For as long as I’ve enjoyed decorating I have tried to single-out a specific style that defines my own…flea market chic….yard sale ecclectic…the list goes on.  I certainly can appreciate any style, but I just can’t escape the one that gets my heart racing and gives me the itch to scour my local thrift store for “diamonds in the ruff.”  Its funny, because if you visit my house, I’m 99.9% sure “vintage modern” is not the first term that would come to the mind.  There is a vast and deep valley between what I would like my house to look like and what my house actually looks like.  But I’ve done (what I think atleast) the best with what I have to work with (which is mainly a bunch of hand-me-downs and the occasional garage-sale find.)  I love giving old furniture or accessories a new lease on life.  Maybe its the recycling, tree-hugger in me or maybe its the hoarder, either way, I get a little thrill when I repurpose something. 

So where do you find this old stuff?  Your grandma’s attic? Perhaps.  But in this cyber-age…you can hit the motherload just by visiting Craigslist.  Yes…I so jumped on that bandwagon a few years too late.  It kills me to think of all the great furniture I’ve missed out on during that time, too.  But I’m trying to catch up on lost time I guess–I’ve visited the site almost everyday since “discovering” it a few months ago.  There really is some great stuff (and a lot of hideous stuff) for sale. For instance, today I found this awesome armoire (for $45, I might add!)….

 

Which reminded me a lot of this beautiful redo on younghouselove a few months back….

Think of the possibilities!  Its nothing a bucket of white paint and some wallpaper can’t handle.

Or, how about this cabinet for just $40….

Which would look great as a storage cabinet for bathroom towels and toiletries or for storing linens and fine china (as in the picture below)…

Again, just a little bit of paint and some crown moulding will do it.  And…how about this cabinet and hutch set (only $50)…

Which I think would fit perfectly into this dining room (after a little refinishing in a honey/walnut shade, of course)….

So if you happen to live near Jacksonville….there are some serious deals out there today (if you are willing to add a little elbow grease!)

Our problem is that, from the start, we have just accumulated random furniture items, with no real design plan in place.  I always knew what I kinda-sorta-wanted (which has definitely changed as the years go on,)  but I  have always felt obligated to use what we had to try to get there.  There is a part of me that says, “let’s just sell it all and start again from scratch.”  But, as much as that would be such a liberating experience, I’m pretty sure my husband won’t live without a tv-watchin’ couch until we find one that fits my dream living room picture that I’ve conjured up in my head.  So, for now, I will stick to my magazine cut-outs and emails-to-myself-of-pictures-of-rooms-I-love-that-I -come-across-on-the-internet (my inbox is full of them) for inspiration.  But I will no longer be afraid to ditch the overstuffed, tan couch for something more sleek, possibly tufted, or maybe leather, and of course, somewhat inexpensive, that I may find on Craigslist.  Because sometimes you just can’t force style on a piece of furniture….its got to be born made with it.