Mandi from Vintage Revivals shares with us how to find that perfect vintage piece to fit your style, as well as in your apartment in her third installment of her thirfting series!
Alright friends, I must admit I am a little sad that this thrifting series is coming to an end!! We have chatted about Finding the Goods, and
Mixing Old and New Furniture. Today we get to chat about the perfect vintage pieces for apartments.
Furnishing an apartment has its own extra special set of challenges. One of the biggest hurdles is the fact that you most likely can’t paint your walls. So bringing life into your space rests fully on your furniture choices. Here are my tips to get the most vintage bang for your buck.
Tip #1 Measure Measure Measure. It’s extremely easy to get excited about a thrift store or online furniture score and buy it impulsively. My first tip is going to save you lots of heartache. Measure your space. Know what the maximum size is for the furniture to live there is. Also make sure to measure your doorways and any sharp hallway angles.
Tip #2 Does it need to be refinished?
If it does, do you have somewhere to do it, or will you be spray painting inside your apartment? I would not recommend spray painting indoors. The fumes last for days and who wants to sleep with a giant paint respirator on? There are paints that require very little prep work (like Chalk paint or Milk paint). You can also buy No VOC paint that has almost zero fumes (my favorite is Sherwin Williams Emerald).
Tip #3 If you paint over a great Mid Century piece with intact wood I will cut you. Just kidding I wont. Even I made that mistake once, but please remember that just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Instead of paint, try using Restore-A-Finish or Danish Oil to bring it back to life.
Tip #4 Along with the no painting rule, most apartments come small. Make sure that you don’t buy pieces that are so huge they over power the entire space. Instead of getting a ginorm entertainment center, try a smaller dresser underneath your tv instead.
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Tip #5 Decorate with lots of mirrors! If you find yourself in a Tip #4 situation one of the best ways to enlarge a space is to use mirrors to bounce the light around and make the room feel more open.
Tip #6 Look at things differently. Just because you need a coffee table, doesn’t mean you need a coffee table. Use an end table instead for a bit more space. This is exactly what I did in my
MIL’s living room. We found this vintage brass table for $25.00 and it is perfect in that space.
The most important part of decorating a space is making sure that you fill it with things that you love. And if you don’t find exactly what you are looking for, don’t be afraid to hold out just a little longer, you never know what is waiting for you right inside the door on your next trip to the Thrift Store!
Hey there new BFF, I’m Mandi from
Vintage Revivals, and I love your guts! I started Vintage Revivals in July of 2010. I had discovered the vast world of DIY blogging and I was hooked. All of my neighbors called me and were wondering what the crap I was spray painting in 119 degree heat, so I kind of started it as a way for everyone to keep track of the craziness that is Mandi Gubler. I describe my style as Thrift Shop Glam. Sounds awesome right? Ya, I made it up.
