Have you ever wondered when it’s time to pull the trigger and buy that thing you’ve been eyeing on Marketplace, or whether it’s better to wait and keep searching and saving to buy just the right thing? When is it wiser to spend on a placeholder item rather than sticking with the “right” thing? How do you know you’ll really enjoy and use it? Will it work with your style?
We hope today’s article helps you answer these questions in your home.
What is a placeholder? A placeholder is just that: it holds the place for something better, more functional, and more attractive. Sometimes placeholders are obvious to us…and to others! The obvious placeholder in our home was the hideous baked potato sofa that we had for over ten years. We replaced it this year with a beautiful English roll arm sofa from Marketplace for $85. This “new to us” sofa was worth the wait and I would have willingly paid more for it! Placeholders help you develop your style while not spending your home decor dollars on big purchases you may not be sure about. They are also great for allowing you to experiment with the idea of a lifestyle.
“I needed to decide where to focus on a limited budget, which meant I needed to prioritize what to tackle first and where to use temporary pieces.” Maiquilyn Smith from her book Welcome Home.
Placeholders are also great for practical, everyday needs – bed, table, lamp. Sometimes you have to buy or get these items just because you need them to get started and you know you’ll be upgrading them later. This was the case with the study table and chairs we were given when we bought this house. It was a beautiful oak table with two leaves to extend it ~ and we often did! However, as my style evolved and we remodeled our dining room, we decided that a smaller table and slimmer antique chairs would fit the size and style of our dining room better.
What is “detention”? You could say that the rejector is the second cousin of the placeholder. Placeholders are a little shorter and inexpensive – they help you get through the problem. Holdouts are placeholders that you know will be expensive or a style statement that will need to be replaced, such as beds, sofas, or any large purchases. These are the pieces you wait to buy until you are more sure of your style and are ready to invest in timeless, “real” pieces made from wood, brass, wool for rugs, alabaster, etc.
The black electric stove was our fortress. The black stove came with the house when we bought it and wasn’t our choice, but several years later when we were remodeling our kitchen and I discovered the wonderful world of FB Marketplace, I realized I could sell the black stove and upgrade to a white gas stove for a reasonable trade-in. Even though we were out $5 up front, it was worth putting up with the black electric stove for a good while before upgrading to the white gas stove we wanted. If we had replaced the stove years ago, we wouldn’t have known we would be remodeling the kitchen and would likely have chosen a black gas stove. It was worth the wait!
The alabaster lamp on the left was almost the style I wanted. But it came home with me because it was affordable and would allow me to try out this new-to-me style before purchasing the perpetual alabaster lamp. As you readers know, I’ve been renovating the master bedroom and a pair of alabaster lamps for both sides of the bed have been on the list for a long time. Hunting time and patience produced the center and right lamps pictured above and the original lamp is posted on Marketplace (a friend bought it before it was sold).
These beautiful French Napolean 111 chairs are just like what I would add to a guest bedroom. I take my time to think about it from multiple angles ~ this is part of the evolution of my design style. While this part of my style is interesting, I’m happy to have some free space in the meantime.
This explains the other definition of “forbidden”. You know exactly what you want, and you don’t mind waiting for the perfect piece without a placeholder. By this time you have adopted an “abundance” mentality and realized that you don’t have to have a near-perfect antique because there will never be another opportunity like that. You realize that an “almost right” piece can come with regret and tie up your budget. There will definitely be more beautiful pieces available! I hope you find these ideas helpful as you care for your home! Until next time,
take care,
Rachel
