12 Substack Writers On Their Favorite Secondhand Home Finds
From valuable antiques to hand-me-down treasures.
It’s no secret I’m into home design.
You can read my apartment tour on
’s Cup of Jo here or my recent feature on . While fashion is my first love, my obsession with sourcing secondhand items extends to the spaces I inhabit. My teenage bedroom was covered in Goodwill frames and textiles rescued from garage sales.
While my one bedroom is pretty much set as far as Craigslist finds go, I’m dreaming of a country home with blank walls begging to be decorated. In the meantime, I figured I’d tap some very cool Substackers to hear about what preloved treasures fill their homes—and some secondhand picks inspired by their finds.
Ochuko Akpovbovbo,
“I remember seeing the IKEA VARMBLIXT lamp on Instagram and knowing I had to get my hands on it. Ofcourse it was sold out on the IKEA website so I had to hunt it down on eBay Kleinanzeigen, the German version of eBay. It's funny because I'd spent the last few months trying and failing to get furniture on Facebook marketplace, not realizing no one used that here and eBay was the place to be. I ended up getting it for 40 euros, which is a steal because it usually retails for 60 euros and it was in perfect condition.
My number one tip for secondhand interior pieces is to have patience- emphasis on patience- and to try going in with a general idea of what you'd like as opposed to something really specific.”
How cute is this little lamp under $150?
I love egg lamps, inspired by
, coming right up. This one is from Etsy for $162.Alivia McKenzie,
“I found a hand stitched piece that says ‘we’ll all take tea’ at a thrift shop on Vancouver Island, it was $2.99. My plan is to mount it on a mat backing, and paint a vintage frame to match (see vision attached). I foresee hanging it above my coffee/matcha station. If you’re currently hunting for vintage art like I am, my biggest tip would be to scour the textiles department! There’s so many silk scarves, embroidered pocket squares, and handmade delights that are begging to be framed and re-imagined as pieces for your walls.”
I have a textile like this framed, too, and I think this is a perfect example of something that’s best sourced IRL! But here’s a few pics online, just in case.
Beautiful colors and under $10.
This would also be beautiful framed, from Chairish.
Christene Barberich,
“I am a longtime lover/obsessor of vintage camp blankets. They tend to be dense wool (very toasty) and smaller dimensions, which is great for smaller spaces like mine and throwing over a sofa or folding at the base of the bed. I'm always on the hunt for cool graphic patterns as well as blankets that have retained their colors over time (with minimal moth damage). They also make wonderful housewarming gifts, too. I just found this one on eBay for $40 and I am SOOOOO smitten. I can't wait to use it in our upstate straw-panel cabin, which is so close to being finished. I think it might go in our bedroom.”
Hudson Bay is def the gold standard here. Keep an eye out at local thrift stores since they can go for a lot more online.
Another label to look for is Pendleton, which is seen here for under $200.
Melanie Masarin,
“This is the story of my vintage SMEG stovetop. I had a picture of a SMEG stovetop saved on my desktop for the longest time, and I always knew that when I bought my first apartment, I had to have it. That day finally came in 2023 when I bought my little spot in Paris.
One of my special talents, and maybe one of the reasons Erika and I are friends, is finding things on the internet. But no matter how hard I looked, I just couldn't find the stovetop anywhere. After calling a few people who work in professional kitchens and have contacts at SMEG, I found out the stovetop had been discontinued six years ago.
At the same time, I was fighting with my family about getting a gas stove. They kept saying electric stoves were safer, but I just couldn’t get this stovetop out of my head. So, I did what any slightly insane person would do: I looked up all the past sales of the stovetop from the last few years on different platforms and emailed the sellers, asking where they found theirs.
There was one that had been sold on eBay in the UK for £2,000 a year earlier, which was about four times the usual price and seemed crazy expensive. I emailed the seller anyway and, months later, finally heard back. They let me know they had another brand-new stovetop, in a friend's garage. Of course, shipping it to France from the UK was going to cost a fortune, and we had to use DHL, but there was another problem: I wasn’t in Paris to receive it at the time.
