Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
oceanna_gw

How many of you like antiques or traditional?

oceanna
16 years ago

I watch HGTV a lot and almost everything is modern. It's pretty, but it's not my style and if I hear them say "young and fun" one more time I think I'll scream. We aren't all minimalists and some of us really appreciate a carved piece of wood, and some of the other refinements of days gone by.

I'd love to see some photos of your *not* modern-minimalist decorating schemes, please!

Comments (80)

  • mrstan1234
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great post. I am somewhere in between. I love modern, retro, art deco, traditional and antique... Mixing these together is always a challenge for me. I tend to get sidetracked and then get it stuck in my head I need to stick with a "look" and then I easily tire of it, and have to start over. If I would just go with what I love, there wouldn't be a problem, would there?

  • blue_velvet_elvis
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'd say I'm very traditional. I used to have a lot of antique pieces. I used to be a buyer for an antique store. Almost all my furniture now is new though traditional. My knick knacks and other stuff is almost all antique though. My china, a lot of my pictures, etc.

  • patricianat
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Texas Hottie, I just wanted to say as a big fan of rosewood, that's an amazing piece and your mother must have surely saved some of the best for her daughter.

  • teacats
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Traditional with vintage and antiques here too! Old portraits; silver, grandfather clock, etc. All mixed in with thrift store treasures and EBay finds too!

    And lots of stuff (some would call it clutter!) everywhere ......

  • frenchkitty
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi, thought I would just chime in here since I was recently surfing rate my space and came across this split-level home that the owner has put her own stamp on. It is more shabby chic in style but just shows what one can do with a split-level home with antiques and your own personal style. I know seeing pics helps! There are several different rooms she shows that may give you some ideas.

    Here is a link that might be useful: shabby chic split level

  • ttodd
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I don't know if you would call it antique's or traditional but I call it 'Didn't sell', 'Nobody picked up the finished piece', & 'Somebody died - Do you want it?'.

    My mom sells stuff in an antique/ thrift shop mall & DH refinshes furniture. If it doesn't sell, somebody doesn't pick it up after a year, somebody's clearing out or trying to get rid of it - I get 1st dib's & that's OK w/ me! More history in my book & I wouldn't have it any other way! I just acquired cherry bedside tables from somebody whose mother passed away.

  • jerseygirl_1
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My taste has always been eclectic. I don't have any issues mixing antiques, traditional, contemporary, and retro/deco. I always kind of went with anything that attracted my attention.

    Lately, I find myself in a art deco, contemporary mode. Yet, my dining room will be a mixture. Dining Room chairs are 30 yr old hand carved Italian Provencial that need refinishing (they came with the guy). I plan to use the 75 yr old french provencial mirror from my previous dining room (that has all the characteristics of old and distressed antique white). And I am planning on a contemporary/art deco but classic dining table.

  • patricianat
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    French Kitty, something happened with that link. I went there and it's a scarecrow outside.

  • DYH
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Definitely antiques and traditional. I love the quality of good wooden antique casegoods. We tend to purchase new upholstered furniture, but with very traditional English library influence. Since we're on acreage in the country, we try to keep it all very casual to go with the garden, meadows and woods.

    Cameron

  • shequit
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am loving this thread and if I ever figure out how to post photos I will show my grandmas French bedroom,her breakfront (Sheraton), my mother's bedroom, odds and ends assorted tables, etc. Grandma (known as GiGi), owned her own hat shop in the 20's and she was a hoot. When I was in my 20's, 30's I had no interest but when GiGi passed, my mother made me take a few of these things and I am so happy that I did. BTY, I am over 60 now so these things are really "old" but not to the European friends I have who have things from the 1700s and 1800s. Oh well...

  • bonniee818
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi oceanna........I like traditional with some antiques but not too many. I like traditional with a slight twist but homey feel still. My Southern plantation style home that I live in now ( 3 yrs. old) is slowly developing into more traditional than french country that I had in my old home. I added alink if you wanna peek.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Bonnie's

  • johnmari
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    oceanna, WRT moving that armoire, call your local university or college - most universities have an office where students looking for work, including temporary, can go. With a gadget like a Shoulder Dolly, what took four people to move may only take two. That was one of my better investments! All the appliance and furniture delivery companies around here use them and I was happily surprised to find out that they were available to "regular folks" and so cheaply to boot. "Team Straps" are the same thing. (From a body-mechanics standpoint the Forearm Forklift shown on TV infomercials is nowhere near as efficient.) Call an antiques restorer about how to clean your armoire's carvings to your satisfaction.

    I also enjoy antiques, although my accumulations are more than a bit pitiful compared to what's been shown thus far because of a sheer lack of ready cash, as well as a shortage of convenient deaths amongst people who actually owned anything decent. ;-) Although I don't really have any I have developed a serious weakness for the whole "carved to death" thing. Modern style is kind of like foie gras with truffles for me - I recognize that it can be marvelous in theory, and it's just fine for other people to have, just keep it the heck away from me. LOL

    I don't think you'd call how I decorate "traditional" even though it integrates old stuff, because among other things it definitely lacks the formality and elegance I associate with traditional decor. It just sort of "is what it is". Since we've moved into a ca. 1900 house, DH has become much more amenable to more Victorian-type elements such as wallpaper (!!) and slowly accumulating more antique furniture, so while it's unlikely to ever be really frou-frou (not my style either) I think that we'll get plenty of "pretty". Eventually. ;-)

  • terri_ks
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This was just listed on my area craig's list today -for the traditional lovers.
    mailto:sale-483076707@craigslist.org?subject=RENAISSANCE%20CABINET

  • labradoodlelady
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm definitely on the traditional side and would fill my house with antiques if I could. I'm still kicking myself for leaving behind two gorgeous flame mahogany empire pieces when I moved to Hawaii from D.C. 19 years ago! Interestingly, it's almost impossible to find decent antiques out here, except for the Chinese ones which are all the rage.

    texashottie, I adore your sideboard. I'm also into the French style.

