The price of antiques has dropped and nobody wants them anymore? Great! More for me!
82
The big issue is people have smaller spaces today and move a lot. My parents have a 6000 square foot house full of Henkel Harris, Baker, Hitchcock, and other nice furniture. Chrystal, china, silver, books, art, etc....Most of it will go for pennies on the dollar. I live in a small 2 bedroom apartment.
22
Home sizes today are actually much larger than in the past!
34
Okay, where to start. I'm sure this particular demographic has its problems, but let's discuss the "brown furniture" problem as it applies to the middle class and working class.
First, most Boomer brown furniture is from a 1980s department store. When people complain about their kids not wanting the furniture, they are generally not trying to unload an original Chippendale. They are getting rid of a dining room set from the Sears Roebuck.
Second, nobody has a dining room. Nobody has an entrance hall or a study or a music room. We live in the cities where the jobs live. Your stuff is too big.
Third, the kids can't afford to buy. We're all renting, and it's hard to make rent with the student loans. Even if your kid finds a way to cram Grandma Jeannie's beloved sideboard into the apartment they share with two roommates, that's all over as soon as the landlord raises the rent out of reach. Which is going to be on Tuesday.
Fifth, we work a lot more than previous generations. Nobody's setting around the house ready to spend a week polishing the silver, ironing the tablecloths, and setting out the good china ahead of the big dinner party. Nobody's going around with a soft rag and a can of lemon Pledge every day.
I've taken what brown furniture I could, but it's an expensive burden from a different time. It's not that I prefer Midcentury aesthetically. It's that Ikea furniture fits in the apartment, is functional, and can go on the curb if it has to without breaking any hearts.
136
I recently had to help my parents downsize to move into assisted living. The process is hard enough as it is. But it's made worse trying to sell or donate items that are still beautiful and useful and one would think have have some value. If I lived closer I would have kept some items for my kids as they form their own apartments very soon, but it wasn't worth the cost of transportation.
26
The brown furniture, the heavier rugs, the elaborate lamps, crystal, electroplate silver, Ladros, books, oil paintings, etc of a previous generation no longer fit today's life styles. But remember it is better to not constantly discard the previous era, or season's trends and send them to landfills. Surprise yourself, juxtapose a few things together, pretend you're starting out again. Or like an apartment in Paris, be eclectic. Have some fun.
92
As a Mid-Century girl I have been around long enough to see the entire design cycle: styles come and go and come back again. I remember when what we now refer to as mid-century modern was huge, before it was rejected and you couldn't give it away, before the current era where clean lines are once again in. I predict that one day antiques will again be in demand...just as I predict rooms with walls will be rebuilt to replace "open concept."
87
@Judy I feel the same. Most everything is somewhat cyclical. And what about the sustainability angle? It's far more sustainable to furnish from "used" furniture. And it's likely to be better made.
The backlash against open concept has already begun and this includes people building back walls. I have already read a piece about it in the Boston Globe.
47
I think most collectibles aren't worth as much as the collector paid. Generally, collectors buy at retail, and if they want to sell to a dealer, they sell at wholesale. Dealers are in business to make a living, and they have to have the markup. Valuable collectibles can be auctioned, and some can be readily sold, but most of what people have collected isn't rare, and isn't worth anything to non-collectors. It's probably good for an aging collector so sell off the most valuable parts, and just keep the low-value things for the comfort of a collection.
8
I’m currently looking for a villa to rent in St. Martin for a short vacation. The villas that I see that are stuffed with too much furniture and dark or too bright colors are a turnoff. I couldn’t live a week in a villa like that. Too much clutter and too much to worry about breaking. The light, open villas where one can easily move around are much more appealing. Like your redecorated Chelsea loft.
5
A local auction house recently sold a late 16th century French library table - a renaissance table - with fanciful carved decorations, for $2500. Where are all the art lovers?
26
I for one, like the antique version much better than that empty space. Give me a leather covered couch any day over a cloth covered, dirty-looking in a year, couch.
57
Arguing about generational tastes in furniture is the exact thing that will get our planet turned into glue by the aliens who discover it and listen for intelligent life.
34
If you think your kiddies will want the silver, think again. It took a dealer in Seattle over ten years to rid me of my grandparents' high-end items. But the "fun", I suppose, was receiving a check here and there for a bowl or some spoons.
16
Another drawback to "brown" furniture -- made of good, solid wood -- is that it's extremely heavy to move, and expensive to store. Many young people, who can't afford to buy a house because of student loan debt, don't know where they'll be in five or ten years. Why burden themselves with lovely but difficult to keep furniture?
26
I have a craftsman house with antiques. Everyone loves it, all the young people. It is a bit spare. I use colors carefully. I avoid clutter at all costs. Antique yes, over stuffed never. The intent is to create rooms that are soothing, dignified, calm. The problem with antiques is that the impulse towards buying them is often clingy, so that if one inlaid bureau is good, two is better. You have to let go, then let go some more, and then more, and so on. I have learned that emptiness is the source of the calm in a room. I always leave room for emptiness.
106
Most of the fun of antiques is shopping for them for yourself. When someone else wants to give you theirs, the whole enjoyment of the experience just isn't there. If it's not a family heirloom, then it's just some old piece of junk that someone else bought.
Furthermore, if you weren't someone making a living in collectibles, then who knows whether you'll make any money, or whether you'll lose your shirt? I've known professionals who lost piles of money because they bet wrong on a market. Everyone else is a rank amateur.
11
I guess this fits the definition of a good time for hunters with money, knowledge and enough time to take the long view. Not everyone’s cup of tea.
15
Something that is badly missing in this article: the idea that most people WILL NOT decorate like the staged version of the home. This isn't why realtors do this. What people want when they are looking to buy are two things: 1. they want to be able to project themselves into the space (impossible if it is overwhelmed by stuff); and 2. they want to start with a blank slate (much easier to pant what you want over white walls). I would bet that the way these properties look now is not like a hotel lobby - but it is much easier to see what you are buying and how your own stuff will fit if it doesn't look like a firetrap antiques store.
33
I guess that I am with millennials in their desire to keep possessions a a minimum and lighten up a space. But I won’t give up my brown furniture. My brown couch and loveseat does not show the dirt and wear that a lighter colored piece would, hiding drink spill stains well. I want to spend less time cleaning and less money replacing soiled pieces of furniture as well as freeing up space.
19
@Susan Blubaugh
By “brown furniture,” the author isn’t referring to brown-colored upholstery fabrics but to a specific genre of antiques: 18th and 19th century Georgian, Colonial, and Victorian pieces made with dark woods such as mahogany (hence “brown”).
66
What you find when you "down-size" or close up Mom & Dad's place with all of their lovely or at least really neat things is that much of it just becomes "stuff." We had four set of beautiful China. Neither of our daughters took any. Nor were people interested in buying it. Ebay or some other is a giant pain in the neck and consumer of vast quantities of time and effort, generally with very limited gratification. We have reached a point where we are asking the kids what they are going to want now, rather then waiting. Our preparation will make it easier for them. They will have a heck of a time with my tools;)
15
@Jack Frederick, They will wish that they took it some day.
18
You are doing your kids a huge favor. -- From a kid who will inevitably be dealing with a household full of multiple sets of china that will need to be sold or donated
16
Unfortunately, the same is true for my Great-Grandmothers beautiful China, and my Mother's wedding silverware set. My Silver Tea Service that my Mom gave me as a wedding gift 50 years ago is a real EYEROLLER for my 39 and 43year old children. Maybe my Great- Grandchildren will appreciate it! As in, What Goes Around, Comes Around, but I won't count on it.
22
@Dennis O'Brien My grandmother gave me her wedding china that she had received from her mother-in-law more than 70 years ago. She had hardly used it. I washed it and started using it as my day-to-day dishes since I only have room for one set. And I think about both of them know every time I open my cabinet. It's one of the best gifts I've ever received.
98
Unfortunately the same trends apply to older homes as well. We recently moved and bought a 1925 four square home for a good price in a low cost city. In the meantime a gracious, open, gorgeous, 1919 home is sitting in the Mass suburbs for a year unsold. We loved the house, it was great for a family and great for entertaining.
The price has dropped a lot! Someone is going to get a bargain!
12
@deedeefree I'm amazed that anything - including a shack - is sitting on the market at all in MA. Makes me wonder if there is more to this story than you tell. The only home in my neighborhood that hasn't sold was one that was extremely overpriced given its desperate need of a new kitchen.
11
As a woman of great taste but a tiny budget, I say, Hurrah!
I now have the china, silver, crystal, art, objet d'art, fine linens, furniture, etc, I always loved but could not afford.
As these fools chuck out all that is luxe, "bespoke", and just plain beautiful, I am able to upgrade my life for pennies on the dollar.
I care not a wit whether the prices go up or down.
I am speeding into old age surrounded by unbelievable luxury, never dreamed of in my youth as the child of 2 poor farm families.
So Millennials, just continue to keep your heads down on those devices in your hand. Let's see what those things are worth in 50 or 100 years...
