Finder’s Fi
It’s easy to stay on-trend while shopping vintage and secondhand – Fi shows you how
How to stay on top of trends when op-shopping
Trying to shop more thoughtfully by choosing vintage pieces, but worried your home will look outdated? By keeping an eye on trends and adding your own personal touches, you can still curate a current interior look. Many trends are recycled from the past, of course, so it’s surprisingly easy to keep up with them while shopping secondhand. Some pieces may not look as modern as their newer iterations, but you can pair them with new pieces, or simply opt to celebrate your own style, even if it’s more sustainable than cutting edge.
Flower power
Floral motifs have had many moments in the spotlight in recent decades, and they’re back in a big way right now. Look for floral prints on couches, chairs, crockery, vases, linen and artworks at op-shops. You can even occasionally find rolls of vintage wallpaper or secondhand floral curtains on Trade Me or in op-shops. As well as soft florals in pastel tones, dramatic, baroque-style florals in 1970s-style rust shades and golden tones are trending – look for reproduction rugs and wallpapers in this style.
Colour change
As different shades go in and out of fashion, you can easily update cushions, artwork, linen or crockery with secondhand items. Some op-shops are even organised by colour, making it easy to create a tonal or monochromatic look (another of this year’s trends). In other colour trends, while pastels are still having a moment, the interior world is moving away from pale pink and more towards lilac, coral and peach – there’s a nod to the 1990s in these colours, and there are plenty of appropriate accessories to be found in vintage shops.
Urban jungle
The jungle look isn’t showing any signs of going away, but you don’t have to buy a plant in a plastic pot from a garden centre to get on board the trend. Plants are sometimes available at secondhand shops or on Trade Me, or you can even purchase excess stock from plant hire companies. Pots are easy to find secondhand – there are lots of beautiful, locally made options.
When you trim your outdoor plants, instead of putting the offcuts in your compost or garden waste, try growing new plants from them. You could also take a cutting, or a divided plant, from a friend or family member and replant it at your place. Check online to see if the plant you’ve got in mind can be grown in this way.
Au naturel
To recreate a dreamy ’70s aesthetic, hunt out pieces made from natural materials – cotton, linen, bamboo, cane and clay – in neutral colours. There are plenty of cane, rattan and wicker pieces to be found in op-shops and Instagram stores such as The Goods We Found. Try the trend in a small way by adding some flat baskets to your wall, take it up a notch with a small shelf, or go all in with a cane lounge suite.