Decorating With Estate Sale And Marketplace Finds

Déco

Decorating With Estate Sale And Marketplace Finds

Monday, October 18, 2021

I recently gave our living room a Hollywood Regency makeover using almost only estate sale and marketplace finds. It’s a thrifted, tufted, tasseled, fringed, velvety, chintzy, brassy and dramatic upgrade…on a budget. It’s also a lot more my style than the very sparse and drab grey decor that we had before. The trick to decorating with second hand decor and furniture is patience and imagination. I found most of the pieces you see here in the last year.

It all started with the large needlepoint area rug that I found at an estate sale for only $200. I had a rug cleaner pick it up from the estate sale, clean it and deliver it. We lived with that new rug and our old furniture for almost a year before changing anything else. The toile drapes were also found at the same sale for $80, I had them dry-cleaned right after the sale, but only installed them this month.

The velvet tufted and fringed club sofa is custom-made, probably from the 50s or 60s and the funny thing is, that I saw it on Facebook Marketplace for free, but I wasn’t quick enough, someone else nabbed it before me! A couple of months later, the gal who had it was moving and listed it again on Marketplace (this time for sale), but it was in rough shape. I offered her $100 less than what she was asking and paid $150 to have it delivered. I then had my upholsterer restore it on-site: securing the springs, replacing a few missing buttons, recovering the bottom and replacing three of the casters. I had been searching for a velvet couch that was extra-long (it’s 8 feet! – long enough for two people to stretch out end-to-end) and with a wide back so that Dapper (my mini Schnauzer) can sit on the back and look outside. I know, specific! Luckily, the velvet is in pretty good shape for its age and of course I had it professionally cleaned.

I found the gold medallion chair on Marketplace for $30. I had it reupholstered in gold velvet for $150.

The vanity chair is from the same estate sale where I bought the curio cabinet that we use as our bar. I had the chair recovered in a toile fabric that looks vintage.

The statement piece is this Hollywood Regency-inspired lamp I found thanks to my friend Karine who also used to blog and now runs Rosewood Antiques, an online antique shop and appraisal company. It’s not an antique lamp but was part of the set of a tiki bar in the Hollywood war movie, Midway which was partially filmed here in Montreal. I had it installed by the guys at Campbell Picture Framing. The black arm chair was found at an estate sale for $75 and the caning was restored by my upholsterer. The brass side table was also from an estate sale and only $20.

The accent pillows were a total splurge because I spent so little on the rest of the decor. A friend who lives in London, picked these up for me recently at the House of Hackney sample sale. I am completely obsessed with this luxe interior design house based in Hackney, London (they also have a showroom in NYC). I have always spent way too much money on throw cushions, but this time, they are here to stay! You can shop their cushions here (they do ship to Canada).

The silver-plated Art Deco champagne bucket ($20) and the footed brass tray ($25) are both from Marketplace. The antique hand weight, crystal decanter, gold-rimmed crystal wine glasses and even the marble coffee table are all from estate sales.

The flower arrangements are by Marc Sardi. I sent him photos of the living room and the throw cushions for inspiration.

The gold cuckoo clock is a designer piece from Edition Boutique in Old Montreal and was a housewarming gift. I love how the cuckoo sings every hour and flaps its wings!

The dining room table setting was a recent collaboration with Mezari Atelier & Boutique. Find the details here.

I would encourage anyone who wants to give new life to old furniture to shop local estate sales, Ebay, Kijiji, Craigslist, Etsy or Facebook Marketplace. They are all great resources for scoring unique decor items while saving the planet, one great find at a time.