89
@Eve Elzenga you better hope they continue to pay into your social security and medicare, too. Us Gen-X types are also not into this craptastic hoarding lifestyle, as many of us have already had to clear out our parent's homes with the help of our millennial children. Nothing puts you off of clutter like clearing out a house that has been packed to the gills with "treasures".
27
@Eve Elzengain in 100 years, you are going to show those millennials. they will rue the day!
16
@Marc Bossiere Thank you for your kind words. I am an interior designer and my entire business -- down to almost nothing because of HGTV - now revolves around helping older adults move to that next home. I look at the new space 1st and get the floor plan before I go to the overstuffed "big house". Then we get down to it: what 5 items MUST you take with you to make it feel like home. Then another 5 until we reach "full". I help them get rid of stuff: estate sales, charity sales, museums if the stuff is good enough, auction houses and then Goodwill. All of this hinges on whether they are willing to engage in this process. If they don't want to, I quit. Their children and grands don't want a thing. If they are willing to work it through, I assist them to the end.
Adults need to accept change and the prospect of their own mortality. Sorry folks, you are going to die and no matter what you think, you can't take it with you.
38
Few pieces of furniture are built to last. You see them on the side of the road with torn, dirty cushions or maybe just tossed for the next whim. We are a throwaway society. Consumption is what fuels it. Cheap cheap cheap. Little value to quality. Gone are the days of working hard to by your first couch and then only allowing quests to use it. Huge waste for resources. We need to do more than stop flying in airplanes Greta. Planned obsolescence may include the human race.
30
I’m more concerned with the fact that the people who are buying homes and decorating like a bad modern bank lobby. It reflects how homogenized “creative” and “design” has become with the Pinterest’s boards spoon feeding the masses.
83
People who need to be told what they like deserve what they get.
64
Apparently, what goes around does eventually come around. So, we might just wait around for that. Or, truth be told, better estate planning and end of life decisions to spare our millennial heirs the bother.
10
This brown furniture just happens to be beautifully hand crafted and hand carved furniture by highly skilled artisans. To see these antique works of art now being treated by millennials as “worthless” is appalling. I hope there will enough millennials foresighted and wise enough to rescue these fine works for future generations.
86
Younger millennial here. I love brown furniture, antiquarian books, sterling, china, and crystal. I'm reupholstering my grandmother's furniture. Reuse is crucial for sustainability, and a little care, craftsmanship, and formality aren't bad things. I will happily take what my downsizing elders are getting rid of, take good care of it, and try to pass it on.
208
@Larkin Taylor-Parker Thank you for mentioning the sustainability angle. It's so important.
48
“It was filled very beautifully with antiques that were quite expensive and precious, but did not fit with what you consider a Chelsea loft,” said Charlie Miller, a Corcoran agent who represented the owners with his colleague Laurie Lewis. “It didn’t fit with the type of buyer who’d be looking at the space. "
The type of buyer who is so devoid of imagination such that he or she can not imagine a space with different furniture ?!!
63
@DJS. Spot on...the refurbished look is rather sterile, and does look like a waiting room sans the magazines. While a lot of anything is not always a good looks and less can be more, there really is a value to well crafted furnishings that have sentimental value and memories. I expect they will be hearing from people who do appreciate and understand that there is value in some of the items they have for sale and will be thrilled to have them.
32
Interesting comment about brown furniture perhaps bottoming out and maybe there is a slight turnaround. But likely the turnaround will wait another 10 or 20 years until most of the brown furniture has been trashed, then bingo, it will be the rage again and cost 25-50 times what it does now.
55
@GAR
......which is exactly what happened to "mid century modern". Hmmm.
32
I bought my 5pc bedroom set by Lane from Levitz furniture in 1975, for $1100.now it's worth $12,000. We thought it had an African ethnicity, hahaha now it's called "Brutalist" mid-century.
17
Brown furniture is over and I don’t think it’s ever coming back. Most of it is hideous anyway.
6
@Asher, never say never. Twenty years from now when brown returns to vogue, your children and grandchildren will wonder what in the world you were thinking when you adopted the decorating trends popular now.
21
@Asher I don't know, I'd say the "contemporary aesthetic" look of the of the Chelsea loft is pretty hideous. It has all the warmth of a dentist's waiting room. I don't think the old furniture fits very well either but that particular set of modern is just awful.
29
@Asher Fashion wouldn’t exist without rejection, so people will feel compelled to consume more, their consumption displaying their ability to have new stuff. But honestly, almost a millennium of human design and craftsmanship (certainly as applied to work that has survived 150 or more years), reduced to “most of it is hideous”? We’ll see how Restoration Hardware holds up. No wait, it’s Knoll, right?
9
When I couldn't afford new things for that first apt., I started buying antiques - simple yet pretty pieces (to me), solid and well made examples of craftsmanship. They were also relatively cheap. Over the years some have been repurposed, refinished, painted, etc., but they still serve and provide nice juxtaposition with more modern pieces.
I've never been one to follow trends (they change so often). It's your home - buy and use what makes you happy. Uncluttering, editing and mixing things up is fun and keeps it from getting boring. We can't all be Martha Stewart.
56
“Antiques” are one thing. If the “Antiques” have been in the family for several generations and they have part of one’s entire life, these things have real , not monetary, meaning.
I write from experience. I am fortunate to have extended family who will treasure my treasures. Also, my estate will pay the postage.
33
My family lost it all in WWII. Enjoy your stuff while you have it. You don‘t know when the Russians will come.
133
If the New York Times wants to have an ecological effect, it should instruct writers to incorporate even mild perspectives on sustainability into their culture/style articles. It seems shameful to contribute to wasting the country in a newspaper that is also covering the global disasters as well.
The Times is an educator of culture, not just a mirror to the worst of it.
84
“They’ve even contacted the city to ask if they could donate furniture to homeless people getting back on their feet.”
What??? Homeless? Furniture? Someone is going to have to explain to me how this is helping anyone other than the Bartons.
8
@Campbell subsidized housing, halfway homes, group homes. Usually, government sponsored or run by a Church or non-profit.
32
Whatever happened to "reduce, reuse, recycle"?
74
Everything old is (eventually) new again.
27
And in 20 years, when Millennials are downsizing, their realtors will tell them how outdated their farmhouse decor is and that those shiplap walls have got to go!
87
Time to go shopping!!!!! I love estate sales! I had a choice of buying a $70 set of dishes (China) from Target or a $50 set of old Limoges (France) dishes at an estate sale. I went with France!
137
@Sonja
Absolutely!!!
15
Are these “brown” furniture hating millennials the same people who march on the streets on behalf of the environment? The same ones who would rather buy cheap disposable modern furniture rather than reuse and recycle perfectly good, solidly built real wood furniture?
136
They are uncomfortable, that is why no one wants them.
My wife loves antiques, she has picked up beautiful pieces over the years and has now emptied her mother’s house into ours.
We sit in a living room surrounded by beautiful chairs that no one can sit in for more than a few minutes.
Reupholstered or intact they are all agony to sit on.
Were our ancestors tougher than us? Most likely, but why suffer when you want to relax.
So save a piece or two but buy a comfortable chair.
p.s. Where is the article on the demise of the home library, those floor to ceiling wall to wall bookcases of books, never to be read again?
30
@Roy Crowe Our ancestors didn't sit down as often as we do. They were busy, not binging.
20
The most disturbing thing about this article to me is not the depreciation in the value of antiques. Trends come and go in decor. More concerning is the comment that people no longer read and write the way they used to. Sigh.
61
They are clear-cutting whole forests to make well-designed and serviceable but throw-away furniture. Even Putin was complaining.
60
tick, tock....in the 1950s no one wanted antiques, but my Mom did and she brought home all kinds of lovely Persian carpets from the Goodwill to go with her English antique finds. Then in the late 1960s antiques were all the rage -- lucky daughters.
Now, everyone wants new, or "mid Century Modern" the stuff my Mother shunned.
Just wait, the worms will turn and antiques will be back for quality, handmade craftsmanship, and timeless design never really goes out of style.
62
In a time when our society is using too many materials, and then discarding them, to the detriment of the ecosystem, it seems that we might embrace a reuse movement that encouraged repurposing and appreciating and finding value in "used" objects. Fashion comes and goes, yet the planet right now moves along on in our negative thrall.
52
The hold-your-nose at IKEA commenters here don't know what they're talking about, it's amazing. IKEA is inexpensive but well designed. Anyone with money isn't going to ONLY furnish with IKEA, obviously, but IKEA doesn't shout or argue with anything else in the room and is amazingly functional and hardy. IKEA will let you delightfully showcase your art or your few collectible furniture pieces without creating the horrible aesthetic noise we see in some of the "before" pictures in the article.
When I moved to NYC 10 years ago to start a corporate law job, I figured I would throw out all my IKEA stuff when I could afford new things. But I haven't thrown out a single thing. My IKEA Ektorp is still among the most comfortable sofas i've ever sat on, and it cost less than $150 new in 2006, and it's still perfect despite daily use. Of course it won't last 100 years - most stuff made 100 years ago didn't last 100 years either. What has survived is the best, naturally.
