoman from a friend at her yard sale. Over the years I’ve made 4 different slipcovers for them. The trunk is another hand-me-down that Mr. Redoux has had since the sixties and the mirror on the back wall is from a thrift store.

THRIFT STORE GOODIES:

Thrift stores and consignment stores are great places to find second-hand furniture.

This oak table with spindle legs is a thrift store find

I got this dresser from Goodwill for $10! It’s Bassett and really good quality. I painted it and Mr. Redoux repaired the two bottom pulls. Such a deal!

This buffet is from one of my favorite consignment stores.

It used to look like this. I love to take traditional second hand furniture and give it a little non-traditional twist like painting it a subtle gray color.

This table is from a used furniture store.

And this is what we did with a little stripper, elbow grease and paint. Much better, right?? See the transformation HERE

This thrift store mirror…

…turned into this with just a little paint

Get inspiration on styling a French market basket HERE

I also love finding little accent pieces second-hand.

This Mikasa china sugar bowl with lid was $1 at a thrift store! I store my everyday jewelry in it at night.

And this ceramic pitcher? Yep! Thrift store…

I’ve gotten hats…

Dishes…

And candle holders…

At the thrift store.

But probably my most favorite way to get second-hand stuff is to get it from someone near and dear to me. There’s just something special about having things in my home that belonged to my mom or my grandmother or my mother-in-law. These are the things that I love because they were first loved by them. They’re the things that have a story…

HAND-ME-DOWN STUFF

This wooden chest was my mom’s. It’s from the 1930s and she kept it in her bedroom where she sat on it every day to put her shoes on. I love having it in my living room where it reminds me of her every day.

See how to make this ombre heart pillow HERE

This oak plant stand used to belong to my mother-in-law. I loved the size and shape of it. But the finish…

… not so much

And now I love everything about it!

My sister-in-law gave us this pine dresser. It was really orange and had that funky musty smell. So I painted the inside with Kilz Interior Primer and the outside with chalk paint. Then I distressed it a little. It’s the first piece I painted with chalk paint and it’s perfect in our guest bedroom!