There's a great deal of popularity today with "junkin", thrift stores, and "picking",. If you can think of other terms, feel free to throw them in here. I've been hitting antique stores, thrift stores, auctions, for over 20 years. Wait, did I just date myself? Anyway. The concept isn't new to me. 
We've been wanting to make over our living room ever since we moved into this house a year and a half ago. I loved the paint color we chose for the living room but once our furniture was in here, I realized (with horror) that our sofa was basically a lighter version of the walls. Gold, gold, beige, beige. Ugh. How could I do this? I've wanted a chocolate brown leather couch for years. Ask anyone who knows me well---they were sick of hearing about it. Last month we decided to go couch/love seat shopping after receiving a catalog from the PX (the military's department store). We'd just received our tax refund & figured it was a good time to buy. In the catalog was a beautiful chocolate brown sofa & love seat in leather. The only problem is you buy them sight unseen if they don't have floor models at the furniture annex of the PX. Of course, ours doesn't have the higher end merchandise. How would I know if it was comfy? How would I know if I could stretch out on the couch & have a little power nap in the afternoon? Would I like the feel of this leather? I'm nothing if not neurotic!
After visiting several furniture stores we stumbled into one closest to our house (of course) & found 2 that we liked---a chocolate brown leather sectional (we were getting rid of a sectional) & it's cousins--the couch/love seat. We settled on the couch/love seat combo & waited for today for them to arrive.
While we were waiting, the quest for the perfect end & coffee table began. Did we want round? Rectangular? Glass top? Wrought iron base? Say it with me----neurotic!
Last weekend we went to a multi-dealer antique/thrift shop in Alabama. We quickly found one coffee table & an end table we liked. Older, but well made & in good shape (but not the end table). We settled on the coffee table. Got it home, cleaned it & it's gorgeous.
This week started the quest for the end table. By Thursday I had gone to 5 antique/thrift stores with no luck. By chance, I stopped into one that I had visited before, but never purchased there. Immediately I found a beautiful Duncan Phyfe drum table. I was smitten. The price was fair but it wasn't super stable---slightly wobbly. Maybe something needed to be stabilized underneath? Hmmmmm. Surely my mumful handy husband could fix it ---right? I kept working my way through the store until I found the table above. Queen Anne style (LOVE!), pretty detail on top & in amazingly great condition. Nothing would need to be done to it other than a good cleaning. It came home with me! Today we went back for the Occupied Japan candy dish that you see in the table pic as well as in the other. It looks perfect on the table & the colors work really well with our living room.
Hunter has Spring Break this week which means sleeping in (for him anyway!), lunch dates for us & honey-do lists for him. We're going to move around some furniture in the living room & (our late '60's Bassett sideboard I found at Gina's last Christmas, our secretary from Hunter's grandparents) and see if that works. Because who doesn't enjoy moving around heavy furniture? Especially on Spring Break!
Tomorrow is our PTA Exec. Board meeting at Panera (yum!). Hunter & Sunshine have some time together planned which will be nice for them. If only it weren't an icky rainy weekend!
Hope you're enjoying yours!!!
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