When I bought my first home at the age of twenty-one, I gladly accepted any second-hand furniture and housewares my family offered. I didn’t have money to spend on furniture with all the bills and repairs the house needed. I actually didn’t have enough to pay for those, either. (Hello, weekend job!)
My Grandparents were especially kind to pass on a few furniture pieces and a lot of cookware and utensils. Some of it was pretty old!
I thought it was very generous and I appreciate that they did that. I also came to appreciate the quality of the pieces they handed down to me and the family history they had.
Twenty years later, our house is still decorated with inherited pieces and second-hand finds. It’s my favorite way to decorate because I know the stories behind them and can recall some of my own.
Looking back now, the hard times in the beginning were a gift in a way.
That is why I didn’t hesitate to say “yes” when I was asked if I wanted my grandparent’s dining table a few years ago. It originally belonged to my Great-Grandparent’s, so it has been passed through four generations!
I remember many family gatherings and delicious meals around this table. I even remember when my Great-Grandparent’s had it when I was growing up in the 80s!
The table was built by the Owen Sutor company. They have made beautiful high-quality furniture for many years. They are still in operation and are located in Richmond, Virginia!
My Grandmother bought different chairs for the table later on, so those weren’t original. I remember my Great-Grandmother had ladder back chairs around it when I was little.
The things I gathered for the centerpiece include a few other pieces passed down in the family. My Great-Aunt’s creamer pitcher makes a cute flower vase.
Another inherited piece I have is my Grandfather’s old toolbox! He built this toolbox when he worked for DuPont in the 60s. It was too cool to hide away in the workshop so I cleaned it up and refinished the wood. Now it’s used as a bar cart!
It provides so much storage and it’s wonderful to have a stainless steel top where I can serve beverages. It’s very easy to clean!
I like to display fresh flowers on the cart to add some beauty and color. The Bohemian decanter that belonged to my great-grandparent’s and has been a cool addition just for decoration.
The crystal chandelier was given to me and I was very happy to replace the box-store chandelier that was there before.
I felt this chandelier fit better, not only with our mix of furniture, but also the age of our house. Our house was built in the early 60s and this chandelier came from a house that was built around the same time. A friend of mine was replacing all her lighting in the house for updated fixtures and was giving her old ones away. We were going in the opposite direction and it worked out for both of us. She was happy that someone else could use it!
I cleaned the metal part of the chandelier with Brasso. Although the metal isn’t a shiny brass, it still did a nice job cleaning it up.
Then I removed each of the crystals and cleaned them with rubbing alcohol. They looked so pretty just after I cleaned them!
Thankfully, my Dad is an electrician and installed it for us.
My Grandmother found this lovely Bassett corner cabinet at an antique mall in 2010 for a really good price! I wanted a corner cabinet for years and thankfully she kept an eye out for me! It was worth the wait and I think about how excited my Grandmother was when she found it.
I wanted to display and store our wedding china without taking up so much space in the room.
I am not sure how old this cabinet is, but I found several on different auction sites. I’d love to know the age. I do know that it was built in North Carolina.
I’m really happy with the mix of furniture and decor in our dining room. Nothing matches but somehow it all comes together just fine. And I didn’t have to spend a lot of money decorating it, since most of it was passed on.
The best part is that it brings people together! I have so many wonderful memories of family and friends gathered around this table and look forward to many more!
