Flea Market Finds: Kara's Living Room and Foyer

I was so excited a couple of weeks ago to get to go home to Denver for a few days.  My older sister just moved into her first home with her husband, and we had been talking about a few fun ways to spruce up their front living room for awhile.

I love finding treasures (for your home, for your closet) on a budget.  It literally gets me giddy to go to the flea market and find all sorts of amazing pieces for pennies!  I forced Kara to go to the Denver Flea Market with me (along with our mom - she loved it! But we did have to keep her moving along :>), just to see what we would find.  Flea markets aren't for the faint of heart.  They're dirty, they're crowded, and you have to really try hard to see the dazzles from all the duds.  

We found two of these end tables:

Solid wood, with a door that opens in the front - the entire inside can be used as storage.  Price tag: Both end tables for $25!

We also found this little chinoiserie inspired magazine table:

We decided to spray paint it a glossy white...to modern/fun it up!  We might spray it with a little more of a cream color to go with the end tables...haven't made the final decision yet.  Price tag: $25.

Here's my dad helping me "doll" up the tables.  We sanded the loose paint off the top of the tables, then sprayed the tops with a matte Polyurethane to help protect them.  We left them distressed...I love the character!  New knobs are in their near future.

Our little magazine table!  Adds charm and function...and I love the "Thumbs Up" Sculpture we picked up for $14 at Home Goods!

The last purchase we made was for their entryway.  They needed a console table of some sort for keys, mail, etc.   We found this old church pew in an antique store for $100. It's a solid wood, honey color...absolutely gorgeous! It would have come home with me in a heartbeat if it fit in my carryon bag!  Luckily, we convinced Kara it was a stunner.  It's so unique, and fits perfectly in that spot.   Complete with a dish for keys, a throw and pillow to add softness and color, this is a talking point for sure.

We'll be adding a mirror above the bench, and a floor rug once we find the perfect one.  We also added our grandfathers old army trunk below their long mirror - see it in the nook below?  It's such a cool piece.  Pop Pop was in Japan for a lot of his army career in WWII and he lugged this trunk around with him everywhere he went.  Then my mom took it all the way out to CU Boulder with her when she left her home in Maryland for college.  A few years later, it was home to all of our barbies!  I love the family history - it has our grandfathers name stamped across the top.  And it's also very functional - it can hide magazines, blankets, or anything else that needs a home.

Before and After pictures of the room to come!

Thanks for letting me play in your living room, Kara!

xo,

k