This TikToker Turned a Thrifted Aquarium into an Impressive Candle Centerpiece

Written by

Olivia Harvey
Olivia Harvey
Olivia Harvey is a freelance writer and award-winning scriptwriter from outside Boston, Massachusetts. She’s a big fan of scented candles, getting dressed up, and the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley. You can make sure she’s doing okay via…read more
published Apr 16, 2023
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Next time you’re at the thrift store, check the miscellaneous shelf for an old aquarium. If you love modern, contemporary design, then this aquarium can be upcycled into a giant hurricane glass for your patio table. What looks like a centerpiece that cost you hundreds will probably only set you back about $10.

“When I spotted [this aquarium] thrifting, it had a couple of cracks in the little black trim,” TikTok user Sarah Teresinski (@redeux_style) said in an April 6 video. “But I knew I could fix that with electrical tape. So I brought it home, [gave it] a good scrub out and disinfecting, and then I also collected some pea gravel from the landscape in my front yard just to lay on the bottom.” 

She then polished up the glass with some glass cleaner and taped up those cracks to make the black trim look as good as new. You can also spray paint this trim a different color if you don’t love the existing hue. Just tape off the glass with some newspaper and spray away.

“I went ahead and put that pea gravel I collected in the bottom,” Teresinski said, and then she arranged various white candles on top of the gravel. Instead of gravel, you can use sand or even colored sea glass from the craft store, depending on the look you’re going for. And get creative with your candles, too. “I love white candles, I love the way they look through glass,” Teresinski said. 

“I just thought this would be so fun to put on our big table outside,” she said. “No one likes a candle going out when the wind blows. But you could use it inside as well.” She also said that you can fill the aquarium with succulents or even a seashell collection, too, which could be a fun thing to do during the off-season when you’re not using your patio.

“So definitely don’t overlook those aquariums at the thrift store,” Teresinski said. It might just change your entire patio for the better.