Top 10 Thrift Store Home Decor Items to Keep an Eye Out For

I love thrift shopping, and I always come home with tons of exciting finds. If you are looking to go thrifting home décor, too, I am here to give you some tips.

Here is my list of top 10 thrift store home decor items that you should be looking for next time you go thrift shopping.

Today, I am going to be visiting four different types of thrift stores in the St. Louis, Missouri area, to illustrate the items I am talking about.

1. Furniture

Furniture is always a great buy at a thrift store. If you are looking for something special, make sure that you bring along the measurements and a tape measure because if you have to come back it might be gone.

Surprisingly, some thrift stores do deliver for a small fee.

This cabinet was originally dark brown. You have to be able to look past the color of things.

Sometimes you are lucky and you just stumble across a great find like these trunks. My family room coffee table cost five dollars.

I think weathered leather looks better than new and it cleans up easily.

2. Mirrors

I would never pay retail prices for a mirror. Thrift stores have a good selection of both vintage and newer mirrors at great prices. Sometimes I leave them as is and sometimes I paint them.

I added a metal embellishment to this formerly gold mirror after I painted it white.

3. Books

Books are always a bargain, but the prices in some places are higher than in others. I almost never pay more than $2 a book.

Check out smaller thrift stores run by local churches if you are looking for beautiful vintage books or larger book sets at a great price.

I started collecting classic books about 25 years ago. Every single book in my library was purchased used, and most of them I got in thrift stores.

4. Lanterns

Large decorative lanterns can cost over a hundred dollars in some retail stores, which makes them an excellent thrifted home décor option.

About ten years ago I started purchasing used outdoor lanterns at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I would gut them and then use them as home decor.

They have heavy, often beveled glass and a weathered patina that you cannot find in a new lantern.

This vintage railroad light was a lucky find.

5. Lamps

Be sure to check out your lamp before leaving the store, although some thrift stores do allow you to return electronics during the first week.

These brass lamps would look great painted.

This wood lamp purchased at a local Goodwill was a fantastic score.

Look for shapes you like as opposed to colors, since you can always paint your lamp to give it a new look. This farmhouse lamp was formerly dark brown.

6. Small wood décor and shelving

Every thrift store has piles of small wood decor and these are some of the best bargains that you will find. I always keep an eye out for trays, totes, and cutting boards.

Heart cut-outs can be reshaped with a jigsaw or covered up with thin plywood and wood can easily be updated with paint.

I also keep a lookout for pretty stools and little cabinets and unusual shelves that just need a fresh coat of paint.

7. Baskets

Wicker is so popular right now and it is so readily available at every thrift store and at a great price. I look for unusual textures and shapes and I always check to make sure that it is in good condition and not unraveling.

8. Frames

Do not pay retail prices for picture frames. Thrift stores abound with frames of every size, shape, and color, and sometimes you will get lucky and find a great vintage frame.

Just like my books, nearly every frame in my house was purchased used.

9. Dishes

Thrift stores offer great prices on complete dish sets and on individual pieces. This makes it affordable to change out your dishes whenever you get tired of them.

It is also a great way to pick up serving pieces that you only use on special occasions.

I started buying thrifted chinoiseries about five years ago. Before that, I thrifted red and white dishes of all kinds.

10. Candle holders

Candle holders were pretty scarce in the thrift stores that I visited, so they must be getting more popular with all shoppers.

In fact, I did not see even one wood candlestick. Candlesticks look great mixed in with dishware on a hutch or on top of a shelf or a mantle.

Think outside the box. I love to put things on candlesticks other than candles.

Thrift store home decor

I hope I have inspired you to go out and go thrift shopping. What is the coolest thing you have ever found in a thrift store? Let me know in the comments!

And if you have any more tips and ideas on how to thrift for home décor, also feel free to leave those in the comment section and help out other thrifters.