A Thrifter Proves Any Outdated Trinket Can Be Made To Look High-End

From bespoke vintage furniture to adorable trinkets, you never know what gems you're going to leave with when you walk into a thrift store. While you can very well score amazing pieces to stun in your home, you don't have to necessarily be on the lookout for the cool stuff to elevate your space. In fact, there are so many thrift store flips that can make your home look more expensive. Over on TikTok, though, a DIY and thrifting account shows just how easy (and fun!) it is to turn a kitschy, outdated trinket into a contemporary, high-end candle holder for your space using only spray paint and patina finish. "They were SO ugly I almost left them behind...But wait until you see what they turned into!" the caption reads. This simple DIY can be applied to any funky and not-so-pretty decor to give your space an elegant look.

In the video, user @touch.of.townsend takes the viewer on a thrifting adventure that involves picking up a nearly abandoned set of Easter-coded floral candle holders that retailed for $2. They didn't exactly see these trinkets fitting in their home, until a clever DIY came to mind: spray painting them with matte metal paint, then going over with a patina finish to give them that natural, lived-in yet fresh look. "This is why you need to thrift the ugly stuff!" explains the text in the video. And that's especially true if your home decor style involves finding '50s or '60s collectibles at the thrift store to complement your kitschy decor. With this DIY in mind, the possibilities for thrifting and customizing decor seem endless.

You probably didn't consider how even outdated decor can actually turn into pieces that perfectly complement contemporary interior design styles. But if you have a vision (and the right craft supplies), anything you find at the thrift store can be elevated. That said, next time you're at the thrift store, keep in mind all of the items that you can spray paint over to completely transform the piece.

For example, those labeled wooden caddies you stumble upon in the home section? They can be painted over to become a sophisticated shelf that you can use in your bathroom to hold toiletries, toilet paper, and hand towels. Just be sure you sand down any wooden item for the smoothest application. Go over it with a wood finish to make it look vintage, or use a matte finish to look modern. You'll also want to keep an eye out for outdated pillar candle holders, as the TikTok creator did, for some refreshed decor.

This DIY can also be applied to other furniture, such as metal or wooden chairs. Spraying them with black spray paint can make the pieces stand out in a contemporary-style dining room, or white for a modern farmhouse look. Consider using high-gloss spray paint for previously owned dressers in areas of the home that catch the light for a totally updated and elegant piece.