As noted in the article, the big market problem for middle- and upper-middle class budget antiques is the decline of formality and in-home entertaining. The rise of the two-earner family has eliminated the time a homemaker would have to prepare meals, etc for guests. The extra furniture for entertaining lots of people and storing things like the good china simply is not necessary anymore and will never come back.
31
@Big Cow Oh God, you had to mention the IKEA Ektorp. We bought ours almost 20 years ago. At the time, I thought it looked pretty cheap. And it did, too, especially after the cats used the sofa and chair as a scratching post. But my wife re-upholstered it which reinforced that it is, indeed inexpensively manufactured.
And why re-upholster a cheap piece of furniture? The chair, in particular, is the most comfortable chair I've ever fallen asleep in. Just thinking about it makes me sleepy. Don't forget the ottoman.
Every once in awhile that el-cheapo item you buy turns out to be the best furniture you own, measured by how often it gets used.
24
While I do like the look of lighter colors I still morn the loss of solid, well made and artistically crafted pieces that last centuries rather than a decade. There is something tangibly warming to the soul about polishing and caring for pieces that span generations and carry memories and stories with them. An antidote to thoughtless waste as well. How much of this new furniture will be shortly filling landfills and take eons to decompose?
46
My grandmother, born in 1898 in Brooklyn, couldn’t stand the heavy, brown furniture she grew up with. When my grandparents moved to Manhattan in the 1940s, their furnishing were, by comparison, much lighter and airier. In the 1950s, my parents furnished their upper west side apartment with a lot of dark Victorian and Rocco pieces that they bought because they were quite inexpensive at that time. In the late 1980s, when we sold my parents’ home in Sands Point, my brother and I kept most of the dark antique furniture and used it in our own homes for both aesthetic and sentimental reasons. Now my son and his fiancée don’t want any of it. And it’s understandable. I’ve gravitated to the white and light look myself. I agree that the long term trend is toward casual and informal — perhaps too much so. I wouldn’t be surprised if in 20 or 30 years the price of the pieces that we can’t give away today are back in vogue and much more expensive.
23
I have to agree the more contemporary look in the photo is more appealing, but any potential buyer should be able to see past the period furniture (which is not over done IMO) to see what could be done once the place is emptied out.
14
“There’s the fashion element where things do cycle through periodically, but there’s another trajectory, which is life becoming increasingly less formal,”
And I’m glad for that. I’m 59 and I have always preferred the less formal. Jeans, t-shirts an instant Pot and some light furniture . When I move from my current apartment the only heavy item will be my collection of art books.
6
@Robert B for many, their antiques are even better than art books - they’re art.
14
I've always preferred "Brown" furniture. From the early days of my marriage in 1984 in NYC. I always loved the warmth and quality of real wood furniture that felt solid and would stand the test of time. I also know that most of this furniture, china, crystal, oil paintings and antique prints will not be appreciated or passed on to my son and daughter in-law. Oh well - I'll eventually sell the lot and take a world cruise.
39
I’ve been collecting and nurturing antiques since I inherited my grandfather’s Victrola at twelve years of age (I’m now forty-five), and cannot imagine giving up this fulfilling aesthetic. To share one’s home with furnishings made with a level of quality in craftsmanship and materials that puts contemporary pieces to shame: this is a special joy, and it’s a terrible shame to see it disappearing.
Oh, and by the way: embrace the innate beauty of natural wood. If I see one more HGTV chalk-painted antique armoire bastardization, I’m going to scream.
78
Trends often skip a generation. My grandparents' stuff held little appeal for me as a kid, but in my mid 20s I wanted it ALL. Personally when I look at real estate pics I prefer a BARREN set of pics so I can really SEE the space/walls/damage/dirt/outlets, etc. But when it comes to interior pieces, just stop with these chipped in stone assertions about millenials and their alleged aversions to 'brown'. Just wait - all these accoutrements of yesteryear will again be in demand. My parents acquired lots of Danish Modern in the mid 60s...lots of teak and leather and right angles. Today - it's gorgeous and makes IKEA look like the drek that it is.
27
Once I thought my son would one day want them but now I realize that he will probably not: not the Stickley tables and chairs, nor the Royal Copenhagen china, and certainly not the books or the Steinway. These things I have treasured will have to be let go -- when we downsize we will take along a few paintings and books and likely leave most of the rest. May-be it is a necessary rite of passage, this having to let go of your things, but I dread it.
31
@Maisie
We just downsized and it feels great. Our estate sale got rid of lots of furniture, relatively new and some antiques. We sold china and lots of home decor pieces, even some art. While it was bittersweet to see loved pieces leave, I was glad to see them move on to new lives with new families. I am most proud of the fact that my kids won’t be burdened with all this stuff.
31
@Maisie check with your son's wife before you pitch those Stickley furnishings! As for the Steinway - music schools will likely want it - as there is nothing quite like a Steinway. This article is bunk and designed merely to get every to throw away what has value and buy particleboard detritus. Later, their grandchildren will mournfully ask 'grandma, what happened to all your good stuff?'
36
@EASC Thanks for your note. Whoever you are, you're what Carolyn Heilbrun called an "unmet friend."
18
I don't get it. Doesn't anyone have the imagination to see the space with their own furniture in it? After all, the current furniture doesn't come with the apartment.
44
@AMM Sadly, they generally don’t. Most people ignore the property and focus on the furnishings. #annoying
15
Let me defend IKEA although my furniture and accessories are not from that company. IKEA furniture is generally easy to pack up and move to the next place, the next adventure. The furniture often has multiple uses in varied rooms. IKEA hacks which use the internal structure of IKEA designs but adds the external look of whatever one wants are extremely popular. And putting one's IKEA furniture on an internet list to sell is rarely an emotional event.
The beautifully carved, heavy, brown pieces mourned and defended in so many comments require a certain type of lifestyle many of us have grown weary of supporting. Antiques also seem to require stability of place; they don't do well in coast to coast moves or frequent moves of any size. I agree with Mrs. Murphy who suggested keeping less than 25% of traditional antiques in a room as accents or pieces with unique functions or colors.
We are all busy people even into our 80's and beyond; few of us sit at home and admire our possessions. Our dinners with friends often take place at restaurants instead of at home. If we have children, they are even busier so a family dinner for 20 or at the Holidays is a project. Our priorities are more time with family and friends, not working to use or display what we have collected.
15
IKEA furniture does NOT survive a move. Any stress or torque tears it apart. Particle board and cams aren't designed to take twist force, just static. Source: many moves with IKEA furniture.
49
@Cranky One of the myths I loved has now been exploded, but thank you for sharing your experiences with IKEA. Please tell me the famous meatballs served at IKEA are worth the price.
Having professional movers pack up and move our households several times so far, my fantasy was furniture which stacked in flat boxes and could be re-installed with an allen wrench and hammer in a new location by someone good at putting furniture together. I have quietly gone to selling furniture and appliances with the old house and replacing them at the new house;even so there are pieces which seem to appear in house after house.
I hope the author of the article is correct in saying the furniture now out of style will be coming back because it is solidly made and can be adjusted to modern tastes with upholstery and paint.
11
"No One Wants Your Old Brown Furniture"
I recall that headline from a Wall Street Journal article several years ago.
The consignment shops don't want your old furniture, and neither do your kids, who are now adults and have heir own sensibilities regarding decorating and furnishings.
7
@javamaster I dunno about that. I've seen my step children's decorating/furniture sense and I'd have to say that at 71 years old my wife and I have far better tastes in those things than they do. At least in my own mind
17
Sad. I liked the old look better. Beautiful stuff!
54
My dinner table is from the 18th century. If wood could talk...
53
To each is own, but white space, paired down “clean lines” looks and feels like an office, not a home. Give me an old fashioned rocker with a pillow my mother needlepointed, family history and charm.
81
"the dining room table sat 12 and had a throne like chair at one end." it is known as a Carver :)
21
I have a lot of inherited antiques and oriental rugs. They’re beautiful and well made, functional art that speaks of craft and care and continuity.
Recently one of my old armchairs needed reupholstering, and I considered replacing it with something new. The new furniture was so appallingly cheesy, even the expensive pieces. When finally I decided to reupholster the old chair, the upholsterer showed me its interior structure, its solid frame, and said “Nothing is this good any more.”
104
Kind of amazing people have such a lack of imagination they couldn't envision this on their own.
29
"...put a modern sensibility in"....I don't know how much sensibility there is in wanting one's home to look like every other home, barren, white, devoid of actual design and style, and, most, notably, imagination. Look at any of the myriad realty or design shows on TV, or pick up some of the home design magazines, and you usually can't tell one place from another, from east coast to west, they are identical, white everywhere, cheap looking Home Depot or Ikea type cabinets, etc. Pitiful in the sheer lack of imagination.
60
Like it or not, most of this stuff will end up at the dumpster. We live in the 21 century now. It 's time to let go of that old dysfunctional stuff.