Luckily, my little brother saved the day. He took half a day off work, grabbed one of his friends, and drove out to a warehouse just outside Paris to pick it up. It was definitely unreasonably expensive, but it feels like the perfect analogy for saving up for my little 600-square-foot piece of heaven in Paris - every nook in it is exactly how I wanted it to be :).”
I’m crazy about this DWR table on Craigslist. It’s no stove, but I think Melanie might approve.
Leslie Stephens,
“I bought both of the bedside tables for my bedroom at thrift stores in Portland, for $100 each. Most of the things in my home are new, or have a contemporary feel, but I love a more traditional vibe in the bedroom. The darker table came from Urbanite, an antique store, in Portland. I didn't know yet if it would work as a bedside table or go with the rest of the room, but I loved the details in the wood, from the ribbed legs and tulip edges on the bottom, so I snagged it and replaced the old drawer pulls with brass knobs from Reformation, which instantly dressed it up. I prefer to shop for vintage furniture in person, since you can get a sense of whether something grabs you. I recommend following your instinct on pieces, then figuring out later how they'll fit into your home.”
This bedside table is charming and timeless for $400.
Or spend zero dollars if you’re in Brooklyn and give these two a new lease on life.
Madison Brill,
“My new but vintage Biedermeier-style bedroom dresser. I got it from Facebook Marketplace for $300. My tip: contrary to popular belief don’t use search terms, just take the time to scroll and look. The best finds are always mislabeled.”
You can match Madison, but it’ll cost you $2,300.
A little smaller, but very charming option on Etsy.
If you’re in Brooklyn, this solid wood option is $250!
Shannon Lange,
“I am not exaggerating when I say my entire home, and every home I've ever had to furnish myself, has been done entirely secondhand. Obviously, this is a cost effective move when you're young and broke, but really for me, it comes down to quality and finding truly unique pieces. Things are just not made the same today! I spent months searching for a plain, wooden coffee table (that wasn't made of particle board) and finally found my pride and joy on Facebook marketplace. It completely transformed my space and I love how sturdy it is. An added bonus, my sweet cat Midge loves it too. It was $200 and the couple who sold it to us delivered it to Manhattan I think for an additional $50. My biggest piece of advice is to get creative in how you search for things. Wood coffee table, wooden coffee table, vintage coffee table, console table, low table, low wood table, wooden table, vintage table etc. Have patience and remember everything is negotiable. People tend to list high and if you're willing to actually show up and remove whatever they're selling from their garage or bonus room, I find most people are more than willing to strike a deal.”
This is solid pine on Noihsaf—which has an amazing home section. But this table is only for people in Asheville, NC :)
Go for something totally different on Etsy!
Zara Wong,
“This is an antique wooden stool my mother-in-law found in China many years ago. She bought three, one for each son (three boys!) and told me how none of them were very impressed with it at the time, but they all have come to appreciate it.
While she doesn’t remember how much it costs (I don’t think it would have been a fortune) I have seen similar ones available at second-hand resellers like Etsy or Facebook Marketplace, by searching for words like “antique wooden stool”, or throwing in search terms like elm, workers chair.
There are lots of reproductions of this piece, but you can tell this is properly old with the grain of the wood and the subtle dip in the seat. We use it as a stool, a small coffee table or even a doorstop — it’s very versatile.”
This one is $100 on Etsy and this is another pick I’d suggest going IRL to look for.
This $75 stool is a little kooky, but totally cute. It’s $75 in Brooklyn.
Heather Hurst,
“In honor of my love for all things one degree away from kitch and bad taste, I present to you my papier-mache cat, Ferdinand. He's dutifully watched over me in three apartments now. I rescued him from a Maryland thrift store in 2020. He was $4.99, I think. He has no distinctive markings, besides FINLAND in all-caps painted in yellow on the bottom.
