9 Dining Room Décor Items We Always Look for at Thrift Shops

Thrift stores are the perfect place to score hidden gems that will make your dining room truly unique.

On special occasions and casual weeknights alike, your dining room is the ideal space to enjoy a home-cooked meal with family and friends—and the décor sets the tone for how you and your guests will feel as you gather around the table.

If your dining room needs a little bit of a makeover, allow your local thrift store to deliver everything you need for a total transformation. We turned to expert stylists and vintage resellers to learn how to shop secondhand to breathe new life into your dining room décor.

Meet Our Expert

• Andi Jenkins, interior stylist and vintage reseller

• Taylor Jochim-Smoot, vintage sourcing and design specialist and founder of Portland Revibe, a vintage resell shop dedicated to supporting eco-sustainable practices

Related: 7 Hidden Gems to Look for at the Thrift Shop

Eclectic Seating

Thrift stores are filled with one-of-a-kind items, like stand-alone dining chairs that would typically come in a set if purchased brand new. However, mixing and matching dining chairs can create a fun and unique vibe. "An eclectic collection of chairs is one of the best ways to give your dining room personality," says Andi Jenkins, an interior stylist and vintage reseller. "The key to getting the eclectic look right is to make sure each chair has something in common design-wise, like the style, shape or materials it's created from."

Dining Hutches

A dining table and chairs aren’t the only pieces of furniture to incorporate into your dining room. "Every dining room needs storage for dishes and serving pieces, making a dining hutch an absolute must," says Jenkins. Buying a brand-new dining hutch could cost thousands, but thrift store prices are far more affordable. "Second-hand shops are often filled with hutches and armoires cast out by previous generations that can be brought back to life with fresh paint, stain, or decorative hardware," Jenkins says. A little elbow grease can go a long way, turning an inexpensive thrift store find into the focal point of your dining room.

Related: 10 Things You Should Thrift Instead of Buying New

Silverware Sets

Transforming your dining room is all about the details, and silverware shouldn’t be overlooked. "These days, silverware sets can be very expensive," says Taylor Jochim-Smoot, a vintage sourcing and design specialist and founder of Portland Revibe. "Often, the trendy brass and darker flashed silverware are not made well with fake coatings that fade and chip over time. Full quality and stylish sets of silverware can be thrifted for a far better price." Chances are you’ll find unique patterns and shapes totally unlike the cookie-cutter sets you’d find at popular home retailers.

Related: How to Tell if an Item Is Made of Real Silver

Statement Lighting

The dining room is the perfect space to pull out all the stops when it comes to overhead lighting. "The lighting section of the thrift store is a great place to find affordable, large-scale chandeliers and statement lighting for above your dining room table," says Jenkins. "Just make sure to have a trained electrician or handyman inspect and install the fixture to ensure it’s safe." Opt for warm light bulbs for a cozy feel, or go bright white to open up the room.

Baskets

If there is one home décor item you can’t ever seem to have too many of, it’s baskets. "Baskets are a great way to add character to any tablescape," says Jochim-Smoot. "Pair them with linens for serving bread or hold napkins and other items for the table. Baskets are plentiful at the thrift stores." At just a few dollars each, you can bring home a wide range of baskets so you can pick and choose which ones to use for different occasions or holidays.

Related: 15 Things You Should Always Buy at the Thrift Store, According to Design Insiders

Area Rugs

Nothing ties a room together quite like an area rug. "Area rugs are an essential dining room décor staple, protecting your floors from wear and trapping crumbs from dinner guests," Jenkins says. "A statement area rug can really up the wow factor of your design, and thrift stores are a great way to find large-scale rugs at a fraction of the cost." Before you bring home any rug from a secondhand store, unroll it and inspect it for tears, stains, odors, and holes. If it’s in decent shape, get it cleaned professionally or clean it yourself, and you'll be all set.

Candlesticks

Candles help set the mood for a meal, and candlesticks are an elegant way to incorporate candles into your dining room décor. "If you want to add ambience to your tablescape, mixing and matching candlesticks in a complimenting style with varying sizes and heights can create a cozy scene that takes your conversations into the night," says Jochim-Smoot. Play around with different colors and materials, like brass, crystal, and silver, until you find the perfect set to complement your space.

Art

Empty walls can make your dining room feel two-dimensional and just plain boring. "Art is an essential part of every space, and the dining room is no exception," says Jenkins. "Thrift stores are filled with affordable art perfect for a dining room gallery wall." Bigger pieces can be pretty expensive, but if you’re lucky, you might even stumble upon a large, eye-catching piece of artwork for an equally spectacular price.

Related: 13 Insider Tips for Scoring Big at Thrift Stores, According to Experts

Small Bowls and Trays

Thrift stores are a mecca for bowls, trays, and other small pieces. "You can always find a good variety of smaller decorative glass bowls that make the perfect holder for groupings of food items for a charcuterie board or a variety of dips, butter for bread, etc," says Jochim-Smoot. "I personally use small Pyrex bowls daily as pinch pots for spices around the kitchen and for dinner prep to hold various ingredients that are needed in smaller quantities." If you are going to serve food in them, just make sure they are food-safe—if you're unsure, get a lead testing kit to ensure they're safe to use.

Read the original article on Martha Stewart.