Plant stand, $2.50

Someone once said, “I like flowers but that doesn’t mean I want to lop off their heads and put them in bowls of water around the house.” My partner never buys me flowers and I couldn’t be happier because I can’t stand the idea of cut flowers. Plants, however, are a different matter. I have houseplants that have been to the brink of death and back many times over and their resilience never ceases to amaze me. This whitewashed plant stand is a shabby chic classic. It comes from an op shop with a startlingly diverse collection of plasticware, from the days when we all thought it was a nifty idea to cook entire three-course meals in the microwave.