Decorating: Second Hand Style {+ a brief MIA}

By Chelsea

Alright, friends; it's about to quiet down here on the blog for a short bit. As we've been sharing over the past week or so, Cate and I are working on our new DIY resource blog, Style Mutt! We'll be using much of this coming month to work on the site and hope to have some fun sneak peeks to share with you soon! I'm sure a few posts will trickle in here and there over the next few weeks, but they'll be irregular. We'll sure miss you but feel that taking a little time off from publishing posts will enable us to make some big steps forward with Style Mutt. We can hardly wait!

And not to be sidelined, we are so delighted to report that we also have our first design project together! When a super sweet, fun and spunky gal contacted us to help makeover her English basement, we knew a really exciting door was opening. Over the past few weeks the three of us have been brainstorming style aesthetics, design logistics, and are moving forward with tackling each element on the checklist. We will absolutely be sharing projects with you here and there and are looking forward to a full before / after reveal once the job is complete!

Cate and I feel that one of our strengths as a design team is finding chic, quality used pieces. We thrift, sure, but we have a particularly sharp eye for pieces that reach a standard of quality and style. For this English basement project we will certainly be doing a fair share of thrifting; looking for one of a kind, cool pieces that meet both the expectation of quality as well as style. These pieces may be found on Craigslist, at thrift stores, flea markets, and the like.

I've been wanting to share a little example of something that could be 'thrown together' using only second hand pieces. With just an hour yesterday afternoon, I scoured Craigslist, finding beautiful pieces at fair, secondhand prices, and created a hypothetical 'Craigslisted Living Room':

Okay, so I added a small handful of decorative knick-knacks, (including my favorite pillow by Cushion Cut Decor Here is a 1000% Craigslisted living room:

Pretty sweet, right?! Every single item above was currently available for sale, (by various sellers), in the Washington D.C. / Northern Virginia area as of yesterday afternoon. I didn't double anything that wasn't being sold as a pair, and only used photos listed in the ads. Obviously, it's always important to go and see a used piece in person, but I think it's worth giving secondhand a chance! 

So, that's what Cate and I will be up to over the next month! Between Style Mutt and this English basement, we are so excited about sharing some fun projects when we come back! Please continue reaching out in post comments, Facebook, or via email with any suggestions you have for Style Mutt. Your input and advice is imperative!  

Thank you for stopping by and we'll be back soon!

~Chelsea 

Steve. {Thrift Store Find No. 3}

By Cate

Good news!  It's finally time to reveal the last mystery item from my fateful trip to the thrift store last Spring.  Ok, so if you've been following my guest posts here and here, you may recall that I went to the thrift store looking for bookends {which I still have not found for myself by the way} and ended up buying 3 completely not-on-my-shopping-list things: a cane-backed chair, a picture frame, and mystery item No. 3.  Ladies and Gentlemen, without further ado, may I introduce to you... Steve.

{His name is a nod to Chelsea's post on Ricky the metallic Rhino.}



Now when thrifting it is important to keep an open mind.  You never know what you will find to take home and transform so you can't just look at things for what they are.  Let's face it, everything looks a little gross in a thrift store - sitting on dusty shelves under florescent lights, inevitably sporting some form of sticker residue.  When you're thrifting, you need to look beyond the items for their potential.  

I noticed this brass deer amidst a shelf of knicknacks because it was shiny {my parents can attest to my crow-like sensibilities: always gravitating towards things that sparkle}.  Upon closer look I realized there were two holes in his noggin.  This was no Debby the Doe, this was a Steve the Stag - he was just missing his antlers.  Nothing a touch of whimsy and couple twigs couldn't fix.

Now he has a position of honor where he can nobly pose next to the chandelier terrarium on our credenza.

And I'm not the only one in love with Steve.  His metallic profile is trending everywhere:

Here he is on some illustrious Anthropologie wallpaper.

And with a lady friend on One Kings Lane.

And even making a cameo appearance on Etsy via this lovely gilded portrait.

