The Victorians Might Have Loved Thrift Shopping

As I came away with a bundle of unique goodies from the Red White and Blue thrift store this weekend, I realized: the Victorians might very well have loved thrift shopping.

I mean think about it: they enjoyed changing up things in their homes regularly, and transforming hard furnishings with layers and layers of textiles...

They were big on mixed and matched furniture-- particularly those in the middle class who couldn't afford full sets, but who still wanted their modest homes to feel elegant...

Along those lines, these were folks who, if they couldn't afford an expensive bronze statue, were able to mass-produce a similar spelter or plaster one, at a fraction of the cost. They tried to evoke a mood in their homes, and did it cleverly within their budgets.
I see careful needlework tablecloths and tablerunners, and imagine them being snapped up by Victorian ladies who loved to layer, blown away that they themselves would not have to spend hours tatting that delicate edgework.
I picture ladies in rustling skirts scoping out the furniture section and wondering whether that tea trolley, with a lick of black lacquer and some careful decoupage, would look Japaned.

Or perhaps standing there considering whether a few souvenir plates from around the country would properly display that famed Victorian love of travel.

I envision silver trays and serving pieces being bought for so-civilized future get-togethers. "Imagine all of this," they would say, "and we don't have to wait for it to arrive from the Sears Catalog!"


And then I see them getting in their carriages and popping off to somewhere like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Tuesday Morning, or even Pier One... Debating on which plaster bust to choose, what mirror, which rug.

I see them pondering things inspired by-- or made in-- countries halfway around the world. The selection! The possibilities! And so much of it so reasonable! You could travel the world and still never leave home!

Of course, today we can evoke the same decorating principles in our homes of our Victorian ancestors and not have to wear corset while we do it. Right now, those tablerunners wait for that one person who loves detail to come and give them new life...

And the silver sits in stacks, hoping someone will someday have the time and inclination to give 'em a good polish and allow them to shine once more on the dinner table.

So many folks prefer streamlined surfaces now. Most of us don't have the time to dust all the things that would go into a a Victorian home.
So for those who love romantic decor of this type, you may just find there's very little competition for the things you adore. And that's funny because given today's economy, thrift stores are busier than ever, with people in every aisle contemplating their treasures-- no matter what those treasures might be.

Even younger people seem less afraid of the stigma of buying used. I heard a couple of teenagers in line behind me yesterday talking excitedly about how they found a particular designer item of clothing that, "you couldn't even touch this in a regular store during a sale... not even during a really good sale...This is crazy!"

So while the economy may be bad, in a way, it's a fortunate time we're in, folks. Those veterans of buying secondhand finally get a chance to openly say, "Hey, I knew about the wonders of thrifting all along!" Dare I say, we might even be on the cusp of being...(gasp!) trendy.

The Victorians would have liked that, too...

Though I imagine the carriage parking would be a serious pain in the bustle.

• If you missed last Treasure Box Wednesday, click here for quite a mix of fun finds.

And as for this coming Treasure Box Wednesday, I'll show you why an unusually late start in day's thrifting seems to have made absolutely no difference in my treasure-hunting success!

Battier Homes and Gardens, 70s Style

Retina-burning color schemes, shag carpeting you could lose a small child in, and wall art with demonic influence... Such was the decor of the 70s. Here at The Thrift Shop Romantic, I always say you can learn a lot from the past. And in this case, it's sort of like learning from the lessons of World War II-- we need to understand what happened, so it never, ever happens again.

To be honest, the books that I'm about to show you did have some fairly liveable rooms in them. Rooms with, perhaps, trendy colors of the time, or with a distinctive 70s feel to them, but they were still rooms that were comfortable. Practical. The Everyhouse.

Then there are the ones I'll highlight today.


Open up the Better Homes and Gardens Decorating Book, and one of the first lessons you get is on color...


This is what chicken pox would look like if it were interpreted as a living room. The book tells us:

"Warm colors, the tangy tones of sun and earth, bring vitality and light to shadowy rooms. Red, yellow and orange, set against subtle wood and grass cloth sufraces, make this room bright, alive and exciting."

