Stuff We Can't Get...But You Should! 7.2.12

Sometimes, we come across things on Craigslist that we'd LOVE to grab and sell ourselves, but we're held back by a teensy little detail -- neither Trevor nor I have a car big enough to transport it. Rather than annoy our friends to no end by borrowing their pickups every weekend, we thought we might as well share these gems on our blog in the hope that our loss can be your gain!

Here's a sampling of stuff spotted today that we can't go get, but you can (and should!):

Beautiful wooden chest - 9 drawers - $95 (Scottsdale)

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/fuo/3115259684.html

Lane Hope Chest Ceder VINTAGE - $125 (North Phoenix)

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/fuo/3069792993.html

Black Metal Desk - $175 (Tempe)

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/fuo/3092749792.html

And just for fun, since Trevor's a U of A alum (but I'll never let him have this):

Beautiful 6pc Youth LOFT BED - $295 (East Valley)

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/fuo/3082495206.html

P.S. -- All pictures are from their associated Craigslist listing and were taken by their authors. Please don't judge me for any poor photo quality. 

Now go out and grab them before they're gone!

$40 Smaller Mid-Century Desk: The Ikea Alternative - SOLD

UPDATE: This has been sold!
I know, I know, we've all been guilty of it -- in a college dorm room or in a small, one-bedroom apartment, we tend to head to Ikea to find cheap pieces of furniture to fit our tiny spaces. Well, we're here to tell you that just because you have a small space doesn't mean you should have less-than-fabulous interior style, and this mini mid-century desk for $40 is here to help.

And of course, an Instagram pic:

The dimensions of this little guy are 42 inches wide X 28 1/2 inches tall X 24 inches deep. The top drawer has space for a hanging file rack, and the bottom drawer has plenty of space for your printer paper, iPhone chargers, and any other ironically modern thing you can think to store in a desk that comes from a typewriter world.

Friends don't let friends shop Ikea. If you want your dorm to be the envy of all the interior design students, or you want to save some money and work from your cozy apartment for a change instead of always heading to coffee shops, give us a shout at thriftybusinessphx@gmail.com. 

Thrifty Finds 3.9.12

Last Friday, Trevor and I were in a new part of Phoenix to check out a potential Craigslist gem, and we decided to do a little spontaneous exploration. First, we noticed an Estate Sale sign in the neighborhood, so we headed over. There was no furniture, no retro decor, and none of the mid-century things that we obsess over. However, there was this (real) Coach glasses case that I personally couldn't pass up for $3:

Then, we stopped at the Goodwill on 40th and Thunderbird and found a few fun trinkets for our apartment, including this 50's style clock:

Not sure if it actually works since we don't keep things like AA batteries lying around our apartment -- remember when you were a kid and AA batteries ran the world? Now we never seem to have one when we need one. Regardless, it looks great on our desk, whether it works or not. It's always 10:00 somewhere.

Trevor found these cute retro pots/fondue pots/most likely will be used for soup pots: 

And I couldn't resist this watering can and ceramic pot for my (future) herb garden. It'll happen, I swear. I'll even post proof someday.

Finally, this purse had nothing to do with our Goodwill hunting, but we were in Red Modern Furniture looking at their beautiful mid-century stuff, and I popped over to the Mint Vintage Clothing side of things and found this amazing Adrienne Vittadini purse for 20% off.

I haven't been this in love with a purse in a while, and when I found out it was only $20 bucks, the love grew even deeper.

So that's a wrap on our thrifty finds this weekend. How did the rest of you do out there, Phoenix? Tweet us your finds at @ThriftyBizPHX or share them with us on our Facebook wall :)

$80 Retro Green Tweed Armchair - Sold

Update: This chair sold today! We're looking forward to visiting it in its future home at a new coffee shop opening in downtown Phoenix. I think that means I'll have a spot saved for me, no?

Do you need a cute little retro green tweed armchair for your vintage decor? 'Cause we sure don't, but we couldn't resist picking this one up!

I apologize for my complete overuse of Instagram pics on this blog. I'm obsessed, and I can't stop. (By the way, if you want to follow us on there, it's @thriftybusinessphx.) More pictures without creative filters are on the way -- there's not enough light in our apartment to show off the exact warm green hue just yet. 

*Update: Well, the sun never came in, so we brought the chair out to the sun!

Trevor, modeling how comfortable the chair is!

We're not positive how old it is, but the fabric is flawless and the cushion is just-squishy-enough-without-being-too-broken-in. I think it could totally fit in with mid-century modern decor in a living room, bedroom, or office (Mad Men anyone? I could see Pete Campbell liking this. Sidenote: I am as impatiently excited for the season 5 premier as a kindergartener waiting for Christmas morning.) 

If you're interested, we're asking $80 for this armchair. Shoot us an email at thriftybusinessphx@gmail.com if you'd like to check it out -- remember, we're located in downtown Phoenix! 

Mid-Century Modern Lane Coffee Table and End Table - Sold

Update: These have sold! Shout out to Jacob, we hope they look great in your new home.

