Happy Thursday, my friends! Another busy week at the new house. I should be patching and painting walls right about now, but instead I’m cruising through the Facebook Marketplace on my cell phone. Are you addicted yet?
This week I put on my sleuth hat for my sister. She and her husband are undertaking a huge renovation project at their house. They are adding an entire master suite including a bathroom and office! The new master is larger than the current bedroom so they are in search of a king size bed. I clued her into the Facebook Marketplace (FBM) as a resource to find furniture and perhaps a vintage vanity for the bathroom. And if she is lucky, a new chandelier! My husband and I have found some amazing bargains on the FB Marketplace and why buy new when you can get a deal elsewhere?
Personally, I’ve scored some of my favorite things on the FB Marketplace such as several of my chandeliers. Like this one. I bought it, painted it and had it put on a chain and plug as a gift for my lovely Fairy God-Daughter, Reagan. To read more about the transformation of this beauty and see the final product click here: How to Clean and Paint a Chandelier!
And this beauty. It hangs in my closet in the master bedroom. Of course I added different crystals but the chandelier itself was the prize.
And I found this one on the FBM as well. It hangs in my husband’s closet. I call it the “Manly” chandelier with its amber-colored crystals and white bulbs. To read more about this chandelier see here: A Manly Closet Chandelier!
I tend to shy away from upholstered pieces unless it happens to be a fabulous wing chair or a vintage piece from a pet free and smoke free home. You can be the judge though. If something is well taken care of and free of stains and odors, you can give it a try. Especially if the price is right. But solid wood furniture is usually fine to purchase second-hand. And if it has a few scratches or dents? No worries. Scratches can be filled and repaired or you can simply paint it for a completely different look. I bought this pretty headboard on the FB page when we lived in Doylestown. I painted it white and used it in our guest room until we moved. Now it lives at my sister-in-law’s house.
When I mentioned the FB Marketplace to my sister, she was intrigued. She had never tried it and decided to give it a whirl. Low and behold she found a gorgeous king size bed in a neighboring town! The bed is solid cherry and has the tall four posters she was looking for. She currently has a cherry high-boy chest of drawers and a long dresser and she wanted the pieces to match. This bed is perfect! The only blemish on the entire bed is one of the brass decorative thingies at the end of the bed is missing. So, what is this thing called?
After a bit of research I discovered it is called a bed bolt cover. Which now makes sense. And best of all, they are easy to find and to replace! You can find simple brass replacements for as little as $4.29 each. Or, if you want a vintage or antique bed bolt cover you can turn to eBay or House of Antique Hardware online. Simply look up “Bed Bolt Cover” and you can find tons of options. That’s the tricky part, just knowing what something is called in order to search for it, right? This is an example of the most popular and commonly used bed bolt cover.
And here is a fancier version also in solid brass via House of Antique Hardware. I never thought about switching out the old ones for something cooler. Until now! I imagine this one will tarnish over time as real brass tends to do, but still lovely.
The moral of the story is even if something is not in perfect condition it can be fixed. Or made even better! I think buying second-hand is the ultimate in recycling. Not only is it better for the environment, it saves money! I love nothing better than finding something unique and fun for our house and putting my personal spin on it. An eclectic mix of furniture and accessories makes for an interesting and one of a kind home. And who doesn’t love that?
Well, thank you as always for stopping by and supporting my little blog! I love it when you comment on something that strikes a chord with you and when you share my blog with your friends and family! I hope you have a terrific day! xo Dell