I don’t know what it is about our lifestyles these days, but people just can’t get enough of extra storage. I suppose it comes from the more materialistic tendencies of the current times (which doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing…).
But for those of you living in old homes, I’m sure you know the trials and tribulations of finding places to store things. Back in the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s home-owners just didn’t have that much STUFF, lending itself to teeny tiny closets.
Luckily, John and I are blessed with bookoos of storage – We’ve got a master bedroom closet that looks more like a small bedroom:
A linen closet that holds our entire collection of towels, sheets and comforters for any season/mood:
And a huge studio closet that managed to combine TWO of the small closets I had stuffed to the brim at my old apartment (which was built, you guessed it! Probably sometime in the 60’s):
But even with the luxury of having so much lovely hideaway space for our extra things, I still love finding another little nook for this and that. ESPECIALLY when it’s pretty 🙂 Take my hat boxes for example. Not only are they great for storing extra hand towels for the bathrooms, they are cute as can be just sitting on a shelf!
So, as I’m sure you can guess, all of this lead up has a purpose…This week’s “Thrift Store SCORE!” is yet another way the DreamGreen household is finding gorgeous ways to store our everyday items!
Meet our Lane cedar chest 🙂
This beautiful piece of furniture came from none other than our favorite go-to thrift shop: The Estate Specialist. It used to live at my old apartment holding my sweater collection, but it recently made the move to the new house to act as (word of the day – say it with me now!) storage! It also acts as much-needed extra seating in the living room, working double duty.
But let’s take a look at some of the details of this beautiful thrifted treasure…
Here’s a wide view of its seating ability – The top is completely sturdy and able to hold two people side-by-side with no effort at all. Someday I’d like to find a soft cushion for the top to make it a more comfy place to land your tush, but I’m finding that that’s harder to come by then I thought…Any suggestions??
Here’s an inside look at the grain of the cedar lining – So pretty…
That’s right, this baby is SEALED when the top is down…If you look back up a few photos, you’ll see a metal edging around the rim of the top – That’s what keeps the trunk air tight. Our new #1 house rule is to make sure there aren’t any living creatures (namely the two kitties that will soon be taking up residence there) in the trunk when you close it. There ain’t NO breathing room in there – Good for keeping sweaters and linens safe and dry, bad for oxygen-requiring organisms…
Probably why this brand is also burnt into the wood:
Unfortunately the piece didn’t come with a key when I picked it up at the thrift shop, but I’ve made up for it by being super anal about only keeping it open long enough to quickly grab something from its contents. Funny how something so pretty can be so dangerous…
But the GREAT thing about this trunk, the point I’ve been hinting at this entire post, is its storage!!! We’ve only got a couple throw blankets in there now (see photo below), but we could put some extra pillows in there or even turn it into our game storage or emergency central supply (flashlights, batteries, etc.) – We’ll see!
Even though it doesn’t have the mid-century vibe we usually go for, I think it’s a very pretty (and handy!) addition to the living room set up. We talked about it and realized that we don’t want to get COMPLETELY sucked up into obsessing over one era of decor. The point of a home is to fill it with pieces that you love, not to be a stark representation of one look or design style. So it may be the odd man out in a largely modern room, but we think that’s a-okay because it’s such a cool piece and we love it!
Happy thrifting!
P.S. ONE MORE DAY UNTIL “Couch Day”!!!! Tomorrow can’t come soon enough 🙂 And the relocation of the current couch is now complete – I wish I had brought my camera to document the process, but alas…The living room is now empty and waiting for its new centerpiece!
