Apartment Living | Sustainable Style
Thrifted home decor is a great way to add a unique touch to your space while sticking to a budget. With social media and influencers it feels like individual style has been lost and everyone is buying the same things to decorate their homes. Buying thrifted home decor pieces will ensure that you are sticking to your own style and keeping an open mind about items for your home.
My rule for thrifted home decor is to stick with items that can be wiped down or washed. Generally, you want to stay away from thrifting upholstered furniture unless you can remove the covers to wash them or they are in really good shape. Fortunately, most of your home decor is not upholstered and can be thrifted! Think along the lines of vases, tables, lighting, candle holders, coasters.
While you are searching for thrifted home decor it is easy to get overwhelmed because thrift stores tend to feel very cluttered so it is important to have an idea of what you are looking for. This post will go over tips and ideas for what kind of thrifted home decor to look for.
The best places to find thrifted home decor online:
Candle sticks are a super easy way to elevate your space and add some warm lighting They are always in the thrift store. Look for chrome, colored glass, wood, or an accent color for your candle sticks rather than gold. Try to stick with a more modern silhouette for candlesticks to keep your decor looking fresh.
Ashtrays are such a cool and classic item to add to your decor even if you don’t smoke. I use mine for friends or matches and it is always coming in handy. For an ashtray you should either go super modern or go with a vintage branded ashtray like in the picture above.
Cool vases are probably the easiest thing to find at the thrift store. Having vases to swap in and out of your home decor line up is a simple way to refresh your space when you need it. Look for unique vase designs, interesting textures and patterns, and/or accent colors when thrifting vases.
Thrift stores are always overflowing with books! You should absolutely thrift your coffee table books because they are so much cheaper and have options you may have not considered if you looked online. I usually can find interesting travel, photography, design, and architecture books when thrifting.
Nightstands are a great item to buy second hand for your bedroom. Furniture these days does not seem to be built to the same quality as a decade ago so when it comes to wood pieces you can usually find something of higher quality second hand for the same price or less. Using your online resources like Facebook Market, Chairish, or Etsy will likely be better option than a thrift store for larger furniture items.
Sconces are always cooler when they are secondhand. Etsy has sooo many vintage sconce sellers that will be so much cheaper than buying new ones from CB2 or West Elm.
Any small dish can be turned into a jewelry dish which is why they are a great item to thrift. Find a unique ceramic that speaks to you and keep it as your jewelry dish.
Vintage second hand lamps are definitely the way to go if you want something mid century modern or unique for your space. Again, online sources like Etsy and Facebook market place are going to be the best option for finding unique lamps. However, you never know when you will get lucky in a thrift store!
When you are balling on a budget you should thrift your picture and art frames. While getting custom framing looks really nice, it is super expensive. Thrift your frames and buy mats from Micheals or online to go with the frame to make it look more put together and expensive.
Every space needs bowls as drop zones around house for thinks like keys, hair ties, coins, and other clutter. Cool bowls are also great if you have open shelving. Thrifting cool ceramic or wooden handmade looking bowls is pretty easy! I thrifted this set of wooden bowls at a goodwill and I am obsessed with them!
Pottery like mugs, bowls, cups, planters, trays are very common in thrift stores. The look of unique mismatched pottery is something to strive for and thrifting it is the way to do it.
Thrift stores ALWAYS have a large selection of glassware and within that selection you can usually find a few good things. For glassware look for more modern silhouettes or colored glass.
Thrift stores always have coasters and they are usually under $5 for a set. You can easily upcycle or DIY coasters as well.
Get a vintage or second hand coffee table for your apartment. These are best found online on FB marketplace, eBay, Chairish, or 1st dibs. If it is a wood coffee table you can refinish it pretty easily.
Rugs are crazy expensive so they are a good item to find second hand! Things to consider when buying a rug second hand is if the previous owner had pets and if they were a smoker because these two things may leave a rug in poor condition.
Side tables are an awesome item to thrift especially on Etsy. If you want a chrome or midcentury table second hand you can find them on FB marketplace and Etsy.
Buy and cheap bed frame and pair it with a thrifted headboard that is easy to reupholster. This is a very money efficient way to elevate and customize your bed set up.
Having oil and vinegar dispensers displayed on your counter looks very classy and adulty. Luckily, these can easily be DIYed and thrifted. Get some tinted vintage-looking bottles and buy these bottle tops online. You will have yourself a very fancy and unique oil dispenser. A great thrift store find repurposed!
If you want large art pieces in your home but don’t want to spend a lot of money then you need to thrift large canvases and make some art yourself! Even if a canvas is already painted on, you can just paint over it.
Chairs are the best thing to find secondhand whether it’s a bar stool, a lounger chair, or dining room chairs. It even looks cool to have thrifted dining room chairs that are mix-matched.
If you want cool mid century modern lighting then you have to thrift it. Go on Etsy and search for ‘ vintage mid century light” and I promise you find options that are cheaper and way cooler than what you can buy in a store like CB2.
Mirrors are a great item to thrift, especially large mirrors, because they tend to be pretty expensive when bought new. You will find a lot of ornate framed mirrors when thrifting on FB marketplace or at vintage stores so if that is your style then look for mirrors on your next thrift trip!
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like this post on the best Etsy shops for vintage home decor!
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