SCORE!: Thrifted Brass Etagere
Every time I find a great deal at the thrift store, I proclaim it as my greatest thrift find ever. Well, in true Kim fashion, I’m here to show off my greatest thrift store find ever!
This brass etagere was a whopping $15! With all the glass included! Even though it took me about an hour to hunt down someone who would give me a price, all while fighting off a few people who were eyeing it, I would say this beauty was well worth the trouble.
I haven’t been able to source who manufactured it, but I did some digging and found an old Lonny publication from January/February 2011 that showed this exact same etagere used by designer Hillary Thomas in Marlien Rentmeester’s home.
Pretty awesome, right? Immediately, I set about cleaning it up. I’m not a fan of highly polished brass, but this baby needs a good scrub. After trying a few solutions for cutting the grime and polishing the brass, Brasso seems to work best. I first tried a lemon juice & baking soda combo, as well as Twinkle Brass Cleaner. Unfortunately, I still have to use a whole lot of elbow grease with the Brasso to even put a dent in the layer of thick grime & tarnish. Every night, I’ve been scrubbing a little here & there. As you can see below, I’m beginning to make some headway.
You can see a bit of the before & after difference above by looking at the second shelf and the top part of the vertical bar on the left. Once I get her all shined up, I’ll be sure to show you all how I style her.
By the way, she’s been aptly named Etta by the friend who was on guard duty while I hunted down a price at the thrift store.
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I just bought two of the same ones at a used furniture store. $189 for the pair and they are in great shape with the glass — more than yours but I still think it is a steal! I’m trying to figure out who made them and what they are made of. They aren’t solid brass, since a magnet sticks to them, so I’m guessing brass-plated steel.