Pottery Barn Vs Thrift Store How to Diy Pottery Barn Decor on a Budget

I know for so many of us, we all love that Pottery Barn look, but who can afford this? So in this video, we're going to go to Pottery Barn, get loads of inspiration, and then we're going to take that inspiration with us to the thrift store to see what we can come up with for a whole lot less. With that being said, let's go ahead and get started. Starting off with baskets. So Pottery Barn is really known for having high quality woven baskets in every color, shape, style, size that you can really think of. So now when it comes to thrifting your baskets, it's very rare that you'll find baskets that are the same size, color, shape, style. So what I recommend is just trying to find baskets that are at least in the same material and tone. And if you do that with every room in your space, those pieces now can become interchangeable depending on your needs in that exact moment. So for example, this basket, while beautiful and in almost perfect condition, it just doesn't match the rest of my space. And I see people do that a lot where they're just mixing so much that there's no cohesion. So just try to narrow down at least two tones that you're okay with in your space and solely look for those at the thrift store. Also, especially during this time of year, thrifting your planter baskets is a really great way to save as well. It's a matter of picking up a few planter baskets from the thrift store, really affordably, going to a local florist or Trader Joe's, and creating a very simple arrangement. And for me personally, I would rather save on the planter basket or the vase or the vessel and then just afford them to buy fresh flowers. Instead of using like cheap fake flowers from Hobby Lobby, you can get a really elevated look even if you're on a budget. If you love a pottery barn aesthetic, one thing that you'll want to keep in mind is bringing some texture to your in some capacity, whether that be wall baskets or a wall vase. They recently came out with this one. It's actually not my favorite, especially for $129. So my recommendation is check your Christmas section at your thrift store. Whenever you see these woven bells, you can use them again for Christmas for sure in that way. But for now, and just simply removing the bell that was on the inside, flipping it upside down, adding some florals is a really great way to just draw your eyes up, add some texture, but on a budget. Where finding matching baskets for storage is definitely a challenge at the thrift store. One thing that I think people can come across pretty easily are woven trays because usually you don't need them to match, so it can be a one-off item. And they're really easy to transform because it's a small scale item. I believe this used to be some sort of like a breakfast tray. One of the legs was broken, so I just removed the other one. So now this is something that can just sit on a surface. The easiest way I have found to transform any basket is to start off by using a ultra flat camouflage spray paint in the color khaki. In order to get a nice even finish when you're spray painting, just make sure that you're continuously flipping the basket or the tray around so you're getting in every single area. I also like to start with the bottom side facing up so you're left with the top side, what you'll see all the time with the cleanest finish. Once those coats have dried, you just want to add some sort of a flat or matte sealer on top just to protect it. Now you can technically stop here. I wanted this tray to match that wood tone that our bed has just perfectly, and it's just that perfect neutral brown. It's that tone that doesn't pull too orange or too red or too gray. It's just right in the middle there. So in order to get that look, I like to use this specific antiquing wax. When you're doing this to wood pieces, just make sure you're using a flat bristle brush and just go in the same direction as the grain. When it comes to the basket part, so the cane part in this case, you want to use a round brush like a kabuki brush or something like that to really make sure that you're getting in all of those areas. Once the wax dries, you just then want to give it one final coat of, again, that flat sealer. Because I found this tray at the Goodwill Bins and everything is priced by the pound, this tray probably only cost me a few dollars. I had all of the other supplies already, so it's a really affordable way to get the look for less. So now let's talk about the things that can get really expensive, which is of course the furniture. Which I want to just preface this by saying I'm not saying that these pieces aren't worth that price. I'm just saying that that price is really crazy for a lot of people, especially if you use tools like Facebook Marketplace or even the thrift store. Especially during the summer, I've noticed they get really great furniture pieces. I'm not sure if people are just moving, so they're getting rid of stuff more easily, but this slipcover sofa from World Market is $1,300 and that's where this exact same sofa is from, and they were only charging $40 for it. So if you're on a budget and you like that look, it's worth at least checking the thrift store to see what they have in stock. Now with that being said, usually then it becomes an investment in your time because the pieces at the thrift store have usually been donated for a reason. It's rare that they're going to be brand new in perfect condition, but if you're on a budget that definitely provides then an opportunity for you to give something a new life. Now you guys know how much I love the thrift store, but there's