    Here's the antique inlaid sideboard I bought to convert to my master bath vanity. When my contractor told me my master bath reminded him of his grandmother's house, I felt it was a tremendous compliment!

    I've spent the past six years collecting vintage light fixtures on ebay. Most of them I refinished and "dressed" myself, and had a friend rewire. I really like the ambiance they give.

  • windypoint
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I like traditional style but expensive antiques make me nervous, I really don't like having a lot of money invested in things. I'm very fond of transitional pieces too.

  • Valerie Noronha
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    texashottie: You have some gorgeous pieces.

    kgwlisa: You were the inspiration for my dining room set with your beautiful hepplewhite dining chairs. I love the inlay piece on your china cabinet and table too.

    oceanna: great thread! I'm enjoying all the lovely pics.

    I don't think you have to spend a fortune on antiques. I spent $900 on my dining set+sideboard, $150 on a mirror and $150 on two end tables. The equivalent items new would cost over $7,000 and would have much more "select hardwood" and less mahogany.

    In fact, I feel more comfortable with my antique purchases than I would new furniture. Reason being, they already have some nicks and scratches and will retain their value--whereas the new pieces would only depreciate.

    Here are my pieces so far:

    {{gwi:1854798}}

    {{gwi:1879626}}

    {{gwi:1839510}}
    I would like to get a nice inlay piece for my foyer. I am drooling over the antique inlay demilune tables I've seen at online auctions on eBay. I can afford to wait though until I see just the right piece.

  • oceanna
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, I'm loving the responses here, especially the pictures. I'm just drooling over all your stunning antiques.

    Everyone -- more, more, more pictures, please! How about some whole room pictures? And Teeda I'd love to see your Staffordshire dogs! We get Beaver reruns here. :-) Yes it was Rusty. We had a copper and formica dining table. Ah, memories! Hehe on having June serve you. Love it! I always wanted the Cleavers for parents instead of the ones I got.

    MrStan if you go with what you love you will always love it. Not so sure if others would love everything I love, but what the hey?

    FrenchKitty I enjoyed the link, thanks! I especially loved her outdoor vignettes and the fact that she re-did her fireplace. My fireplace will someday be the subject for a thread here -- I hate it. I hated my last house fireplace too but this is even worse.

    Ttodd I enfy your position! Pics please. :-)

    Shequit every time I forget how to post photos here I just put "post a picture" in the search engine and scroll down and a really good article about it is there just for the Garden Forum. I use Imageshack to host pics but others use Photobucket, or whatever. I can't wait to see your pics!

    Oh Bonnie I just love your home! It looks so warm and classy. Where did you get those luscious draperies? Love the carpet in your bedroom. Your baths are elegant! Your kitchen is beautiful. I wanna come have lunch with you on your patio. :-)

    Thanks to those of you who had tips about cleaning my armoire. Texas, would you use the clear, or the dark Old English on this piece? Oofasis thanks -- I have lots of brushes so I'll try a few on it. That's a great idea. Shellsea yes that does remind me of mine! On the sides of mine there are fluer de lis on the top formed out of swans whose heads look very much like the picture you posted. Do you know where yours was made? How do you keep the dust out of the cracks on yours? The dealer told me there were only three big carving schools in the world, all in Europe. She pointed out how even today with power tools there are very few people who could carve like that. It's even more amazing that these were done before any power tools, isn't it? Does your piece come apart into big sections like mine does?

    Zone 8 Grandma your room looks so comfy and just look at that stunning view! I've always wanted a grandfather clock but I figured it would drive me nuts chiming. Is yours active and did you get used to it?

    Kgwlisa I love inlay and marquetry too. I just drool over inlaid floors in magazines. Your pieces are lovely. I adore that dragonfly fabric and almost bought some myself in the deeper red color. Your curio is divine and I love your headboard. I love the art nouveau pieces and they aren't easy to find.

    Johnmari thanks SO much for the excellent idea! I need this moved downstairs and it's going to take at least 3 guys, maybe 4 to move it because the top comes off and four sides fall out and must be caught, lifted, and carefully removed, not allowed to fall. The shoulder dolly looks great for some other things around here; thx for the link. I would love to see your antiques and your home. I'm sure there's nothing pitiful there. I like some traditional, some country, some log cabins, you name it. Certain pictures just make me go "wow!" The billion dollar mansions are fine to see, but I'm never going to live there and I don't think I'd want to. I'm green with envy over your 1900 house.

    Labradoodlelady another thing we have in common! Ooo a pink bath -- how brave and how lovely! Your vanity is scrumptious. I'm crazy about vintage light fixtures too.

    Windypoint I'd rather invest my money in things I can enjoy every day than in Enron or the like, where they can just tell you "sorry!" That said, I still don't have a lot of money in things and I do think it's important to save.

    I enjoyed everyone's posts! Please keep them coming.

  • shellsea
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    oceanna, that cabinet has been standing in the backroom my mother's very small boutique for years. She would just dust it with one of those swiffer dusters and occasionally spray and wax - nothing heavy. Having said that, the carving in your armoire looks much deeper than in mine, no way you can just dust the surface. Have you tried one of those waxing brushes? I found some at http://www.thefurnitureconnoisseur.com
    (sorry, must figure out how to create a link)

    My armoire was made in what was Belgium's main furniture town where the tradition dates from the middle-ages. The Italian Renaissance style of granddad's armoire is no longer popular and has been replaced by Louis XV or English Regency. Some of these repro pieces are very nice, others not so much. (Handmade vs. machine carved).

    When I get home I must post some pics of my rooms showing the really ancient pieces mixed with my more recent ones. None of the antique pieces are pristine, but they have been in use since the 17th or 18th Century, so what with wars, fires, floods, moves, pets, children, careless housekeepers... (My mother had a cleaning lady who painted the black iron hardware on a 15th Century chest with silver paint "to make it look cleaner"!!!)

