Decorating a home is admittedly a daunting task. With so many options, it can be difficult to find focus and execute. Trends change and depending on who you talk to, certain rules apply and then just as suddenly, they don’t. Confusing, right?!

However, there are some best practices that stand the test of time. One that I think most everyone would agree on is mixing vintage with new. Older pieces bring a soul, personality and character to a space that just can’t be replicated.

There are people out there that are avid garage salers, Craigslist trollers and thrift store stalkers who are the queens of unearthing the diamonds in the rough. As I’ve admitted before, I am not one of them. I just don’t have the patience or the time to hunt through pages and pages of junk. Enter Chairish: a new way to buy, sell and adore pre-owned treasures online.

Chairish is a carefully curated site of gently used designer furnishings and decor. The edited selection makes it easy to find fabulous pieces sold directly by owners at amazing markdowns – no time wasted looking through pages of garbage. Chairish makes it so easy to score the ultimate vintage piece. They even have a feature called “make an offer.” If an item is out of your budget, make the seller your best offer! Genius. Here are some of our favorite pieces you can currently find on the site!

get your shop on: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 

I’d gladly swap in any one of these pieces to the loft and that’s what makes Chairish so perfect! Of course, as soon as I’m “done” with a project I want to redo it. Now that we’ve been settled in the loft life – I’m already looking to switch things up! On Chairish I can buy and sell and the best part is they make it so easy to sell by taking care of all of the dirty work! They’ll handle pick up, shipping and all the details that make me avoid Craiglist like the plague.

We thought this whole concept and the site were so genius that we wanted to learn more about the business behind the brand! We met up with Chairish’s founder Anna Brockway in San Francisco and we were so intrigued by her brains and sass – we had to share more of her story with you!

Chairish is such a great idea! Tell us about the idea and how Chairish came to be.

The idea for Chairish was born of personal experience. Our family grew from two to six super fast, necessitating a lot of moves around town. With each move came a new opportunity to decorate, but also the need to say goodbye to some great pieces that just didn’t fit into our new space. I learned to both buy and sell vintage, but found the experience cumbersome. I fell in love with the idea of creating a curated consignment shop online and running it in a full service fashion (meaning having an expert to handle the not fun logistics of payments, storage and shipping). And so Chairish was born!

With lots of other sites selling vintage and previously loved home decor pieces, how does Chairish differentiate itself?

Firstly Chairish is a place for everyday people to buy and sell their pieces. You don’t have to be an “approved” designer or store to participate. We are open to anyone who loves beautiful home decor!

Secondly, Chairish is also carefully curated. This saves shoppers endless hours of paging through Ikea leftovers and trashed futons. At Chairish, I personally approve every item before it goes on the site. From wonderfully quirky to fabulously chic to downright necessary, all items have to pass the style test.

Thirdly, Chairish is full service. We take care of the pesky logistics of payment, arranging pick up and delivery and in San Francisco and LA we even will store items for you until they sell which is invaluable for folks who are moving! (Storage coming to more cities soon!)

Lastly we are totally unique in that we allow for returns! Furniture choices can be nerve wracking – we don’t want any buyer to feel stuck.

Chairish isn’t even a year old yet. What was the most challenging part of the process? What has been the most surprising thing you’ve learned?

Whew! It is hard to believe we started talking about this idea only last Christmas and now we have 1,000+ items live on the site! The most challenging part of the process has been prioritizing. When you love your work (and we do!), there is no shortage of ideas and inspiration. Therefore, it’s important to make very deliberate choices based off of your goals. To tame the mania, we set longterm goals, followed by short term to-do’s and then execute like rabid dogs on a bone!

The most surprising (in a GOOD way!) has been the response! People love the idea of Chairish and are inspired to find out what goodies are hiding out in other design lovers’ attics. We have also been surprised at how many of our buyers are also sellers! Chairish makes it easy to change out your look and make money doing it. It makes sense: if you’re buying, you have to make room for the new and you might as well make money doing it. It can be one big virtuous circle. I am most happy when I see a seller and buyer score!

As a lover of beautiful design, I’m sure it’s hard not to buy all the pieces for yourself! What is your favorite piece that you’ve come across? 

The best part of my job is hearing the captivating stories behind the items that are being offered on Chairish. One of my favorite stories in particular was of a set of rugs that originally came from an enormous ballroom in a gorgeous Pebble Beach estate. The rugs were absolutely beautiful with a fabulous and very “now” greek key motif. To boot, they were made by one of the finest manufacturers in the world. The seller was a gracious, smart as a whip gal with the most AMAZING taste. All three rugs sold and I love thinking about the second life those lovely pieces will have in their new (and instantly more glamorous!) homes. It warms my heart to see these treasures passed on to another generation of design lovers.

What piece of advice would you give your 25 year old self or any young entrepreneurs out there?

Work with smartest people you can find. If you aren’t learning something, it’s time for a new gig!

HOW TO ENTER $500 GIVEAWAY*: 

Now-it’s time to shop Chairish for yourself. They are giving one lucky Apartment 34 reader $500 to get you started!

To enter the sweepstakes, click here. That’s it. This sweepstakes closes at 11:59pm PT on Friday, September 6th. Good luck!

*Giveaway: Please complete the entry form for valid entry. $500 USD total value. Winner will be contacted via email once comments close on 11:59pm PT, Friday September 6th, and announced at the bottom of this post soon after. This post is in partnership with Chairish. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting posts that keep Apartment 34 doors open!