There is something satisfying about furnishing a home with pieces that have a little history behind them. And if you have ever wandered through a flea market or estate sale, you already know the thrill of spotting something wonderful for next to nothing.
Four interior designers say that feeling is exactly right. For certain items, they almost always choose secondhand over new. Here is what they look for and why.
1. Artwork
Designer Dusti Jones, founder of Dusti J Design, says vintage artwork can set the tone for an entire room. “Any piece with amazing shape, details or color can inspire an entire space or simply finish a room,” she says. She has found beautiful vintage prints and original pieces while shopping secondhand.
2. Decorative Accessories
Jones skips the big box store when hunting for accessories. She looks for frames, vases, candlesticks, books and even glass marbles at vintage shops. “I much prefer these accessories to the mass-produced, cheapened items so often seen today,” she says.
3. Lighting
Becca Meyer, founder of BB Meyer Design, loves the character that old lighting brings to a room. “Vintage lighting really adds wow factor and a unique layer to any design,” she says. She especially looks for sconces, table lamps and pendants, noting that older pieces tend to have more interesting shapes and craftsmanship.
Designer McKenzie Milhousen of By George Collective agrees. She often places a vintage lamp right on the kitchen counter. “They provide a really lovely ambiance when you don’t need full task lighting,” she says. She adds that patinated metals in hardware and lighting instantly make a space feel warmer.
4. Rugs
Meyer gravitates toward vintage rugs that show a little wear. “The wear is often what makes them special and it gives that relaxed and lived-in feeling,” she says. Covering a large floor space with a vintage rug, she adds, makes a high-impact statement in any room.
5. Wooden Furniture
Wood furniture is having a real moment right now, and Meyer says secondhand is the way to go. She looks for wooden side tables, consoles, dressers and small cabinets. “They tend to be better made than many newer options, and they introduce character without overwhelming the room,” she says.
She also loves mixing old and new. “I love the mix of an older wood piece against cleaner, more contemporary upholstery or architecture,” Meyer says. “You can’t beat it!”
6. Accent Seating
Milhousen considers a great vintage chair to be art in its own right. She says a little freshening up, new upholstery or an added cushion, is all it takes to make an old chair feel at home again. “A great vintage chair can really make a space feel storied through their lines, materials and patina,” she says.
7. Side Tables
Milhousen is a big fan of vintage side tables too. She says they help a room feel “layered and collected” rather than decorator-showroom perfect. And they are usually easy on the wallet, which never hurts.
8. Trays
Designer Rudy Arevalo of MacKenzie Collier Interiors says trays are one of the easiest and best vintage finds out there. Silver, wood, ceramic, glass; he says you can almost always find something useful and good-looking for a very fair price. “For the price they’re usually a deal,” he says.
9. Vases
Arevalo hunts for vases at thrift stores and yard sales. He finds that a preloved vase is often just as lovely as a brand-new one, sometimes more so. Fill it with fresh flowers and you have got a beautiful little moment in any room.
10. Decorative Figurines
A vintage statue or bust adds personality to any shelf or tabletop grouping. Arevalo says secondhand is always the right call for this kind of piece. He recommends looking for items made from real stone or brass. “They’re much more unique and interesting than buying new,” he says.
So the next time you are thinking about freshening up a room, consider making a morning of it at your local flea market or estate sale. You just might find exactly what you were looking for and a few things you did not even know you needed.