Do you buy antiques? How do you shop for antique furniture? There are a few beautiful pieces of furniture I am looking at from 1800s. Mostly tables. Since I no longer have a dog or kids, I thought I’d treat myself.
Hire a decorator or a specialist in antiques. The first rule)s) that I have are: do I like this piece? If this isn’t an antiques (mislabeled) would I still purchase it and/or it fits my budget so if it is “real” or not I would still buy it. A professional can perform two jobs: find the real stuff and help install it and make the room cohesive.
That’s a thought. I could really use a decorator. The piece I am looking at, I like. I need a piece like that, antique or not. I am not really an antique collector. I just like the worn-out look.
We have always bought old stuff. You have two choices: buy something you like without educating yourself more or educate yourself more and then buy. I don’t recommend books but rather going around stores and seeing what things sell for and what you like. For example, we have a bunch of Eastlake furniture (which is Victorian) and learned about it by seeing it in various places and figuring out what was reasonably priced, over-priced and insanely over-priced. The more you look, the more you can take educated guesses. Sometimes you take a flyer: our bedroom armoire was bought in an instant because we loved it and thought it had to be under-priced. It was.
Very few decorators know enough about antiques to advise you properly. My mother has been in the antique and art business for several decades, although now close to retirement, she only works with previous clients. You need to find a reputable antique dealer to advise you. I seem to recall, igloo, you mentioning that you’re in PA, am I right? One of the finest antique shows in PA is on this weekend in York. If you’re anywhere close to that, it’s a place to start.
Or, if it is something you like and is not significantly more expensive than new stuff, you could just buy it for decorative value and not worry about it.
Since antique furniture seems to be seriously out of style right now, the prices are excellent and you should be able to buy a lovely piece for far less than a newly made piece of equal quality (most new furniture will be of lesser quality). I used to love to look at and buy antiques of all kinds back in the late 80s and 90s when they were more popular and prices of most things have dropped, some dramatically.
I think it’s far better to do your own research and learn what to look for than to trust someone else. There are so many resources now and learning about how to judge quality will greatly enhance your enjoyment of whatever you get.
Almost all of our furniture is older, solid wood stuff. I’m not sure anything is considered “antique” but I don’t really care. Our DR set is from the 30’s and looks like one my great aunt had when I was little. We have several pieces of oak furniture from the Larkin Soap Company, including my slant top desk, and our bedroom set. Love them. We also have an old Morris chair which we had refinished and new cushions made. It’s probably not worth a dime, but we love it.
When we bought furniture, it was because we liked the pieces and they were within our budget.
At this point, I’m wanting to get rid of stuff, not add more. But that is a whole other thread!
We’re collectors and have learned by browsing and talking to antiques dealers, sometimes for a year or more, before finding a piece we want to buy. The best way to get a good value is to buy at an auction, but you do need to know what you’re looking at and what a reasonable price is before you even go in the door. That’s why it’s best to just browse and ask questions of various dealers. But if you see a piece you love, and it seems a reasonable price, buy it. Most people who collect antiques do it because they love it, not because it’s a good investment.
How do you negotiate the price? I saw in the show someone halving the price for the first offer. Is that extreme?
For any reputable dealer, yes, that would be extreme and would likely have them ask you to leave their booth/shop. When you find a particular piece that you love and are serious about a purchase, ask the dealer what would be the best they could do. There is usually some wiggle room for negotiation at that point but a lowball offer isn’t likely to work in most situations.
A typical way of bargaining is to ask: can you do better? what’s your best price? is this your best price? If you’re willing to walk, you say something like the best I can do is … If it’s a group shop, meaning people rent space, the manager may have a list of allowable discounts for that dealer and will need to contact the dealer to do more.
It can be so variable. I found a place I like recently, a large unheated and uncooled warehouse full of antique furniture and they get a new container at the beginning of each month. The prices are already good and the owner still tells you to make him an offer. I feel very safe with the prices there.
greenwitch, how do you find a place like that? Do they advertise in the paper?
alwaysamom, Thank you about the antique show. Just got back from it. It was a wonderful show.
I happened to drive by it, in this semi-industrial area near a hospital. I also googled antiques and my city and it was one that came up (along with about 50 others). Look at the map when you do an online search and avoid all the fancy streets. Although D1 and I also found a reasonable one in a fancier area, but we were walking around for other reasons.
So glad you went, igloo! I used to go down to that show when my mother did it and it’s always fun. Many of the dealers there are longtime friends of my mother and it’s always a beautiful show. The man who runs it, Butch Arion, does a very good job. He does another one there in September.
The reason that you are looking at a piece is because you like it. Generally there is wiggle room but insulting a seller no. My decorator (who has a generations old estate business) has guided me.
“I like the buffet…can you tell me about it?”
“What is your best price?”
I have some antique furniture that once belonged to my great grandparents. I love rustic looking period pieces from New England , but I have found some wonderful pieces up in Lancaster County, Pa. I have mixed in some pieces made from a furniture maker that uses reclaimed wood from Amish barns. My dining table, one coffee table and side table are similar and very high character in the wood. We get a lot of compliments on all if the pieces. I would LOVE to have my kitchen cabinets made by this craftsman…not in the cards or budget anytime soon.
I would personally not use a decorator from this area since most of them don’t seem to have an eye fro what I like. I like pieces with some flaws , not perfect things that belong in a museum.
I get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest, sometimes just rearranging things I already have