I've talked a lot about finding furniture on the curbside and refinishing it in some way. But, as I walked around my living room this weekend, I didn't stop to think about just how MUCH of my furniture came from the curb. There are only two items in my entire living room that weren't free or just home made, which means I've spent more on fabric and spray paint over the years than on basic furniture.
And so, I offer up a pictorial tour of my recycled decor! In the picture above, you can see my front door. That black shelf to the right was one of the items I originally purchased - of course, it's been thoroughly altered now. The couch is the other purchased item - I found it at a yard sale and recently recovered it.
Almost everything in this picture, including the cat, was salvaged either directly from the street or from friends who wanted to get rid of things. The cat was found under a house.
The armoire that serves as an entertainment cabinet is twice-salvaged. Some friends rescued it from the trash and then passed it on to me when it no longer suited their needs.
Those chairs are my most recent salvage job. They were stacked in a trash can and I spotted the legs as I drove by. Some spray paint and a little work with some vinyl (from my fabric stash) and the staple gun and they look like new. Even the little table between the chairs was found in the trash.
Some projects evolve over time. This chair is in process. The seat was covered in blue monster fur but the cats were a little too fond of it. Now it is waiting for me to sew a new cushion from more of the white glittery vinyl. That mannequin was a dumpster find - sometimes mall stores throw them out.
All told, I've probably invested US$250 in my living room. It isn't perfect, but who knows what I'll find on the corner, set out with the trash, next!
