Decorating your home is a marathon, not a sprint. The journey to curate the perfect space is filled with lots of tasks, but finding the cool items that showcase your personal style is arguably the most important. Compiling furniture takes time, and if you want a piece that stands out and feels unique, a vintage find is your best bet. One vintage piece can become the centerpiece of your room, as lifestyle creator Roti Brown (@rotiibrown) shows in a recent TikTok.

In the midst of planning a dinner party, she found an antique wood cabinet at her local Los Angeles vintage shop that would make her dining room one of a kind. Shopping for vintage items isn’t easy, but as she notes in her video, the goal is to find a piece that fits your aesthetic while also having lots of charm. The beauty of vintage furniture and decor items is that you can remix them to fit your taste. With a quick trip to the hardware store and simple upgrades, you’ll be able to refresh the piece and give it a new look. Keep reading to see how this creator took a vintage find from old and dusty to modern and cool, just in time for her dinner party.

@rotiibrown

Design my dream vintage apartment – Part 1!! #apartmenttherapy #dinningroom #homemakeover #thriftedhome

♬ It girl, Fashion, Glamour – Athostvz

How to Shop for Vintage Furniture

Hunting down the cabinet was the first step in this transformation. If you’re new to vintage purchases, try pursuing a few shops in your area to see what they offer. When it comes to vintage, especially larger items, you don’t want to settle on the first thing you see. Brown notes that she found her cabinet in a store she frequently visits in her LA neighborhood.

Another important thing to keep in mind is size. These are pieces you invest in and keep for years, so you need to make sure they fit in your home. Before you purchase, find the perfect spot where you’d like to place the furniture and thoroughly measure the area.

Remixing the Cabinet

To make her cabinet feel more modern, Brown took inspiration from her favorite restaurants. There’s no denying the benefits of good lighting, which goes tenfold for your furniture. A warm glow in a wooden cabinet better displays the items inside. Replicating the look is easier than you may think with strip lights. Brown ordered hers from Amazon and placed them at the base of the shelves in the cabinet. Be sure to opt for a remote-controlled set that allows you to customize the look and feel.

Once you’ve got the mood set, it’s time to add personal touches that showcase your style. Glassware in classic cuts and cool colors serves as functional decor and will illuminate the room thanks to the strip lights. To complement them, mix in your favorite liquors in fancy bottles to elevate the look of the cabinet. You can even add other accessories like mugs and coffee items. Brown added another vintage find to her cabinet that’s fitting to her retro style, but you can get creative and choose any items you like.