Sure the masterpiece might survive but most of it will not.
3
@Two in Memphis
Most of the new stuff will end up in the dumpster too, and a lot quicker. I have a chair from the 1790s that is still entirely functional. Try that with IKEA in 200 years.
68
My husband & I are dumping all our collectibles & antiques. The millennials will never be interested in this stuff and we think there’s a recession coming. It’s rejuvenating to get rid of the past and have space for the future. Brown furniture will never come back into fashion; millennium are not going to live in big flats or houses. Even some Goodwills are nixing these donations.
13
My kid can bury me in my credenza, with the crystal as well--save on the cost of the coffin, get rid of the old furniture, and not have to worry about selling the stemware.
53
If you have descendants and someplace to store good things, put the things there. I know, I know from friends that the kids don't want them. In some cases the grand kids don’t, but I can guarantee when you’re in the old folks home those young‘ uns will be asking about the currently unfashionable items. Then you and your fellow fogies can laugh with them how silly their parents were to turn their noses up at well made items to fill their homes with IKEA.
20
that Chelsey loft used to have a dining table and a piano, dinners with friends, music and memories of good times! Now it has all the charms of a real estate listing for the buyers who cannot even imagine how to create a life of their own. Pity!
63
Ah, gee. We love our “stuff,” acquired from antique stores and auctions. A lot of our gorgeous, carved furniture is dark wood. To me, there’s nothing more beautiful.
However, sitting in auctions, I see lovely furniture, carefully tended Spode china, framed crazy quilts - well loved items - going for pennies on the dollar. Deco furniture? Fageddabout it! And, it’s shocking to many people. Some family inheritance, which they have thought for years has high value, is worth practically nothing.
I love things with a mysterious back story. I distain Ikea furniture. And I know I’m in the minority. It’s ok. Relatives and friends will pick out something that reminds them of me and gaze upon it with fondness. The rest will end up in a thrift store that supports worthy causes. Some other antique aficionado will grab it up and give it more love. And, so it goes.
38
My house is filled with antique furniture, many pieces hand carved from old growth mahogany. I find the curves, attention to detail and fine fabrics on the sofas and chairs beautiful to look at and comfortable to use. Sharp lines and edges are fine for an office. My friends and relatives call my home "the museum" and comment that it is very European. For me it's a soothing environment, and that is what one's home should be, regardless of style. What's old is new again, and that includes antique furniture.
57
A few years down the road and the currently unwanted 'antiques' will be in high demand. After all, they've withstood the test of time. It wasn't that long ago that Danish Modern was given away along with vinyl records; fashions change.
A few years down the same road and today's Ikea and Chinese-made particle board junk will be in landfills. There is no substitute for craftsmanship and quality materials.
91
Personally, I don’t think much of this trend to get rid of old things. The only reason is to make everyone buy more. Old things are almost always well made and they stay nice much longer than most new pieces. It’s the same thing that happened to clothing: people used to mend and alter clothing for as long as they could, until cheaply produced clothes came along. This made it possible to change your entire wardrobe every year, in order to adhere to some imaginary trend presented to people by the industry. The old things get tossed, because they are outdated and don’t hold up for longer than a few months anyway, being so cheaply made.
This trend is indicative of a mindset that devalues history, refuses to interact with it, and revels in its ignorance.
For environmental and psychological reasons, I resist this trend. And I say that as a member of precisely the demographic described here. I have antiques and I cherish them. But then again, I’m European.
105
I think the first antique filled home was beautiful. I would live there in a heartbeat. The second, spare, home looks like a high end clothing store—minus the clothes.
72
Here in Italy, no one wants the old stuff. The Italians are also into modern and new. When we bought our house here this year, we decided to go mostly modern/IKEA then supplement with a few old pieces. Went into an antique store looking for a dining table, the grizzled old owner looked at me like I was crazy..."no one wants that stuff around here, it's sent to Firenze and Rome for the tourists to buy." Even in Tuscany they're practically giving it away online. We found 2 cassapanche (old wooden storage chests) and a mahogany desk and antique chair for 270E total on FB marketplace. Found a gorgeous 8x12 Persian carpet also in FB marketplace in Pescara for 100E. The younger Italians are practically giving away the stuff they inherit. Ran into an English couple with an estate outside London at IKEA in Chieti, they were going all IKEA for their Italian house. "We'll never make that old antique mistake again" were their words. American friends of ours with 3 houses in Italy also told us "go IKEA, stay away from the antiques....worth nothing." We ended up splurging on a modern new Italian dining table, but put it with IKEA chairs. Another tip for travelers in Italy...avoid the antique stores, go to the monthly fairs in many cities in the summer, and bargain down. Usually in the larger piazze, a Google search will give you locations and times.
15
As one of the Antique Owning Elder who has also been known to scroll the 'gram for way too long I can tell you traditional is making a strong comeback. Lots of young influencers show there curated traditional homes with brown wood galore. It's a natural progression from Modern Farmhouse.
31
Quite frankly, I feel everyone's pain. Our homes are our personal space. How we adorn it, or nest, is just that, so personal. It is where we celebrate happy times and mourn loss, together.
Putting our house on the market, and the realesate agent asked me if I could please make sure only cookbooks were in the bookshelves in my kitchen. Huh? And he didn't even know who the architect was.
I understand a home should be presented to prospective buyers in a way that they can see themselves living there. And who is to say what that way is?
13
Young people could save a lot of money by buying well built, useful "antique" items. Millennials have huge student loans, no money saved, and yet they fall for the very expensive, Pottery Barn marketing. Not only that, but it would be a nod to reuse, reduce, recycle!
66
@cggAs an Upholsterer, I always tell my younger clients to redo old furniture. Even ugly 70’s furniture came be made modern with the plethora of fabrics available. Old pieces were made with quality, sold wood frames, and constructed by craftsmen and women. I have met many crafty women who have painted old tables, bureaus, etc. to make them fresh. Are we Upholsterers the oldest recycling business?!
54
Fully half of the furniture in my home belonged to my grandparents. It is the beautifully crafted mahogany type made fully 90 years ago. While not what I would have chosen, I have found ways to blend its formality with the way we live. It has a warm elegance.
That said, I know not everyone appreciates the style. And I also know our furniture does not in any way match the style of our craftsman home. We're just fortunate that it is large enough that some of the bigger pieces do not diminish the size of the rooms. When we decide to downsize in the future, all I hope is we have an agent who understands the market and gives us useful advice so we can successfully transition to our new phase of live and do not burden ourselves with what prospective new owners may prefer.
11
As one who once had to close out an estate and liquidate tons of stuff on behalf of the beneficiaries, I'm a little surprised by the blithe comments of those who say that they'll enjoy their antique-crammed houses until it's someone else's problem to deal with it, often at long distance. That seems improvident and selfish. The next generation has their their own lives to live, regardless of their taste in furniture. With any luck, we'll all live to be antiques. Aging gracefully means knowing when to simplify, and cooperating with trusted loved ones. If there are no trusted loved ones at that late stage, lovely possessions won't fill the void.
24
@MorrisTheCat, As an Aged person, I can tell you lovely possessions do fill the void .To age gracefully in your own home surrounded by beautiful things and beautiful memories is simply a wonderful way to live." you will know when you get there ".
103
@Dorothy DeFrancia. I'm glad you got there. Aging gracefully when you are no longer in your own home, and I hope you never get there, leaves your loved ones with responsibilities that can feel crushing and from my experience, can cause great anxiety for the elder. A compromise may be to begin an editing process long before getting older, giving away or selling some cherished items and re-defining what "surrounded by" means. Rosebud.
14
I sympathize with both sentiments.
17
Antiques in furniture and textiles reflect quality construction and care that lasts generations. I'm shocked at the poor quality of the "modern" goods sold in today's high end stores.
I hope that the trend turns back because buying goods today that are essentially disposable just does not make sense to me. It seems bad for the planet, and is empty of the energy that hand crafted quality items naturally have.
76
I most heartily agree with you, @Lisa! and I do think "brown furniture" will be back, along with its inherent quality.
37
I do have a hard time understanding why people who are home-hunting have such a difficult time seeing beyond furniture and personal styles of the current owners to the actual home's possibilities. You don't like the Asian furniture my mother collected for years during her travels, and that I dragged up from Florida when I moved back to NJ because I also happen to love it? That's okay--I'm taking it to my new condo and will enjoy it there, and you will never have to see it again. What do you think of the HOUSE ITSELF? You can paint it any color you want and add stuff that YOU love. That, to me anyway, is part of the fun of getting a new place.
I just got a great deal on a new condo with a private back yard on a great street, simply because it literally hadn't been updated in about 50 years and apparently no other potential buyers could see beyond the old furniture and green paint. I will have a wonderful time making it look exactly the way I want it to look, Asian furniture and all. I see it as a fresh canvas--one with a yard for me to grow flowers and play with my dog in. Meanwhile, my current place is being staged in a way that I would never choose for myself. It's fine with me, but it just seems like a waste of time. But my agent knows how these things work, and I want to get the place sold, so...