also a real power in just refinishing and fixing things up that you already have. Which now brings me to our kitchen table. So I'm not really interested in spending thousands of dollars on a piece of furniture that will definitely get permanent marker and paint. Pretty sure this is nail polish, so I'm not really interested in this season of life spending a lot of money on something that I know is just going to get destroyed. However, this looks awful, and when we go to sell our house, even though they're not, they know they're not keeping this table and everything. It ruins the presentation of your space when things look old and dingy and just like beat up, and it is. It's beat up. So we are going to see what we can do and see if we can make this look at least like 60% better. I actually don't think it could look worse, and because I really feel that way, that there was nowhere to go but up with this table and chair set, that it's worth just at least attempting to see if I can make it look a little bit better. So the steps. So the first thing you're going to want to do is use some sort of a TSP cleaner just to make sure you have all of that gunk removed. After that, you'll want to just give your piece, whatever you're working on, a scuff sand with some 220 grit sandpaper, and then just remove any of the excess dust. The reason I didn't sand it down to the raw wood form is A, that would take a ton of time, and then B, when you go over it with this Dixie Bell gel stain, it adheres really well to even just something that's been scuff sanded. To apply this specific gel stain, you want to use a high quality synthetic brush. I would avoid using those cheap brushes from Dollar Tree on projects like these because they just shed so much, and if you want to have a little bit more sanity when you're doing bigger projects like these, spending a little bit more money on your materials is always a good idea. I ended up doing two coats of this specific gel stain in the color Colonial Black. You'll want to wait a good three days before sealing it. Now if you've ever been in Pottery Barn, you'll know that their furniture just tends to lean a little bit more matte in its finish, which is great, but you still want things to be wipeable. So after waiting that 72 hours, it's just time now to seal it. So again, you want to use a high quality synthetic brush to apply it. I think applying with a foam roller might be faster, but usually it leaves your projects with a lot of bubbles, or sometimes I've had where then you can see the roller marks. So I know it takes more time, but just try to use a brush when you're sealing off your project so everything stays nice and protected. Reassembled everything back together. Now of course this isn't the table of my dreams, but in the meantime, it's nice to look at something that's not so horrifying, and I didn't have to break the bank to get a much better look. While we're on the subject of tables, if you plan on doing a lot of hosting, or you entertain often, going to Pottery Barn- I'm not saying you have to buy anything, but just going there to get inspiration on tablescapes is always the most fun. But you really can find those same beautiful pieces at the thrift store. For example, I found a set of eight of these scalloped bowls and plates that were in perfect condition. These look almost identical to the ones from Pottery Barn, but these were just $8 for the plates, $8 for all the bowls, and then I had 35% off. Ends up being just over $10 for a 16-piece dinnerware set. Anything comparable at Pottery Barn would be a small fortune. Now to avoid clutter in your space, one thing I like to do is just like a one-in, one-out rule. I originally had had these crate and barrel plates that I also thrifted. Now I can donate those just because they have a lot of wear and tear to them, but I can replace it with these really beautiful scalloped plates on a budget. In addition to the dinnerware, make sure that you're also checking the textiles for tablecloths, napkins, all of that stuff at Pottery Barn is insanely priced. And even if you go a more affordable route like HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, Target, it's still going to be way more expensive than if you were just to buy something secondhand. I truly lost count how many times I have found these woven placemats. This can be a really great way to add texture into your tablescape, but you can do it super affordably if you just shop secondhand. If you love that Pottery Barn look, one element you need to be incorporating into your space is aged brass. This could be in the form of decor, like an aged brass tray or candle holders or a vase, but also in some small scale furniture. For example, I came across this side table here, had really modern lines, just wasn't totally crazy about the color. And while that terrazzo kind of look might work in some people's spaces, I would just prefer something that feels a little bit more luxe. When I went to Pottery Barn last week, I came across this side table here, just had the perfect amount of patina to it. Very heavy duty, but also $300. Now popping over to our $8 side table from the thrift store, let's see if we can combine different acrylic paints to get a patina brass look. I'm going to link the exact combination I like to use, and some people might think it's strange to add green in there, but as brass patinas, there's a green undertone. Once you've created your new color that you're happy with, I recommend using a paper towel for application. I think when you really look at aged brass pieces that are truly aged, they don't age evenly throughout, so it gives you a little bit more control to