  • cactuscatie
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great thread! I have to chime in. I absolutely loveeeee antiques. As a matter of fact I'm going antique hunting today. I would love to share pics of our pieces but they are in storage until our house is completed.

    I recently found a beautiful lingerie chest that I fell in love with but not the price. Chewed the guy down and now it's mine. We have my grandmothers couch and chairs that we had re-upholstered too.

    texashottie and oceanna, love your pieces, as well as everyone else who posted. labradoodlelady, your master bath is stunning. Love the sideboard and the scones and chandelier that I can see in the mirror. We are actually looking for a mini chandelier to hang in our master bath.

    There is a place in New Hope, PA called Best of France Antiques. You would think you died and gone to heaven.

    I like to see that there are a lot of us who like tradition and antiques when it comes to decorating. Let's face it, furniture is not made like that anymore. And each antique tells a story.

  • sweets98
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I LOVE antiques but more on the rustic and primitive side and some things in my house are more vintage than antique. There is just something about taking an old piece and giving it new life or finding a new use for an old feed scoop that makes me just beam from ear to ear!

    I love bargain shopping for my pieces. I hit antique malls and search until I find a good deal on a piece. I have also gotten lucky and found pieces in my grandparents basement and an old barn for free. The thrift store is a good place to check, too because sometimes they don't know the value of what they have out there and sell things for a small fraction of what they are at the antique mall! I just love the thrill of the hunt and then trying to decide how I'm going to use it once I get home!

    Last winter I replaced all of our out-of-the-box fake wood pieces in the living room for all real wood antiques. I now use an antique dresser with beveled mirror to hold the tv, an old school desk and a treadle sewing machine for endtables and my old beat up toy box that my father made for my 1st birthday for a coffee table.

    I guess I'm crazy because my generation is supposed to be into this modern contemporary crap and I like to have STUFF around me. I love collections and filled spaces... so not like the other 20-somethings!

  • thrift_shop_romantic
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Antique and traditional absolutely.

    I love looking around my house on a Saturday morning, with a cup of coffee, and just enjoying the look and history of the items. Each thing has a story.

    And like Sweet98 said, it doesn't have to be expensive-- my pieces, too, all pretty much come from thrift stores, flea markets and antique malls. I do the antique mall price comparison technique Sweet98 is talking about. You can certainly get some unique pieces inexpensively.

    I like having things that are SO out of modern style they end up being timeless. :)

    Here is a link that might be useful: My crafting/thrifting/vintage decorating blog

  • oceanna
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh Shellsea, I can just imagine your mother's horror at seeing her lovely antique hardware painted silver! Thanks for the link on the brushes. I just took a stencil brush out there and I was able to get rid of the dust in some areas, others not so much. It seems like I need a way to wash it somehow. Yes, the carving is very deep. I don't know how an antique can go out of style since they are timeless beauties and your grandfather's piece is just breathtaking.

    Cactuscutie I wish we could all go antiquing together. It would be such fun!

    Sweets98 I'm glad you brought up the primative decor. It can be really wonderful too. I hope you'll be posting pictures as I'd love to see what you've done. I just get so bored with everything looking too much in the same style. I love the different styles. Around here thrift stores charge an arm and a leg for anything decent in antiques, as if they're all gold plated. But we do have great stores and malls. I've heard they're way more expensive here than, say, in the midwest. You must have had so much fun last winter shopping. Good for you for being an individualist and sticking to what you love! So how do your 20-something friends like your decor?

    Thrift Shop Romantic I just love your stuff! You are so very talented. That Maxfield Parish chair you did just knocks me out. I'm going to be spending more time snooping on your wonderful blog. I have a dresser here that's old, but not what I think of as an antique. I've been meaning to paint it but haven't come up with the right idea yet and it's low on my list. I've done most of my decorative painting on the walls and I later wonder if I should have. You are a terrific inspiration! What's your favorite piece in the house? What's your favorite room? Can we talk you into posting some of your favorite pictures right here? I really would love to see some more different decorating styles posted here.

  • bonniee818
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you Oceanna! You just come right on & have lunch with me......would love to have you! We have a table for two on the back terrace. The silk drapes in my LR were made by a seamtress , she used alot of interlining & a width & a half of fabric a piece on each one. I have enjoyed them & they made the move from the other house to here fine! Thanks again for your sweet note!
    Bonnie

  • zone_8grandma
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    oceanna,
    Thank you. You can turn the chimes off on the grandfather clock. I liked the deep resonant chimes, but they drove hubby nuts so it's turned off.

    valnsv,
    I think I remember you posting pics of your dining set a while back - I was so envious. I love that set!

    I'm glad to see that so many others enjoy antiques and "almost" antiques. Some georgeous pieces on this thread!

  • thrift_shop_romantic
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You've got such wonderful enthusiasm, Oceanna!

    I think my favorite rooms rotate a bit. I like the master bedroom quite a lot because there's so much color and it's such a mix of Victorian art nouveau pieces, items from the 20s-30s and things from India.

    I have to figure out how to post pictures here, which is why I usually end up posting links-- apologies for that. I did just sign up for Photobucket, so let me noodle around with it and see what I can do. :-)

    You're brave painting on the walls! I think that's more challenging that doing decorative painting on a piece of furniture. The furniture you can move far, far away out of the room, if you make an oopsy on it! :-) The walls, not so much.

  • oceanna
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Bonnie now don't get mad, but I have to tell you something. I love your name. I used to breed and show Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers and I had a gorgeous puppy I named Bonnie D. Light. And she was!

    Your patio looks SO inviting and your house so lovely. I can sew and I think I should be able to sew curtains like that, but the fabric is so expensive and a huge pile of it is so intimidating. I'll just show you what I did for fun with the window in my bird room (I have four parrots in there so it's not the place for silk). I just wanted something cheery and whimsical:

    {{gwi:1882289}}

    {{gwi:1882290}}

    Right now I'm struggling over yards and yards -- too heavy to pick up easily! -- of mohair velvet as I'm trying to reupholster my antique couch and chair. But my puny sewing machine is refusing to go through the thickness so I'm about to pay someone to finish the job. One guy is coming by to look at my mess after work tonight. *sigh* Ticks me off to pay for what I know how to do, but I know a pro would do it better. The couch needs some structural repair that is a bit beyond me. I just hope I won't end up in a charity hospital some day. lol!