Fortunately, I'm not downsizing, so I don't have to worry about getting rid of the things I value, regardless of their current worth. That would hurt.
90
@NGB . I assumed, over the years, that everyone had the ability to visualize design changes. That was a mistake, yes, but since I have had lots of training in art and design I am fortunate to be able to do just that and find treasures.
13
@NGB I’m in the same camp as you and Nina. My art and design training has always allowed me to see beyond and beneath what “norms” see. I’ve never understood why ppl can’t or won’t use their imagination to see the potential with furniture or architecture. When I finally cobble the money to buy a house I’m hoping that like you I’ll snag a bargain with a property that is seemingly beyond redemption. In the meantime I’ll continue with one of my hobbies, “renewing” brown circa 1930s tall corner cabinets which are plentiful where I live and rarely cost more than 20 quid.
16
@NGB....probably close to 90% of people do not have
"the eye" - the ability to creatively visualize - thus they cannot see beyond other's design/furniture choices.
9
I love antiques & had a number of them in a mid-century house. When we were ready to sell I scaled down so the house would show better. I did this to appeal to the market. If we loved it I did not expect a future buyer to like it. I either sold some or gave it to family. We did take a few pieces with us to our new home. The two pieces I still had in the house were a Baby Grand & a Grandfather clock we loved & was perfect for the house. We had intentions of taking both but I think because they were the only antiques in the house the buyers fell in love with both. So we negotiated for both. However I think if we had more in the house they would not have wanted any of it. I did love the clock but it belonged in that house. A very nice young couple bought our house & they have made many changes & we are so glad they are making it their own and wish them many happy years in our house. Now it is their home.
35
I’m in the midst of managing old and new in my apartment after holding on to many items from my parent’s home. I know I have to get rid of things but how do you say goodbye to decades of memories wrapped up in art nouveau furniture? So it all stays for now.
But you know what’s no one under the age of 65 seems to want? Dishes. People eat off of paper plates. I hold onto dishes for family members thinking one day they may have a real home and want a set. In the meantime, I have plates for at least 100 people. Oh well, at least it’s sustainable and eco friendly to keep using what I have. And don’t get me started on all my cloth napkins...
58
My grandma used cloth napkins at EVERY meal, even breakfast and snacks. I took all of her napkins when she died and am now using them daily, after proclaiming them „too good to use“ for years. I still cringe when my toddler wipes half her food into a beautiful piece of silk and linen, but I try to tell myself that that’s what they are there for.
31
@CC - YES! The younger people don’t want anything that has any gold rims (can’t microwave) or things that can’t go in the dishwasher.
I couldn’t serve anything on a paper or plastic plate. To me, it just doesn’t taste as good! I see that some people use the pretty old cloth napkins as hand towels in a bathroom, when they’re giving parties. Of course, lots of people just put out a roll of paper towels and call it a day. Sigh. To each his/her own.
13
@CC happy to prove you wrong at least from my perspective. I’ve just returned to my home in UK after visiting my mum in US. She gave me her Annie Glass plates and bowls and I’m thrilled to have them! They are gold rimmed orbs of joy. I don’t have or want a dishwasher or microwave, so no need to worry about gold loss. None of my friends use paper plates or napkins, maybe they’re more of a US thing?
16
Went thru this in Seattle. We knew our antique collection would be a hindrance for the average buyer. So we staged with lots "modern" furniture made of particle board.
We hauled two moving vans of our antiques it to our new home. I don't really care if anyone but me likes it. But when it comes time to sell will probably have to redecorate in the same bland style again. LOL Different strokes for different folks.
17
@bluegirlredstate - I like it! You can invite me over any time:-)
6
I have a houseful antiques inherited from my ancestors. It makes a difference that I did not purchase these heavy, dark, admittedly obsolete pieces. But I have memories of visiting relatives and homes when I was a child where this furniture resided. And I worry that there might be DNA of an ancestor hiding in a crack of a chest on in the "innards" of a chair. How could I possibly dispose of this, I keep asking myself.
26
dont forget that the giants of late 18th century furniture collecting like the duPonts bought their hordes for almost nothing in the teens and twenties. They and their ilk literally filled their private yachts with old brown furniture in England and brought it back to the US, as much different victorian styles and then art deco had taken over as "popular". Then chippendale and hepplewhite et al came screaming back. It'll happen again. I'm happy to carefully add to my own small brown inventory at these low prices for the next generation (mine actually like it). with a few tiny exceptions you cannot obtain furniture with the craftsmanship of the old handmade brown stuff today -- that's why it's still here. And why Mahogani Swietena is not (the fabulously gained Cuban mahogany wood).
26
The problem is that what is valued and loved as antiques shifts as generations and their circumstances change. Vintage cars as well. The values begin to rise for those cars that are 40 years old or so, when now wealthier auto aficionados want to recapture at moment of a 17 yo in the backseat of that '49 Buick, or was that a '57 Pontiac convertible, a '66 Olds 442, or an 86' Trans-AM(okay the front seat in the latter case)?
Simply, agreeing or not, many raised in American culture "love" their objects,be it that special car, a massive desk or table, or even that glorious china set. In the end, that end that people inevitably are are preparing for, it those things for others revert back to objects, assuming a value based simply on supply and demand.
8
I just finished the de-accessiong necessary to prep for home sale. It required, in my case, emotional yoga; flexibility to move from "oh, this is my beautiful, idiosyncratic home of 30 years" to, "oh, this is an asset that, when liquidated, will enable new adventures."
33
Obviously, different people have different tastes so there's no call to be rude about others' preferences which are just that, preferences. We know better (or should know better) than to criticize a person's clothing choices. How each of us elects to "clothe" our home environment is also no one else's business.
37
This article misses the point which is really about a home's appeal. It not about having or not having antiques. There is no right or wrong or one-style-fits-all. It's about having good taste or not.
7
Wow! Does no one sympathize with today's young people and their living situations? Must it be "furniture first" to make sense when people become adults? Remember, today, people have to move, often many times, just to keep a decent job (I've lived in 8 states). You can't afford to put your heart into objects that disappear onto a truck with strangers! My own parents, now deceased, were heavily invested in antiques, and (you guessed it) when they died, styles had changed and the monetary reture negligible. I couldn't keep any of it myself--I had an 800-square foot condo with no attic or basement in another state. (Also, unknown to me at the time, there were still two more cross-country moves in my future.) I recall fondly my parents enjoying the loving care they lavished on their treasures, but that was the true value. They also lived in the same house for 49 years, had no debt, and were enjoying a pension after my father's years in a stable job. I'm two generations older than the much-bashed Millennials, but do many readers not realize none of this is available to young people today? The furniture went with the life, not the other way around.
87
@Arlene....Seriously, do you think the prospective buyers for these very large, very expensive apartments are financially challenged millenials trying to move out of their 750 sq. foot studios???
I don't necessarily take issue with anything you say but I think you are seriously missing the point: people who can afford these properties expect them to reflect the current, modern, sleek, minimalist trend...right or wrong. I personally think it's a failure of personal vision when looking at a space for sale, but that's just me.
50
This apparently is not an article written for me.
My taste in rooms tends towards either rich, dark, mahogany, golden-glow like the Mirror Room at the Versailles, or something in a bright, blazing, Art Deco with grossly overstated elements in steel and aluminum.
I could also easily convert the Sistine Chapel into a master bedroom.
37
@Steve Crisp - in the great documentary about Joan Rivers, she walked into her ornate dining room and said, “This is what Marie Antoinette’s dining room would have looked like - if she’d had money.”
She had fabulous taste by the way. I miss her.
18
Old brown furniture is for people who have the leisure, historical memory, and space to appreciate the furniture itself. It's for gracious minds...
The new stuff is for the hyper-busy people who need distraction-free space with pieces that squeeze functionality like pennies. This is for barren minds, quick to anger and judgement.
It's likely the first is a worthy conversationalist, and the second is a useful contact. So check the backgrounds of all those selfies, and plan accordingly!
42
@we Tp I hope you don't judge the quality of people's character by their choice in furniture and decor...
6
Millennial writing here. I live in an apartment that is half the size of my parents house. They have two dining tables. I have just one. My parents have four bedrooms. Living in an area facing a housing crisis, I am lucky to have two. They have a two car garage. I park my one car in a subterranean lot. I don't have the space for a relative's so-called antiques, and I know I'm not alone. I'm a little frustrated by readers chiding my generation for not valuing older furniture. But I wish they'd acknowledge space is a major consideration, along with the need to keep a space clutter free. And when I read about an antique kitchen table still costing $1,000 - down from its purchase price of $10k - I think, well that must be speaking to somebody in a different socioeconomic bracket. I'm hanging out with people who are housing burdened and stretched to pay student loans and childcare.
43
@ Sirinya....No problem with what you say but, seriously, that is not what the article is about. I doubt any financially or housing challenged Millenials were among the prospective buyers for these very large, very expensive NYC spaces.
