Gorgeous Dopamine Boosts

Thrift Finds Edition

Welcome to Gorgeous Dopamine Boosts, a recurring series where we discuss objects and products that make life worth living.

Today we are talking about my current favorite hobby: thrifting. Los Angeles just happens to be thrifting heaven, and I didn’t even start exploring it until I’d lived here for over four years. So, we’re making up for lost time.

The following may not be the most utilitarian objects, but I assure you, they are doing the real work by giving me small, daily hits of joy.

Wedgwood Pink Jasperware Ashtray

Look: Technically an ashtray, she now functions as a display pedestal for jewelry, a tealight, or the one vitamin I can actually commit to.

Feel: The kind of compassion I reserve for foster puppies. You’re telling me someone put burning ash in this little masterpiece? Absolutely not. Bonus: the matte blush and white relief detailing feels like a Wes Anderson prop in the best way.

Love: Fun, fancy, and frivolous. This piece kicked off my interest in collecting based on feeling over logic.

Source: BTS Thrift, hands down my favorite LA thrift store. They expect you to negotiate pricing—which, for someone who spent years working in auction houses and the secondary art market, is the ultimate dopamine boost. If you go, bring cash and don’t be afraid to make an offer, they’re surprisingly open.

Royal Wessex Calico Transferware Plate

Look: This was technically my second blue floral plate, which means i’ve officially started a collection. They’re on display for now, but the end goal is a full set of mismatched vintage blue-and-white dishes.

Feel: The thrill of a deal plus core memory nostalgia—I grew up in an indigo Le Creuset household.

Love: Beautiful, nostalgic, and shockingly microwave and dishwasher safe. The bold pattern gives quiet maximalist, and instantly turns a snack into a still life.

Source: Poshmark, which has quickly become my secret vintage homeware source. You have to be willing to search often and endure the UI, but if you do, you’ll find a seriously underrated home section with quality pieces that are usually cheaper than their ebay counterparts. Shipping is capped, and sellers are either very motivated or don’t know what they have.

Woven Rattan Basket Purse

Look: Part purse, part storage, part lifestyle fantasy. It adds shape and texture to my bookshelf while tying in other rattan accents.

Feel: The British countryside. Or a grandmother’s knitting basket.

Love: One day this will come with me to the flower market. For now, it holds my very important ribbon collection, which I did take the time to sort and rank.

Source: The Council Shop. If you’re in LA, they’re having a 50% off sale this week—furniture on 4/24 and art on 4/25. See you there.

Vintage Art Books

Look: Will I read them? Probably not. But the covers are iconic, the imagery is stunning, and the spines are display-worthy. They work everywhere, on a coffee table, under a lamp, as a pedestal for candlesticks, the list goes on.

Feel: Like I should be climbing a rolling ladder in an old-timey library.

Love: I’m obsessed with the idea of building an aesthetic reference library. No dust jackets allowed. Only editions worth displaying. Buying new would be absurd, and I like that these have lived a life already. And yes, I love the smell of old books.

Source: The Council Shop (again). Several were mismarked and sold to me for $2.99 each. Pricing is tighter now, but the book section is solid and way less overwhelming than a dedicated secondhand bookstore.

Hot tip: I look for books with full-page color plates I can cut out and frame (my go-to art hack since undergrad art history days).

If you liked this, tell me your favorite recent thrift find or your dream vintage score. I always need more things to hunt for!

See you next week. I’ll keep the light on.