  • georgiagal
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    oh yeah, I'm a big lover of traditional & antiques and use lots in my house. Most of my furniture is old and at least 3 pieces are true antiques (meaning over 100 yrs. old). I didn't grow up with a lot of antiques around, but grew to love those old pieces. They just don't make furniture like that anymore & when you get out there & start looking, you will pick old over new most any day. I grew up thinking that I could not afford antiques either, after seeing auctions on TV, but when I got my own home, I started checking out antique shops & malls & discovered that I could afford antiques. Grew up in Atlanta & there are plenty of places to get great deals. THey will come to you if you just wait & look. The most I've spend on any one piece was the large bonnetierre at around $1800 & when you start looking at new, that's still a bargain.

    I too miss the older shows on HGTV. Why don't they think people like traditional anymore?! I'd venture to say that a lot of us baby boomers love traditional & we are still a huge voice, so I don't understand why HGTV doesn't 'get' that. I really hope they go back to some of those older shows & revamp some for those of us who love the classic, traditional styling. I just love French & English pieces, not overly carved Victorian style, but really classic things that will last a lifetime. My furniture is mostly mixed up with old pieces, although I'm not a fan of antique upholstery, I buy new for that. The rest of my wood pieces are almost all old. I find them anywhere from yardsales, thrift stores, to antiques malls & markets. The thrill of the hunt has always been 1/2 the fun for me. Here are a few of my favorite pieces. I love all the examples I've seen on here. You girls have great taste!!


    Antique mahogany or cherry piecrust table from a yardsale for $75


    Drum table in LR, from antiques shop for $95


    Old China cabinet from antiques shop


    Mahogany sideboard in DR from antiquest shop

    {{gwi:1882295}}
    my grandma's old sewing machine


    My very favorite oldest piece I have, 1880's French cupboard in kitchen, from Scott's antiques market in Atl.


    Second fave piece, 1880's French bonnetierre from Scott's Antiques in Atl.


    Pair of nightstands in master BR, from antiques shop


    French style vanity, not sure of age, from antiques market


    late 1900's mirror, this was my very first real antique purchase.

    These are just a few of the antiques I have, many things are from 40-over 100 years old & I love them all. Wouldn't trade them for new for anything! If there's any advice that I give to younger girls who like traditional, but don't know where to start, I always tell them to start looking for older pieces that can be mixed in with new things. I do love the look of some contemporary art & things mixed in with traditional too, but haven't quite gotten to the point of trading out my old art yet. It's a fun process, this decorating journey

  • oceanna
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You've got talent coming out your ears, girl, and you must have had a ton of enthusiasm yourself to have done even a fraction of all you've done!

    I just posted a bunch of pictures of my painting in the Gallery Glass thread, if you want to see it.

    Since I was in those files, here is a picture of my fainting couch, which I love. I reupholstered it myself... had to figure out how to do diamond tufting for the oval in the back. I didn't want to put holes in the wood, so I tied the buttons down through a piece of stiff cardboard. I couldn't figure out what to anchor them to, so I used... brace yourself... bobby pins! But nobody knows it but you now. hehe They're between that padded oval and the wood of the back of the couch. Where there's a will, there's a way, huh? ;-) Please pardon all the mess behind this. This piece opens up... it was some kind of forerunner to the hide-a-bed I think. The mattress is long gone, which is probably a blessing. I can't imagine anyone sleeping on it, either.

    {{gwi:1882301}}

    I wish I had a picture of it in my last house with the wallpaper, but this is all I could find and it was meant to be a picture of my parrot. I'm really upset with myself for never having taken pictures of that room. I'm sorry this is so huge... need new software pronto! But at least you can see my pretty wallpaper. I had to strip it all off to put the house on the market, which broke my heart. And in the end I sold the house to a couple who loved antiques and would have loved it, wouldn't you know? augh

    {{gwi:1882302}}


    Oh yes, we've got to get you posting pictures! I use ImageShack. Photobucket is beyond me because I'm always starting accounts here and there and then forgetting my user name and password and not being able to get back in. I should be more organized. I just do ImageShack each time with no membership/password. So that works for me. I always post the bottom URL on the page it gives me. There is a box you can check to make your pics smaller, but I think it makes them too small for most things.

    I forget how to post pictures here if I haven't done it in a while. So I always put in the search engine "post picture" and the directions come up. Here's the link for you that shows you how to post that URL at the bottom of this post. Now, no more excuses -- we expect to see tons of dazzling pictures from you. :D

    Here is a link that might be useful: How to post a picture on Garden Web

  • oceanna
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ditto to every word you said, sweetie! I think one of the reasons I love antiques so much is memories of visits to my grandparents' houses and how lovely they were. My parents were older when they had me, and they were both the babies of their families. On my mother's side a furnce exploded and the house burned to the ground. They had so many lovely things -- all destroyed in that fire. On my father's side, his sister ran in and grabbed everything and wouldn't share. So I always felt very lower-lippy about that and determined when I grew up I'd just have to buy my own family heirlooms.

    But you know, I'm hoping it isn't just us older folks who love the antiques so much. They are such quality construction, and have such awesome craftsmanship in them. To get anywhere near their equivalent in today's market of modern furniture would cost an arm and a leg. Some of the prettier couches you see today, if you took them apart you'd be shocked at how shoddy they are inside.

    Your house is just divine! I'm SO glad I started this thread and we're all getting to see all these yummy pictures.