32
@CitizenX the article has generated a meaningful tangent to the original issue. The article itself muddies the issue of whether it's about the presentation of space or about a fading aesthetic. Can you let go of your insistence that everyone stay faithful to the article and appreciate the thread of the conversation emerging in the comments?
29
@Sirinya I live in a v v small home furnished with vintage furniture because it’s cheaper than ikea, better made, unusual and can be painted if necessary.
16
I enjoy looking at the NYT Real Estate section to see the real furnishings in some of those beautiful, authentic homes. When I see a staged "Crate and Barrel" room, ugh, I skip it. Boring, souless.
62
Most of the big old brown furniture just does not fit modern lives. How many couples under the age of 50 host formal dinners?
Antiques are going the way of paper books , gone with the wind.
10
@pat gone along with civility, gentility, intellectual curiosity, concern about one's own eating and drinking habits...we have ridden the board far indeed down the slippery slope toward third world irrelevancy.
50
I used to live in a 50-square meter apartment and I still had a dining table that seats 8-10 people. Why? I valued the chance to host get-togethers (not necessarily „formal“ dinners, most often just simple pasta-and-salad affairs). I still have the table and it has been my workspace, kid‘s crafting surface, Christmas cookie production facility, and many more things. Many people could make room for a dining table if they wanted to and we’re willing to sacrifice the huge couches and entertainment areas.
27
@pat actually paper books are enjoying a renaissance similar to the continued rise of vinyl records.
15
Hang in there, antique lovers! The high quality antique decorative arts will never again be replicated w/o prohibitive cost, and sooner or later, millennials will tire of the soulless, white boxes they live in and will be looking for something with unique character.
72
Turning a warm environment filled with history and personal meaning into a soulless refrigerator makes it sellable ... interesting statement on modern values.
82
I just went through a similar scenario. I collected antiques for decades; all unique, hand-carved & beautiful. We are downsizing in a year. I hired a consultant to help me figure out what to keep, what should go, from our large, 1900’s home.
I was shocked to learn that antiques are not “in” & I was advised to seriously decrease the items in my home prior to putting on the market.
I began a very unsuccessful journey of attempting to sell many of the pieces. The consultant was right; no one was even remotely interested, across many varied venues for placing antiques.
I ended up donating them to a charity organization who holds an annual gala auction. At least my beloved pieces will help a worthy charity.
The next hurdle on my journey will be selling our beautiful, but large, turn of century home. The homes now in demand are much smaller, and quite
modern. But, we will cross that bridge in a year or so when we are ready to move.
It has been an “awakening”.
22
@Kay
Millennials with student debt simply cannot afford large houses. Hence the reduced demand for them, we're priced out.
12
You do not have to own a 3000 square-foot house to appreciate antiques. I had a couple of old oak pieces in my little apartment.
Dismissing old furniture by saying millennials can't afford houses to accommodate it is a little disingenuous.
20
As a child, my parents' and grandparents' love of poking around antique shops rather baffled and annoyed me. "Another antique shop?" was frequently heard on trips.
As an adult, well, it's a different story. Antiques feel cozy, home-y, individual. It's nice to have something other than IKEA. And my mother couldn't have been more surprised when I found a Hoosier cabinet on craigslist that was just right for my dining room. I love it.
37
@SarahB my siblings and I were along for the ride to thrift stores throughout our childhood (no antique stores, too expensive). My brothers weren’t keen, but I was. I’m so glad I was exposed to all the design diversity those stores provided. It shaped my career and life for the better.
10
@SarahB We dragged the Hoosier cabinet I found in the early seventies from place to place, across the country, until we downsized last year. It's probably in a landfill now, but generations of people got their use out of it and it still was in good shape.
6
I have always had a fondness for furnishings and objets that are solid and timeless in their own beauty and endurance--for the lives they've witnessed and the stories they tell. They represent not only other times and places, but also sensibilities about craftsmanship and the value of the things we place in our homes, from the very utilitarian to the purely decorative. For most of human history before consumerist capitalism, people thought very carefully about these things, and the choices they made said a lot about who they were and what they valued. Certainly the latter aspect hasn't changed entirely, but it depends on a lot of factors, not least trends and bank accounts. I'm a fan of combining the occasional antique with thoughtful modern pieces (and we mustn't forget that mid-20th century furniture is now old enough to be considered antique--it isn't only about things earlier centuries). And although I'm more of a minimalist, but I will never understand the particularly American mentality that prevents home buyers from seeing the potential of a new space and imagining the possibilities simply because it hasn't been "staged." I'm thankful that my husband and I both are imaginative enough to have had the good fortune to buy homes that we and others love, for very good prices, precisely because they weren't staged and other buyers were put off. Sure, if one is the seller it's a different story, but if you're the buyer, imagination pays off.
23
@Michael. So true Michael! My former partner and I snagged a great apartment in San Francisco back in the 90’s, before the first dot com boom made everything impossible to rent. Located in a not yet gentrified neighborhood, It was poorly updated , but a great 1920’s 2 bedroom, with a fireplace , inlaid floors and a large garden to boot. After signing the lease, we immediately began ripping out the bad 70’s paneling, re-painting, etc. and spent the next 20 years polishing it into a real jewel. The best part was the rent, which remained ridiculously low the entire time we lived there. Our landlord loved us for bringing it back, and putting in a garden. He told us all the previous prospective renters turned their noses up because it wasn’t “clean and modern enough”! When I finally moved out 8 years ago, he raised the rent to $3500 a month- I can’t imagine what it goes for now......
14
I have always loved old pieces - they are solidly made and remind me of my grandparents homes (which were always warm, comfortable and welcoming!). I also love that the scale of the pieces tend to be more human sized, and fit better in older homes that tend to have smaller rooms. I especially hate huge dining room chairs that limit the number that will fit around the table on a holiday. So I'm with a lot of the commenters and will be keeping what I have and love!
20
This article was such a surprise to me. Really, people don't appreciate antiques anymore? I'm female, 34, and looking to furnish my first home, and I adore antique furniture and art. For furniture in particular, you can get higher-quality items by buying antiques than you'd find for the same price at a retail store, though you might have to re-finish them. I have multiple Persian rugs and just bought two antique watercolor paintings that I adore. And the last piece of contemporary art that I purchased was by Dan Hillier, a U.K. artist who specializes in work that melds together antique and modern images.
But I approach antiques with a modern sensibility: no magpie clutter, no dark or cave-like rooms. (Even the thought makes me cringe.) I'm going to go for a mix of antiques and more contemporary furniture and art. My walls will be painted a light cream. My rooms will feel light, with a small number of well-chosen and meaningful pieces. There will be no "collections" taking up space.
I also shop for antiques in a more modern way, on Etsy or Ebay. A friend of mine who also loves antiques is obsessed with finding them in estate sales. I rarely visit brick-and-mortar antiques shops, though I may have to when I look for furniture.
It's too bad that people apparently don't appreciate antiques anymore...but good news for people like me to know that we'll be able to furnish our apartments at low cost!
34
@ML
If you are handy and willing to work old furniture can be a fantastic value. I've got a pair of 40 year old, big stereo speakers (top of the line when new, real walnut veneer on the cabinets etc). I got at a thrift store for next to nothing. A few hours of time, $50 worth of parts and wood finish and they are good as new. If you could even find something like this today it would cost thousands of dollars.
Sound quality is unreal, and I got them for cheaper than the bottom of the barrel department store audio.
Don't let the secret out! Refurbishing old stuff in general is a great way to add value to your life and get really nice things for very little money. One man's trash is another man's treasure indeed.
27
Oriental rugs never “go out of style.”
51
@Mandeep I wish I could still agree - we had a moth infestation destroy a prized wool rug. Two cleaners swore they had eradicated the critters but when they came back a third time, I tossed the rug. From now on, synthetic rugs for me (though my heart does break a little).
5
We moved from a Craftsman home into a loft five years ago and did not buy new furniture. We have been surprised how well our Greene and Greene style pieces in cherry wood and leather, our Bokhara rugs, and our tansu cabinets, have settled down on the barn wood floors and next to the 100 year old brick wall. And when people come up the stairs to the living area, they so often say, "Wow! I never realized a loft could feel spacious and cozy at the same time!" That combination was exactly what we were aiming for, and we love it.
39
Just to remind people that storing wood furniture in a garage or basement is not always a good idea. Changes in temperature or humidity can be destructive to wood, not to mention the possibility of a flood. Use it or lose it is a better idea.
16
I read the article while taking a break from sanding the top of a side table circa 1850. I will refinish it in the same "brown" color as the legs. The sad thing is that too many pieces are being painted these days. A local antique dealer was wondering what would happen to the market when everything was painted. My great grandmothers painted everything white in the early 1900's. I spent a lot of time removing 4 or 5 coats of lead paint to get down to mahogany. My thought is to live with what makes you comfortable.
23
@GCH Your “restoration” is just as bad as painting, fyi.
