Thrifting Home Decor: My Top FIVE Tips

Almost EVERYTHING in this space I thrifted. Solid wood chair- $3. Super heavy wooden desk- $40 then painted. Large framed artwork- $9. Old books- some as low as $1 each. Ya get the picture. I’m all about popping tags for not alotta cash.

You guys know I’m an avid thrifter. For me it’s all about the thrill of the hunt. Maybe it’s cause my husband was my first real boyfriend and I never got it out of my system in the dating world…. (haha, but not really, I’m actually super thankful to have met the man of my dreams in my first go around). What can I say? I just love going hunting for treasures. I really can’t think of anything that gets me as excited as scoring a deal on a great piece that I pay pennies on the dollar for what I know it is worth. It’s the best feeling. I wanted to share with you guys some of my top tips that I have learned along the way for getting the BEST value for your buck!

#1. Location Matters.

Take into account the demographic of the surrounding area. Think about WHO is dropping items off at that particular store. Go to the thrift stores or Goodwills in the more affluent areas. In general, people who are wealthier are more likely to donate their gently used pieces to their local thrift stores, rather than taking the time to sell them on their own. Are you looking for more traditional furniture? Maybe try a Goodwill in an area where a lot of older, wealthy, retired people live. If you’re looking for more trendy, current pieces go to a thrift store in an area of your city with a younger crowd. Which thrift stores you frequent MATTERS, so really think about what areas best fit your style and head there. It might be worth driving a little farther to land yourself in a better area for thrifting.

#2 Say “YES” to pieces that can be completely cleaned (wood, metal, glass, dishware, etc) and “NO” to upholstery.

When I’m thrifting, I think about what can be properly cleaned and sanitized. I LOVE finding furniture at thrift stores, especially when it’s wood or metal. That makes it super easy to bring it home, clean it, and even paint it if I want to. I do however say no to upholstery. Unless it’s really super clean and looks almost new, you just never know where pieces have been or why someone got rid of it.

Clothes are different, because you can throw them in the wash and they’re good as new! I love thrifting clothes. But you can’t throw a sofa in the wash, or a rug, or an armchair….I just can’t get those pieces clean enough to feel totally comfy in them. I also suffer from all kinds of allergies so any kind of residue from cats, mold, and dust really affects me. If it can’t be completely cleaned, I always pass.

#3 Weight also matters.

If you’re not sure how much something is worth or if it’s good quality or not- evaluate it on one simple question: how heavy is it? In general the heavier a piece is, the better quality it is and the more value it holds. Solid wooden furniture is one of my favorite things to hunt for. I’m ALWAYS on the look out for old wooden stools and my favorite piece of furniture that I own is a wooden sideboard that I thrifted at Goodwill for $20. When I see a piece of wooden furniture that I like the first thing I do is try to lift it. The heavier the better. The sideboard that I bought for $20 is so. damn. heavy. As soon as I tried to lift it and could hardly lift two legs off the ground, I knew I had struck gold.

Same goes for accessories. Ironware dishes are one of my favorite pieces to find- real ironstone dishware is heavy! If I see a platter or dish I really like, I pick it up and determine how heavy it is. If it’s super heavy I know its a good quality piece and I’m more likely to buy it. I also love anything brass. If I see a vase, or bowl, or brass candlesticks that I like- I pick them up and assess their weight. Are they solid brass or just plastic with a brass finish? You will know as soon as you pick them up. It even works with art. Framing is expensive so if something is framed in a nice, heavy, solid wood frame, it might be worth buying even if you plan on replacing the picture.

#4 Look for pieces that can be used in multiple spaces in your home

When you’re thrift shopping it’s easy to get sucked into the “deal” and end up buying things you don’t really need or have a use for. I do one of two things: 1) Have something specific in mind that I’m looking for and buy that specific thing when I find it OR 2) when I do come across something I like and is a great price I think, “Where would I place this in my home right now” and “Can I use this in multiple ways in my home?”.

Don’t buy things with the intention of selling them or saving them for when you might need them. Chances are it will sit in your closet for a year and when you still haven’t used it, it will end up right back where it came from. Examples of things with multiple uses: baskets (might start in your bathroom and end up in your kitchen- baskets are great transitional pieces!), candlesticks (y’all know my obsession with brass candlesticks), old books, small pieces of furniture that can be moved from room to room, vase, etc… All of these things are good because if you get tired of it in one place you can always move it somewhere new and it still serves a purpose.

Things I try to REALLY evaluate before buying and often pass on: seasonal or holiday specific decor, dishes (its only home is your kitchen- is it a piece you really LOVE or need?), items that are specific to one room (ex: bathroom trashcan, toothbrush holder, soap dishes- all of these are super singular in their functions). Focus on pieces that are high quality, you have a space for right now, and are multi functional.

#5 Often times the older the better.

Let’s face it. Things just used to be made better way back when. Chances are if someone has held onto something for years and years, even if it ends up in a thrift store, it probably has some value. There’s a lot of junk out there, don’t get me wrong, but often time with home goods the older the better. Now so much furniture is made from particle boards, plastic, cheap hollow metal that doesn’t have any weight or substance to it. Things that are older often have better construction and higher quality materials.

You can go to Target now and buy “brass” candlesticks but they’re probably not solid brass and they’re not real quality. What you want is the REAL brass candlesticks that someone got for their wedding 50 years ago, let them sit in their attic, and donated them to Goodwill so you can swoop in and buy them for $1 each. That candlestick had no value to the person who gave them up for free, happy to have more space in their attic, but for YOU it’s your lucky day! You get an item that is old, yes, but good quality and still a much better price than if you were to go buy the fake ones at Target.

When something is new it has that initial luster and charm, when that wears off we don’t care as much about it, but that doesn’t mean the item has any less intrinsic value right? Look for the good stuff that has lost its luster to others that you can give a new home in your home.

I hope this helps you a little the next time you’re out trying to score a deal! Or maybe gives you the courage to get out there and hunt if thrifting isn’t usually your thing. It’s super fun, I promise, and you never know what you might find! Happy thrifting friends!