We photographed a great apartment this week (House Tour coming tomorrow!) filled with tons of style and almost nothing in it was purchased new. In fact, the owners said the item count of "bought new at a retail store" is only 4!
The rest was from thrift stores, Craig's List, scavenged from the great alleys of Chicago, handmade or handed down from family and friends. It got us thinking about where we acquired our furniture, and we realized we are probably at around 50% new/50% new-to-us.
Shortly after I bought my house, a friend's mom asked me what my "style" was.
"Things I find used or pick off the treelawn," I replied.
I'm at about 50%, but only because of neccessity - I still have the hand-me-downs that people gave me when I was just starting out on my own. It's gradually being filtered out. It would go faster if I could get rid of the guilt I would feel replacing my grandmother's chairs, which are so not stylish, with some Ghost chairs.
For me part of the fun of AT and other design sites/blogs is scanning for inspiration and then heading out to see if I can't build something akin. And if something doesn't work out as I had hoped I can always put a bow on it and pass it off to a friend.
I'd say I'm about 50/50, maybe 60/40. Some things are new, some things are hand-me-downs, some old, some craigslisted. But definitely the items in my home that I'm most connected to are the older, used items, even more so if it came from family. I don't think I'll be too sentimental when I finally say goodbye to my ikea couch!
We've had some great hand me downs and used stuff.
A friend of ours gave us a red, green and yellow children's Herman Miller table with three matching chairs and matching rocking chair. It is really cute and in reseaching it, I think it's hard to find these now.
We also bought a dining room table that seats 6-10 (depending on how many leaves you insert) for only $30. It's heavy dark wood with some gaudy ornate legs(total highfalutin' French wannabe stuff) but we're planning on stripping it, staining it white and pairing with white Eames Eiffel Plastic Side Chair as a nice contrast.
There's something really rewarding about finding that great treasure that someone has overlooked, left you or has ignore its potential.
I have to be honest and say that most of our stuff is purchased new. I don't like that fact, but the truth is that it is easier for me to purchase stuff online or from a store. Or we just make do without.
Craigslist, secondhand stores, etc. just seem to take so much more time, something we don't have a lot of these days. (Though it is not like we have tons of money either.) And I have never seen anything left in the alley that I thought I could use--maybe it's a lack of creativity on my part.
Anyway--any tips or advice that you scavengers have would be much appreciated. Best places to go, best days to go, approaches, etc.
From a scavenger-wannabe
ANother scavenger wanna-be here.
I've always had a really hard time with 'eclecticism' - shopping at TJ maxx is even hard for me. I need things to be organized and merchandised well in order to buy them, or be with friends who will validate my choices, while I must also be in the mood and have the money to spare.
I've lucked out with a few things:
*antique library table with brass feet for the dining room
*antique Heywood Wakefield school desk (1940's) operating as a media center in the living room
*vintage dresser that my husband refinished in the guest room
*vintage "golden wheat" dishes from the 40's-60's - from my grandmother.
We don't really have much else though - bed, couch, chair and small table/chair set all bought new (but cheaply, we furnished our house for under $3000), guest bed bought new 15 years ago...linens usually bought on sale or when I can splurge...
At this point in my life, I feel like I've paid enough scavenging/hand-me-down/thrifing dues to be able to enjoy the thrill of new things. Maybe I was a bad scavenger, or maybe I scavenged bad (stinky) stuff--but then again, a lot of the "found" stuff was never really chosen out of love, but necessity. I now take a lot pride in being able to buy something fresh, clean, and new. And I'm not ashamed!
My best scavenger find:
I was walking home past a Starbucks in the Loop around 8 pm on a weeknight. I was a wee bit surprised to see activity in that Starbucks, as they usually close at 7 pm in the Loop, when I noticed that guys were moving in and out furniture. Turned out that they were "updating" the furniture -- swapping out old for new stuff. I asked what would happen to the old furniture, and they offered me some on the spot! I lived across the street at the time, so I jumped on their offer and ended up with two cafe table tops, six wooden chairs, and two velvet overstuffed wing chairs. The wing chairs were cleaned and slipcovered, the wood chairs are my dining chairs, and the cafe table tops are end tables in my living room...
And another thing! How can you NOT buy new when there are so many talented people producing so much awesome stuff? Damn you, design*sponge, decor8, and the like! There is so much I want to buy, buy, buy! It's all you thrifters and scavengers who are killing the economy!
(Just kidding ... kind of ... about the economy thing, not the talent thing)
Devon, it's called "I have no money." Seriously.
Virginia, I had so hoped that would happen to me! I loved those Starbucks velvet chairs. You lucky girl!