New merch alert! It's been awhile since we've found any thrifty gems, but we're both very excited about these: a mid-Century modern coffee table and matching end table made by Lane. Both have gorgeous Danish-style legs and the diamond pattern on the surface, and both have drawers with the Lane stamp inside. We picked them up today and after a little Pledge lovin', the wood positively gleamed in our sunny apartment.

My personal favorite thing about these pieces are the drawer pulls, especially the one on the end table -- it reminds me of an infinity symbol. Which is fitting, because that's how long this furniture will look stylish in someone's living room -- for eternity!

If you're a Lane-lover or are looking to retro-modernize your home, shoot us an email at thriftybusinessphx@gmail.com. We're asking $150 for the set, but would be open to selling them separately too!

Danish Style Mid-Century Modern Chair

Today's Craigslist score! A Danish style mid-century modern chair, with teak wood and cream fabric. It's got such nice lines, and not only is it classy, it's also quite comfy!

Trevor and I both envisioned this sitting in the corner of a bedroom as a catch-all chair (which to me translates as a place to throw your jacket or purse at the end of the day), as a classic accompaniment to a mid-century modern desk, or as a chic entryway chair to sit in while lacing up or tugging off your shoes. 

If you've recently thought to yourself, I could really use a chic little side chair to fill up such-and-such space, then this neat ol' guy is for you. Drop us a line at thriftybusinessphx@gmail.com and make an offer if you're interested!

Our New Mid-Century Modern Bedside Tables

Last weekend I promised pictures of our new replacement nightstands to match our mid-century dresser, so now I'm finally delivering (a bit late)!

I apologize for the poor lighting in both pictures. I'd like to chalk it up to me being artistic, but to be honest, there is never really good lighting for pictures in our room, and all the art here is due to Instagram.

Have a good weekend everyone, and happy hunting to those who aren't headed to the Phoenix Open or watching the Superbowl!

Sunday Afternoon Thrifty Browsing.

Today was quite the productive day for us. After selling these bedside tables to a better home where they could finally fit in, we immediately went out and about to our favorite thrift/antique stores to find replacements ones to fit our style. We were HIGHLY successful- but I'll post pictures of them tomorrow, when there's some daylight so you can get the full effect. Tonight I wanted to share some instagram pics of amazing pieces we wish we could've brought home with us. Ah, the joys of furnishing on a budget.

Hope everyone else who was out there today had successful thrifty Sundays!

Vintage French Provincial Two-Tier End Table - FOR SALE

This piece is another that we picked up before we decided we were going to turn our apartment into a mid-century modern time warp, not a vintage French-provincial cottage. We picked it up at an antique shop in Mesa, and let me tell you, if we had a storage unit (or any extra space whatsoever), I would not be parting with this table.

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This little black beauty was expertly refinished and treated by its previous owners so that the lighter brown shows through the black on the edges -- super cute. I need to learn how to do that asap. It's in perfect, like-new condition. That last picture is how it looks in our apartment currently. (Sidenote: that armchair, originally from Copenhagen Furniture? We scored off Craigslist. That silk tree in the corner? Goodwill. Neither of those are for sale though. Sorry folks.)

We're asking $60 for this non-shabby shabby chic piece. As always, email us at thriftybusinessphx@gmail.com if you're interested and would like to check it out!

Mid-Century Modern Executive Desk - Sold!

Update: The desk has been sold to our good friends Dan and Audrey. Which means Trevor can still visit it from time to time -- what a win-win situation!

Trevor has been on the prowl for a mid-century modern desk to be his work-at-home command center since, well, it feels like forever. This desk is absolutely perfect, with warm cherry-brown wood, a removable glass top, metal feet, and...it's really large. Too large, turns out, for our apartment. Which is why I'm the one posting this instead of Trevor -- he's still too heartbroken that he can't keep it.

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So, once again, our loss is your gain. This desk measures 6 feet long X 29 inches high X 3 feet deep. If you are lucky enough to have a bigger apartment than us, or a house, this desk is begging to come home with you. It's made by Alma Desk Company and is in fabulous vintage condition -- I'd suggest a touch up on the veneer on two of the corners, and it's perfect. A power desk, for sure.

We're asking $180 or best offer for this bad boy. As always, contact us at thriftybusinessphx@gmail.com if you're interested!

Eastern-Inspired Bamboo Broyhill Bedside/End Tables - Sold!

Update: These have sold! Thanks Susan, we hope you love them!

About two months ago, we bought this pair of Broyhill tables to be our bedside tables for our future apartment. Once we actually moved in, however, we decided a mid-century modern look would better suit our modern, loft style apartment. Oh well -- our indecision is your gain!

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We'd love to find these end tables a new home, and get over our guilt for abandoning them so quickly. The pair are for sale for $120 -- $60 each. They look great as is, or could be painted and re-finished a bright, bold color like we were originally intending to do. Check out what this blogger did with similar-looking tables.

If you're interested or would like to check them out in person, email us at thriftybusinessphx@gmail.com.