Surprise — John and I slipped away to the beach in Rehoboth, Delaware around the Fourth of July. We stayed near John’s parents’ lovely beach house and spent a few days relaxing by the water, sharing a few posts so readers wouldn’t think we’d disappeared, and even whipping up a simple patriotic watermelon project. We also stopped by one of our favorite secondhand shops while we were there: Beach Plum Antiques, where a small treasure hunt paid off.
One of the best parts of thrift-store hunting is the thrill of discovery. I was grinning like a gameshow model when I uncovered a petite table with a Carrera marble top tucked under a pile of other items. It felt like finding a relic while digging through layers of history — I might as well have been an archaeologist unearthing something special. We’d been searching for a small side table for the sunroom, and this one fit perfectly.
Incredibly, the price tag read $20. We only had cash on hand, so we paid $19, and the shop owner laughed as he told us he’d marked it down from $45 the day before. When we peeled off the stickers at home we discovered an earlier price of $75, then $45, and finally $20. How this marble table stayed unnoticed for so long is a mystery. It’s in mint condition and, compared to retail marble side tables, it felt like a steal. We brought it home immediately.
The table’s Carrera marble surface is beautiful up close: subtle veining, a smooth polished top, and ornate carved wood details along the perimeter and on the legs. For a moment we considered painting the wood — white or a soft pale green — but once we placed it next to a teak chair in the room, the original patina read naturally with the other pieces. It added a fresh layer of texture without overpowering the space.
Our approach to decorating is less about matching sets and more about combining complementary tones, varied materials, and layered textures. This little $19 table amplified the room’s personality: the marble top introduced a touch of elegance, the carved detailing provided visual interest, and the slightly weathered wood tone tied in with existing furnishings without being too literal. The result feels collected and intentional rather than forced or overly coordinated.
A useful tip for creating that collected-over-time look is to maintain small visual commonalities between pieces so the room reads as cohesive. In our sunroom, the ceramic dog accessory and a nearby pillow share a crisp white tone with the tabletop, which helps unite disparate objects. Meanwhile, the warm cream wall behind them softens the contrast and layers the overall effect. Those subtle echoes of color and texture are what make an eclectic mix feel harmonious.
So that’s the story of a sub-twenty-dollar marble side table that made its way across state lines and now sits beside a life-sized ceramic dog in our sunroom. Secondhand shopping still yields wonderful surprises, and this find reminded us why we love digging through thrift stores and antique shops. Have you found anything great at a garage sale or thrift store lately? With summer in full swing, yard sales and flea markets are popping up everywhere — they’re a great source for unique, budget-friendly pieces.
P.S. On the topic of secondhand and refurbished gear, we’ve also had good experiences buying refurbished electronics lately — a refurbished video camera and a refurbished MacBook. Choosing refurbished items felt like a small way to recycle while saving money, and both purchases will help us keep creating content for the blog for years to come.