CACHET WITHOUT CASH
Decorating with previously-enjoyed decor

    Got a yen to redecorate? Do you have a guest room that needs new furniture or a child outfitting a new apartment? Perhaps you need a few things for your mountain cabin or seaside bungalow. 

Shop resale to decorate with personality and style!

  There are resalers who offer everything from kitchenware to great room furnishings. Styles vary from kitsch to chic. You can express yourself with more verve when you check out secondhand. Whether it's an unusual side table that sparks up a den or a chaise longue reminiscent of indolent Southern afternoons, you can add that little extra flip to your decor with an experienced possession. 

Here's some ideas we've seen that are easily and inexpensively done with anything from antiques to retro-chic:

• Mass a collection on a mirrored or polished metal tray for extra gleam and attention. Copper bowls, tiny mirrored boxes, chrome decanters look great reflected.

• A look we especially love: brass candlesticks massed in a fireplace, outfitted with a variety of candles. Flickering light to warm a festive evening!

• Who says dining chairs have to match? A variety of wooden chairs gathered around a big oak kitchen table gives a casual, let's-chat-over-coffee look to your home.

• Speaking of chairs, nothing perks up a room (from bedroom to board room) faster than a sculptural chair. Look for a Windsor, an Eames (or an Eames-inspired copy!), or whatever suits your decor and your taste.

• The latest thing in home decor are window treatments that don't try too hard. Vintage fabrics looped over a rod, lace tablecloths allowing light to filter in, and even souvenir tea towels strung on a clothesline and fastened with wooden clothes pins are ideas to consider.

• Bookshelves aren't just for books. They'll hold files in your home office, stuffed animals in the kids' playroom, and cookbooks and enameled pots in the kitchen. Or find a homespun bookcase to hold galoshes and sports gear on the back porch. 

• Baskets are a wonderful resale buy. Try masses of them in a disused corner for textural interest. Hang flat baskets on a wall, or tuck them under side tables to hold magazines and games. 

When you browse through resale shops, abandon preconceptions. Don't look at what it IS.... think about what it COULD be in your own home.

    Wouldn't that graniteware kettle look great with geraniums in it? How about that ornate chair, painted white, in front of a wicker dressing table? That sofa table would make a great entry hall piece. Imagine an ornate frame as a mirror in the dining room. And that sturdy oak dresser would make a wonderful vanity in the downstairs bath. 

Resale shops probably have just the touch of personality your home needs,

from a spectacular easy chair to that unusual storage unit your bedroom has been longing for. From wall decor to coffee-table accessories, you'll find the special touch your home can cozy up to at a price your wallet will love, too.

Home decor items aren't just in resale furniture shops.

Check out resale shops which specialize in clothing for small items, too. The greatest finds can often be found where you least expect them. That big wooden apple lamp in my doctor's office? She found it in a children's consignment shop! 

One of our Treasured Sponsors, The White Elephant, with 2 locations in Virginia, deals in Home Furnishings as a part of what they call "our eclectic mix of quality stuff at affordable prices." 

READ MORE:
Kate's Secrets of Savvy Shopping
How to choose the best resale shop for you

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