How to Decorate an Apartment with Thrift Store Finds

Learning how to decorate apartment homes with items from thrift stores is a fun undertaking. Whether you are decorating an apartment with contemporary styling or choosing items for an apartment containing traditional furnishings, you can discover a number of items at a thrift store that will ignite your creativity.

Wood Furniture

Some of the nicest furniture items can be hidden under several coats of paint. By using a little paint remover, elbow grease and varnish you can take a piece of furniture, such as a cabinet, table or chair, and give it new life. Therefore, you can find chests, cabinets or tables in woods such as mahogany, walnut, oak, maple and rarer woods, such as satinwood, rosewood and even ebony. Look for replica styles of furniture too, such as Queen Anne chairs, Chippendale tables and French Provincial pieces.

Fabrics and Tapestries

Many times, while shopping in a thrift store, you’ll come across fabrics or tapestries that can be put to good use. With a little TLC, your can restore such materials as chintz, cottons with floral prints, linen, striped sateen, terry and denim so they can be used for numerous decorating needs. Use the materials for curtains, wall hangings, upholstery or for sprucing up pillows or cushions.

Start a Collection

If you like knick-knacks or enjoy collectibles, then you can find a number of items that you can use as accents or put on display in a “thrift store” cabinet. Choose old tins that can also opt for storage. Start a collection of vintage handkerchiefs. Or, begin collecting dishes with a rose motif. Music boxes make good collectibles too. You can also find sachets, old buttons, vintage aprons (to hang in your kitchen); colored glass; crocheted doilies; vintage jewelry (that can be displayed in shadow boxes); and the covers of old record albums (to display as artwork), just to name a sampling. Display old books on an old shelf or stack them on a “thrift store” table for antique effect. Choose from tried-and-true classics, such as Jane Eyre, Treasure Island, Wuthering Heights, Grimms Fairy Tales, Oliver Twist and David Copperfied.

Toys

You can also decorate an apartment with toys you find in a thrift store. Display framed vintage game boards on your wall. Examples of such games include: the Woody Woodpecker Game (1958); Game of the States (1960); and the Dennis the Menace Game (1960). Other toys that can be used for accents or for display purposes include train sets, Pez containers and dolls.

Accessories

In addition to the above-mentioned finds, you can also discover a variety of accessory items in a thrift store. You might be lucky to spot, for example, a chipped chandelier that can be recycled for use in your aparment. Or, maybe you’ll find an Oriental-style rug that’s still in good repair. You can also find other items, such as vintage purses, old compacts, folding towel racks made of wood, or lamp shades decorated with fringe or beading.

You don’t need a shopping list when you’re shopping in a thrift store. All you need is your imagination and a sense of discovery.