Grand Stand

When decorating thrifty-chic, start by finding the thrifty and making it chic! Fashion a pedestal for your powder room out of a china plate and a short crystal candlestick. A footed dish elevates the mundane and frees up counter space to boot! To give your soap a lift, flip a fancy teacup upside down and top it with the matching saucer.

Rack ’n Roll

Some thrift store finds don’t need a new mission, just a new room. Wine racks hold rolled-up hand towels as well as they hold bottles. Shoe racks are really just shelves, perfect for folded towels. And an old-fashioned hat rack is designed for hanging things whether they are top hats and cloaks, or bath sheets and robes.

Jam Packed

Coordinated bath canisters are expensive and don’t bring much to the party. So go for classic Ball jars instead! They’re cheap, shabby-chic, and available just about anywhere you shop second-hand. Label them with mismatched house numbers and give the cotton balls their own address!

Drawer Buster

Create art that doubles as storage and storage that doubles as art! Find a mini dresser and a few old black-and-white snapshots. Mount the drawers on the wall and tack a picture in each one using photo corners. Use the drawers as shelves and hang earrings from looped pieces of wire.

Merci Bouquet

There’s nothing like a lovely vintage vase to turn ordinary items into extraordinary displays. For the bathroom counter, choose a little vase with big personality. Use it to arrange a whimsical bouquet of make-up brushes. Or fill it with toothbrushes for a toothbrush holder worth smiling about!

Straw Market

A tisket, a tasket, thrift stores have a million baskets! Pick up an unhandled one to hold your blow dryer under the sink. Get pint-sized baskets to tuck into a drawer for toiletries. (Sharing the washroom? Find one for each family member.) Dress up a flower-picking basket with a floral scarf to collect magazines while adding a dash of color!

Changed Purse

Once a container, always a container! And an unexpected container, such as a cigar box purse, makes a clever caddy. It’s nice and sturdy, plus it’s just the right size for small sundries like lipsticks, nail polishes, and compacts. Regular cigar boxes work, too. They stack nicely and cost about a buck apiece!

Smart Cookie

People just can’t throw away cookie tins! They feel solid, can still store plenty of goodies, and are just so pretty! Save those printed packages from the landfill and put them to work in your loo. Line them up on an étagère for a delightful display. Who would guess this stylish macaroon tin hides a roll of paper inside?