The One Thing Designers Always Do After They Thrift (and It’s Not Cleaning!)

Thrifting is one of the best ways to discover beautiful home decor at budget-friendly prices. However, since a lot of these finds happen at whim, you might not always have the foresight to decide how to decorate with the item—or even where to put it.

Plus, second-hand finds can often be worn and in need of some extra love. So, what’s the first thing you should do after thrifting—that isn’t cleaning the item? We tapped three thrift experts and designers for the answer.

Style or Store It

For Kate Pearce—interior designer and owner of Kate Pearce Vintage—the first move after thrifting is to try styling the piece to see where it looks best in her home.

“If I don’t have an immediate spot for it, I will put it in storage,” Pearce says. “I never force it because that’s the fastest way to make your home look cluttered instead of curated.”

Pearce adds that when thrifting, you can’t be overly strict with dimensions and have to use pieces in unconventional ways.

According to Pearce, part of the art of thrifting is not always knowing where or how you are going to use a piece

“[It’s] exactly what distinguishes thrifting from shopping at retailers,” she says. “Figuring out how to style a thrifted piece in your home is what makes thrifting so addicting, but also is how you can make your home look unique and personal.”

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Refinish and Repair Items

Unlike new home decor, natural wear is something that can make a thrifted piece feel special.

“I love that the items have had a rich life before I bring them home,” says Andi Jenkins, vintage reseller, stylist, and content creator. “But there is a big difference between charm and disrepair.”

So, to make a piece feel fresh and ready to display, Jenkins focuses on refinishing items after thrifting. For example, while patina can add old world allure to vintage brass, it can lose its luster if not taken care of. Jenkin’s solution?

“I will usually shine it up using my go-to method: white vinegar and Bon Ami,” she says. “This will remove any rust or black spots that have developed and make the piece shiny again.”

For wood frames or decor with gold details, Jenkins uses paint to fill in and disguise areas where the color has flaked away. Similarly, for baskets, the stylist uses Gorilla Glue to fix any parts that have come unwoven or need reinforcement. 

“Doing minor repairs on vintage or antique pieces can make a big difference in the item’s value,” Jenkins says. “The reason why so many pieces end up at thrift stores is because of a minor flaw, but with some minor DIY skills and love for vintage, you can rescue most pieces quite easily, allowing them to live on.”

Give Furnishings New Life

When thrifting, designers often suggest looking at the potential of an item rather than taking it at face value. So if you see a piece of furniture that you like—but isn’t quite what you need—you can always transform it into a new piece, says Taylor Jochim-Smoot, founder of vintage collective Portland Revibe.

For example, Jochim-Smoot gravitates towards solid wood trunks because they’re great for storing items around the home, but also because they’re the perfect height for bench seating.

“I often find streamlined wood trunks and add legs that I source from a local reclaim hardware shop to get them to the perfect height,” she says. “The trunks can then be used in front of the bed or in an entryway as a seat and storage all-in-one.”

Jochim-Smoot similarly likes to refurbish lamps right after thrifting them, especially if it doesn’t come with a shade she likes—or a shade at all.

“The style of a lamp can change drastically with the addition of a shade, making the art of thrifting one highly personal,” Jochim-Smoot says. “I often collect popular trending shades that would create different personalities for the lamps I find. This allows me to change the vibe or style I’m going for in various spaces around the house.”