Most of the furnishings in our historic home were antiques or collectible art – either inherited or purchased by us – so pretty much most of our furniture and decor is timeless and will last. At times it was frustrating as my spouse resisted buying things “off the shelf,” even when we just needed an extra standing lamp in the family room. On the plus side, we continue to be surrounded by lovely things which have meaning for us.
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I realized early on in my marriage that my husband is really, really reluctant to throw things away. He is Japanese, and there is a concept in Japan of “mottainai,” which means “what a waste” and has the effect of encouraging people to hang on to anything that could in the future be of any conceivable use to anybody. Once I realized this, we shifted to a model of only buying things that I was prepared to live with for a lifetime. Most of the furniture we own at this point is antique, although we also have in our living room two rattan chairs that once lived in my parents’ sunroom in New Jersey. They moved from the US to Japan and from Japan to France and have been reupholstered at least three times and repaired for the damage done by several generations of teething puppies. Much of what we have should have value for someone, but I do hope I’ve raised my kids to be sentimental enough to want those chairs.
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When we moved, I realized that I really wanted to downsize. My parents had very little that had any family back story or sentimental value. A lot of heavy mahogany furniture from my great-grandparents. Our dining room set came from H’s parents and was too large for the new dining room. I loved the table though, and kept it. Our bedroom set was from an estate sale. H and I came from very different backgrounds - his family had a lot more that was timeless and would last as far as furniture goes. Mom had a beautiful corner cabinet that I sent to auction. It just didn’t “fit” with what we were doing, but I hope someone is really enjoying it!
Did you say you kept the dining room table from your H’s parents? I wonder if you could have a wood professional repurpose it into a desk, library table, sofa table (narrow table behind a sofa) or something? Maybe it could become two pieces!
We are using it as our dining room table! Those are great ideas though. The table has three removable leaves and it’s also a drop-leaf so it can be sized as needed. We’re not using any of the leaves currently but have in the past when we’ve had more guests.
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Our 1917 Steinway A grand piano (6’-4" long). DH’s piano teacher bought it new in San Francisco. She left it to him even though he had switched from playing piano to classical guitar. I had played seriously all the way through high school and considered majoring in piano performance (but didn’t because I knew I wasn’t good enough to have a career). It’s the family joke that I married DH for his piano. No comment… 
In 2020, we had it refurbished - cost more than a very nice car would have, but we felt obligated because it was no longer tunable. DD still plays a lot, so the piano is written into our will as part of her inheritance.
One of my main regrets in life is not playing enough, so my New Year’s Resolution will be to change that! I have good motivation - there is a Steinway store in Warsaw and my daughter played on one of the pianos when she was there recently, and I want to do the same in May.
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I still use my mother’s Corning Ware from the 60s. It can be used in the oven or the microwave and cleans up easily. I see pieces in antique shops and I wonder why the owner sold it to the shop.
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I have very many items from my mother (an only child) that mostly only matter to me. Lots of it is furniture.
When my mother’s parents married in 1929, 2 months before the crash, my grandmother was working in a high end furniture store. They moved in with great grandfather, who encouraged he to pick items for the share house. So my bedroom set includes 3 pieces (one of which I had in the refurb shop for a year… stripped of 2 different colors of paint and refinished). Dining room has table, buffet and server. A few small other pieces.
The most special part to me of the dining room furniture is that by the time of my memories, it had been gifted from my mother’s parents (downsizing to a bungalow on Long Island) to my father’s parents. I can recall some special dinners in that dining room.
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Our 1950’s GE wall oven! That thing won’t quit (but new ovens will not fit properly in the existing masonry opening, so ok).
Anything from my parent’s / grandparents was made so much better than now. My mom’s 1960’s KitchenAid mixer still hums. I thought my 1960’s Singer sewing machine would live forever, but alas, last year was it’s last (I’ve had it serviced numerous times, and this time the shop said it couldn’t find the issue).
My late 1800’s mantle clock doesn’t keep current time anymore, but just seeing it brings many memories of visits with my grandmother, so that stays at least as long as I do.
I have some refinished mid-century Kent Coffey dressers from my parents that my DD would love - but they live 2400 miles away, and their new place is so small there’s no room for anything.
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Darn it on the dressers! They are also a hot item.
Good to know! I have a set I got at a thrift store on sale.
I’m determined to make it the house I live in. Sure it was built in 2005, but when I retire, it should be a vintage classic by then.
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Tuna fish chopper at the top, jar opener on the bottom.
I’m guessing they were both my grandmother’s. She was born in 1902, died in 1966, and always lived in the same house where a lot of the stuff was HER mother’s. My parents moved in 1966 and gathered up most of the stuff when my grandfather sold the house in '67 or '68. There are mixing bowls, rolling pins, an angel food cake pan, etc.
My friend got a buffet warmer as a wedding present about 25 years ago but never used it so was giving it to good will. I took it and my mother loved it. Friend just took it back for thanksgiving and I asked if she also wanted the small (but hotter) one from my grandmother. Friend was afraid the wiring wouldn’t be safe since I’m sure we had it in the 1960s.
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That’s exactly the jar opener we have! It is the only thing that opens some of our containers.
When my parents replaced the front door of the family camp in Maine (my grandparents built it together in the 40’s) I kept the original door in my basement for years. Man, did my family make fun of that.
A friend made it into a coffee table for me and now everybody wants to inherit it. Still has the hardware to hang it (but it was cut to a useable size) and the cutout for a doorknob.
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This is very cool. I find old doors SO interesting. Is it the natural wood or did you paint it?
We do have a couple of my husband’s grandfather’s carpentry tools. Kept them even though we moved to an apartment and got rid of almost all our tools.
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This reminds me – We received one for our wedding in '81. I didn’t really know why I’d ever need it (didn’t entertain back then) but kept it. It sat in a closet for about five years before I discovered how useful it was. I don’t use it often, but I’m glad I have it and often think how wise the giver was. It’s still like new and works perfectly.
Hmm… I think one might make a nice Christmas present for DS/SIL. 
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The table is made from the upper 2/3 (so, doorknob and above) of a traditional New England 16-pane solid wood door. It was the front door of my grandparent’s house before it was the camp door. My job every other summer, starting when I was maybe 14, was to scrape and repaint worn spots; every few paintjobs became reglazing lessons with my Dad.
It has the not been touched since we took it off the hinges, other than having the bottom 1/3 cut off completely (My mom drew the line, literally, at putting a rotting door in my car). So it’s white on the face, and dark green on the edges where I got away with not painting over the original paint!
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I use mine all the time. Tonight I’m using it for the apple crisp- it will bake at the right time and the right temperature, but I’ll pop it on the warming tray while I serve dinner so I don’t leave it in the oven too long and watch the sugars caramelize and make the pan impossible to clean!
Any recipe you make regularly that calls for something served warm… but is a MESS to clean up if it stays in the oven too long-- better on the tray!
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