Thrifted Style

I’m always amazed when I manage to style an area with completely thrifted items; It reminds me why I love to thrift so much, and that you don’t have to spend $$$ to have a stylish home. I managed to buy everything shown (plants excluded) for under $30.00 so I thought I would do a haul of sorts, and along the way share a bit more design tips as well as some thrifting tips (check out my previous How to Thrift like a Pro Post) for more thrifting tips.

My first step before going into a thrift store is to think of what I’m shopping for, whether it be a broad category like, home decor, kitchenware or furniture. This trip I was looking for pottery, for this Blog post/ Instagram post (shameless plug, but if you would be so kind as to follow me here @lifeinmauve). I didn’t have a specific color way in mind,  but as soon as I got to browsing I was drawn to blues and teals (surprise, surprise). It all started coming to life, once I found this awesome painting (only $2.70) I knew I had my color palette and I continued to play off of it.

Once I got home and it was time to style, I decided to group everything together rather then sprinkling pieces here and there, because placing everything together would tell a stronger story. The White bookshelf, allowed the colors to pop and also kept thing light and somewhat modern.

The top shelf really sets the over all tone, all the colors are represented and the painting makes it all pop. I Typically I would never place the largest  items on the on a top shelf, since it can be too heavy on the eye. However since there is only three items it balances out with the rest of the unit and the low profile of the bowl paired with the clear glass lantern keep it from over powering the rest of the shelf.

I knew going into this that I wanted to add in a lot’s of plants to  liven everything up, and introduce a third color as well as texture. Using plants on every shelf creates repetition, which in my opinion is key to successful styling.  I like to pair items in a set of three, making sure I place the larger or taller items at the edge. Stacking books in different ways gives the area movement and height.

My second shelf I kept a bit simpler, lining up a few books to fill the shelf but facing them away to create a more uniform look. I placed my plant on the opposite side to further add movement, and threw in a small tray to ground this cluster. Again my largest item is at the end and creating  a waterfall or gradual steps to carry the eye through-out the shelf.

On my last shelf I started by placing my plant on the opposite side of the previous one, to complete my pattern. I created two clusters but made switched things up by displaying the teal cups in a straight line and the pitcher and mug in a small triangle.  I used a book to ground the three cups and give some needed height  and hung a frame to create a solid background. I recommend using pictures/art with-in the same color story to create a cohesive look.

Just a few final pointers, try breaking up sets like the teal cups I placed one at the top and three down below to create a strong sense of  repetition and carry the eye throughout the shelf. . Stick to two or three color families and introduce varies shades of that color.

Overall these all work together because essentially it’s all pottery and every piece has the same feel, weight, and similar finish grouping them together in a small area creates a bigger impact.

I hope this post inspire you to check out your local thrift store, I’d love to hear of your latest decor finds.

As always thanks for stopping by,

xoxo Nayeli