Thrift Home

Yesterday I was listening to an episode of NPR's "The Story" (based in NC, but check out the podcasts - especially you, Mae!) titled "Spend Thrift" about Terri Thompson, a woman who convinced a home builder in Henderson, NC to let her decorate a model home entirely with secondhand and thrift finds. It was a huge hit, raised money for "Habitat for Humanity International," and introduced a ton of people to the joys of thrifting. The Frugal Design Showcase Home is not exactly my random style, but that's what's great about it. It looks like a regular nice home that's not full of retro finds or vintage knickknacks, but just a traditional home that's cozy and comfortable. It's not only a brilliant idea to warm up those cold new model homes, but also to show people who have never thought to go into a thrift store that they can find their tastes and styles there too in addition to, hello?, saving money. I also love those thrift stores that are designed to look like rooms in a home ("Vintage Revival" in Hillsborough, NC comes to mind) - I always end up wanting more than I would otherwise. I'm such a sucker for presentation...