As I put to you the other day {
here} - how far will you go for a vintage bargain? How much can you 'see' in a piece sitting in an antique store? Or even unloved by the side of the road?
I thought my own finds from garages sales,
vide grenier (attic sales in France), council pickups, Paris flea markets, antique fairs, estate sales and auctions showed just how far I would go - but I do draw the line at dumpsters!
Someone who doesn't draw that line is the unlikely dumpster-diving author, Lara Spencer. While holding down her day job as an anchor on
Good Morning America, she moonlights as a designer sourcing items from all of the above!
Her book,
I Brake for Yard Sales: And Flea Markets, Thrift Shops, Auctions, and the Occasional Dumpster, is a great eye opener for uninitiated, into the world of what-can-be-achieved with some creativity and vision and a very few dollars.
I'm a sucker for a 'statement piece in a room, and just adore the way her industrial-edge railway sign find, has made it's way into this lounge as the key focal.
And I also love quality antiques, but pairing them with this modern wallpaper really enhances their natural beauty. Making them shine where they may have seemed old and brown, they take on a more modern edge. (I'm also a sucker for bamboo mirrors - have a look
here.)
But it's not just about leaving them 'as is' either - look at this fantastic wood campaign chest sprayed vivid green. Not a 'go to' colour for me - but in this room I love how it enhances the beautiful teal blue velvet on the re-purposed chairs, and the peacock wall paper ties it all together. Truly visionary to come up with this scheme!
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| Lara Spencer, on a sofa purchased from a Thrift Shop then recovered to match the room. Side chairs, coffee tables, lamps and artwork also found and recovered or revived. |
She says her mum "was instrumental in teaching me to get high style for low prices by using the three R's - Rescue, Recycle, and Reinvent" and in the book she tells us how to do it too!
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| Kathy Griffin's living room as designed by Lara Spencer. Love that find: retro bubble mirror!! |
Apparently while holding down her demanding television career, she designed her friend Kathy Griffin's house, who gave her a resounding recommendation: “Here’s the deal, folks: Lara Spencer decorated my entire {...} house while she was busy being a hot, blond TV host. She teaches you how to mix and match old, new, high-end, medium-end, and weird stuff that only she could find at a yard sale…and guess what? I love it all.”
Lara says: "It's fun to decorate your home with items that speak to who you are. The word home is like a big hug."
And I totally agree. It really doesn't matter the style or the era: by surrounding yourself with pieces you love, with a little clever and creative styling, it turns from a mash of 'old pieces' and periods, to something that makes you feel like you've come home.
Jennifer.
{The book can be bought here, delivered to you.}
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