So when you're sorting through the flotsam and jetsam at your local thrift store, remember to keep an open mind to what you see.  You might find something you could love if you put your own spin on it.

And there you have it!  A happy addition to my credenza's vignette and No. 3 installation to this thrift store mystery series.

Also, this is what's happening right now as I type.  {And yes, he's dead asleep in that position}.

Happy Wednesday,

~ Cate

Thrift store decorating

"All objects, once held, have a memory or story of where, when, 

and who you were with when you found them.

You are the curator of your collections: 

edit, be selective, picky, or accommodating.

These are the objects that make sense to you."

"A collection doesn't need to be justified..."

Sibella Court, Stylist and fellow Bowerbird :)

I wouldn't call myself a collector of anything. I am never searching for a particular kind of object or brand over and over again. But when I walk into a thrift store, I feel like I automatically put on a specific lens through which I see things. My eyes always hit things that are teal or aqua - always - and then things that are just simply unique and interesting to me. Whether it be an object that's just perfectly aged or a piece of pottery in cool, earthy tones, I like what I like and sound like an idiot when trying to explain why, (just ask my sweet husband). Anyway, it never takes long at a thrift store. I am in and out within minutes, either empty handed or with a handful of items, (and my three usually patient little ones). It feels simple now; to walk in and use my special 'sifting' lens, quickly determining objects worthy or unworthy of a ride home with us...worthy or unworthy of their $2.95 price tag. No matter the outcome in the end of a quick thrift store run, I always start the same way - with expectations reigned in tight.

This week my expectations were exceeded.

Kicking things off:

I saw this Ikea rug on my way out of the thrift store the day before, but since I had gotten my kids' momentum heading out the door, there was really no turning back to check it out. I drove back first thing in the morning the next day, checked the price, leaped for joy, then brought it home for our bedroom. Our bedroom started off super light and airy when we first settled in, but lately I've been wanting to shake things up with a few snaps of black here and there. We are also quite fortunate to have a bedroom set which has been passed through at least 4 generations, (as far as I know). The pieces are grand and masterful in every way. Without wanting to take away from their magnificence, I've been adding a few modern touches in our bedroom which I think set the right balance of old and new.

I block printed these lampshades last fall and it's one of my favorite improvements on our bedroom! How-to here.

Next find of the week: 

These 4 solid oak dining chairs. Sturdy as can be, the size I have been looking for, and I was completely taken with the natural lines and 'pattern' of the wood. Plus, they are SO rustic - a quality that has really appealed to me lately. Bigger plus, they were cheap. And I mean dirt cheap. The dining chairs that match with the table are beautiful, but the upholstered seats were embarrassingly dirty after each meal with the little ones.  Without fabric seats, I can simply wipe them clean without pulling out all the stops to remove such stains as strawberries and marinara sauce. **Mom, I'm going to clean the bejeebers out of those upholstered seats and store them for you in case you ever want them again!**

And then: 

This cool tea light holder, (the glass star like sculpture). It's just interesting to me. Someday I may use it as it was meant to be, but today I like it simply on display on an old/new bookshelf that I'll show you soon!

What got the ball rolling: 

An old teal bookend. It looks like it's seen better days with all the nicks and chips, but I didn't even think twice when I added it to my bag. It is so perfectly imperfect. It's the first object I grabbed this week and if my luck stopped there, I would have been ever so content.

What made me stop and think a sec: 

This black wire basket. It had absolutely nothing wrong with it and I've been looking for some interesting, somewhat rustic looking baskets lately. Picked it up. Put it back, then picked it up and didn't stop until I got to the register. I think this is one of those things that will get used a different way when I want a change on a whim.

Once I reached the register:

I found this opened bag of pine cones and nuts. So out of season, but I liked the earthy colors. The green glass bowl was another steal that I didn't hesitate to take. I've really never seen anything like it. It's stunning!

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What a week! Aside from some great luck at the thrift store this past week, I also did some pretty major rearranging in our living room. A post on that later :)

Thank you so much for reading!

~Chelsea