If you come across a chessboard at a thrift store, you might pick it up, only to put it back down after noticing a few scratches and an incomplete set.
For thrifting connoisseur Elizabeth Rooney, though, it’s an immediate add to cart—not as a game board, or even as a coffee table accessory, but as a key hook. She’s also turned vases into countertop wine holders and vintage brooches into fridge magnets (an ingenious way to display those wedding invites and holiday cards).
As the creator behind lifewithliztoday, Elizabeth shares her inventive “thrift flips” under the tagline Things aren’t always as they seem. A video showcasing just a handful of these transformations has racked up over three million views—and that’s only part one of the series. Her comments are often filled with people wondering two things: How does she come up with this stuff? And why doesn’t their local Goodwill ever look like hers?
She’s no stranger to the hunt, frequently posting full vlogs of her thrifting trips and even buying mystery grab bags from antique stores. But one look at her home, and you’d never guess that a lot of it is secondhand. It doesn’t resemble a flea market stall or your grandma’s living room—it’s curated, cohesive, and effortlessly cool.
Photo by Elizabeth Rooney
Her style fits squarely into the growing ‘intentional clutter’ movement: a trend all about layering meaningful, well-loved objects in a way that feels collected over time rather than perfectly styled.
So, is it just luck when she finds these pieces? Or does she have an incredible eye? We caught up with Elizabeth to learn more about her process, where she looks, and her top 5 tips for thrifting home decor.
What are some of your favorite pieces in your home right now?
Some of my favorites, currently, are the ones I have altered and flipped. For example, I took a bust planter pot and converted it into a lamp, a chess board and changed it to a key rack, a photo carousel and flipped it into an earring rotator.
Some of my other favorite non-altered items in my home are the ones that spark joy within me. These include my brass duck lamp, ceramic swans and my unusual candle stick holders.
How do you create a cohesive look when incorporating various thrifted items?
I tend to stick to a colour palette when thrifting items to make it easier to incorporate in my home, while embracing many textures and tones for layering these pieces. But, I also don’t let the colour of an object stop me. If I like the shape of an item, I love using spray paint, rub and buff and changing an item to fit myspace.
I tend to stick to a colour palette when thrifting items to make it easier to incorporate in my home, while embracing many textures and tones for layering these pieces
A lot of time I draw inspiration from Pinterest. I like to challenge myself when I see a design or photo I like and really dissect it and understand what exactly in this photo I’m interested in. Is it the colour pallet? a certain object or light fixture? This has become helpful to me in thrift stores to better train my eye to see items on shelves that may not look the greatest on the shelf, but see it for the vision and potential it could have in my home.
Photo by Elizabeth Rooney
Why do you think people are gravitating toward “dopamine decor” and away from minimalism?
I think more and more people want to embrace personal differences and individuality, which can be difficult to express in a minimalist form. I truly love walking into someone’s home and knowing a bit about who they are and what they like by looking around their house. With dopamine decor and intentional clutter, I like to view them as a hidden meaning to who a person is, a collection of who they are and where they have been. It’s quite a beautiful thing.
I truly love walking into someone’s home and knowing a bit about who they are and what they like by looking around their house
Photo by Elizabeth Rooney
Where do you find unique thrifted pieces, and how can others do the same?
I find these pieces at many different thrift stores, antique stores, vintage stores and flea markets. A key thing to note if you are shopping sustainably for these items is to take your time. These items were not all found at once, it has been found and collected over years and many trips to many different thrift stores.
Elizabeth’s Top 5 thrifting tips to find the best home decor
- Go Often – Thrift Stores are constantly adding new items and restocking inventory, so the more often you go, the higher chance you will have of finding great items.
- Look High and Low – More often than not, the best items I find are hidden on the back of shelves, under items, or at the bottom. Don’t be afraid to get low and look behind items on the shelf!
- Be Open Minded – Don’t set your intentions on finding a specific item (you likely won’t find that exact item). I find that the best finds are unexpected. Be open to browsing different sections and imagining ways you can modify, repurpose, and create with these items.
- Check for Quality – It is important to inspect the items you find at the thrift store, as these items are secondhand. Carefully look for any damage, stains, and heavy wear. Look for high-quality materials and understand the worth of items.
- Have a Plan & Budget – It’s easy to get overwhelmed in the thrift store with the endless amount of items and clothing, so have a plan on what areas you’d like to browse (example: I’m only going to browse kitchenware and accessories today). Additionally, it is easy to want to buy everything and anything you like at the thrift store—this is a slippery slope to over-consumption. Having both a plan and budget will help you stay focused and not get overwhelmed with every section of the thrift store.
