Ashley Londino is the content creator behind the interior design and DIY blog, Spackle and Shine. Over the last five years, Ashley and her husband have been renovating their 100 year old home in Pittsburgh, PA. They’ve been carefully curating each space and reinstalling the historic features that were previously lost by its former owners. When asked about her style and how she incorporates it when designing her home, Ashley likes to say “I have Versailles taste on a Pittsburgh budget”.
Ashley is a proud maximalist with a strong connection to the past and the beautifully curated spaces much like the ones that you would find in a French chateau or English Country house. “I want our home to feel like it’s been curated over generations, layered with beautiful and unique pieces that ultimately create a formal and elegant space, while at the same time, it's warm and welcoming. This is not something I’ve been able to accomplish overnight, or with a few trips to the local HomeGoods. Good design takes time.” - explained Ashley.
Ashley is also known as an avid thriftier and antique shopper. She has been shopping for antiques across the country. “I utilize every opportunity to scope out a local antique store or estate sale in each city I visit, many times stuffing my already overweight bag with the treasures that I’ve found. I’m a huge advocate of purchasing pieces that instill a memory or a feeling, and I believe those pieces will help you to curate a timeless home for you and your family.” - Ashley told us.
Despite her busy schedule, Ashley joined us for this week’s edition of Collected Perspectives. While curating some antique and vintage pieces she can’t pass up throughout our estate sales and online auctions, Ashley also walks us through how she managed to pull off “the Versailles taste on a Pittsburgh budget”. Let’s check it out!
AN: Decorating your home on a budget while making it look luxurious can be tricky. Any advice you can share on how to pull this off?
Ashley: A lot of people look at a budget as a constraint, something that's going to hold them back from getting all the things they want in their home. But I like to think of it more as a creative challenge. You can still have a luxurious home, but it just takes a little more planning and likely a little more time. My top tips for anyone trying to accomplish this are:
1. Plan your space
I don't mean just grab every image all over Pinterest and save it to a board you will never look at twice. I think it's important to figure out what style and vibe you want for your house, and then plan out each room. Search Pinterest, Instagram, magazines, or your favorite websites to find images of the pieces that you love but then from there start to save them to one place. I like to space plan on an app called Canva but you could use Microsoft Word or even just print the pages out and put them on a pinboard. This will really help you to put together a cohesive space and a plan for what you want.
2. Plan out a budget and set priorities
Mixing high and low end pieces will really help you to achieve a luxurious look so if you decide you want a certain style sofa, make that a priority and allocate a large portion of your budget to that.
3. THRIFT THRIFT THRIFT
Local estate sales, thrift stores and Facebook marketplace will be your best friends. You are able to find a ton of insane bargains there. With your plan in mind, you will have key search words and pieces to look for when you are out and about.
Personally when I shop secondhand, I can't turn down oil paintings in antique gilt frames, busts (statues), or just about anything in the Louis XV style.
And here are some of my favorites found via AuctionNinja:
-
Grand Louis XVI Demilune Buffet ny Karges (Black Rock Galleries)
-
19th Century Rocco Revival Ornate Gold Frame: Antique Frame Ready to Showcase Your 20" X 16" Oil Painting (Clearing House Estate Sales)
-
Hand Knotted Kashan Rug 15 X 11.5 (Trading Post Estate Sales)
-
Vintage Two-sided Marble Chess Set (Clearing House Estate Sales)
-
Blue And White Planter (Clearing House Estate Sales)
4. Don't be afraid of DIY
Before we bought our home, my DIY skills were limited at best. But I didn't let that hold me out from trying a project or two. One of the easiest and most cost efficient DIYs I've done was an Ikea curtain hack, you can custom pleat and add a custom border to an Ikea curtain and truly transform your space and create window dressings that look very expensive.
I truly think anyone can really make their home look luxurious, no matter what their budget, and in many cases you just need to be a little more creative.
5. Stick to a consistent color palette throughout your house.
I would recommend that you stick to three core colors throughout your home, this will allow you to interchange pieces from room to room.
6. Hang your curtains high and your rug wide
Nothing can bring down the feel of a room more than a rug that's too small and a curtain that is too low. Now large carpets can be more expensive, but you can always layer rugs to get the size that you need.
7. Don't buy too many knickknacks and small pieces
Bigger is better so rather than getting three small paintings to put above your sofa go for one giant one.
AN: What's your absolute favorite item ever purchased at an estate sale or online auction?
Ashley: Over the years I have found so many beautiful pieces but I think my favorite and what I refer to as my “unicorn” piece is my antique Louis XV Style Marquetry Secretary Desk. I have dreamed of this desk for years. I found and lost at least five others on multiple auction sites prior to finding this one. In fact, two days before I found this desk, I was pouting pretty hard over the loss of its twin that was located in an auction house that was about ten hours away. I had no idea how I would get it home if I would have won it, but low and behold just a few days later I found “The ONE” in an auction located just 15 minutes from my house. It was like the antique Gods smiled upon me and brought me my unicorn.
AN: Many of your designs contain antiques that add an elegant charm to the atmosphere. What are your ideas for people seeking to achieve an old-fashioned look without making the space look dated?
Ashley: I think the key to this is to try and mix in at least one or two modern things among your antiques. In my living room, I framed modern style art in antique gilt frames. In my bathroom, I incorporated a modern sputnik light fixture that has an antique ceiling medallion around it. It adds visual interest to the room and allows the modern and antique pieces to blend together.
I would also recommend sticking to a color pallet, you don't want to fill your home with antiques that ultimately don't go together. If you mix your old and new styles with a similar color palette, it will create that collected look which we want for our space.
I constantly hear from my followers how much they love one of the antique pieces that I found but they couldn’t incorporate “things like that” in their own home because their house is too new or their style is too plain. EVERYONE can include vintage and antique pieces in their home, even if it’s just a small bust for your bookshelf. Antiques can add so much interest to any style. Rather than spending another $40 on a vase at target that all of your neighbors have, check out a local estate sale or browse through an auction site and find something unique that will make an impression on your guests (I imagine once you find a few great pieces you will quickly understand the addiction many of us already have)!
If you are interested in more tips, DIYS and antiquing trips, follow Ashley on Instagram @spackleandshine and visit spackleandshineblog.com
Written by:
April 7, 2022 Updated 03:06 PM
Ready to locate an estate sale company or explore online estate auctions? Visit AuctionNinja.com. If you're new to online estate auctions, try it risk-free by sigining up here.
