I like furniture with stories. Almost ten years ago, I lived in California. I was perusing 1stDibs, which at the time was a new website for finding high quality art, furniture, and collectibles. I was looking for a bombé chest and saw a beautiful 1920s Italian bombé with parquetry and worn brass drawer pulls. The problem was, the seller was in Palm Beach, Florida. I had no idea how to get it to California. But I did my research, learned about LTL (less-than-truckload) carriers and, after two weeks, I had my bombé chest. When it arrived, I was so excited! This piece has been from California to Luxembourg to New York, where it sits in my foyer. I love that I had to search for and plan a little to get her home. I love that she’s unlike any other bombé chest I’ve seen, and wonder, who owned her previously?

Antiques dealers and interior designers talk about the recent death of “brown furniture,” but it’s probably more accurate to say that antiques are a tougher sell than vintage pieces right now, and true vintage is tougher to sell than similar looking new reproduction pieces. “Antique” refers to items over 100 years old, while “vintage” is usually defined as between 20 and 100 years old.

Even “trendy” vintage requires a particular buyer, compared to similar (knockoff) brand new items. By “trendy” I mean primarily mid-century modern or postmodern, like a Danish teak desk from the 1960s, Karl Springer 1980 coffee table or Curtis Jeré metal sculptures from the 1960s through the ‘80s. (Fun fact: there is no Curtis Jeré, just two guys from California named Jerry Fels and Curtis Freiler who wanted to sell a “softer,” more marketable form of the brutalist art being produced at the time.)

I am sad that many people refuse to buy antique or vintage. Whether it has a recognizable provenance or not, an older piece can make a room much more interesting. Maybe they think antiques are expensive, but I’ve found really nice antiques for the same price as a new, mass produced item.

I think people may be turned off by the fact that they can’t just box up and return these items if they change their minds. There’s a fear of commitment. Also, it’s hard to trust an independent antiques dealer versus a national chain, but a bit of homework will allay those fears.

I think some people think “old” is gross or used up, or too “old-fashioned”. Maybe it requires some refurbishing, which, to be fair, can be costly. 

However, I’d say to the hesitant, look at Darryl Carter for a rebuttal.

Darryl Carter is a DC-based lawyer-turned-interior designer who is incredibly thoughtful and analytical in his design choices. (As a formerly practicing attorney myself, I like to think it’s a lawyer thing). He was interviewed by a home furnishings website about his integration of old and new, and his philosophy of treasuring timeworn, beautiful and humorous objects.

https://www.onekingslane.com/live-love-home/darryl-carter-home-tour/

Note that Darryl likes objects with a story. That takes time and luck. Sometimes we are so determined to finish decorating our homes that we don’t want to wait for a special piece, but I recommend you decorate with at least a few “found” items from travels or flea markets. And remember, you’re never done decorating a room. It changes and develops just as you change and develop as a person.

The fastest way to get ahold of interesting and well-made things is to check out local antique shops and reputable online sellers like 1stDibs and Chairish. You don’t need expensive pieces, just ones you find beautiful, timeless, humorous or even slightly controversial.

Some good news: conspicuous consumption is being replaced by conscious consumption, an environmentally conscious way of buying quality, lasting furnishings. Instead of throwing away furniture, younger generations are reusing it and either painting it or enjoying the warm, rich look older wood gives a room. The term “grand-millennial” refers to someone young who appreciates traditional design (think chinoiserie, cabriole legs and floral wallpaper!) and designers of decades past (Dorothy Draper, Billy Baldwin, Sister Parish and Albert Hadley) but puts a modern spin on them.

Here’s an article from House Beautiful about grand-millennials:

https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a28594040/grandmillennial-design/

I predict 2020 will bring more appreciation of antiques and vintage furniture, reusing what we have, and creative ways to combine the past with the future in design.