Yellow Surprises

Without alarming anyone, I have a confession to make.

I've become a thrifter.

At least, I'm on a mission to find the perfect new piece to add to our living room collection.

We probably all saw this coming. My deep love for finding something unique for a killer price. My desire to take one thing and transform it into something completely different to fit the style of my house. My ambition to create a home. It was only a matter of time before I became a fan of antique and consignment stores.

Hey, wait! Don't leave! I can explain.

I was looking through a magazine a few months ago and saw a beautiful yellow dresser used to brighten up a living room. We've been trying to decide what to do in the living room on the wall with the door. The recently-added chairs are a little more muted than I was expecting, which is good. But they aren't providing that pop of "Wow!" when you first walk in the door. Instead, they are calming and bright and beautiful. I thought they were going to steal the show once they were in my living room. But you know what? They have allowed me to do something crazy in another nook!

Here is just some of the fun inspiration I've found. This particular piece was photographed by Stephanie Fay and is pretty dang close to what I'm imagining in our living room. It might not end up being this yellow. But a bright, cheery, soon-to-be-yellow dresser for sure is being hunted by me this very second. You know what's even more fun? Hubby is all on-board for this project and is helping me look, too. What a difference to have his participation in something! It's made it a heck of a lot more fun. Or funner, as my former North Dakota neighbors would say.

Here's another one that I love. This one was created by Design Sponge from an original antique. The Before-And-After shots are incredible! I particularly like the After shots.

We've been seriously looking for the past week or so. We even went to an antique shop this past weekend, hoping to find that perfect piece of furniture that could still fit in our budget. Another trick to this project is that can't feel badly about painting it yellow. So it can't be too antique...I don't want to be haunted by former owners because I spoiled their mahogany finish, if you know what I mean.

We started by looking at Goodwill and Deseret Industries, but I think what we're trying to find is a little too taste-specific to end up in a store like that. Because everything else in the living room is so clean-lined and retro and classic, I'm actually looking to go a little more ornate with this piece. Something with spindly legs and a beautiful curved front? This will eventually house play toys for the kiddies, so it needs to have concealed storage while being a statement piece in the room.

I went to a fun store yesterday with my sister. Though we found some neat pieces in this "attic," all were double or triple slightly above my budget. As I search more, I may realize that biting the bullet and spending more than my desired $150 might just have to happen. I'm not that desperate (or tired of searching) yet, so for now the budget can remain in force. We will probably spend another $40 for supplies to paint it and replace the hardware, so I'm hoping to keep the entire thing under $200. Now...if I search for months and months and end up finding the perfect piece? That budget is always negotiable. Hubby might accidentally be left home for that excursion, but it will all be worth it.

It doesn't help that I purchased these happy, fun shoes this week at DSW. Perhaps some color inspiration is taking place without me even recognizing it?

So what do you think? Am I crazy?