Secondhand, First Love: Decorating with Pre-Loved Pieces

This February, there’s no better place to celebrate love than in your new home. So we asked our resident interior design expert, Rebecca Jones from Edward Thomas Interiors, for her styling tips on decorating with vintage and second-hand pieces, from knowing where to start with upcycling to the best places to find pre-loved bargains…

If you’re new to upcycling/repurposing, what are the easiest pieces to start with?

Beginners should start with easy wins like lighting, textiles or painting. Lamp shades and bases are the most straightforward things to thrift; you can change one or the other to vary the look or mix and match to play around with different styles. If you’re the crafty type, try swapping fabrics on cushion covers, storage baskets or even plant pot holders. Of course, you also can’t go wrong with painting. A fresh lick of paint can transform second-hand furniture, cabinetry, mirrors, picture frames, shelving, the list goes on!

How do you best mix old with new?

Try to find a pre-loved ‘hero’ piece, something like a sideboard, armchair, dressing table, coffee table or drinks trolley, and use new styling to connect it with your wider design. This could be through wallpapering, colour block painting, soft furnishings – anything that helps soften and integrate the old with the rest of the space. New will always be able to work harder when blending styles.

The other option is to use the old structure but upcycle to make it functional. So, you might reupholster, sand and revarnish, replace handles or legs, decoupage, whitewash, there’s plenty of techniques to try.

Where should homeowners look for pre-loved pieces and how can you tell if they’re good quality?

Online is the most obvious place. Retail sites like Facebook Marketplace, eBay and Vinted all have really easy search functions, including “find similar items”, so there’s always great thrifts here. If you want to make it more of hobby or day out, then visit an antiques fair or vintage market. In terms of quality, there’s no strict rules. If a fabric shows signs of wear, that might be a red flag, but the same on a wooden piece of furniture could add character. Trust your instincts.

Are there any colours that help older pieces feel fresh?

Incorporating classic shades such as navy, charcoal, forest and sage green is a good way of ensuring pieces become timeless. Similarly, colours that are popular right now, so earthy neutrals, beige, greige and stone, will complement most materials but leave room for personality to be expressed.

Do you have any favourite examples of upcycled pieces you’ve created?

Our designers and stylists are very imaginative so we’ve tried lots of different reincarnations over the years. From simple things like using old gin bottles as candle holders or wine corks as a side tabletop to more bespoke creations such as a desk made out of old fruit crates and timber or a headboard from old cricket bats!