Finds

Repaired, rewired and ready for its new home.

When we begin working on a home, we also start the hunt for just the right fixtures that will fit its character. We look at the typical retailers, but also go to the metal scrapyard, garden centers and architectural salvage stores. We look online, visit estate sales, and comb through Craigslist, Etsy and EBay to find things ready to be repurposed.

Early on, I began researching 1900s light fixtures, flooring, and other finishing details. With this information as my guide, I found a wonderful chandelier at a salvage store in downtown Memphis. It is made of wooden beads and tassels; I have never seen one like it. (This made me want use it even more.) We have no idea how old it is, but we have purchased, repaired and rewired it. It is now ready to hang.

We found period appropriate pedestal sinks for the baths on Craig'slist. They will be re-glazed and then fitted with new faucets so they will be ready for their second 100 years of service.

Because Cooper Young is such a walking neighborhood, we have a plan to make the small front yard inviting and an outdoor extension of the front porch. To do so, we need to fill in an area of the existing landscaping with mature azaleas. I wondered just where in the world we would find these and voila! They were available on Next Door this past week. John dug them up from at a nearby home where the owner is planning to refresh her landscaping. A win for all concerned!

And today, while looking at one of my favorite stores, The Find, I spied just the right mirror to use over the fire place. It is the right size, right shape and right style.

This ongoing game of hide and seek, from finding the properties to finishing them, from finding pieces to repurposing them for new use, is so interesting and rewarding. However, we really can't take all the credit. I believe as John says, sometimes the right things find us.