Hello Vintage-istas! Before I moved to the Northeast from Phoenix, I lived in an apartment almost exclusively outfitted with color-by-numbers furniture from IKEA. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of using IKEA furniture can attest to the fact that their furniture travels as well a bicycle with a flat. So, when my fiance and I decided to move to New England, we made the decision to sell all of our furniture and travel across the country with two cars filled only with necessities and irreplaceables.
Fast forward to our arrival in Hartford, where we found ourselves with a nearly empty apartment and our bank accounts were not fairing much better. It was then and there that we vowed we would save money and only fill our apartment with used, vintage, and antique pieces from around Connecticut! If you are resourceful, imaginative, persistent, and--most importantly--patient, you can save beaucoup bucks by reusing and repurposing antique pieces for your home or apartment while giving your living space character and comfort. Even better? Finding clever ways of reusing vintage pieces is a great way to help have a positive impact on the environment!
There are lots of ways to incorporate repurposing and reusing into your home. Beyond simply finding vintage furniture, try reusing old trinkets for decor or repurposing newer items for ways they were not originally intended.
We came upon a mirror from IKEA that we really liked but had no need for, so we spray painted its frame and applied chalkboard paint to the inside so we would have a little place for us to write messages to one another right before we walk out the door! Also notice the sconce hanging on the wall, found rusted and ragged at a Nebraska flea market but now spray painted blue and being used as a place to store keys right by the front door! Lastly, we found several great advertisements in old LIFE magazines from the 50's so we carefully cut them out and hung them thematically around the apartment: liquor ads by the bar, food ads by the fridge, toiletry ads in the bathroom, etc.
Be certain to think outside the box, way outside the box, like our mid-century TV turned bar, or our DIY marquee. Oh and we can't forget our bust of Ludwig van Beethoven whom we have named our wiener dog after!
Everything has a story for us, from our Parisian prints bought while traveling in Paris, our turntable which we danced our first dance to, or our vintage books which we have started collecting as a couple. I also love to make our living space as personal as possible. I have picture banners hung above our couches and even a clock made from the face of our wiener dog, Ludwig!
Our entire living room was furnished and decorated for less than $500 by being patient (all we had to sit on for an entire month were folding chairs!), resourceful, and creative! We found the majority of our furniture via Craigslist and perusing flea markets and antique shops. We passed up so many great deals until we found the perfect piece for us as a couple.
Check out our most recent addition, a 1960's turquoise typewriter that acts as both a functional item and chic decor!
I hope this gives you a few ideas about how you can incorporate vintage in your home. Now, go out there and turn your apartment or home into what you've always wanted it to be; it could be just sitting there, waiting for you at the nearest flea market or antique shop!
Salut!
The Vintage Chanteuse
