While clothing trends such as crop tops and corduroys have made a comeback, the same goes for furniture. Mid-century dressers and vanities are a hot commodity these days, but getting your hands on one isn't cheap.
One Redditor's post on r/ThriftStoreHauls might just give you some hope, however.
Two photos revealed a stunning MCD with a mirror found at a thrift shop. The dresser was purchased for about $350, according to the OP — quite a steal compared to the price tags seen at retail stores.
Over 19 billion pounds of furniture are trashed every year. On average, every American is responsible for 50 of those pounds annually. Even cutting that number by a third by upcycling secondhand purchases would greatly reduce individual landfill contributions.
While popular stores such as Ikea boast alluring prices, fast furniture is no different from fast fashion — cheap materials that aren't constructed to last. It's a fast-churning, profit-guzzling megamachine that uses a lot of energy to meet consumer demands, creating tons of pollution from transportation to packaging.
(The good news is that Ikea will buy back assembled furniture and give you store credit in return, which saves those pieces from the fates of landfills.)
Shopping secondhand is greener and cheaper. There are also used furniture platforms where you can buy and sell luxury items at massive discounts. If you still can't find what you're looking for, make sure to support eco-friendly brands.
Before you throw your furniture to the curb, you might consider fixing it first. Refurbishing furniture through reupholstery, furniture oil, or a fresh coat of non-toxic paint is also a way to bring new life to used items.
This post teased that the dresser would be painted, so the comments were flooded with panic, begging the buyer to refrain.
"Exquisite!" one Redditor wrote.
"I remember living through at least two other periods when it was very common to buy really good old furniture and then paint it. When will we learn? I hope you decide to preserve the beauty of this lovely piece," another comment read.
"It's gorgeous as is," a third said.
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