Antiquing, the art of "antique shopping" .....

An actual word, "antiquing" according to the dictionary is "the activity or pastime of searching or shopping for antiques" and that is just want I did this last weekend. As the Propono team gets ready to offer their first Airbnbs here in Memphis, it was time to hit the antique stores and find some goodies. Since both of the upcoming Airbnb properties are located in older buildings with lots of character, it's a good idea to try to keep that feel throughout the space. So I set out to find some unique items last weekend. There are a number of great places here in Memphis. I really love Palladio Antiques in Midtown, Le Maison Antiques in East Memphis and an absolutely huge one where you can spend hours is the one in Collierville, Sheffield Antiques. Ohhhhh, baby, what a treat to spend some time at any of these stores. So I did!

I picked up a few of these wooden pieces. The idea with one of them in particular is to put a faux orchid. I love adding flowers and plants to a space but if you are like me, when it comes to orchids, absolutely love them but frankly I can't keep them alive. Now, I can keep many other plants alive but for some reason, haven't ever been able to do a good job with orchids. So here is my trick for not spending too much money on these but still looking amazing. Get yourself an antique bowl or vase. Head over to Costco or go online to Wayfair and buy a faux orchid. I feel like both of these places have great quality ones. They really look real!! I take the faux orchid and then add some moss. You can pick up the moss at any craft store. This one is from Hobby Lobby. Cut out some pieces and begin to position them around the orchid. Get creative and playful with it. Once you've covered it then you're all set. You can see below .... it turned out beautifully! And I used it to stage one of our homes .... I placed it on the coffee table. I'm thinking once this house sells I'm taking this to my home.

So I felt this was a successful day! I picked up some goodies and turned one of them into this great piece which I immediately used at one of our flip homes. And I didn't spend a fortune. Some of these faux orchid pieces can cost a pretty penny. But not only did I pick up some great things I also got some great inspiration .....

These doors .... ohhhh, those doors! I love them! Gave me an idea to add a door like this one at our downtown Airbnb. Slap one of these onto barn door hardware and you will have quite the piece in your home. Rustica Hardware has nice hardware for about $250 but if you don't want to spend that much, hit Amazon and you will find some good ones for under $100. Inspiration comes from many places and I am always inspired at antique stores. And how could you not like these doors? So I got my eye on one of these and will definitely be using very soon! May even make it a "barn door" .... ohhhh, yes!