8
@GCH Instead of sanding, I would look at removing paint with a infrared Speedheater. The real one, made in Sweden, not the knock off. Safe for lead paint if you confine the paint chips. The process doesn't destroy the patina in the same way sanding or chemicals do. I just finished restoring 25 original wood windows built of pre-WWII lumber in my son's house. They are beautiful and much more resistant to decay than anything plantation grown. If you are lucky the base finish on your furniture was shellac, which will have protected the wood grain from paint penetration. Good luck, it's a worthy mission!
9
@GCH purists might argue that stripping the finish of an antique table is tantamount to painting it, ie the original patina is lost along with value. The most beautiful antique I’ve seen was an early 19th c architect’s table at a London fair. The top was riddled with circle ink stains, gashes and a sprinkling of woodworm - gorgeous! The vintage pieces I paint are generally quite damaged, poor quality, or a “boring” finish.
8
Design fads come and go, antiques are timeless.
33
@Lynn Don't antiques represent the design fads of their time?
8
@Jane. Yes, but the number one difference between the antique and the so much of the new is the quality of material (solid old growth wood) and the craftsmanship. I’m amazed at how poorly made much of the contemporary furniture is when closely examined. Particle board stapled onto the back of dressers, etc. I would rather have one really well made piece of furniture, regardless of age, than a roomful of trendy, cheaply made stuff that won’t hold up over time.
16
I'm looking around my living room and it's way too crowded with stuff. I have two problems: 1) the old pieces remind me of the beloved relative who gave them to me and they help me remember that person and 2) my husband and I travel and I have a tendency to bring home something from our travels. I'm not ready to trash my grandma's secretary but from now on I'll try to take pictures of things I see on my travels instead of buying them. I can just look at my phone.
14
@Sara Gaarde Don’t personalize objects. Take pictures of them and get rid of the stuff before you become buried by it.
10
I enjoyed this piece and the comments were great. My husband and I have always been keen collectors and have lots of antiques and we enjoy them and have no interest in painting them (really too funny).
We still enjoy visiting antique stores and over the last few years noticed fewer other customers, but recently it has been very young folks, not millennials, who we are seeing in the shops. They love the craftsmanship and are buying.... so just hold on, everything changes and soon people will be clamoring for that old brown furniture you never got around to painting white....
30
@Lady Jane My 23 year old granddaughter wants my “old” furniture. Some pieces come from my grandmother and others from my mother. My 18 year old grandson has always scanned my living room upon entering, when visiting. He was checking to see if what he saw last visit was still in place. A friend wanted his grandmother’s painting that was always above her sofa that he slept on when visiting. It gave him a sense of well-being and all is right with the world.
20
Antique furniture demonstrates applied skills and invested time, and sequesters carbon. New stuff doesn’t last, and then where does it go?
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@Noah Fecht. I sure see a lot of it out on the sidewalk in SF!
1
I prefer warm wood that will last, as apposed to white cheesy particle board that will quickly fall apart and emit toxic gasses. But hey, I’m a baby-boomer. Though since my “brown” furniture is mid-century, my kids might be interested.
All I can think is that it’s a good time to buy the quality, out of style furniture. I have a feeling it will come to be appreciated once again.
43
It is really a matter of living with personal connection and history versus sterility and anonymity.
35
@Tony Francis Just as long as you don’t hoard stuff...
6
What if you are the antique?
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@Paul McGlasson Ain't that the truth-very clever. Out we go with the bath water!
12
I appreciate the aesthetics of today’s interior design, but nobody will convince me to let go of the gorgeous cherry wood dresser that graced my g-grandmother’s bedroom and replace it with something from Target!
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@Allison
I have two such dressers. I think I've owned them longer than my grandparents did. :-)
6
It's a bit difficult to decorate one's walls with picture frames or books or bric-a-brac on small shelves when one doesn't have any walls to speak of in your new 7 million dollar glass house in the sky. Thus a glance at AD or Elle Decor will reveal that the architects and decorators have abandoned "clutter" for a regimen more compatible with wall to wall, ceiling to floor glass looking out onto our new skyline of pencil skyscrapers.
17
I feel most comfortable around dark furniture and unique pieces from other cultures. Like choosing clothes, I look best and feel my best when I consider my skin tones and hair color. Some people may feel most comfortable with white walls and grey upholstery, but choosing the wrong color scheme to live with can make one depressed.
31
The thing about antiques - or really anything made from before around 1980 - is that the quality is often higher. Things have more heft. Even "nice" things now don't have the same feel as regular things before. My parents got this ridiculously heavy bedroom set when they first married, bought at some furniture store in 1972 in Queens. You just can't even find anything that solid, from the wood down to the hefty accent pieces, anymore. Almost 50 years later, that bedroom set still looks amazing. I got a bedroom set from Pottery Barn - not cheap - and if it still looks good and everything is in working condition in 50 years I'll be surprised.
PS. I'm sitting at a brown table right now. Don't tell anyone.
53
Brown is green. Some of the green saved by using brown furniture is environmental, and the rest is dollars in the bank.
62
It's not that I don't like the before pictures. I'm just so very tired of that traditional look. I like change and evolution. I'm over 50 and look forward to redecorating as soon as we finish paying college tuition for our last child. I won't be buying anything brown or that newer neutral gray either.
13
To each her/his own. But in our family, on my father's side, we all loved antiques. Everything, from a pink depression glass bowl to a walnut hutch. My Dad grew up on a dairy farm in the Shenandoah Valley, which has long been replete with 'brown' furniture, and he, his Dad, and my brother would spend Saturdays scouring antique stores and estate sales. (I guess my maternal grandmother was the millennial of her day - nothing old, everything new, which also resulted later in a trove of 50s-era, fun treasures.)
But, yes, there is a hitch. When my parents died, I had to get rid of about half the furniture and knick-knacks, while keeping photos & the best pieces. They are my treasures.
Side note: my partner & I about a year ago found a beautiful farm in the mountains; the 'downside' was a 90s-era ranch home. It's a bit rambling, but in our 60s now so are we, and it's a perfect match for this final road.
13
And I forgot to mention: both of our grown kids and partners also love and appreciate antiques. So you never know!
5
Stepping into the loft filled with antiques is to be enveloped in the warmth and richness of handmade, colorful rugs, and rich warm woods. The loft with its finished sparseness resembles a sterile hospital of the 90's. Everyone has their own tastes but I have found throughout my 71 years that sticking with the classics never goes out of style whether it is in furnishings, clothing, or whatever.
32
@JanetAntiques/brown are beautiful as long as they aren’t jam packed in somewhere. For some reason people who “collect” antiques tend to hoard as well. Why can’t people layer them as recommended in the article? I agree- layering is good- like 25%? I tend toward that model and reuse as well so that I’m enviro friendly while not hoarding at the same time. While some people are bothered by aural noise, some people are bothered by visual noise- please sow some respect!!!
4
We are Gen-Xers with kids and pets. our traditional colonial is filled with a mix of old and new and feels relaxing and homey to us. My in-laws are constantly giving us paintings of dubious quality because to them our walls, with a few pieces we really like, are too empty. We explained to them that there is just a fundamental difference between us--they seem to feel stressed when rooms aren't full, and we feel stressed when we walk into a house where you have to sidle around the furniture and every inch of wall is covered. Serenity means different things to different people. And the paintings they give us live under the bed.
19
I have a passionate dislike of modern, spare, white spaces because they are boring, cold and devoid of personality-they all look the same. Every antique tells a story, adds interest to a space, and makes every home unique. And if young people want to help the environment, reusing and repurposing old, but perfectly functional, furniture, lamps, picture frames, rugs, etc., makes more sense than buying new things from China. You do have to actually go look for them, not just order with a few clicks, but the hunt is fun and you never know what you might find,
67
For young people who desire to keep their carbon footprint low, though, learning to love antiques (they are used) is quite useful!
68
The folks that enjoy antiques love the look, smell, feel, and build of antiques.
At different times of the day the sun can shine in a show their beauty.
Difference now is that instead of enjoying real time surroundings, people now stare at sterile devices most of the time.
40
What is trendy today will be over tomorrow so be careful who and what you follow. As a broker, the selling point is clean, simple, tasteful. A lot of "today's" furniture actually looks inexpensive and after a few showings, it's just boring. The best thing you can do for yourself and your property value is to simplify and unclutter your life (of things and people!). Live with what you love.
41
My parents filled our house with antiques when my siblings and I (all in our 60s now) and when my father died and my mother moved to assisted living none of us nor the grandchildren wanted the furniture, the depression glass, the 3 sets of sterling silver (mother inherited two sets). The only thing that my mother took with her was her awesome light blonde mid-century Heywood-Wakefield bedroom set that they purchased when they got married in 1951 and which all of us adore. We'll be killing each other over that set when the time comes!
15
@Susan
We are in a similar situation! There is only 1 piece from my maternal grandmother's house that we wanted to keep: a low, deep, armchair with down cushions. The most comfortable thing in the world. My mother claimed it to delay any squabbling about which one of us grandchildren should get it!
