“Embrace the imperfect.”

It’s going to be much more trying (and expensive) to walk away with something that’s old but looks perfectly new. “Is it great to find something in mint condition? Absolutely. But sometimes there’s going to be a little scratch, or you find seven glasses instead of a full set of eight—but you probably would have broken one on the way home!” she says, comforting me for having done that many-a time.

And if you do find the perfect, reasonably-priced pair of lamps, of course, her best advice is to not think twice and grab them up.

[Photo via @antlersandastronauts]

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