I have concluded that the part I love best about thrifting, whether it is a yard sale, word of mouth find, or from a thrift store, is the treasure hunt itself.
I like the repurposing of something that no longer is able to do it's original job, and envisioning it's new job. I also enjoy the vision of bringing life back to something old and in a neglected state.
One of my finds last year was an amazing old bedroom set that my husbands mailman( for his work), told him about.
The mailman's wife is from W. Virginia, and when we went to see the furniture she said it came from the "hollers'. Well the story just won me over, as I love old furniture that has a story.
We piled it into our trailer, and took it home. This is the tall dresser, and it has been used it's whole life. The lady sid in the "holler" when your done with your furniture, you pass it on to a neighbor or friend, and this set looks like it was around the block more than a few times. Scratched, stained, some cracks in ...but in tack and all hardware included.
How could I not bring it home, as it has an extraordinary look with the detail of the pieces.
It came with the headboard and footboard for a double bed, and a stunning dressing table and mirror.
Ok, this was a great find, and I felt like I could now choose to direct the destiny of this old set. First I considered doing the whole set over in Annie Sloan chalk paint...but really was not in a hurry to make a drastic change to the look of this furniture. It was just so cool looking.
I decided, the fun for me had been the hunt, and I would get it out there to go to someone with more expertise to bring the life back into it.
I put it on CL, and shared it's story. I sold it to a Home Interior designer, who specializes in Vintage Furniture Redesign....a perfect match!
I was delighted that she saw exactly what I had seen in this set, and I am sure she will make it stunning for herself or a customer.
Good ending for this old bedroom set, which has come along way from the "holler" of W. Virginia.
Any recent treasures found in your life?
Jan
