I've died and gone to furniture warehouse heaven

The selection on craigslist in and around my area is usually pretty disappointing, but I peruse it often anyway just to see if anything good pops up.  I've found a few great pieces, specifically this great mid-century dresser for my brother. 

I stumbled across a few listings from City Limits Bargain Shop in North Augusta that caught my eye.  My dad and I were going to be running errands in Augusta anyway so I thought it'd be worth a quick stop.

This sign greeted us when we pulled up.  We thought, well this will be interesting...  (FYI, apparently 'butt dust' is a dry meat rub for barbeque.)

The store was not very big inside and there was only a small selection of furniture.  Then the saleswoman said her husband could take us to the warehouse if we wanted to look at the rest.  I was game, so we trekked out back and I could not have been more pleasantly surprised.

Needless to say, I was in heaven!  It was awesome.  And for the most part the prices were very reasonable.  They especially had a large selection of dining chairs.  Sadly I didn't find a set that would work for me this time but this place is certainly going to stay on my radar.  I did, however, find some great casual/side chairs for myself and my brother.

A couple of weeks ago I'd stopped in to look at Bargain Hunters Antiques & Consignment, which was preparing for it's big grand opening the next day.  There was a beautiful desk that I knew my brother would like. It was priced more than what he would typically spend on an unplanned purchase, but I knew it was right up his alley so I texted him a picture on a whim.  By the time he'd texted me back to ask if they'd negotiate, I was already on my way back home.  I tried calling and emailing but got no answer.  We figured it just wasn't meant to be.   When I told him I was going to be near there he told me to check on the desk because, and I quote, "I need it in my life."  I was pleasantly surprised not only to find that it was still there, but the price had been dropped to what he'd originally wanted to offer.  Destiny, people.  Destiny.

I also got this pair of mid-century chairs for him at the first store for only $60.

These are the chairs I got for myself at City Limits. For now they're parked at my dining table and I actually really like how they look.  I'm still on the hunt for upholstered dining chairs, but I think these would make a great addition flanked on each end.  I'm excited to find a fun fabric to recover the seats, but I like the wood finish so I'm happy not to have to refinish it.  And it was only $20 for the pair!

Obviously, I love furniture shopping for myself, but there is something really special about finding a piece for someone else.  And my brother is even more particular than I am, so this really feels like a small victory!

Have you had good craigslist finds/failures?  Or stumbled upon an unassuming store that turned out to be a treasure trove?

Decisions, decisions

I'm horrible at making decisions.  Always have been and I know I always will be.  Big things, small things, you name it.  For example, when BFF and I make plans for dinner, we literally start trying to decide where we want to go days beforehand because if we wait until it's time to eat, we go hungry trying to figure out what we want. 

It's no different when it comes to decorating.  I love so many decorating styles, from using antique & vintage pieces to super modern minimalist, that it's sometimes hard to make the distinction between what I like and what I like for myself.  Thankfully I know enough about myself and my taste to know that I couldn't live in a space where everything felt fragile and museum-like or at the other end of the spectrum with everything all clean lines and no cute decor.  It's that darn sweet spot in the middle that seems like it should be so easy to find, but that's not always the case.  My goal is to strike a nice balance between old and new, eclectic but not crazy, complementary but not matching.

And this, my friends, is where pinterest comes into play.  I'm obsessed (and I know I'm not alone) and I really feel like it was made just for me.  I've always been a huge bookmark-er so I have lots of folders filled with links to furniture I like, images I don't want to forget, random websites with random information that I just know I'll have a use for some day, etc.  And that's all well and good, but when you're looking at a list of bookmarks, that's all it is: a list.  I'm very visual so I love that on pinterest everything can still be organized, but I can actually see everything. 

Obviously it's great for compiling pictures of beautiful spaces for inspiration for that 4000 square foot, perfectly maintained and decorated mansion I'll have some day. mBut let's be real, I know people like to make fun of it for its ridiculousness.  I mean, I do it myself.  Pinterest is pretty much out of control, but it actually can be helpful for us real people, too (hello yummy recipes and helpful tips on cleaning and organizing).  In some areas it also helps give me an idea of what I'm really drawn to that a list just can't.  Let's see, out of 70 pins on my "Kitchen" board I have 30 pictures of kitchens with white cabinets and carrera marble counters, 23 with painted cabinets (most of which are a putty olive green or gray), and only a handful with a wood stained finish.  Clearly we can get a feel for the look that I like.  I've always known that I've been drawn to the brightness of white cabinets and have really been into the colored cabinets in the last few years, but seeing so many similar pictures allows me to really pinpoint the look that I would want in my own kitchen (one day!) and to realize that a natural wood finish wouldn't be my top choice.

 

As for the pins I have for living spaces and bedrooms, I'm much more all over the map.  There are just so many components!  Couches, chairs, coffee tables, beds, dressers, side tables, etc.  And all the fabrics!  Oh the fabrics.  I appreciate the pictures I see of well-done glamorous spaces and would like to think I could be that fancy, but I'm not really a high glamor kind of girl.  I like a nice mix of polished and collected for my own space. 

Do you have a particular style or, like me, do you like a little bit of everything?  And if any of you are on pinterest let me know! 

[Pictures are linked.  I tried my best to find direct links to the pictures, but you guys know how pinterest can be.  If not, it's linked to my pinterest boards.]