I’m sharing a spring mantel refresh featuring a few delightful secondhand finds. On a recent sunny weekend my husband and I took a short trip to the coast for some fresh air and ended up bringing home two brass pheasants from a thrift shop in La Conner. We hadn’t planned on them, but their detailed brasswork was irresistible and they felt like the perfect souvenir from our day out.
At the end of this post you’ll find a roundup showing items and similar pieces that capture the look of this room, plus a few vintage pheasants I spotted online.
Because we both loved the sculptural details and long feathers, we decided to give them a home on our fireplace mantel. I’ll share close-ups below so you can see why we couldn’t resist bringing them along.
We’re lucky to live near charming coastal towns and enjoy returning to our own cozy space after little adventures. It feels like a staycation when you collect small treasures and display them at home instead of packing them away.
The pheasants have long, graceful feathers, so they needed a spot where they could sit together without crowding other elements. The mantel was the perfect place. I often style the mantel with vintage books and brass candlesticks; for spring I swapped in a mix of blue and green taper candles and filled blue-and-white pots with fresh greenery. The result is an early spring mantel that feels light, collected, and welcoming.
I enjoy collecting unique pieces while traveling because each item adds a story to our home. A wicker ship basket on the windowsill and an original vintage painting above the fireplace are two examples—both found in different ways and both meaningful. The painting, discovered tucked away in an estate’s safe room, became a favorite we were happy to bring home.
Keeping your eyes open while you explore often leads to unexpected treasures.
Lately I’ve been thinking about the furniture I want to keep and what might change as we continue to settle in. After downsizing, it’s fun to start collecting pieces we truly love again. That said, small homes require careful editing—there’s limited space, and I’m still deciding which pieces stay and which go. It’s a process, and part of the joy of creating a home is experimenting until it feels right.
This spring I’m planning to retrieve my mom’s rattan cart from storage; I’m considering placing it in the corner by the plants or on the other side of the fireplace. I also recently found a vintage marble-topped table and a charming chair—both secondhand finds I’ll share photos of soon. With a collected style, you rarely know exactly how a room will come together, which is part of the fun (and the thrill of the hunt!).
A collected look isn’t random clutter; it’s intentional. When I teach design, I explain that a collected room feels spontaneous but is guided by thoughtful rules—scale, color, texture, and balance help decide what stays and what moves on. The difference between a hodgepodge and a curated collected space is intention and editing.
Even when decorating gradually, each choice can be purposeful. The unpredictability of a collected approach is what makes it personal; each piece becomes part of a story that unfolds over time. That’s why I enjoy decorating this way—every change feels like a new chapter.
Just as I found a place for the brass pheasants, you can find room for the items that make you smile and bring back good memories. Let your home reflect the people and moments you love.
Surround yourself with things that make you smile or remind you of happy memories.
Click the thumbnails below for details