For wannabes--a lot of it depends on how good your general area is for finding old/used stuff. But also--don't just hit the thrifts or the shops. See if there's any white elephant sales or historical society sales in your area. I still mourn the loss of the Cleveland Bontanical Gardens White Elephant Sale. And it requires a certain open mindedness. I accumulated my stuff over 8+ years. Surprisingly, it all goes together and I like it, but it's a jumble of styles and price points. Also don't turn stuff down. I am the queen of recycling stuff for other people.
atomic, i'm totally with you (i'm an editor, you're a librarian--publishing of any sorts = no $); hence my "just kidding" caveat. i totally respect you and others who can root out the good in all the evil. not ruffling feathers, i swear! :)
Oh Devon, no problem! None taken and I hope I wasn't sounding rude or touchy. Just sometimes reading here I get a little frustrated because I have no money (mostly I have no money because I have a house) and I feel like the poor girl out. Ikea or used and DIY is my price point, and I'm not ashamed of that.
With the exception of electronic gadgets (stereo, computer), all the big additions to my apt have been used items from CL or vintage shops (4 dining chairs, 5-tier metal lawyer bookcase, little red desk, funky metal cabinet, glass-door gov't surplus bookcase).
It's not really intentional - I have a little disposable $. But if I'm going to buy new and spend $500-1000, whatever it is had better be *perfect* for me.
Consequently, I find a lot of things on CL that cost *much* less and are *almost* perfect - so CL tends to win the day. Plus I can shop via my computer. I don't have to actually drive around town.
I probably won't buy used upholstery pieces, though...
Oh Atomic Librarian, I can so relate. Don't feel like the poor girl out!
My best CraigsList find: An Eames lounge with ottoman for nothing. (think less than a 60gb iPod)
My best scavenge: An old ladder that I converted into a coffee table and then sold for quite a bit (think about 3x a 60bg iPod)
My best thrift: A slightly dirty 9'x11' flokati for nothing (less than an iPod case) (now cleaned btw)
My worst: a beautiful Mid century danish lounge chair that looked amazing and seemed to be in excelent condition save a bit of wear etc. My cat took a particular interest in the chair- more so than normal. About a wek after bringing it inside (it was beginning to approach winter) I began to take it appart to reupholster it only to find why my cat was so fond of said chair: a family of dead mice in the the folds.
EWwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!! Oh Julian, that is just awful!!!
atomic, I'm about to enter the realm of home ownership (condo ownership, even worse--or better--take your pick) and I'm so scared that I'll never ever be able to afford anything again! "Saving" money on rent allowed a tiny bit of extra fun money, but I think I'll kiss that goodbye with a mortgage for sure. I know it's all worth it in the end, though! Keep reminding myself ...
And rich or poor, Ikea still rocks. Somehow it takes on a whole new meaning when you have your own place! Their home remodeling stuff is a total steal!
I'm actually excited by all the DIY prospects that come with home ownership too. Maybe my inner scavenger will be resurrected!! Renting has perhaps dulled my sensitivity to all that can be achieved for free (or very little).
90% used. Not all entirely by choice, there are some new things I'd like, but I *love* some of my free finds.
I do still sometimes worry about "how it looks" but really all my compunctions about trash-picker fade in the face of, for example, a free brand-new, tags still on, 9'x11 Oriental rug.
Devon, it's really scary to be a homeowner but also very freeing. I'm glad I bought when I did (early 2001) because with the insanity now I'd be completely paralyzed. So good luck! And even if you have no money now, circumstances change--I really stretched for my house, but 5 years later the financial fit is more comfortable.
you know, I clicked on 75% and then went and did a little tally around my house and it's much closer to the 90%. Yeah, it doesn't all have the greatest style and it may not make the pages of a fancy magazine, but it's comfortable, and living in such a manner allows me to go to school and not worry (very much) about money. Don't mean to sound self-righteous because that's not intended, and probably in the future when I'm an actual librarian (hi Atomic!) with a decent salary there'll be some more thought and $$ that goes into decor, but some of my best stuff is either freecycled, from CL or hand-me-downs. And, I'm currently sitting next to the wire-rack/restaurant (not Metro) shelving that we found in an alley last year that is gorgeous and amazing.
I'm at 50% and those are the pieces I wouldn't part with, like my coffee table and bedside table. When I painted them, I took great care. I have two more pieces to do, a secretary desk that I use as a dresser and an armoire that I put together from a kit. I've been debating the colors for years because I want them to be just right.
Like Lisa, some of my used pieces are from family, and have special meaning. I have my favorite uncle's dressers and bedside table that I remember him having when I was just a little girl. They're not good looking, believe me. But they remind me of him so I will keep them for a long time no doubt. When my mom died a few years ago, I asked for two things of hers. One is an antique ironing board and the other is a saddle stitching bench. Both are very special to me as I remember them being in the home I grew up in, and they do look attractive in my living room/dining room areas. I also have an old bookcase that belonged to my grandmother. (again, not pretty, but special)
Other great used pieces are my husband's rolltop desk (consignment store), our 500-bottle wine cabinet (Craigslist), and my office desk (friend). Ok, now that I'm really thinking of it, I answered the survey wrong! I should have chosen 90%! Ha ha... oh well.