second hand shop | Jillian In Italy

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Another trip to a local mercatino usato (2nd hand shop). I wanted to show my mom what they’re like here in Italy and she was amazed at all the great finds. The shop was full of antique dressers with marble tops and carved wood detailing (30euros), little matching wooden bedside cupboards (20euros), antique desks(70euros), pianos(500euros), tables, beds, closets and more. So many great finds for such amazing prices. Most of these items would be found in high end Antique Shops in Canada with high price tags on them. And strangely enough the high priced items are the exact ones I absolutely would never purchase (used IKEA furniture, horrible “bedroom sets”, pressed wood cupboards etc).

This time I came home with an amazing old solid wooden table with no woodworm in sight. It’s perfect for my front entryway – a place to dump keys and cameras and papers. The underside of the table is full of old rusty hooks which I assume were used to hang pots and pans or tools. Maybe even to dry fresh pasta dough? A good scrubbing and a fresh coat of paint was all that was needed.

Here it is in it’s new home. Not a bad table for 25 euro.

Tags: antique, mercatino usato, photography, second hand shop, table

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My little bench

23 Nov

I’ve mentioned in the past how much I love the Mercatini Usati here in Italy. Every time I visit one of the few second hand shops I come home with some sort of treasure. I bought this little bench at a shop a few years ago for 5 euro. It was old and dusty and an ugly varnished brown. But look what a coat of white paint and a little handmade quilt can do! I painted the inside a bright blue which gives it a bit of life when opened. It’s at our front door so when all the various children come in with their various hats/scarves/gloves it’s really the perfect place to put it all. And I use it as a place to collapse every now and then. And then the kids just dump all their belongings on my lap instead of in the bench. In any case…I’m very fond of this little bench.