blend it versus using a brush. While it does take more time to do it this way, I think you'll be happier with the end result. Once the first coat dried, I then just went in with some melted chocolate on top of the brass to again give it that more aged appearance. Because I've done this to mirrors and frames, I already had all of the supplies on hand, so the only new thing I bought was the table. So if you see something at the thrift store that you really like the shape of, but you're just not, again, crazy about the color, just think of what it could be, and I think you'll be really happy with what comes out of that. The same kind of idea goes for lighting as well. If you find something that you like, the majority of it, but just one small thing is throwing it off. For example, I found this little tripod lamp here. I liked the general shape, I just didn't like the swirls around it, so by simply removing those and then just giving it, again, another coat of paint so everything is nice and uniform. Little iron mini lamps that look just like this can cost a small fortune on places like West Elm, Crate & Barrel, but you can still get that look for way less if you just at least check your local thrift stores. In addition to black metal, another element you'll want to add into your space if you love that Pottery Barn look is glass, and one place you can find glass super affordably is the thrift store. I feel the most confident to tell you guys that glass is probably going to be the easiest thing if you're new to thrifting to find at your local thrift stores. One of my favorite new releases from Pottery Barn were these little mini glass lamp candle holders, but again, they're almost $70 for one little lamp, so my idea is always to go to the thrift store, thrift some different glassware, and just combine it to get a more similar look. There's still one part that I need to find, but I feel like the next time I go to the thrift store I can definitely come across it, but I think overall I'll have a really similar look to the one from Pottery Barn, but I spent maybe five dollars. Another glassware item that I know for a fact you can find at the thrift store are these glass sleeves. I see these all the time at the thrift store, and if you find them at the bins it's just 49 cents a pound on glassware items, so you can walk away really saving a ton if this is a look that you really like. And one look that just always makes me swoon every time I'm in Pottery Barn, it just has like the most cozy vibe, and the coziness kind of stops once I see how much they're charging for this stuff, because you can find really similar things at the thrift store. Again, they're probably things that need to be cleaned really well or, you know, combining different pieces together, so just try to keep an open mind and see what you can come up with to create a really similar look if you're on a budget. When it comes to wall decor or just your frames in general, the main thing you want to keep in mind is Pottery Barn is known for its gallery walls, and it's also known for having black and white photography. The other thing to keep in mind is the size of the actual picture is very small, so the mat is actually doing most of the work. You can do that really simply by just thrifting a stack of frames, even if you only need two. I still buy all four, just because in the future if for some reason that set of four would work better, I want to make sure that I have all that it came with. Starting off by just removing all the contents and then just cleaning the glass really well, of course cleaning the frame itself really well. Now because these frames did not come with mats, it provided me an opportunity to make my own. You guys have seen me do this in the past, just make sure you're using a really sharp exacto knife and something to glide it along so you get nice clean lines. Just pop that back in the frame with the shiny side facing up, add in your black and white photograph, and I think it's a really easy way to add some personalization into your space, even if you're on a budget. If you love pottery barn, one thing that you should be adding to your space, especially during the spring and summer months, is linen. Some of you may remember when I found those cushion covers maybe like a few months ago, and those were fine, but then when I came across these most recently at the Goodwill bin, so we're talking less than a dollar probably for both of these, they look like they've never been used, they were in perfect condition, they already had a zipper, and they were linen. And when it comes to textiles specifically, I just focus on the material. So even if it's like you find a linen dress and you don't need a dress or it's not your size, you can always turn that in to something that you might want or need. Now I feel like I get pretty lucky at the thrift store in finding linen organizers, and these little linen storage bins can cost a small fortune when we're talking high-end retailers. So if you can find these at your thrift store, even if you don't know exactly what you're going to do with them yet, I always recommend picking them up. If I had to guess, I probably have collected over 12 of these little linen organizers over time, and they're great for storing just like odds and ends in a closet, and one day when I have a nice big closet, everything will look nice and cohesive, even though I spent pennies on them. With all that being said, that really wraps it up for today's video. Thank you guys so much for watching. Let me know down in the comments which hack or find or project was your favorite, and I will see you guys back here next Sunday. Bye for now!