How to shop for vintage furniture
And my best finds yet...
I approach almost all of my projects with this mindset: each should include a balanced mix of ready-made, custom, and vintage to strike the right balance and feel collected without being old-fashioned and cohesive but not like a showroom.
I find that a lot of people are scared of vintage furniture because they a. don’t know how to find it, b. don’t know what things are or should be worth, and c. think that used things are weird (my hot take - they are not).
My absolute favorite things that I own (and that I will keep forever no matter where I move) are vintage acquisitions that I scoured the world over for - it’s all about the thrill of the hunt! Eventually everything emerges somewhere if you’re patient.
Let me tell you about some of my treasures and how I found them so you know where to look!
Edmund Spence Wave Front Dresser
This is a piece I was introduced to by my former boss who had installed several of them with clients during my tenure at the firm. I had always admired them and when we bought our apartment, I knew there was a spot that would be perfect for a smaller sized one. The problem is, look how much they go for on 1st Dibs… Out of my budget. I had to get thrifty, so I set alerts on Chairish, ebay, and scoured the auction houses.
Finally, one emerged on ebay and I was alerted. The seller had no clue what he had his hands on (he was offloading his parent’s old furniture) and was selling it for under $1K but it was in terrible condition. It had split wood on the drawers and the lacquer had worn off. No matter! I knew the value of this thing and was willing to put some money into restoring it to its original glory.
I quickly swooped in, sent it straight to a furniture workroom and a few months later it landed in my bedroom in perfect condition where it still lives today and remains my most admired piece.
Pro tip: setting alerts is key to get what you want! You want to pounce on something as soon as it appears. Make sure you know the proper name of the item and spelling of the designer. For this chest, it appears under “Edmund” and “Edmond” so I set alerts for both.
Slipcovered Settee
Around the same time, I was looking for some kind of a bench for our front hall, which if you’ve read my home feature in Domino, you know is a prominent feature of my apartment and can take something fairly substantial. I really didn’t want to settle on something basic. We had scoured Warren Street in Hudson but everything felt expensive and like I’d already seen it on 1st Dibs.
One afternoon we decided to go antiquing in Sag Harbor and wandered by one of my favorite stores that has since very sadly closed (but maintains an online presence which I recommend and a small outpost at Le Lampade, should you find yourself roaming Sag). The owners had been working on a prototype for slipcovering vintage settees in their collection of archival textiles and one happened to be sitting in the window. It was so perfect! We bought it right out of the window and the ladies kindly arrange a local man with a van to bring it to my home.
The point is: you never know what you’ll find in person and not everything can be seen online, so I still find it necessary to hit the streets once in a while. Also, use the things you see as inspiration. You could recreate this by finding any old settee and reupholstering it using even tablecloths!
French Folding Screen
I have a very bad habit of making impulsive low ball offers on things in the dead of night. I never think they will be accepted and then they often are, lol. Oops! Such is the case with this folding screen depicting European architectural scenes. I’ve never really seen anything like it. I offered 50% off the selling price and we had a deal, so please do not be afraid of making offers to sellers. The worst that can happen is they say no thank you!
Something else I do to stay on top of my shopping list is to check Chairish and 1stDibs new arrivals sections frequently. I save all the things I like in favorites folders. You never know when the need for something will emerge (mostly for clients obviously) but it’s helpful to have an online inventory of things I already approve of when I’m scheming.
This screen is one of my favorite items in my office and gives the back wall a lot of visual interest.
Pro tip: Think about what you’re willing to spend and make offers! I also save certain dealers who’s selection I really love, and get alerted when they add new merchandise so I can have first dibs, if I want it.
Cane Dining Chairs & Knoll Oak Conference Table
Speaking of my office, I needed a place to lay out schemes and host clients when they come. I exercised a lot of patience in finding pieces that are reflective of my style, which is obviously important to showcase in a place where I’m meeting to discuss aesthetics, hosting events, etc.
When I was deep in furnishing this space, I followed a TON of vintage dealers across the midwest and the south on instagram who have zero online presence. I find that in and around the northeast, there’s nary a deal to be found. Most of these dealers have monthly trucks that head to major cities, so transport is often reasonable, and the prices are flexible.
I was wheeling and dealing and found this coveted classic knoll dining table in oak at a dealer in San Antonio. He made an offer, I made a counter, and now I own it. I know I will NEVER get sick of this piece!
Re: the chairs shown above, at my last job, we did a lot of in person shopping on the Dixie Highway in South Florida. Sometimes I feel like shopping there is a total slog because it’s hot and you have to really spend the time to parse through all the crap but it can be so worth it. When I was looking for chairs I messaged a few dealers out there that I had visited in person over the yers and Paula Roemer ended up having the perfect set. She sent them on her monthly truck, I had seat pads made to jazz them up and there you have it!
Pro tip: message the dealers! They have so much inventory and even if they have an chairish shop or whatever, only about 25% of it is shown online. Plus you can get a MUCH better deal if you go direct to the dealer. I regularly DM dealers and say “hey can you send me pics of all the midcentury chairs you have on hand right now?” or whatever I’m looking for, and then I get my pick of the litter!
Danish Armchairs
Here’s a note about antique shows. If you go at the end, the dealers never want to bring the stuff home and are likely to cut you a deal. I know people think going at the beginning is the best strategy, and maybe it is at a place like Brimfield, but EOD is when the real deals get cut, which is how I landed these mid-century Danish armchairs that have travelled through four apartments. They have been uplifted with some fresh fabric a couple of times but maintain their overall quality and craftsmanship! I scored these at a show years ago at the Community House in Bridgehampton.
Pro tip: Make an end of day deal!
French Rattan Chairs
Back to Chairish, my latest greatest find that everyone on instagram has messaged me about are these French rattan chairs! Again, a super low ball offer was accepted since I don’t think most people could see past the original ugly upholstery. Then they sat at my upholsterer for a couple of years until he joked to me that he was going to sell them to another designer if I didn’t get them out, which scared me into getting some Namay Samay fabric for them and finally executing their makeover. I had intended to sell these to the right client but I love them so much that I can’t bear to part with them. The hardest part about this job!
Pro tip: Try to see past things that can be changed, like upholstery!
Okay, here are my final thoughts in no particular order.
I really taught myself about the value of things on 1stdibs. You can spend HOURS perusing this the site, reading the listings, absorbing the prices, and figuring out which dealers have the best selections. It trains your eye and it’s a real education on the names of important designers, periods, etc.
1st Dibs generally stands by the quality of things listed on their site, but not all of them do. Especially if you go directly to a dealer on instagram. Ask for LOTS of pictures (and dimensions obviously) before purchasing, especially if you don’t want to put any money into restoration.
I like to shop in Sag Harbor and Hudson mostly for inspo. I l find pieces I like and then search for them from smaller dealers who don’t jack up the price quite as much.
ALERTS ALERTS ALERTS! On chairish, 1st dibs, Ebay, Live Auctioneers - ALL. THE. PLACES.
Patience is a virtue.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk about vintage furniture!
Is there anything particular you’re looking for? Drop me a note in the comments and I’m happy to let you know if it’s on my radar!
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