    Oh my gosh, where to even start? Is that leather on that chair in the first pic? I love it! Did you find it in that condition? Your pie table is darling and that lamp is just loaded with character. Wow -- where did you get the column? Love your china cabinet. The vignette of your grandmother's sewing machine is just precious. That French cupboard is to die for and I love your color scheme. I'm a red and green person too, and it's 50% off right after Christmas - lol! What is that paint color?

    "Bonnetierre" is a new word on me, but yours is lovely. That's some very fancy beveling on that mirror. I knew I should have studied French instead of Spanish. ;-) Right now I'm hating my bedroom furniture and wanting to make it all go away. But how do I do that? Sleep on the floor and hold my clothes in my hands? I want all new -- er -- old. I love your nightstand and the key (how unusual to have the key!) and the tassell. Just perfect.

    I love the mirror. I was looking at mirrors in a store today and there was nothing that could even hold a candle to yours. I'd feel like I'd died and gone to heaven in your home.

    You're making me want to go antiques shopping! I so wish some of you were in the Seattle area so we could go together!

  • nycjenny
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm definitely a fan of antiques and the more "traditional" side of decorating. I think I get it from my mother. Memories of my grandparent's house are definitely not of the antiques filled variety--they lived in a huge mid-century modern extravaganza in Ohio that was just so foreign to me. I loved aspects of it, but it always felt so weird compared to what my mother instilled in me.

    She's engaged to an antiques dealer now so I'm really hoping to cash in on that someday!

    I love watching some of the shows on HGTV and am addicted to apartmenttherapy.com but I agree with so many of you that the styles embraced by them are just not quite my thing.

    My personal decorating struggle right now is coping with the 1960's apartment we live in. When we decided to take the plunge and buy something we were priced out of anything with cool pre-war architecture and bland is what we lucked into. Absolutely no moldings or character! I'm trying though--bit by bit as we have the spare cash we add better baseboards, etc. Crown molding for the bedroom is next on the list!

  • georgiagal
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi, Oceana, thank you so much! It's fun to talk about these things with folks who understand & are passionate about it as well.

    That leather chair you see in the first pic is new, so not an antique. Of course, it's made in an old style, so that gives it character. I have a pair of those chairs in my LR.

    The column is vintage & was found at the old Lakewood Antiques market in Atlanta. They have since closed that market down, much to my dismay. It was a great place to browse & find neat things.

    The green in the kitchen is Laura Ashley Olive 4. Great color for all my things in there, so I have used it in 2 houses.

    Best to you in finding your special pieces too. I have found that if you take your time, many wonderful things will come along. I have no desire to get rid of or replace any of my old pieces. They will be with me forever. So, just take your time & you'll get what you want. The best thing about buying antiques is that they are usually much, much less than buying new & whole lot more interesting!

  • georgiagal
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh, and that last mirror pic is from the late 1800's, not 1900's...oops!

  • oceanna
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I wish I had an antique dealer in the family! That could be really neat.

    A lot of us seem to be saying we wish HGTV would do more traditional and antique style decorating. Hmmm... I wish they'd get a clue. Maybe we all should write to them?

    I hear you loud and clear. I'm in a 1960s house too. I drool over the antique houses, but I'm hooked on having a garage and those "old ladies" can suck up money like there is no tomorrow. Did you ever watch "The Money Pit?" That was enough to scare anyone. I know it was over-done for humor and took it way too far, but old places need insulation, wiring and plumbing help just for starters. They can have serious foundation problems, and rotting floors, and so on. I love "If Walls Could Talk." One after another you see couples saying they've been working on those houses for years and they're still working on them. Of course if we find one that's fixed up, the price is sky high and for good reason. Let's face it, they're expensive.

    Faking it is another matter. For instance, I have popcorn ceilings in some rooms of this house (fortunately built after they discovered asbestos was bad). I could scrape my bedroom ceiling down, but I'm scared of what would have to be done to the ceiling afterwards to make it presentable. I can't afford to pay it done, and I'm afraid I can't do it. I really want crown moulding in there but how stupid would that look with a popcorn ceiling? Two bedrooms and the kitchen and the whole downstairs have no popcorn. But the hall, DR and LR do and I couldn't even tackle that because it includes the entry and two staircases -- so the ceiling is two stories high. I'm stuck with it unless I can hire it done.

    Have any of you done that -- removed popcorn and resurfaced ceilings?

  • oceanna
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for the paint color. I think it looks terrific.

    I'm not surprised your chair is new, but I thought maybe you'd had it re-done. When we find old leather pieces they are usually in pretty dreadful shape.

    I've always loved columns. Yours is wonderful! I need to find where there are salvage places around here, as that's where something like that is likely to be. I love seeing when someone has worked old architectural pieces into their decor.

    I love my old pieces. It's just figuring out how to make my old new pieces disappear for some $ so I can get some new old pieces. I know you understand that sentence. ;-)

    I think antiques are pretty pricey out here in the Seattle area compared to lots of other areas in the country, from what I've heard. But yes, you're right. The new pieces are often more expensive and very poorly made to boot.

    I met a guy who was a professional upholsterer. He was on call to Levitz, a big furniture warehouse. The called him to go pick up and repair a couch. A spark had spit from the fireplace to the carpet and the gal vaulted one-handed over the couch to go stamp the spark out. The 6' couch snapped right in the middle. The upholsterer took it apart and was aghast. The corner gussets were... brace yourself... cardboard! And there was not one single vertical brace down the whole 6' length of the back of that couch. Can you believe? He told me NEVER buy new stuff. Buy old stuff I liked in the thrift stores or antique stores and have them reupholstered. And he wasn't even talking about the asthetics -- just about the way they old versus new is built. Yes, I know we can still find some pieces that are built very well, but they're very pricey.