I'm not exactly sure where the grass cloth surfaces are here, but maybe it's just the vibrating glare that's caused me to miss them. All I see is a color scheme which makes a McDonald's play area look "restrained" and "understated." Note the lonely animal print pillow on the couch, echoing the circles in the wall art. It's like a poor leopard kitten got lost in the middle of the Mojave desert at sunset. And it's frightened.

Next we have our first example of questionable artwork...


The book reads as follows:

"Mushroom stools alternate lively hues in this scheme. When you choose cool colors like this, it's a good idea to warm them a bit with a touch of color from the sunny side of the spectrum."

Which is apparently where the malevolent, man-eating lion yarn-art in argyle comes in. Somehow the sly, hungry look on its face doesn't convey "sun" and warm good cheer to me.

Note how the narrowness of the ledge makes it impossible for it to be used for actual.. oh... sitting. Or leaning... And the stools are so high up under it, you probably couldn't get your legs under the ledge, anyway. Impractical AND mystifying.... just what the modern 70s woman looks for in decor!

Well, let's move onto the kiddies' room.


Here the caption reads:

"For the nursery set, but especially for the mother, this room is delightfully fresh."

Fresh, and already inhabited by trolls, it seems. Look- there's one now, coming to steal the baby away to their daisy-covered mound!...


Look at the expression on that doll's face. Any child growing up in this room is going to need serious therapy. And possibly allergy shots. I wonder what the color of that fabric is, "Pollen 109"? And dig that kelly green paint on the antique rocker. Yes, indeed, the Victorians were really big on woodwork the color of a billiard table, let me tell ya.

Well, maybe you're looking for new ideas for a zingy livingroom scheme. How about bringing your guests here?...


This room has it all. Orange, hot pink, lime green, florals and stripes... Won't your best chums Alice and Peggy just think this is to DIE FOR? Especially that wall art! Let's get a closer look at that, shall we?


Nothing says cutting-edge decor and good taste like a cartoon marker drawing of a sad, sad child. It's just one of those pieces that you never get tired of looking at.

And then there's this example of a den.

The caption urges us to look at the "striking window treatment," but me, I can't take my eyes off that carpet of dried tobbaccy. You can't even see where the chair meets the floor, the weeds are so high. Wait a moment, I'll get my push mower and be right back.

Ah, but even more treasures await in Creative Decorating on a Budget:


This book is after my own heart-- demonstrating creative ways to make your home look expensive without spending a lot of money. And how do they suggest we do that? Well, one way is here...


In the section "Furniture Flair at a Fraction of the Cost," they tell us the secret to the, er, successful room above:

"For table-top, cut a 60-inch circle out of a table tennis top: use leftover wood for shelf of serving buffet. Set table top on a 2-foot chimney flue liner and support with iron brackets. Cover laminated plastic."

Okay, so let me get this straight. You can't afford a table. So you buy a TABLE-TENNIS TABLE and cut a huge circle out of it. And also buy a chimney flue liner. And brackets. So, er, HOW is this cheaper?

Presumably if you already have a table tennis table, little Timmy and Susie are going to be pretty disappointed when they decide to renact Chris Everett or John McInroe's last match, and they're missing a giant sphere out of the center. And I'd be taking bets on who the first guest would be to fall off those wicker tuffets. I'm putting my money on Great-Aunt Celia after her third Pink Squirrel.

Lastly, we have a hand-made headboard, designed to bring us many nights of restful slumber...


Okay, I'm not resting. Is it just me or does this headboard look... violent? Like eventually there will be heads on those pikes?

Well, with visions of the Elizabethan justice system, that pretty much wraps up this Sunday's post.

• If you haven't already, check out last Treasure Box Wednesday, and some goodies from Ireland...
• And if ya have an extra moment, you might also get a laugh from the humor post on my other blog, Of Cabbages and Kings, where I relay the tale of a trip to Canada, and how I ended up surrounded by Mounties and with only one shoe. Click here for that.
  

Happy Spring to you, my friends! See you again soon.