The first thing that designers look for at estate sales is art. It's typically quite inexpensive in comparison to the initial purchase price and reveals a great deal about the preferences and passions of the people who once called that place home.
Look through estate sales to find the unique items that individuals have collected. Her search is for objects that she can display on a bookshelf or under a cloche to "start a conversation," whether they are jewels, butterflies, tiny ships, rocks, magnifying glasses, vintage metal miniature vehicles, or architectural items.
Stokes also purchases rugs if they are available at estate sales. "I am aware of their past, and it was a very well-made product in the past," Stokes remarks. Don't let it deter you from purchasing it and having it trimmed to size.
Don't let broken or discolored lamps prevent you from using them. It's simple to have them rewired or to add a different shade to make it a unique addition to a house. Stokes suggests searching for floor lamps and is particularly drawn to Art Deco or brass pharmaceutical industrial lamps.
Retail dining chairs can be expensive, but Meg White of Meg White Interiors advises locating a vintage set and customizing it. "I recently recovered and lacquered a set of four faux bamboo chairs that I bought for a project!
White has discovered numerous exquisite mirrors at estate sales, which have been used as wall art, over dining room sideboards, or in powder rooms. Even better, moving these mirrors from one house to another is simple. "I adore discovering these unique mirrors that were part of a stunning past existence," states White.
Search for some excellent vintage upholstered chairs or sofas.At sales, they typically fetch pennies on the dollar and are made far better than the upholstery we purchase now.
Quinlan is an interior designer as well as the owner of an upscale vintage clothes business in Birmingham, so she frequently visits estate sales and raids the closets. "Event clothing, such as cocktail dresses and evening gowns, is typically in excellent shape because it's been worn only a few times,
Jenkins suggests that you take advantage of great collections of old and vintage dishes, glasses, and cutlery that have a backstory when you come across them. "They'll survive because they've been around for a while," he asserts. "