Finding Quality Bargins!

I am joining Thrifty Treasures hosted by the gracious Rhoda at Southern Hospitality. Rhoda has a keen eye for spotting bargains and the talent and vision to work them beautifully into any decor! So when you are finished here stop by Rhoda's site, where you can also view the other Thrifty Treasure participants.

Enjoy your visit ~Cathy~

I had a fun day thrift shopping and found some neat pieces. In my opinion and many others agree, thrift shopping is a smart way to stretch your decorating dollar without sacrificing quality. There are some people who would never consider thrift shopping, yet own antiques and showcase them prominently in their homes. To that I say GREAT, because that means more selection for me! They just have not realized what great quality bargains can be found on the second hand market. However, more people are learning what is available and that great finds are out there, so the disconnect is becoming less. To lay some groundwork to be classified as an antique an item must be at least 100 years old. Anything less then 100 years is considered a collectible. Not all antiques are quality pieces some may simply be extremely rare so for that reason they are considered valuable.

Thrift pieces fall into two categories for me. Some pieces though interesting, but are not top quality might work fine as they are. Or with a bit of imagination and creativity you can make them into something unique and fun. However, the one's that spark my interest are valuable hidden gems waiting to be discovered. If you understand this and can identify their features, it gives you the ability to recognize them when you find them. You then have the opportunity to purchase first rate items for a fraction of their original price!

I stop in thrift and consignment stores whenever I have the opportunity. This increases my chance of finding something special, because good pieces sell quickly.

I have worked with high end furniture and upholstery and can spot them easily. When I was younger and starting out this was not the case, but I learned and so can you if you have the desire! When I saw this little side table its midsection was tightly wrapped in plastic, so the drawer could not be opened. I smiled, as I ran my hand across its smooth finish, because the sale tag said $12.00 and I recognized this was quality. I identified it as cherry wood, which is a premium American hardwood. I could tell this from its reddish brown color and close grain. Quality cherry furniture has a mellow finish that is not overly glossy and plastic looking like cheaper versions. The graceful line of its curved, cabriole leg, which ends in a pad foot is distinctly Queen Anne style.

When I arrived home and was able to open the drawer I saw dovetail joints and Yippee there was the identifying mark of Ethan Allen!

My second score was this charming custom wing chair that I picked up for $40.00. It was in perfect condition and the identifying tag came from a wonderful furniture store that recently went out of business. From my experience I can confidently deduct it easily cost over $1,000 originally. The upholstery fabric is a heavy, tightly woven tapestry of a painting called "Ship Ahoy" by the artist Norman Rockwell. The original painting graced the cover of The Saturday Evening Post in August 1922.
I thought it would make an adorable addition to a boys nursery done in vintage style. It also was a perfect fit in my home office that has a nautical feel!
When you look at this piece of upholstery with a critical eye, start by noticing the overall feel. Look at the silhouette or outline and how it looks full with pleasing proportions. The fabric pattern lines up and matches perfectly from top to bottom.

This Queen Anne wing chair has some nice features that identify it as quality. The padding around the arms is full and ample. Often in cheaper versions the side wings and arms look much thinner. If you notice the lines of the arm, it has the extra detailing of being rolled at the bottom. The cording is also applied tightly and the small pleats around it are evenly spaced and lie flat.

This is called a box "Tee" cushion with welt (cording). Tee cushions are more commonly found in quality upholstery. This extra detailing is more expensive to manufacture, because it is a bit more labor intensive. All these small details add up and make this a quality chair.



Notice how the top, welt (cording) and bottom of the boxed "Tee" seat cushion line up so perfectly.
In upholstery that is not as high quality the welt will often not match up. This is a small detail but one that again shows high quality.




If you open the seat cushion you see that the foam is encased in a covering. The actual inner core of dense foam is wrapped in batting then covered by this outer layer. Covering foam with batting creates a rounder shape and fills out the seat cushion so it does not have gaps.
Although this chair is very good quality it is not the very best. To be the best it would have a down filled cushion and have eight way hand tied inner springs, but I love it all the same!

The Saturday Evening Post

Norman Rockwell

Ship Ahoy