Come to the Flea Market with Me Part II - Using your Flea Market Finds in Design by Jerusalem Greer

Come to the Flea Market with Me, Part II – Using your Flea Market finds in Design

By Jerusalem Greer

So now that we have chit-chatted about selling and buying flea market treasures in part I, let’s see how we can actually use all those odds and ends we stumble across. Here a few examples from a Lakefront Vacation Condo that I was hired to decorate.

This condo was a nice, clean, very generic taupe box when it came my way. I knew the owners well, and knew that they liked a mix of new and vintage items in their home. I knew that the condo would be used as both a vacation home for the owner’s extended family and friends, as well as to entertain clients for their business. Because I was literally buying 99% of the items that were going into the condo I wanted to give this generic box some character, as if some of the items were family treasures that had been passed down, pulled out of grandma’s attic, or found on a weekend antiquing excursion in the nearby the lake community.

Let’s take a look of how I used my Flea Market Finds in this Lake Condo:

Wooden Letters – To fill in the space above the kitchen cabinets I wanted to do something a little more whimsical. I used wooden letters very similar to these, to create a little reminder of what the condo is for – some good old fashioned R & R.

Bits and Pieces – From an old wooden porch post that we cleaned and oiled and topped with new candles, to a new glass canister filled with old baseballs, to an old coat rack to hold beach towels and sun hats, I tried to find ways to bring the old and the new together at every turn.

Bedside Table – Both bedrooms in this condo had new beds, so I wanted to make sure the bedside tables were flea market finds. For this room, one of the tables we found was a small white pie safe. With a lot of elbow grease cleaning, and a decoupaged top (using a map of the surrounding lakes), we turned this once forgotten kitchen item into a functional and fun piece of bedroom furniture.

These are just a few examples of the ways I used flea market finds in this condo. From old books, to framed old postcards, to old tackle boxes and oars, I really tried to meet my budget and my client’s style by mixing the new and the old in a fresh vintage way.

No matter the age of your home, or your decorating style taste, when you use flea market finds in your décor, you take your home to a new level of design. By mixing in unexpected and interesting flea market items into your home, you create a space that is personal, inspired, and uniquely you.

Jerusalem Greer is a mom, a wife and a modern vintage gal just trying to live the artsy life. Full of love, laughter with a grateful heart, she enjoys creating beautiful spaces and goodies, which bring joy to all who encounter them.When she's not filling the role of "style and design editor" for Vintage Indie Mag, she is busy working in her studio at Storia Divita. Please visit her new website Jerusalem Greer.   

Comments

[LuAnn Smith]

I really struggle with how to make my new suburban home look vintage. There are some great ideas her. I really love the vintage mirrors in the bedroom. Thanks!