6 Items You Should Never Walk Away From at an Estate Sale, According to Interior Designers

Searching for secondhand treasures at estate sales can be overwhelming, to say the least: There is such a vast array of items to sift through and consider, and time is of the essence. After all, someone else may snap up that fantastic find if you deliberate for too long! So that you can shop your next estate sale with the utmost focus and determine which types of pieces are most definitely worth snatching up immediately, we asked interior designers to weigh in with the finds that they never walk away from and why. Below are the six types of items that designers say are absolute no-brainers. 

Dining Sets

If you see a full dining set available at an estate sale, don’t pass it up, says Deborah Pianin, the founder of Deborah Pianin Interiors. ““The cost of refinishing and reupholstering a well-made, vintage dining set will likely come in lower than the expense of a new, mass-made alternative.” 

Try not to see a set for what it currently is but rather envision its potential,” she urges, noting that tables and chairs can always be refinished to remove scratches and stained in new finishes. Plus, Pianin notes, it’s easy to reupholster chairs to give them a new look. If you do so, performance fabric is your friend. “This will further extend the life of your set and ease your nerves when using your dining room on a more regular basis,” the designer explains. 

Photo by Kirsten Francis

Timeless Mirrors

Valerie Darden, the founder of Brexton Cole Interiors, enjoys visiting estate sales at older homes throughout Virginia, where she lives. “I rarely walk away from good condition gilded mirrors,” she says. “They are timeless and will never be out of style.” Other timeless items Darden appreciates include oil paintings, Chesterfield style sofas, grandfather clocks, mahogany tables and marble accents. 

Photo courtesy of Valerie Darden

Cabinet Hardware

Don’t forget to search for drawer pulls and cabinet hardware, which can greatly transform your existing furniture pieces instantly, says Elaine Burns, the founder of Pistachio Designs. “Not only are the options at estate sales usually more unique, you can save quite a bit of money versus buying them new,” she says. “Other fixtures—such as door knobs or wall hooks—are also worth looking out for.” 

Photo by Tara Kiernan

Any Type of Chair

Diane Rath, the founder of The Rath Project, makes an effort to keep an eye out for all kinds of seating options while scouring estate sales. “Upholstery projects are always on my mind too, so we'll scoop up ottomans or pairs of club or swivel chairs that still have good bones and just need a new fabric choice,” she says. Rath also looks for dining chairs, especially those made of unique woods like tiger oak or teak. Mariella Cruzado, the founder of Splendor Styling, also enjoys reupholstering estate sale finds. “This corner was built with this very unique mirror as a statement piece together with a classic mid-century chair that we reupholstered in a Lindsay Cowles pattern giving the entire room a fresh new look,” she comments. 

Photo by Markus Wilborn

Decorative Items

Don’t forget to shop for old books and artwork in beautiful frames, says Cristina Lehman, the founder of C.LehmanHome. “You can get great decor pieces that are unique and have so much character (and could even be worth something).” 

Photo by Jessica Bryson Photography

Textiles  

Ariene Bethea, the founder of Dressing Rooms Interiors Studio, says that she would never leave wallpaper or fabric remnants behind at an estate sale. “A lot of times the drapery is available and there are usually some fabric remnants floating around the house,” she explains. 

Written by:

Sarah Lyon

July 20, 2023     Updated 12:07 PM

Sarah Lyon is a Washington, DC, native living in New York City. As a freelancer, she frequently covers pieces pertaining to interior design, travel, and other lifestyle topics. Her pieces have appeared in outlets including Apartment Therapy, Architectural Digest, MyDomaine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and more. When she isn't writing, Sarah works with designers to help them style spaces for photo shoots (and can't stop rearranging and redecorating her own apartment, either!). She has a penchant for shopping secondhand and loves giving preloved pieces new life. Sarah’s own spaces have appeared on Apartment Therapy, The Everygirl, Houzz, and Washingtonian.com. Her Dupont Circle apartment was featured in both the spring 2019 print edition of Small Space Decorating and the January 2019 print edition of Washingtonian Magazine.

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