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Shopper shows off dramatic transformation after flipping $20 furniture: 'One man's trash is another man's treasure'

"The beauty of thrifting."

One Redditor shared the impressive reworking of a secondhand armchair to the r/ThriftStoreHauls community.

Photo Credit: iStock

In case you weren't familiar with the concept of "addition by subtraction," a thrifter showed Exhibit A in their treatment of a vintage armchair. 

The Redditor shared the impressive reworking of the piece to the r/ThriftStoreHauls community.

One Redditor shared the impressive reworking of a secondhand armchair to the r/ThriftStoreHauls community.
Photo Credit: Reddit
One Redditor shared the impressive reworking of a secondhand armchair to the r/ThriftStoreHauls community.
Photo Credit: Reddit

"Found this beauty for $20 yesterday," the original poster shared alongside some photos. "Before and after some love."

The pictures revealed a major shift. Initially, the chair showed signs of wear with visible marks. However, after some cleaning, care, and a thoughtful adjustment, it emerged looking refreshed and contemporary. The removal of the skirt, revealing its sleek legs, was a huge part of the equation. 

That genius move by the OP to take away a dated element truly had a transformative effect, giving the piece of furniture a modern feel. Another winning move was putting their dog, Louie, on it as a chair model in their final picture.

A commenter commended them for "breathing in new life" to an item that they admitted their husband would've discarded as "crap." The OP responded by calling this example of the "one man's trash is another man's treasure" proverb as "the beauty of thrifting."

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Beyond aesthetics, reupholstering and revamping such items is cost-effective and environmentally friendly. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated that 12 million tons of furniture from U.S. households hit the landfill every year due to trends like "fast furniture."

Meanwhile, thrift stores can be a gold mine for vintage furniture pieces that just need a little love and some savvy adjustments to make a room pop. Thrifting benefits the environment and offers financial advantages, allowing for stylish finds at a fraction of the cost.

Resourceful shoppers have been able to put together entire rooms with thrifted furniture. Often these finds can last much longer than cheaper contemporary items that fit into that "fast furniture" bucket.

A lot of these items like the OP's just need a clean and some modern adjustments to be standouts in their new homes. Redditors complimented the OP on their quick redesign.

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"Looks great!" a user wrote. "I was literally thinking 'that'd look amazing if not for the skirt' then I swiped."

"She's got legs and she knows how to use them," a commenter wrote of the chair.

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