Although these cats are $30-60, it does account for 0 finders journey and not having to leave your house in the 19F degree chill. I searched "FINDLAND PAPIER MACHE CAT". Don't sleep on "RELATED RESULTS"! This one bears a striking resemblance to Ferdinand. I'm allergic to cats, so I appreciate the humor in this hypoallergenic call-out. For the biblically accurate cat purists...him.”
Cat lovers, here you go. This one Heather found is $40.
Jess Graves,
“My friend Bradley Odom is an interior designer in Atlanta and he has a beautiful store on the Westside called Dixon Rye. Every so often, he and his husband Peter will go to France and source all kinds of beautiful antiques, fill up a shipping container, and bring them back stateside.
On one of his trips, he brought back a perfectly patinated, heavy, HUGE chest of drawers from the late 1800’s, worn in over time with paint flecks and stripped down to its original wood. I think it was around $3000. In desperate need of more storage, I bought it to house dining and entertaining items; extra sets of dishes and napkins, candles, placemats, napkins holders, card games, etc.
It lived in my Atlanta loft for years and then we hauled it to New York when we moved — one of the few pieces that made it into our (much smaller) apartment. I use it as a sideboard and a bar when we entertain. The rest of the time it houses fresh flowers from the greenmarket. I will never part with it.”
I adore the detailing on this option. It’s $1,600.
Or opt for something a little more substantial, like this chest of drawers from 1800s France.
Jessie Randall,
“I got this beautiful bowl this weekend at my favorite antique shop Sage St Antiques in Sag Harbor. It was $90 which is sort of expensive for them but it's so gorgeous and had a tag saying it is from Italy. To find similar I would go there or search on Etsy for "Italian ceramic bowl green XL" or something like that.”
How about some little ceramic bowls from Italy to match?
This gorgeous sage woven bowl is only $25 on Etsy.
I’m really running with the Italian inspo. This bowl is $30 and has all my favorite colors.
I love everything from Piano Piano, this platter included ($88).
Nora Henick,
“These are Alfredo Barbini Murano Glass Apple and Pear Bookends purchased on eBay for $66.58.
eBay has a handful of these and they're much cheaper than if you get them on 1stDibs! Some are broken, but at the right cost, that's the perfect project. If you want something similar, not exact, searching for Murano glass paperweights or bookends on eBay will unlock a treasure trove. Just make sure you check in about shipping costs because shipping glass can (understandably so) get expensive.”
This set is about 10x what Nora paid, but maybe you don’t mind.
This set is beautiful and around $200 on Etsy.
Or consider dipping your toe in Murano Glass with this $35 bowl.
Honorable Mentions
I'm moderating a panel hosted by Cool as a Cucumber on Tuesday, March 4th. They’re bringing together leading experts - a somatic psycho-dermatologist, OBGYN, cosmetic chemist and an esthetician - for an insightful discussion on adult acne. The event is free, and you can RSVP here. Cool as a Cucumber (@becoolasacucumber on IG) takes a refreshingly comprehensive approach to caring for acne-prone skin with science-backed solutions. Check out this BTS on one of their founders on Substack.
I really like A Day In Her Life pod. It’s refreshing to hear about the daily routines of people who aren’t brand strategists in Brooklyn lol.
This might be my 4th repurchase of Calm powder. There’s nothing like it!
Thank you for reading Long Live. It means so much to me. You can shop my favs here, follow along on Instagram + Tiktok, and shop my Notion template. Get matched at EV Salon. And if you want to partner on a future Long Live, email evan@communite.co x
ALSO - an Eames desk chair. Was getting ready to drop like $3500 to get one because it was the only thing I wanted. Wound up finding it on FBMP for $200! The older woman was like “my husband worked in office furniture sales and had good taste”
As someone who is never not decorating her apartment, this speaks to me! Nothing adds more character than secondhand pieces 👏