Decorating is so much fun.

As I have been working on putting together the finishing touches of my new home, I have literally been living in domestic bliss. Like full on, focusing on my home, feeling all of the feels and the process has been so joyful. Nothing can break this full hearted flow.

Luckily, most of my furniture that I had before fit perfectly into my new living room. It’s like my sofa was made for the wide open but small living space. But I found myself stuck with what to put above the sofa for the wall because ever since I purchased my sofa ( literally the most comfortable thing ) it’s been a floating sofa in the middle of the living room. Never has it been up against a wall.

I also was finding myself stuck on a coffee table. Do I want wood? Do I want all white? Do I want marble? Oooh, I love marble. Do I want round or square? Large or small? Something tall or lower?

Oh the joys of decorating.

Whenever I need some inspiration, I head to my Villa Verde Pinterest board to see what I might come up with. This one photo had always stood out to me when I first started pulling images for my new home. I love the look of a clean and modern white wall mixed with the look of a vintage or thrifted art wall. And I just love the neutral color palate, too.

REASONS WHY I LOVE THRIFTING

You guys know how obsessed I am with curating and creating a HIGH VIBE HOME, I have an entire course on how to do so. Now, here’s the deal. I have an entire collection of gold framed art from all the years I’ve been shopping and decorating. As much as I love buying new, there is something so special about re-using things that you have or re-purposing something from someone else. So I knew I could use my gold framed art collection as an art wall above the sofa.

I also knew the coffee table needed to go with the art wall. So a new piece of furniture wasn’t going to work because in order to use thrifted or vintage pieces, they have to be a nice mix. So, I knew I needed to be on the looking for a vintage style coffee table. It needed to be something small enough to fit in the living area. It also needed to be light enough to not feel too dominating or heavy. I also wanted something with enough room to place large coffee table books and other beautiful things I love.

So, I set out on my Saturday to find some more gold frame art pieces to re-create this art wall look that I had in my mind. At one of my local favorite thrift shops, despite not finding any artwork….and I found this stunning BRASS and GLASS square vintage coffee table. How perfect would that look in my space. I thought?!?!?

SCORE!

So, reason numero uno? There really is nothing better than finding the perfect thing, like a diamond in the rough. If you know what I mean, then you know.

Another one of the reasons is that finding something thrifted, vintage or antique is amazing in that your home won’t look like everybody else’s. When you look at homes in AD, Veranda or House Beautiful, very rarely are homes filled with things that look like every other home you see out there. Like that Anthropologie mirror that everyone and their mother has, it just screams ‘basic’ to me.

More reasons why shopping second hand is a good way to go:

✨ It helps environmentally. Reusing old pieces of art, furniture or other decorations helps to not create so much trash and waste.

✨ So much of what is out there vintage or antique is so well made. One of my first pieces of furniture I bought antique in Manhattan and it has lasted for years, moved across the country and several cities and still is in excellent condition.

✨ The thrill of the hunt and finding something perfectly fit for you is as rewarding and satisfying as winning the lottery.

✨ Your home will look completely chic and stylish when you have a mixed look.

✨ Several of the things in my home were actually hand me downs from different family members. I love to keep my things from my grandparents home that bring me the BEST memories. This can be really good feng shui and energy for your space.

Here’s a little peek of my dining room / bar area. The cabinet is filled with things I have thrifted, glassware from family members and beautiful pieces I have picked up along the way. My dining room chairs were in my grandparents breakfast room from my childhood. Original chippendale chairs. Obsessed.

On the opposite side of my sofa wall, I have a black wall and I absolutely love the way it looks. Also, notice my color coordinated bookcase. This part of my home brings me so much joy, I highly recommend doing this with your books, it is definitely a game changer.

FENG SHUI TIP:

Everything you bring home has meaning. So always be intentional with what you are surrounding yourself with. When I work with my clients on curating a holistic and high vibrational home, we get very intentional with what areas of the home need work, what needs to stay or go…(you can read more about my feng shui services here)

Whenever I am at a thrift shop, I always keep my eyes out for unique things that would look cute in my home, would bring me joy when I look at it and things that represent positive, high vibe energy.

Typically animals + other figures represent positive feng shui.

THE TIGER:

I found this cute tiger art to add to my gold art wall and I just loved this print. Tigers are a powerful symbol of leadership, protection and success. It supports the female head of household and promotes luck and fortune in home and business.

THE SWAN:

Swans symbolize love, grace, beauty, balance and elegance.

Typically, you want to keep swans in pairs to represent soul mates because swans mate for life but you can also keep them in your home to remind you of being your highest self. I think they are just such beautiful animals.