A case for vintage
Vendor booth at Brimfield Antique Market
When I first got married in 2007, as a young woman transitioning from my parent’s home to my first apartment, I was both excited and overwhelmed at the prospect of starting from total scratch with furnishing our first place together. From a young age, I was intrigued by the idea of repurposing and giving new life to a forgotten piece. Additionally, I wanted to access higher quality furnishings and decor, even if temporary, and was able to find second-hand furniture in very good condition. On a trip visiting my parents near Canton, CT we discovered a large store filled with “brown furniture”. We quickly were able to source dressers, nightstands, and storage pieces for a fraction of the cost of buying new. They were even lower prices than buying from Ikea or similar! We were so excited to fill a small moving truck and to be able to haul our first finds to our new three-bedroom Brooklyn apartment located on the 2nd floor of a brownstone. I decided to update the finishes on most of the solid wood pieces and painted our bedroom dresser an off-white mixed with a fine mica powder that gave it a subtle pearl-like sheen and spray painted the hardware silver! I painted an entry chest in a light powder blue and employed a two-tone “strie” technique that I had recently learned in my decorative painting course in college. A large Jacobean style antique buffet got a few coats of peacock blue paint (which now I would have left in its original patina) with matching ceramic Anthropologie knobs. I was filled with a sense of accomplishment that I was able to be resourceful and creative while starting out as a young wife with limited budget for decorating. These pieces served their purpose for many years and made it through several moves until passed on to another young couple. Fast forward nearly eighteen years later, my design sense has evolved but my love of furnishing our home with a mix of styles and periods of pieces has only gotten stronger. Now I source from a variety of places including online auctions, estate sales, thrift shops and antique markets and have the most fun in the process.
Painted Buffet from 2015
If you are interested in getting started with adding vintage pieces to your collection but you’re not sure where to start, keep reading!
Where to start sourcing 2nd hand?
If you are interested in starting to incorporate antique or vintage pieces into your home the best place to start would be to find a nearby antique/vintage market with many vendors and start browsing the aisles. It can be overwhelming to start out with taking in so many objects from many periods and styles but if you start paying attention to what your eye is attracted to, you will notice a pattern. You can even peruse pinterest and popular retailers to look for inspiration. I would suggest to do this a few times and start slowly before buying right away. Take the time to learn your tastes and start looking up and researching items to learn their history and value. It can be tempting to start buying right away but taking your time will ensure that you end up with pieces that truly light you up when you discover them and have a place and purpose in your home. Once you expose yourself to the more curated offerings, you can then start recognizing what to look for if you are thrifting or garage saleing or in a less curated venue.
A few additional tips for the beginner.
Take notes with measurements on your phone and bring a tape measure with you.
Write a wish list of items ahead of time so you can focus your search and not end up a hoarder. (trust me ;) )
Bring swatches of paint colors or fabrics from your home if you are trying to find a coordinating piece.
Inspect items for any damage and consider if you have the time or interest in making repairs. Vintage and antique items often have some wear or patina which adds to the charm but wobbly or cracked items may become a headache. However, be open minded about cleaning up items and seeing past its current state. For example, a dusty peice of art, or decor may be easily cleaned up or polished and given new life!
Look for quality in furniture (details like dovetail joints in drawers, solid brass hardware) original art vs mass produced prints, signatures on artifacts. etc.
Bring a friend and make a trip out of it! See what others are drawn to and expand your imagination. Enjoy and don’t worry about what other people will think of your choices. If it sparks your joy then go for it!
You are a step closer to building a unique collection that will tell a story of the past and of your adventures. If you are inspired to get out there and start hunting for treasures, please share and feel free to send me a pic of your finds! @zahavaleafinteriors
Best!
-Zahava