How to Make a Thrifted Montessori Home

Montessori environments are full of beauty and intentionality. Preparing a space that is beautiful and orderly while also meeting the needs of the child. Montessori thrifted items like baskets, trays, small containers, lovely artifacts, and precious objects make the space feel special. Preparing a Montessori environment takes place over time. Building up a collection can take many years. Let me share some of my top Montessori items I like to get thrifting to help lower the price tag of a Montessori home.

Thrift Haul

Here are some of my favorite Montessori thrifted items over the year. They are special pieces that bring beauty and order into my home.

Why Thrifting is Beneficial

“One man’s junk is another man’s treasure”. This is quite true. One lamp or basket that was just taking up space in one person’s home can be completely transformed by someone else. This is why I love to thrift items. I like taking something that someone didn’t like and making it something I love. I also love the price tag that comes with thrifting. Quite honestly, I just can’t afford to buy everything new. I have learned to buy many things second-hand, either at thrift stores, antique stores, or garage sales. Anytime I have to drive past a garage sale sign without stopping I am always a little disappointed.

Thrifting requires creativity. As you walk through shelves or tables full of objects and things, you have to sift through what is valuable and what someone else may find value in. Your brain is constantly thinking about how you may use that item in your home, or where you have space for that new piece of artwork. Then once you get home, there is more creativity and thought that has to go into styling those Montessori thrift items. It was one of my absolute favorite parts of having a classroom, getting to prepare it with so much beauty and intentionality!

Common Montessori Thrifted Items

There are some things I always look for when I go thrift shopping. Even if I don’t have a specific thing to use it for at the moment. Some of these items are nice to have a collection of so you can pull from them when you need them. Especially baskets and trays. I think it is almost not possible to have too many wicker baskets.

Baskets and Trays

Baskets bring boundaries and order to our items. You can store toys, fruit, clothing, kitchen utensils, snacks, and a myriad of other things in baskets. Look for varieties of sizes. I prefer baskets and trays crafted from natural materials such as wood, metal, ceramic, wicker, or textiles. These elements bring softness and character into the environment.

Trays are another commonly used item in Montessori environments. We can prepare activities on trays. This is especially important for children under the age of 6. We may have a tray with all of the supplies needed to paint a picture, rather than the objects stored separately. As a child moves into the 2nd plane of development, they will be able to use trays to collect objects throughout their environment for an activity.

Beautiful Containers

Beautiful containers have been some of my favorites to collect. Especially in a Montessori classroom, there are lots of little pieces that need to be stored for the work the children do. Card material, small objects, or a variety of tools (paper clips, erasers, pencil sharpeners). We can store these items in small containers, either lidded or not.

Throughout my home, I use little containers in similar ways, just less of them. I have a beautiful container for my receipts on my counter. It is fun to take it out when it is time to look at the budget. Something small like this is such an elegant touch compared to the alternative of having crumpled-up receipts on your kitchen counter, shoved in a drawer, or at the bottom of your purse. Containers give things a place and allow us to put them in their place.

Kitchen Tools

Keep an eye out for additional Montessori thrifted items that may be good for a child and their work in the kitchen. Some examples are an apple cutter, egg slicer, pitcher, hand whisk, spreading knives, cutting boards, small dishes, child-size flatware, and small glasses. You often don’t need a whole set of these things, which makes them a great thing to find second-hand.

Small Furniture

I found this adorable entryway bench for my twins that is just the perfect size for an older baby or young toddler just starting to sit down. We transformed this $7 thrift find into a purposful and beautiful Montessori entryway. Look for small furniture (tables, chairs, bookshelves) that are appropriately sized to better meet the needs of your child.

Artwork, Hooks and Mirrors

Especially when preparing your home for children, you’ll need to prepare areas with hooks, mirrors, and artwork. Finding hooks with a little character or ones that can be painted are fun ways to bring color into the environment. Hanging artwork at the child’s eye level is another way to prepare your home for them. Not all of your artwork needs to be hung at a child level, but maybe in their bedroom and the entryway space.

Lamps and Bells

Now these items may not be for everyone, but I love to build up my collection of lamps and bells. Nothing crazy, but I like having at least one, if not a few, lamps in every room. There is something different about lighting a room with the light from a lamp rather than the overhead lights. Now for bells, I would use a bell to get the children’s attention in the classroom. I had a few I collected for my classroom and now if I see a sweet bell, I usually pick it up. It makes for a lovely touch on a bookshelf and a practical way to call your children to supper.

Larger Pieces of Furniture

Even larger pieces of furniture can bring Montessori elements into a home. I needed to update our twins’ Montessori wardrobe. I found this dresser on Facebook Marketplace. With a little creativity, tending loving care, and some wallpaper, we transformed this drab dresser into a functional Montessori wardrobe. I have also found many bookshelves or cabinets that help make our space more functional.