  • bonniee818
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Oceanna.......Love your window treatment! You did great! Actually I did a long WT in my DD's bath & except for the long.....long sewing on the length part, it was pretty easy.
    Thanks for your sweet compliment on my name ........glad you like it! I always thought it was so 50ish sounding.....all the dolls in the 1950 's were named Bonnie something or another - LOL! That is sweet about your puppy being named that.....I love puppies too!
    Good luck with your estimates for the upholstering! Let us know what happens.
    Bonnie

  • oceanna
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The upholstery guy who said he'd stop by after work today just left. He's coming by tomorrow and collect my couch and chair and I need to bag up all the stuff that goes with them. I have them all torn apart and my living room looks like a cyclone hit at the Goodwill so I can't invite a soul in. He's going to rebuild them both so that they're done right -- something that is beyond me. He'll separate and re-glue the joints, and re-tie all the springs and so on, then supply all new padding and cushions so that they will be perfect when I get them back.

    Here is a photo of my chair (I did this re-upholstery years ago). Like an idiot I took my steam cleaner to it one day and you can see what it did to the velvet on the arm of the chair. I won't do that again! You can also see where a dog chewed the piping on the cushion (grrr!).

    And you can see the carpet I hate, hate, hate. The color sucks the life out of the room. Besides, the stupid thing pill-balls and the vacuum doesn't like to pick those lint balls up. What is the difference in fiber content between a carpet that pills and one that doesn't?? I would love to put hardwood through the dining/living room area, but I'm not sure how to handle my staircase.

    {{gwi:1882303}}

    The sofa is the same; they're a set.

    I'm having them re-done in a deep tomato red mohair velvet. That wasn't my first choice of color, but I got such a deal on the fabric I couldn't refuse. That fabric normally sells for about $100 a yard I was told -- is that right? I guess I won't be eager to sit on them wearing shorts! But they will wear like cast iron and it's good fabric for if you have dogs like I do. It's the tough stuff that's on old theater seats, if anyone's unfamiliar with it. Soft in one direction and prickly in the other direction. Oh well.

    That will enable me to get my living room cleaned up and to re-upholster my fainting couch again. I have a tapestry fabric that coordinates nicely with the mohair.

    So maybe I'm about to get my living room back in a few weeks. Yippee!!

    Then I can post pictures of these pieces, and of my hall tree for you. The hall tree sat in my entry hall in my last house and I adore it. But I have no foyer to speak of in this house, so it's in the LR.

    Anyway, this is a HUGE load off my shoulders. I got in over my head this time and my sewing machine is just too wimpy to handle that mohair. I researched all kinds of ways around that and I've finally admitted defeat. At least when I get the two pieces back they will be in really good shape and this is the LAST time I'm re-covering them.

    One thing about camel back chairs and sofas with carved wood on the top -- you can't slip cover them. I tried and the slip covers hung on them awfully. I even tried folding a blanket over the top of the couch but it looked ridiculous. I do like the idea of slip covers when we have pets or kids.

    So... do any of you have hall trees? Fainting couches? I'd love to see more mirrors and chandeliers if you have them.

    Labradoodlelady, your bath is so divine and I'm intrigued at your fiddling with antique light fixtures. Can you show us more pictures of your home and of your light fixtures and talk to us about what you did with them? I'd love to replace a bunch of my lights in this house.

    I've got so much I want to change around this house! Do you all too?

  • texashottie
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oceana, I have to ask you about your fainting couch! I went to visit my aunt who had her great-grandfather's sofa. It had the date on the back of it 1783! She thought it was of Dutch origin. I took a pic of it because I thought it was so cool. The "bed" portion of it lifts up. What's the story on yours and where does it come from?

    Also, I was noticing that Macaw!! I can't believe that he doesn't reach over and take a hunk out of that carved wood! I have an Electus and he is so naughty; he would try to grab that so fast knowing that it would upset me.

    My mom told me to use the dark Old English on dark furniture that may have a scratch or knick that exposes lighter wood. I would just use the lighter Old English on your peice.

    Oh, and YES, younger folks like antiques too!! (I just made the cut for Generation Y, LOL!) I've been disappointed in new furniture that I have purchased; in general it isn't made as well as old furniture and it weighs so much less. You can tell a difference in quality.

    Patricia, my mom is in a different state than I am so I haven't really "cashed in" on any of the peices that she has. I think Dallas area is supposed to be the largest importer of European antiques, so I find nicer stuff around here than she finds in CA..... so she makes frequent trips out here! LOL! We don't see many American antiques here though. I think that's mostly East Coast.

    labradoodlelady, your peice is absolutely stunning! I love the polished wood---more formal! I don't see many peices like that.

    This is a great thread---love all the beautiful furniture posted here. :)

  • oceanna
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Texas I'm SO glad you posted that picture! Yours is the first one I've ever seen that opens up like mine. I think I can visualize where the hinges are on yours... at the front two corners, right? That is an outrageous piece. Do you have it or do you think you'll get it? It could be so lovely restored! Are you drooling over it?

    I don't know about mine, really. I bought it out of the Little Nickel one day about 25 years ago and was thrilled to get it. I hated the covering on it, even though it had been recently redone. The colors looked dead and did nothing to bring out the beauty of the wood. I'm about to recover mine for the second time. They are easy to reupholster yourself. You just need a staple gun, scissors, fabric, some gimp and a hot glue gun. If you like, you can add decorative tacks but they aren't necessary.

    The funny thing about mine is everyone makes a beeline to sit on it. I have no idea why. It's hard and uncomfortable to sit on. I have to have it right up against a wall because the back is held on by only two boards and I'm afraid a guest will lean back and snap them. Even my son said he always sits on it and doesn't know why he does. lol!

    I used to have a replica of a turn of the century Montgomery Ward catalog (wonder where it went) and I thought my piece may have been around 1900-1917 but your piece makes me think it might be much older. Oh, I remember why I thought mine was around then... the front bottom panel is pressed, not carved, someone told me. So does that give you any ideas? Now that I see yours I'm puzzled. Have you ever seen another one similar?

