I have more than 2,000 photos on my iPhone.
I use my phone to take pics everywhere but mostly of the amazing furniture I come across in my daily jaunts across the city. I take pics of things I buy & the things I'm not so sure about (the ones I need to "meditate on") to be certain it's something I really love and can't live without. There is nothing worse than missing out on something amazing and vintage...a one-of-a-kind or hard-to-find gem. I save pics of the things I've purchased and missed out on, mostly to torture myself but also as a reminder that I have to jump on something special when I have the chance! Friends who know me know I love a deal...a steal, really, and even when I get one, I rarely leave the register without wondering if I could've finagled an extra $10 or $15 dollars off. I think it's engrained in me. So today I'm sharing pics of amazing things I've missed out on. For a furniture lover like me, looking back on some of this hurts, really. I don't know what I was thinking!!
This set of 4 gorgeous, vintage royal blue velvet dining chairs (with a huge brass ring pull on the back!!!) didn't have a price when I first saw them. Was told to call later, and when I did I was informed that they were already sold. You can't imagine how pissed I was! I didn't call back fast enough and as a result I lost out. Lesson learned. (did you see the scalloped detail & claw foot legs??)
Dragged my feet about the price on this set. Loved it, but I wasn't in love with the price. I actually saw this same herringbone patterned rattan/bamboo wrap on a long console and pair of end tables that I passed on (as well) at a separate thrift store. Later I decided it was really unique and the price wasn't quite that bad ($300, maybe?). Unfortunately it was too bad, so sad for me--it sold.
I will NEVER get over this, do you hear me?? NEVER. Worst mistake of my life (and mind you, I have made some doozys). EXCELLENT condition. GORGEOUS rust color (a little more rust than shown in pic). VELVET (I'm in a velvet phase this year)!!! PERFECT color for my office. Only $90!!!!!!! Didn't get it 'cause I only wanted to pay $75. Also didn't have room in my garage/storage and didn't want to put it in my house without first being cleaned. Just hang a "dunce" sign on my back, please. Losing this one hurt like a mother....
One of my other favorite routines is "I don't feel like dealing with this now", and that's when I decide I'm apparently "not in the mood" for a deal. So someone else dealt with this structurally perfect wicker pair. $30 each which, by the way, I thought was a bit too much. I only wanted to pay $30 for the pair but once they were gone I decided that $60 was really a reasonable price. Too little, too late.
Every time I see this photo it takes my breath away...like, my heart feels like it actually skips a beat. This ranks right up there with that velvet rust sofa...stupid, stupid, stupid!!! A pair of carved Century-style Ming chairs with a clover detail on the back. These didn't go fast so I thought they were safe and I could hold out for a discount. The thing is, I NEEDED these for my living room...seriously needed. I was devastated to find out they sold because I thought they were hidden where no one could find them. I heard, however, that the people who bought them were overjoyed...I'm secretly hoping one of the legs breaks (kidding!). I'm too embarrassed to tell you the price, so I won't.
Okay, this crystal chandelier was $75 at the Goodwill which immediately turned me off. I don't ever want to see anything at Goodwill marked for $75 because it boils my blood (their pricing is so inconsistent!). However after I left and thought about it, I realized it would be at least 2.5 times that price at a vintage shop (and closer to $300, realistically). Went back to get it but it had already been snatched up.
**can I say THE Goodwill? Or is it just Goodwill?
Vintage Lee Industries velvet tuxedo sofa. Decent enough condition that it could've been cleaned, but I had to take it right then and since I drive a sedan (!!!), I had no way to get it home. I also didn't have a place to store it without it going in my house uncleaned (that's a real no-no, see this post). LOVE the classic detailing and the contrast piping, although I would've eventually had it reupholstered. $60. I feel a tightness in my chest every time I look at this pic....this is EXACTLY the sofa I want for my living room (yes, it's pretty much the same as the other, but this one is LEE!).
This caught my eye and I thought it was gorg but I wasn't in love. I posted it on Instagram (@daykarobinson) and everyone told me to get it anyway, especially since it was only $19.99 (Goodwill pricing is crazy, I tell you) and in excellent condition. Left it there but got home and remembered I had a gorgeous grey linen that would look amazing on this with white lacquered trim. Went back, gone. Not terribly upset because I would've been selling this one...it's a little too traditional for a Dayka sofa.
Really interesting vintage quilt. Loved the red & white scheme and organic pattern. $40 +20% off. Didn't want to pay more than $25. Left it and came back a week later. Was still there, so I expected a price break. Didn't happen so I left it (thought that strong ballsy move would help me out the next time). Came back the next week and it was gone...just like that.
