There are many, many floral planters out there in the thrift shops. I go for the simple ones with a nice form and pleasing matte glaze, which usually means vintage. I’ve bought lots of these and I’ve given most of them away. They’re appealing and very useful.
The glazes are tougher than regular dishware, and because they’re so cheap and plentiful, you don’t have to be too careful with them. I have one that I use to hold change, and another as a “Goldy pot.”
What is a Goldy pot, you ask? When I was a kid, every room in our house had some sort of basket or bowl where we threw junk we didn’t know what to do with: paper clips, unidentified gadgets, change, a stick of gum. My dad loved to name things, and one day he decided to name these “Goldy pots,” since our family name is Goldberg.
photos: both containers vintage and made by Haeger.
I’m a fool for colored glass. Going by the shapes and the colors, I’m pretty sure these are all from the 70’s (or so), though none are marked. The little amber dish in front is the only one with a legitimate use in my household - it holds the dipping sauce for carry out summer rolls.
The rest are coasting by on their good looks - sitting near a window and just making me happy.
I often spot really great ashtrays at thrift shops, though I rarely buy them. I don’t much use them and neither do the folks with whom I normally share my bounty.
But sometimes they’re irresistible.
Top to bottom:
brass jutti, marked India
ceramic Pop Art style, unmarked, probably early Seventies
ceramic Rimini Blue ashtray by Bitossi, Italian, pre-1960
One of the largest sections in most thrift shops is the clear glass. It’s also one of the most difficult to browse because everything is clear and it’s hard to focus on them individually.
At the same time, a nice glass item can be very rewarding to find, especially once you get it alone and let it speak for itself.
This bowl is unidentified, but it looks very much like Scandinavian “ice glass.” At the very least it’s a nice copy. It reminds me of the work of Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala. Treat yourself with a look at some images of his designs.
I don’t limit myself to only vintage things from Thrift shops. This vase is marked “Bombay” on the bottom, as in Bombay Company, a now-defunct mall home decor store. But good design is good design, and at $4, this was a happy find that fits in beautifully with most any decor.
Like most of the things in my household, my bar ware does not match.
The bone-sided opener is not a thrift shop find. It’s the bottle opener I used all my years growing up, I’ve always loved it, and I lifted it from my mom’s house a few years ago. While researching for this post, I was stunned to find out that it was made by Carl Aubock, a prominent Austrian Modernist designer. You really should check the link, that stuff is gorgeous.
The two walnut-handled pieces have a somewhat timeless design, but because they are both made in Japan, I know they have some age to them - at least thirty-some years, probably more. You just don’t see new, moderately priced household objects from Japan anymore.
But even if you can’t date something, by all means get it if it pleases you. At the least, you’ll have spent fifty cents on something that would have cost five dollars if you bought it new.
Paper coaster by Hallmark, 1960’s.
I have always loved thrift shops, flea markets, and yard sales. Sure, high-end antique stores are great. But everything in them has already been curated, cleaned up, and marked up.
What intrigues me is finding a gem among the cast-offs and transforming it into something special and beautiful — changing its context by wanting it and appreciating it.
Over the years I have developed a pretty good eye, so that I can spot a color, a shape, a glaze; and know instantly that I’ve just found another treasure.
Usually I’ll buy it, sometimes I won’t. I’ve given many things away to family and friends. But I always take a picture.
And now I’d like to share these things with you, one day at a time.
photo: Small wooden bowls are plentiful and cheap. Most of them were originally snack bowls or part of a salad set, but they’re great for change, keys, bobby pins, jewelry on your dresser. The woods are beautiful and feel so nice to the touch. They’re mostly made of teak, walnut, or monkey pod wood.
