Roundup: Secondhand Gems for Versatile Small Spaces
As my family advances into experiencing the first spring in our new cottage, we’re noticing the small ways in which our daily routines are shifting. For example, the tiny wood stove that was the backdrop of much of our daily activity since moving during the fall is now rarely in use. By contrast, the vintage rolling cart in which we stored the firewood is now in high demand for various gardening activities. As such, a spring shuffle was in order.
I usually don’t enjoy shopping, but I do delight in exploring vintage finds on ETSY, where I recently stumbled across a listing on Our Vintage Bungalow that was perfect for the update we had in mind. The piece for sale was an old metal + wood half-barrel divided into two compartments and outfitted with worn legs.
I thought it’d be the perfect size and shape for holding the firewood and displaying a plant in a tight space during the warmer seasons:
Fun side note: After discovering the piece, I noticed that the vendor also has a blog that communicates ways to successfully host and shop garage sales for a sustainable, vintage lifestyle… plus she shares her experiences with tackling a home renovation with young kids in tow. This is one of the reasons why I love shopping secondhand + small — there’s almost always an interesting story behind the storefront!
Over the years, countless folks have told me that they don’t know “how” to shop vintage or handmade on sites such as Etsy. For me, the key is to search for the general function I need an item to serve, rather than search by an item’s dedicated name directly.
By searching for goods via detail and function descriptors, I discover creative and unique homewares that serve the purposes my family needs, in formats I might not have previously considered. This is one of the traits that makes our little home so personal and special to us.
So here’s this week’s roundup of beautiful and functional one-of-a-kind vintage items that I favorited from the same shop that carried the half-barrel piece. My hope is that this sort of post helps readers find pre-loved homewares (rather than newly manufactured goods) offered by small businesses.
VINTAGE AND HANDMADE HOMEWARES FOR SMALL SPACES (ROUNDUP 3)
I flat out don’t like shopping. (There. I said it.) However, I do find myself looking for handmade or vintage items online or in our local thrift stores when we need a particular something-or-another for the Cottage, and that’s something I rather enjoy. I don't just browse aimlessly or on impulse. When I shop, I’m on a specific mission. For me, the key is to search for the general function I need an item to serve, rather than search by a item’s dedicated name directly.
For example, when I need linens that can serve as towels, tablecloths, couch covers, and shoulder wraps, I just search for "linen throw" and explore the results from there, selecting a piece that serve multiple functions while appealing to my aesthetic. By searching for items via detail and function descriptors, I discover creative and unique homewares that serve the purposes my family needs, in formats I might not have previously considered. This is one of the traits that makes our lil' home so personal and special to us.
Many people have told me that they don’t know “how” to shop vintage or handmade on sites such as Etsy. As such, I’m going to start doing a weekly roundup of beautiful and functional one-of-a-kind vintage or handmade items I’ve found in passing that I like but won’t buy because we already have something similar. My hope is that these roundups help some readers find homewares made by independent artisans or from second-hand curators who have salvaged incredible pieces that were likely doomed for landfills, and are redirecting them for a new life.
When purchasing a piece, you can further cut back on the associated carbon footprint by messaging the vendor to assure them you’re fine with repurposed packaging and don’t need any flair. I’ve chosen to use Etsy for these roundups, as it’s the first major online shopping destination to offset 100% of carbon emissions from shipping.
UNIQUE STORAGE
UNIQUE FURNISHINGS
FOR THE KIDS
HOME ACCESSORIES
WALL DECOR
CLOTHING
Adaptable Book Storage for Small Spaces
We try to make sure that the items we bring into our lil’ cottage are crafted with consideration, are versatile for ever-evolving use, and enhance the function and feel of our home-office.
For a tiny, unique addition to our home this I introduced these two, handcrafted folding book hangers to the low wall in our multi-purpose room.
I found these compact, adaptable accessories on Etsy, which has been my go-to source for everything vintage and handmade for over a decade. The hangers are ideal for our pre-schooler’s activity pads, as well as a selection of seasonal books borrowed from our local library.
Our child’s folding desk and his wooden perpetual calendar were also Etsy finds, of course. Explore some of my handmade Etsy favorites for fall, here.
