Even the Plants Are Thrifted in This 80-Year-Old Rental Apartment
Even the Plants Are Thrifted in This 80-Year-Old Rental Apartment
“I remember when I first moved to Charlotte, I would drive around some of the historic neighborhoods and was drawn to these brick ‘fourplex’ (or quadplex) apartment buildings. I always wanted to see inside one, and somehow I got lucky and stumbled upon my current apartment, which is in a fourplex built in the early 1940s,” begins Laura Yacoubian, who’s been sharing this 700-square-foot apartment with her cat, Snowbelle.
“I’ve loved collecting things secondhand since I was young. Aside from some cookware, all of my furniture, wall art, linens, trinkets, rugs, and even my plants have been found secondhand. I started going to thrift stores when I was very young, and around early middle school, I began to find furniture and wall art that I thought was cool. I would bring pieces back to my parents’ house. Thankfully, they were supportive of this, and I’ve never stopped!” writes Laura, who describes her current home’s style as “warm, unfussy, bright, Southwestern.”
Laura’s advice for finding incredible secondhand gems is threefold. She suggests waking up early to go to estate sales (“estatesales.net is where I find them”). And she has a unique approach to thrifting at stores. “In my experience, many thrift stores often feel picked over and make it impossible to find cool things. Try looking in sections at thrift stores that you wouldn’t normally hit first, like the linens and bedding racks and the books section.”
“Do not invest in a vintage rug that is not 100% wool,” she also advises. “Learn to spot the difference between handwoven vs. machine-woven! I love old rugs, but understanding the difference is something I’ve learned fairly recently.”
Thanks, Laura!
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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