Ich habe da so einen Ami geheiratet. Und kurz vor unserer Hochzeit mitten im Griffith Park, Hollywood, erhielt ich eine Einladung zu einer Bridal Shower - für mich veranstaltet. Von den mir bis dato unbekannten guten Freundinnen meines Zukünftigen. Dort lernte ich auch die wunderbare Bethany kennen und lieben.

Einfach alles an dieser Frau muss man lieben. Aber ganz besonders inspirierend fand ich ihren Einrichtungsstil und das Gespür für Kunst und Dekoration. Wir trafen uns jedes Mal, wenn wir wieder einmal die USA besuchten. Bethany machte mich mit Thriftstores, Goodwill und Estate Sales bekannt und beeindruckte mich durch gekonnte Kombination von Farben, Textilien und Texturen.

Alles, aber auch wirklich ALLES, was sie dabei einsetzt, sind recycelte Schätze oder gerettete Materialien.
Letzten Sommer war ich wieder einmal bei ihr. Inzwischen hatte sie schon zwei Kinder und ein kleines süßes Haus in Saint Louis. Ich hatte die Kamera dabei und fing ein paar Ecken ein.

Es gibt viele tolle Interior Influencer da draußen. Und es gibt zahllose Blogs und Instas, die mit monochromen Skandi-Stil langweilen. Mich jedenfalls. Obwohl ich auch alles weiß halte und Farben verwirrend finde. Aber egal. Bethanys Haus und ihr Händchen für Stil und Deko möchte ich heute vorstellen. Es muss eben nicht immer der heißeste Scheiß vom Interiør-Onlineshop sein.

Aus Mangel an Zeit und der Überzeugung, dass hier alle Englisch sprechen, verzichte ich auf die Übersetzung.
Aus pädagogischer Rücksicht und Englischlehrerüberzeugung vorab eine Vokabelliste weiter unten. (Spot on, oder? )

- Bethany, your house is such a warm and stylish place. Where do you find most of your decoration / furniture or other interior treasures?
It is safe to say that 95% (maybe even more) of the items in my home are sourced through estate sale shopping, thrift store shopping and an occasional auction or really good dumpster diving day! I also on rare occasions score something pretty special on Craigslist's free box.

- When you style: do you follow a certain rule or a simple gut feeling?
I am a pretty practical person. Generally speaking my style is instinctive, but my designs are almost always driven by the challenge to beautifully fulfill a need as inexpensively as possible. For me that looks like finding pieces that both meet a need and also speak to me. I am very much inspired by different cultures, particularly Middle Eastern, some European as well as Native American Tribes. I also love to bring in as many living and natural elements as possible which includes a home filled with as many plants as I can take care of.

My advice to people wanting to add depth, texture, color and life to their home is starting by incorporating choice textiles of their liking and plants to their homes. These two items alone can do so much for a space. I treat them like works of art. I hang textiles on walls, drape them on furniture, etc... Plants are everywhere. I just love them.

- What do you find challenging in thrifting items?
I actually have quite a few challenges. My biggest challenge is that whenever I shop I have my children with me. I absolutely love being with them but being that they are so young, 4, 2.5 and 10 months old, it can be quite tricky. I baby-wear my youngest and if I am at an estate sale by myself I have to usually hold both of my older kids hands while shopping. Thankfully most estate sale company workers are quite helpful and will take items from me to put on the hold table. If I am at a thrift store, I will usually be pushing 1 or 2 carts and I usually have to give my kids toys or snacks to keep them happy.

Other difficulties include, not having a vehicle large enough to readily drive with 3 children and haul larger pieces of furniture. I am creative, I can make a lot work but owning a truck will be a future goal.

The last challenge for me would be that I am still working to find my platform. I am one of those people that see's pieces that won't work for me but I know will work for some one else. I just get this hunch. This piece is special. This piece is valuable. I could sell this piece. Buying items second hand is an art. When you buy and sell pieces like this, you are selling a story. It is a unique way of doing business. I still have a lot to learn and have a long way ahead of me for building my business but I wouldn't want to design any other way.

- And what is your greatest joy in doing so?
Thrifting is in my blood. It runs deep in me. I literally have been thrifting with my mom since I was a baby. When I was about middle school age it became a source of embarrassment for me. Kids made fun of me for having older clothes or not having name brand items. It was hurtful during formative years. So I looked down upon it. I complained and starting looking for what I thought was better. I believed some lies about how my identity was somehow wrapped up in what brand I did or didn't wear. But I always was a bit different and I developed my creativity in other areas of my life which quickly led back to thrifting.

Growing up without a ton of money has forced me to be creative and it has molded the way I view life.

This does bring me joy. It brings me joy because it has helped me learn how to be content with less because I've always had less. I definitely still desire stuff and I am still working every. single. day. to find the balance between wants and needs and most importantly trying to figure out what God says about it all. But I am content and overjoyed to find a diamond in the rough. I love the hunt and challenge. I prefer things to be older. I prefer to buy most items second hand. I feel like I am helping fight against the consumerism of our world by buying items that already exist. I feel like the overall quality of most items I purchase don't hold a candle to most modern items. I have bought some vintage items and the same items brand new to have the brand new one's break or fall apart, weeks, months or years before the thrifted vintage item. There are just so many reasons to buy items this way. If you've never shopped second hand, I encourage you to do so. Challenge yourself in maybe just one area of your life to source unique items for home through thrifting or estate sale shopping.

VOCABULARY

ESTATE SALE - Nachlass / Wohnungsauflösung
THRIFT - Sparen, Thrift Stores sind meist Second Hand Kaufhäuser
CRAIG’S LIST - sowas wie quoka oder online Sperrmüll
DUMPSTER DIVING - Sperrmüll sammeln
SCORE - einen Volltreffer landen
HUNCH - Ahnung
GUT FEELING - Bauchgefühl
ITEM - Gegenstand

Alternativen. Interior Design mit Bethany von Ordained Designs