Here is something I want you to do the next time you’re at an estate sale or a thrift store: walk toward the glass-topped tables and look at what’s underneath.
Look at the base.
The glass top is a red herring. It is, frankly, a distraction. Remove it (or simply don’t take it — most sellers won’t care, and if the glass is damaged, they’ll be relieved).
What you’re left with is often a genuinely beautiful object — a carved column, a claw foot, a swan, a draped figure, something architectural or slightly strange.
Beautiful table bases are, functionally, sculptures. They just haven’t been treated that way.
And once you start thinking of them as pedestals instead of dated glass-topped tables, they become incredibly useful.
A pedestal is one of the most useful things you can have in a home. It creates height, yes — but more importantly, it creates focus.
It tells the eye exactly where to go.
A chunky brass base? Put a big bowl of objects on it, or a stack of art books. Or just set a single, dramatic piece of pottery on top and let it breathe.
A wrought iron base with scrollwork? It wants a plant — something trailing, or something structural like a fiddle leaf or a tall cactus.
A carved stone or plaster column base? That’s where your best piece of sculpture can live. Or a really great lamp. Or honestly, nothing — because sometimes the base is the thing and it doesn’t need anything on top of it at all.
A few I’ve found online recently: Frank pedestal; green marbled pedestal; postmodern pedestal
Anything that is taller and more narrow than a side table (and can hold an object on top) can serve as a pedestal. You just have to start thinking in a different way.
Lulu & Georgia’s Reika Plinth (left) and a paint holder I found at an antique mall for under $40, which I use as a pedestal
What I Look For (& What I Search)
When I’m shopping for these on Facebook Marketplace, I start with the usual keyword suspects: “pedestal” and “plinth.”
But I also add some words that help narrow the search:
“Glass top broken.”
“Table needs repair.”
“Missing top.”
“Base only.”
Those are the listings where the price drops and the photos are bad, which is usually a good sign.
Material-wise, I’m always drawn to anything with weight (stone, plaster, concrete, heavy wood, solid metal). If it feels substantial, it will read that way in a room.
I also pay attention to the shape. You want something that can stand on its own once the top is gone, which usually means a single, strong form rather than something spindly or overly delicate. Columns, pedestal-style bases, anything vaguely architectural tends to work. The stranger ones—animals, figurative forms, anything a little over-the-top—can be especially good if you lean into them.
Height is the other thing. Too short and it just feels pointless; too tall and it starts to feel like you made a miscalculation. Somewhere in that in-between range—roughly side table height or slightly taller—tends to be the most useful.
And then, honestly, there’s just instinct: Do I love this? Often, that alone is enough reason to buy something.
This is one of those cases where knowing what to look for actually changes what you see — and once you see it, you won’t miss it again.
There are also some great new pedestals on the market. This under-$200 option is simple and elegant and can function indoors or out.
I recently upgraded my bedding and it has made an immediate, noticeable difference in how I sleep and how I feel when I enter my bedroom. I went with Rise & Fall bedding, a company that uses natural materials (no synthetics, which I try to avoid where I can), and everything feels very crisp and substantial in that hotel way without being stiff. I am extremely particular about bedding and this passed the test.
I’ve also been doing a full reset on some thrifted clothing I picked up recently, which means washing everything properly before it comes into rotation. I shared this on Instagram Stories recently but I always use Downy Unstopables Fragrance Beads for this because it actually gets rid of that thrift store smell instead of just masking it. If you thrift a lot, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
And one thing I always try to do here is share things that have genuinely worked for me and then give that item one away when I can. This month, one paid subscriber will win a 5-day Kroma reset (it’s a plant-based cleanse, very easy to follow, not miserable, and you can add whole foods like protein and veggies if you want to make it more substantial). If you’re already subscribed, you’re automatically in; I’ll pick a winner before the end of the month.
A note that some links in this newsletter be affiliate links, and from time to time brands send me things… but I only share what I actually use and love.
Oooh, I think I might need a plinth (maybe because I like saying it 😜). Those are so cool, Virginia! I like the set with the yellow balls, and that bird!💕