Vintage Knoll office/desk chair. Ooh I want one of these bad!! I'm currently in the midst of my office redesign (I wasn't at the time) and have been through enough desk chairs to know I need something comfortable to support this precious heiny of mine all day (in the meantime, I always end up working from my bed). Love the classic style & shape, it's Knoll and it was on wheels. But did I get it? No. Why? Because I wanted a deal, of course! Now this wasn't super cheap so I didn't miss out from a bargain sense, but this is a style you have to jump on when you find it. Reminds me of a similar one that Windsor Smith reupholstered for One Kings Lane.
So I thought you guys might get a kick out of seeing some of the things I haven't scored, mainly because of my indecisiveness or cheap nature! I really try to decide on spot if an item is something I can't live without. If it's something I know I'll be thinking about later, I'll make the purchase even if I don't have a place for it. If I'm not sure, I'll leave it because I've definitely wasted money on things I was pressured to buy or bought on impulse. While I consider myself to be an expert in sourcing vintage furniture, it still takes quite a bit of thought for me to decide which pieces are worth taking and which are worthing leaving...and as you see I don't always get it right!
Now it's your turn...any great finds you've missed out on lately??
18 comments:
I feel your pain. I have sketchbooks of items that I have wished for. I do love this post, I think so many of us with a penchant for design and thrifting can relate.
Maybe this could be a weekly post!
pve
I can't imagine how you must have felt with some of these things..my heart sank and it wasn't even my decision :( On to the next!
Sigh, my heart broke for you on missing out on that rust colored sofa. It was a STEAL and so freaking fab. Ditto on the two black chairs. You win some, you lose some. Pretty sure you'll snag something equally fabulous for your office soon enough.
i already know this sad story. i'll remind you of this post the next time we're out and you see a deal. shame, shame...
Such a funny post, cause I've been there...I know the feeling. But after cleaning out my basement and garage, full of *ish that had potential that I never got around to updating. {so many ideas, so little time}..I have to say, be confident with your gut. Something else ALWAYS comes along, maybe not for the same price, but it does come. I promise you.
Ugh! I feel your pain. I am very indecisive too but I try to buy what I love. It's hard to turn down a good deal though.
Oh my god you are killing me!!!! I am literally dying over the stuff you passed on! I totally feel your pain
Stacy
those are some beautiful items....
I can only imagine how you must feel passing on some of these items. I learned a long time ago that when I see something I like I only give it 5 minutes of thought and then make a decision. Most time the answer is yes and I've not regretted any purchases. As for finding space once I get it home...in the words of Tim Gunn on Project Runway, I "make it work".
@Patricia: I don't know...if I miss out on this much good stuff EVERY week, I might have to hang up my hat! Still, I'll definitely keep sharing my finds with you guys :)
@tiffany & nicole: yes, there's ALWAYS another great piece around the corner but the thing about vintage shopping is that you rarely, if ever, find the same thing twice. *walks off kicking rocks...
@kt: thanks!
@shelly: i love the words of tim gunn...gonna store that in my mental rolodex for later!
Dayka.
Sigh.
I feel ya pain. You know I do!
Mr. Goodwill Hunting
This was actually a painful post to read. I have walked away more times than I should have as well. Ugh...the torment!! I hurt for ya girl!
@Sarah: girl, it was painful to write, hence the reason I've kept it from everyone for so long. Your comment cracked me up, though...I never thought about it being painful to read, lol!
Girl you missed out on some SERIOUS lovely pieces. And the torture you do to yourself. I used to post a "left behind" series on my blog (I should start again), back in the day when I tried to convince myself that window shopping was just as good as actual buying. It was JUST too PAINFUL to go back through those photos (smile). I'll have to do it again. In the meantime, I missed out on a Goodwill (I say Goodwill, not "the Goodwill") chair in a color and style I loved in really decent condition. All because I think it is CRAY (without the "Z") that they try to sell stuff like that for $140 in one store around here and then just $15 at another. Give. Me. A. Break.
Bernadette
Oh man do I know this struggle!!
Do you know how many times I've paced around a store asking myself "Can I fit this in the Corolla?" "Who can I call to help me pick this up!?" "Where will I put it?" "Can I lift this by myself?"
The mental turmoil is so real!!
"I don't ever want to see anything at Goodwill marked for $75 because it boils my blood" LOL at this statement! I so agree! I just console myself with the thought that I can't buy everything because if I did I'd be a hoarder.
I just found your blog again and can totally relate to this post. I found this piece:(http://www.potterybarn.com/products/garrett-glass-cabinet/?pkey=ccabinets) brand new at a warehouse sale for $200 bucks. I paid in full and when my dad went back to pick it up with a rented uhaul and receipt they couldn't find it and then realized they resold it to somebody else. Of course i was refunded but i was so mad!! Sorry about your lost items...fingers crossed for even better buys in the future!
I m exactly the same way about purchases and saw those exact chairs (blue velvet) at My Favorite Place on Peachtree Industrial - they were already sold, however. I would have bought them too.
Gerrie
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