VINTAGE VIGNETTES
Cottages and Bungalows|FMD Christmas 21
How to create unique and eye-catching displays of your most cherished pieces.
MERYL SCHOENBAUM
VINTAGE VIGNETTES

AFTER A 25-YEAR CAREER IN MERCHANDISING AT A DEPARTMENT STORE, Dawn Contreras began using her styling skills and talent to sell vintage items on her own.

“I only buy what I love,” Dawn says. “My rule of thumb is I don’t buy it to sell if it’s not something I would decorate with.” She sells her vintage wares every month at The Coast Vintage Market in Southern California.

TAKE A TREASURE HUNT

Dawn looks forward to going on junking trips, both near and far, to bring home new finds. “Local swap meets, flea markets and thrift stores are all wonderful places to find the unique and unusual,” she says. “I highly recommend taking a road trip and exploring the flea markets and thrift shops in other towns as well. One of my favorite finds was when we were on a road trip in the Lake Tahoe mountains and pulled over to a yard sale, where I bought a handmade vintage butcher-block table for only $40 that’s in my kitchen with an architectural-salvage flower-drying rack above it.”

AN EYE FOR DESIGN

This story is from the FMD Christmas 21 edition of Cottages and Bungalows.

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This story is from the FMD Christmas 21 edition of Cottages and Bungalows.

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