Note: While this blog entry was not sponsored, the book hangers (which I selected intentionally for our home and needs,) were gifted by Etsy in conjunction with a sponsored Instagram post.
Functional Decor - Perpetual Calendar
I often talk about the concept of “functional decor.” With the planet suffering from the effects of our overconsumption and staggering waste, it’s more important than ever that we cut back in general. I aim to avoid purchasing new, mass produced, unsentimental, decorative tchotchkes for the sake of decor. Instead, I try to enrich our home with sustainable, ethically-produced, practical goods that can serve a function while delighting our senses.
When it comes to toys, I usually prefer hand-me-downs— particularly with items such as LEGOs, things-that-go, and magnetic tiles. They cost very little (if anything), and since they’ve already been produced, transported and purchased, there’s no point in dooming them to a landfill or storage after they’ve been used by a single household. We might as well pass these items down the line as long as possible, especially since most are made of plastic that won’t biodegrade.
West’s toy collection is also largely made up of handmade wooden designs that we enjoy using (and seeing… and stepping over) throughout our home and garden.
Thanks to library books and interactions with friends, there’s no lack of “new” games and activities for our son to experience. But some months have passed since we got him anything more permanent, so I decided to invest in a beautiful, playful, wooden perpetual calendar I found on Etsy.
A perpetual calendar is a handy, lower-waste item for spaces of any size, and I found this one to be the perfect tool-meets-toy for our tiny home/office.
At 2 ½ years old, West is creating his own daily rhythm, and understands that particular days of the week mean that set activities will be taking place. I figured that a functional, updatable, interactive calendar would be useful to him for years to come.
So far, he loves it, even though he doesn’t fully understand it... and even though he insists the weather tiles be stored in his wheelbarrow.
Shopping Handmade
I'm not much of a shopper. I'm not sure whether it's because we live in a tiny home and thus don't need (or want) much stuff, or because it's just not in my nature. Either way, I rarely look forward to searching for and buying goods online or in brick-and-mortars. Having said that, I LOVE shopping handmade and vintage items via Etsy. (Loooooove.)
Etsy has obviously been around for years, and yet so many people tell me that they don't know "how to shop" the site. They're overwhelmed by the diverse array of offerings, both in the vintage and handmade categories. But for me, Etsy is not only easy, it's fun. As such, I figured I'd share a few of my Etsy shopping habits here on the blog, since so many of the items from our Cottage were discovered via Etsy vendors and makers. (Please note that this isn't a step-by-step of how to use the site-- there are plenty of those online already. This is simply an overview of how I use the site to help make the Cottage look and feel the way it does.)
To visually demonstrate how I integrate vintage and handmade goods into our home, here are some miscellaneous items I found on Etsy that appear regularly in my Instagram feed and on my blog photos:
First off, I only shop for pieces that I need. I don't just browse aimlessly, or on impulse. For me, the key is to search for the general function I need an item to serve, rather than search by a item's name directly. For example, when I need linens that can serve as towels, tablecloths, couch covers, and shoulder wraps, I just search for "linen throw" and explore the results from there, selecting a piece that appeals to my aesthetic, our home, and can serve these multiple functions at once. I don't search for and buy each of these items individually-- that would take four times as long, cost four times as much, and require four times the storage space in our home.
Similarly, when I wanted to find an alternative to traditional, modern file boxes, I searched by function and material, rather than specifically for a "file box." By searching for "vintage" + "rattan" + "box", I realized that small picnic baskets could be upcycled into beautiful file storage solutions.
I even found my wedding dress on Etsy. And because it was made for my measurements, it fit flawlessly upon arrival. (Even at 25 weeks pregnant!) Rather than going down the internet rabbit hole by searching for a "wedding dress," I browsed instead for "handmade" + "custom" + "white" + "dress". I found my dress within 1 hour, and never looked back. It was perfect for me.
By searching for items via detail and function, I discover creative and unique homewares, clothes, and toys that serve the purposes my family needs, in formats I might not have previously considered. This is one of the traits that makes our lil' home so personal and special to us!