    I'm delighted to see there are younger folks out there who appreciate the fine quality and eternal beauty of antiques. You're a gal after my own heart! :-)

    You have an Ekkie? Cool! Boy or girl? That's Mojo, my Red Fronted Macaw. I also have a Goffins who isn't too chewy, a Yellow Fronted Amazon who is fairly chewy and a Timneh African Grey who is Miss Beaver. She makes a beeline for closet and window mouldings, the little monkey. The RFM simply isn't a chewer of much of anything. His toys last toooooo long, if you can believe. He's an absolute hoot, just a big silly clown. We play peekaboo, pattycake, and this little piggy and he's a smooching fool. He's quite the talker, too.

    I clicker train my birds. Have you tried that? You might want to join Bird-Click (that's my list). It's lots of fun and the birds love it. You can teach them "leave it" but don't ever turn your back on a chewer, especially around antiques. We can get a long way with training, but when we're dealing with a hard-wired behavior like chewing, Mother Nature trumps training sooner or later. Let's see... millions of years of evolution versus a few hours of training? No contest! hehe And no, my birds are not let to wander the house. First, I have five dogs. Second, I've seen what birds can do to a house. No thanks.

    I'm loving this thead too. I hope I can talk all of you into posting more pictures? I want to see lots more!

    And if anyone knows about my fainting couch, please speak up.

    I called a very good antique dealer this afternoon to ask him about cleaning my armoire. He asked me to send him pictures, so I did. I also asked him for a guess-timate at what it's worth. I can't wait to hear back from him.

    Then I talked to my son and he said when I get a place cleared out for the armoire in the basement he thinks he can get a couple of his friends to help him move it. It's a shame to "hide" it down there -- like putting it in storage or something, but I'll never make the upstairs look good with it there. I have no walls. I have a fireplace on one, a huge window on another, and the third is a half-wall overlooking the staircase. :-/

    Do you know what kind of wood is on your aunt's fainting couch? I thought fainting couches were from the Scarlet O'Hara era where the ladies would pass out from those whale bone corsets and those 15-yards of fabric skirts in the heat?

  • nycjenny
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    oceanna, if the popcorn ceiling in your bedroom hasn't been painted over it might not be that bad to scrape it down. Don't get me wrong, it will suck either way, but if it's been painted it will be h*ll to get it down and you'll be patching and sanding afterwards. My sister and her husband are scraping the popcorn off bit by bit in their circa 1984 house and someone painted the stuff! I'm linking to an article that found the humor in the situation they're facing!

    By the way I think at age 31 I qualify as a "younger" lover of antiques.

    My family loves The Money Pit--we were living in a house built in 1880 when that movie came out and we very much saw the humor in it. I loved growing up in that house though--even when the condensation on the inside of the windows froze because it was so cold. No insulation, you know! And this was in North Carolina, it's just not that cold there!

    I'm loving the fainting couches. When I was in middle school a friend of mine had a chaise in her bedroom , I thought that was just the heighth of cool.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Taking the popcorn ceiling down

  • patricianat
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh, Texas, I was hoping that you were shopping together, you and mom. ;(

  • oceanna
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for that url. The gal is a wonderful writer, isn't she? She made me chuckle. I book marked it. I knew you wet the ceiling and scrape. It's what you've got left when that's done that scares me most. But that's probably because I haven't wet and scraped yet. :D Looks to me like a project one might start, hate, and be a slave to forever till it's done, ya know? Might be a good time to enlist help.

    Jenny, yes you qualify. I'm sad to tell you that due to your age it's going to be your responsibility to take care of all the antiques in the world when the older folks who own them are dead and gone. You might want to convert others your age to loving antiques as it's going to be a big job and you may want help. The dusting alone could kill you, never mind about the polishing. ;-) hehehe

    My stupid aluminum windows froze inside a couple of times in my last house. Brrrr!! I wanted to dance in the streets the day I got new windows. It's no fun being c-c-c-old in the winter.

    When I was in about the 6th grade my parents rented us an old house for a summer vacation. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven! Do you think we're all maybe longing for an earlier incarnation of ourselves? The place was divine! Everything was picture perfect from the big oval glass in the front door, to the sideboard full of old silverware, to the banister my folks didn't want us to slide down, to the flower beds with the wonderful heritage flowers. I wish I knew the address as I'd love to go see it again.

    I wonder if you can find a fainting couch on Craigslist, or Little Nickel if you're persistent? And snoop the antique shops and estate sales in your area. I'll bet you can. Have you been looking? I hope you find a beauty.

    I always wonder about why anyone would buy a big piece of furniture on eBay. Wouldn't the shipping cost more than the piece?

  • bulldinkie
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    For some reason my post isnt 0n here.ILl try again..We have a 1700 precivil war farmhouse we retored,We have all antique furniture except for our bed I have a king sleighbed.I have an antique roll top desk,1800 cherry dish corner cabinet,same in kitchen,I have a corner cabinet very old in kitchen,antique farm table windsor chairs,cammel back couch,old old rocker,IM looking for antique tall boy dressers,I love antiques love shopping for them.Im using my collection of depression glass for thanksgiving.I have the peach and green in cherry bossom pattern.My walk in fireplace is full of antique fireplace implements,for cooking,copper kettles foot warmer,popcorn popper,etc

  • oceanna
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh wow, that sounds just terrific. Can you please post some pictures? I would love to see that. You must just love it!

  • teacats
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes -- I certainly vote to see photos of Bulldinkie's lovely home too!

    Please, please, please ..............

    (this starts with begging ..... and moves into the "whining and pleading stage" quickly .......)

  • pamghatten
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I guess I also have an eclectic style. I was fortunate to inherit a lot of family antiques, which I mix with whatever else I like.

    Here is a picture of the bed I grew up in, now obviously occupied by a silly dog and fat cat. This has been in the family for generations:

    {{gwi:1882305}}

    One of my favorites is this desk in the corner of my family room:
    {{gwi:1882306}}

  • oceanna
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm so glad you posted. The bed and the secretary are just lovely!

