Thrift Store Furniture Inspiration

On a recent visit to a warehouse thrift store here in SoCal I was impressed to see how much great furniture there was just waiting for someone with a little vision.

(headboards stacked vertically - love that yellow!)

My head was spinning with creative potential for bookshelves that would be so perfect for displaying books and treasures, gorgeous headboards to rest against while reading a favorite book and nightstands to put a lamp, glass of water and that book on. There were a variety of armoires that would be so pretty to display favorite dishes and kitchenware.

I'm looking at the furniture I have and what we really need. The Man and I each own a full home of furniture, so we'll definitely need to sift through things when the time comes to merge households. I'm planning to sell a few pieces of furniture we won't need that I've accumulated along the way and I'm interested in upgrading a few things too. Hopefully the buy and sell budgets will balance each other out and give me a few new options to play with and new things to look at. 

My number one priority is to rid myself of a dining set I've never loved that I inherited from an old apartment and replace it with a table, bench and chairs. I would like to make the table and bench but we'll see how that goes. Oh to have a garage, basement or backyard to work in.

Some of my furniture, I am realizing, I've had since college and while the pieces have a little sentimental value, it doesn't mean I have to keep them if they aren't working or I'm just plain tired of looking at them. I have a few random chairs stacked in the corner that need to go. I'm keeping things I thought for sure I would want to get rid of and revisiting all my thoughts about using my space.

I'm definitely wanting to downsize and simplify as far as furniture and decor goes. That means having more effective pieces and owning things that are more reflective of me and my style than things I have because they once upon a time worked and fit into a meager budget.

Successful thrift shopping hopefully reflects that those ideals balance out with the excitement of finding something interesting at a great price. Any of these pieces would be fantastic with a little upcycling paint, or lined with wallpaper, an added pattern and a little elbow grease.