Given that the living room is a prime gathering space that has plenty of eyes on it, you won’t want to skimp on decor and risk the space appearing bare or unwelcoming. At the same time, though, it may also feel challenging to adequately furnish and style a space without spending a ton of money in the process.
Interior designers are often skilled at wandering through a thrift store and spotting hidden gems in every room of the home, including the living room. We asked them to speak to their favorite types of living room furniture and decor to buy secondhand, and they delivered with four specific categories.
Keep reading and learn more about what you should be keeping an eye out for at the thrift store and watch your living space grow even more beautiful in no time.
Books
August Oliver Interiors / Photo by Abby Cole
No living room is complete without books, but both coffee table books and novels alike can cost a pretty penny when you purchase them brand new. Go to the thrift store instead in search of preloved titles that catch your eye and you’ll enjoy flipping through. You can also choose to use books primarily as decor.
Danielle Domingues, the founder of Collins & Co Interiors, will thrift books that complement an overall living room scheme.
“I love to curate a collection of varying heights, remove the book jackets, and turn them around so that only the pages show,” she says.
Jocelyn Polce, the founder of August Oliver Interiors, especially likes to thrift for books while traveling.
“Finding books on my adventures is one of my favorite things to do,” Polce says. “You can really add your personality to a space by choosing vintage books in topics you enjoy.”
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Vases and Bowls
August Oliver Interiors / Photo by Abby Cole
The thrift store is full of all kinds of vessels that will add both character and function to your living room. Domingues is partial to vases and glass bowls, in particular.
“They’re an affordable way to add a touch of vintage charm, and no one will ever know they came from a thrift store,” she says. “Plus, the thrill of the hunt is half the fun.”
Use a glass bowl to corral favorite matchbooks collected from your travels, Polaroid pictures, crystals, and the like, while vases filled with seasonal blooms will always be an excellent way to spruce up your living space.
Polce also likes to source vessels at the thrift store and notes that they can be used for many purposes beyond their intended ones. For example, she picked up an old glass food container that she repurposed into a petite vase, as shown above.
Ottomans and Stools
Need extra seating in the living room but don’t have space for yet another chair? Ottomans and stools are a winning solution (and can oftentimes double as coffee tables, too). Diane Rath, the founder of The Rath Project, likes to look for hers at thrift stores.
Keep in mind that an ottoman or stool doesn’t need to be in perfect condition when you spot it to be a winner. A little creativity and DIY will go a long way.
“A secondhand stool with good bones may simply need cleaning or reupholstery, and the cost of upholstery, especially if you happen to already have fabric remnants left over from past projects, is a drop in the bucket comparatively,” Rath says.
Silver and Brass Decorative Accents
August Oliver Interiors / Photo by Abby Cole
Polce always likes to weave silver and brass decorative accents into the living rooms she designs.
“Every room needs something with a little patina on it,” she says. “From candlesticks, jars, and little figurines or boxes, they are the first thing I look for when I’m thrifting.”
Polce explains that no matter whether these sit on a bookshelf, coffee table, or mantel, there’s always a spot for them in the living room. If you tire of these kinds of pieces down the line, they’re easy to store in a small box or restyle in another room of the house.