    I can appreciate many of the pretty modern rooms... but if you really want to make my heart skip a beat, show me a pretty room done with antiques any time. :-D

  • johnmari
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Texashottie, although it's a charming story, there is no way that is a 1783 piece. "1783" may be a stock number from a manufacturer, wholesaler, or retailer, or simply some previous owner's wishful thinking. ;-) It's an Eastlake (late Victorian period, last quarter of the 19th century) style piece, probably American, and looks to be in pretty rough shape. I'm hoping the top section is just filthy, although it looks like there may be some veneer loss on the right side of the top? :-(

    Oceanna, I do urge you to contact an antiques restoration professional, not a dealer, about this cleaning issue. It depends almost more than anything what your wood finish actually is what will be the best/safest cleaning methods, but what's been done to it since will also come into play. The cleaning method that's best for one finish can do serious damage to another, some polishes or "dusting agents" can soak through a finish and into the wood making refinishing or finish repair extremely difficult, others can attract grime and exacerbate the original problem. While it's not a terribly old piece, it is very unusual and so it is worth treating with great respect.

    Money Pits... we HAVE a Money Pit, moved in in September. It was supposedly completely rehabbed (otherwise we wouldn't have bought it) but PO did such a shoddy job of it all that we're already sinking quantities of money into it. We knew it was going to need work but we expected it was going to be cosmetic and restoration work for the most part! We're going to try to hunker down for the winter, save some money and prioritize the work, but it's looking like next year's projects will include putting on a new roof and insulating the attic, dealing with some sagging/bouncing floors, a new bathtub (stage 1 of redoing the bathroom), some serious work on the porch floor/steps, installing a parking pad (I hope we will be able to afford brick-look pavers instead of plain asphalt), fencing the back yard, and evaluating the teeny 1910-ish garage, which just about big enough for one good-sized touring motorcycle LOL and in seriously scary condition, to decide whether to fix it up or salvage out what we can and tear it down. Unfortunately, we can't do much of this work ourselves (which was why we had wanted a house that was already repaired, even though we sacrificed a positively huge amount of architectural detail), although DH is sorta willing ;-) we simply don't have anyone for him to learn from who isn't also a halfa$$ed corner-cutter.

    DH grew up in a rambling Queen Anne and I lived in several old houses during my peripatetic childhood and young-adulthood, so we're no strangers to their weirdnesses. There was one modest Queen Anne we lived in briefly that had a bathroom we described as "Early Wh*rehouse" because of the red flocked wallpaper and heavy use of "wannabe gold" shiny brass! I drove by the 1930s Colonial Revival bungalow I spent my teen years in today and was greatly saddened to see that it is in quite poor repair - the big wraparound porch is beginning to sag, which broke my heart because we spent so many happy hours sitting out on that porch when I was young.

    We're "youngsters" in the 'tiquing world too, I'm 36 and DH is 33. I'm very nearly the only one I know IRL who likes antiques, sadly; pretty much all my friends were raised po' folks and so consider new items most desirable, because they simply never had any. I was also raised poor and did go through that phase, but I got over it. ;-) There were always some antiques around when I was a kid, but it was always "that old thing" and not worth doodly-squat, usually just stuff from yard-sales - antiques were the expensive things that the rich tourists paid too much money for! LOL

    Oh, and that ceiling? Since you like the old-fashioned look, how about scraping that popcorn junk off and putting up an Anaglypta-style wallpaper or similar panels (I just ordered samples from Surfacing Solution) on the ceiling? Not all of them are so overtly "Victorian" that they would look odd in your newer house, but they'd add a little something in that direction and play nicely with your possessions. At least the popcorn comes off; our previous house had sand-painted ceilings and that stuff does NOT come off. Thankfully the ceilings here have mostly been left alone, although PO made a real dog's breakfast of the living room walls by rolling on very thick paint with a too-long roller so there's this weird spiky "thing" going on! I don't look forward to getting that nasty mess off, not one bit.

  • redbazel
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I thought I would post a photo or two today, but it appears that all my extra batteries have walked away and my camera is laying there on the table.......dead.

    I'm still thinking about a different antique sideboard in a Sheraton style and hope that maybe some who haven't caught this thread yet will post. Sideboards, anyone? I love the ones that have made it on here. Sometimes, I'm just blown away by the amazing things that you guys have in your homes!

    Red.......sitting here eyeing her digital with displeasure.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Red's house

  • piper101
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I really like antiques and traditional. They speak to me whereas modern style seems very sterile and unfeeling IMO. I'd like to think that another family used XYZ and now I am the caretaker of the piece. I only have 3 real antique pieces that I don't have time now to post, but I wouldn't part with them. I wish I could afford more but I've tried to get the look even if it isn't antique. There is just something about how they are made and the wood they are made out of (especially in this day/age of furn. making) that says something. I will say, if I am interested in an antique it actually has to have some strength and if it's a chair, it has to be able to be sat upon etc. I don't want an antique just for the looks. I have to be able to really use it.

  • oceanna
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Red, your DR looks lovely! Wow what a find to get that armoire for only $100. The chairs and table look wonderful, and the rug is a beauty.

    Piper, I'm with you on that. I can admire modern rooms but they leave me feeling cold. The older pieces have so much artistry and skill in making them. I love the quarter-sawn oak, too. You don't see much of that any more. I collected my antiques slowly over time, too. But have you snooped your local Draigslist? I'm surprised at what's on there and the prices. I would love to see your pics when you get a chance to post them.

    I also want my antiques usable. And I don't want my living room to end up looking like it should have a "don't touch" velvet rope across it. I want it to look friendly and beckon people in. That's one of the reasons I went with the darker toned mohair on my couch and chair. That fabric is indestructible, and I have five dogs. They're not out in that room much (nor am I, and they're with me), but in my last home my dogs were on my fainting couch and sofa a lot and they held up just fine. So the "high Victorian" look doesn't do it for me, but I like more what would be called "Country Victorian." It's a more useable look.

Sponsored
DryHome Roofing & Siding, Inc.
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars82 Reviews
Loudon Co. Roofing, Siding & Exterior Remodeler Best of Houzz 5 times!