9
Learned something new today -- I had never heard the disparaging term "brown furniture" before. Reminds me of the time I overheard a local pastor boasting that his church wasn't the kind with "organ music and dark wood." Too bad! I have my grandma's mahogany dining table and chairs and her favorite wood/velvet Victorian chair, and I love them. They're not worth any bucks, but so what? My other grandma gave me her gorgeous china dishes, and I use them as often as possible. These things don't feel "formal" to me; they feel like home. It's wonderful to have beautiful things to enjoy, and I'm grateful my grandmas taught me to appreciate antiques. To each their own, but the "brown furniture" disdainers are missing out.
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@Kelly A neighbor child, on first entering our home, remarked in puzzlement "Your furniture is wood?" Yes. It is. Our grandparents' furniture, actually. And there's nothing wrong with sanding down a splintery table top, or nicely painting an old chair. We're not talking priceless artifacts here. Just making somewhat worn but very serviceable items (I refuse to say "pieces") useful again.
11
Happened to be watching one of those home shows at a neighbor's place where they have TV. Some youthful people were showcasing a costly, sparsely furnished condo with glaring white walls in the inner city. The narrator asked about a strange black & chrome, wheeled gurney on display. The occupants proudly said it was originally from a morgue & had only cost them fifty dollars at a thrift store. Need I say more?
38
It’s one thing to stage an apartment for buyers, and quite another to shape furniture and color into a home that affords joy and purpose. Let’s face it, interior design today is like email; it’s not supposed to be of substance. It’s meant to be temporary and swiped away as an iPhone photo.
The down side is that it makes your little corner of the world, the place that has cost you near slave labor to own into someone else’s idea of what could better be the thrill of personal expression, and worse, it dictates an image that reflects what the Pinterest crowd says you should have.
Antiques are the opposite of that. What their worth is in dollars is beside the point. Call me an old antiques fool, but I am writing from a room appointed with American Sheraton and Federal furniture from 1810 with an Aubusson rug, 4-poster mahogany bed with drapery, a pair of framed needlepoint flowers sewn by a young lady in 1802, and the scenic beauty of 1800s NY State told on the walls by period engravings and oil paintings. A decanter and glass sits by the bed unchipped and still in daily use after 300 years.
The room is no museum, rather, it is as much the story of who I am as the life these elegant things had long before they came my way. They have been privy to the happiness and struggles of many generations, so their presence is a reminder that the lines of my life are part of a wondrous continuum, and that when I am gone, they and I will be lead to the stewardship of other hands.
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@Dan Fannon
Eloquently said. Observations like yours are why I sometimes enjoy the NYT comments section even more than the articles.
Snapchat...Instagram....as you say, the ephemeral nature of modern communication finds its counterpart in the “instant makeover” decor style so prevalent today. Throwaway fashion, pop-up restaurants, gig economy....it feels in many ways like our culture has become untethered. Until recently, San Francisco had an extensive antiques district near downtown, Jackson Square, but the last holdout closed a year ago, turned into a workspace rental place with concrete floors and bleak hard edged office furniture.
One of my favorite shops was filled with fine old grandfather clocks, some dating back centuries. The sound when you entered was magical. Strange to think that these once-beloved objects passed from generation to generation through wars and natural disasters and perilous ocean voyages only to be felled by a callow armada of twenty-something house stagers.
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@Laurel W Yes, the comments are often excellent and eye-opening!
12
@Laurel W. I miss Jackson square too! Not much left, same with the design district South of Market- they both influenced me greatly, and I’m glad to have experienced them at their peak. At least there is still Paris.....
10
Minimalism is great, but that old brown furniture is made of real wood, not pasted-together chips and plastic. Much of it has lasted for decades, if not centuries. Maybe it doesn't fit the current throw-it-away aesthetic, but I think in a few years, because we absolutely must slow down the needless consumption that is destroying our planet, these pieces will come back into style and people will wish they hadn't been so quick to toss them into a landfill.
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@Barbara:
great points!
8
@Barbara Agree! I have mingled a few older pieces w my contemporary design. A piece here or there is what eclectic is all about. Those gray, cookie cutter, ultra mod apts are everywhere, same furn, same look!
As so many have said, look at the old furniture, then go to any new "furniture" store and check out how it's made. $1900 + up for a chest made of ? A dove tail joint is not something you smoke ;)
And my sympathies to all who are downsizing!
37
@Kate McDonough. Hah, I’m stealing your “Dove tail” joke- thanks for the laugh!
8
I am saddened by these comments and the article, but glad to know I will easily be able to buy more good quality Bone China and sterling silver. (And yes most of it can be put in a dishwasher, except for the oldest, most delicate items. And if sterling silver is stored in a drawer lined in flannel or felt in between uses, it will rarely ever need polishing, and bonus, it won't ever have lead in it.)
Of course all of the particle board furniture is terrible for the environment, just transporting something so cheap around the world from China makes it terrible for the environment. Adding in the glues and solvents just makes it worse. People wonder why we have too much CO2 in the environment....sigh
I do understand the problems with fitting oversized furniture into tiny apartments, but many antiques are small, and many North Americans live in the suburbs and have lots of space, lots of rooms, and lots of family. So someone could certainly use the furniture, even if it has to be painted or upholstered.
Area rugs insulate cold floors, and can be sent out and cleaned, or rolled up and put away to give the "clean" look. I do like the lighter color paint on the walls and reducing some clutter, but not all....those ridiculous empty design spaces never last by the way. It's the "ideal" but then humans move in and bring life. I've never seen a real home stay that clean, and decluttered!
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@Maureen:
so true! Too bad the people who "tell" us how to dress, decorate our homes and what kind of home to live in, don't seem to know or care.....
11
@Maureen good points! And yes, many antiques are small. I have three small vintage pieces purchased in the last year. A v petite 1930s roll top with sliding tray I use for my sewing machine, and two small circa 1940s tables. I discovered the tables were flat pack when I got them home and examined them, i.e. each leg unscrews in two places. You’d never know it to look at them. The tables can be easily stored.
3
@Maureen A late friend had a couple of 19th century chairs that were just right for me, a small person. I've been looking for similar chairs for a few years now. I do have a 19th century rocking chair made by an upstate NY atheist commune. It's in the "ladies" size and fits me perfectly. Does any current furniture maker make stuff in three sizes, child, woman, man anymore?
4
As someone who volunteers at a local thrift shop, please don't bring us your dark, heavy furniture. No one wants armoires, fine china, or scary old paintings anymore. Rule of thumb: If you can't foist it off on the kids, don't bring it to us. Wayfair, Ikea, and Target are where it's at. Sorry, but it's true.
12
@Online Contributor
All of which is in a landfill somewhere after 20 years. Sorry (for real) but true.
35
Been there, done that. Hated doing it, but I feel like a new person! From 2 homes, each 3,000 sf to 2,100. Kept a few things, but updated to a new vibe of slipcovered furniture in a popsicle palate. Perfect for us. The hardest was weeding books ... I kept only unique ones. Between my tablet and the public library, I’m fine.
My advice? Stop moaning. Life’s not fair. Let it go. Get it over with.
16
I'm in the 50+ age range, and even *I* don't want all my stuff, let alone trying to shuffle it off to my kids. Too much furniture, too many knicknacks, too many framed things to hang on the walls. It seems no matter how much stuff I haul to HabitatReStore, there is still too much. I look forward to downsizing in the next ten years and hiring a dumpster!
16
When I see those sterile, cold-looking, all-white apartments the first thing I want to ask is where they keep the trocar. Those place look like morgues awaiting a cadaver. Give me a place that look like it's inhabited by living beings-not cadavers. Give me some high-end chintz, windows with pelmets and a soupçon of passementerie, and make it snappy!
38
@E. Busch-Le Né
I'm with you. When I see those spaces vacuumed out of life, I just wonder: where is all their stuff? Hiding in a closet? Nothing comfortable to sit on either.
10
Buy and furnish with what you love because you love it, not because of possible value increase. When you're dead, you're dead.
51
People discard old furniture like they do old members of society.
I guess age discrimination crosses over to material objects as well.
28
I'm sorry - all these merchants have decided that wooden furniture is no longer valuable? How interesting. How absurd. Do they recommend that mahogany should be whitewashed to appeal to 30 year olds who think Formica is charming? Colour everything grey? News for New York City - this idiocy hit San Francisco years ago, and a whole lot of gorgeous woodwork got painted white. A lot of damage was done to no good effect. Keep the wood - leave the fast furniture at the shop.
56
The market determined the prices, not the shop owners. What should they do if nobody will spend $4k on that cherry desk? They can't just put it in storage until it comes back in style.
10
@Margo - Don't you find that trying to be in 'style' is like trying to time the stock market? Pointless and profitless.
16
@Margo there’s an antique shop I read about I think in NY or NJ where the savvy owner - a young guy who took over the family business - is now earning major income from his brown furniture stock by renting it to film and TV set designers. Renting earns more than selling.
9
Re. these comments: Please don't throw your brown furniture in the dumpster!!! Recycle it! Many thrift stores will come with a van and take it for you or you can drop it off and give those pieces new life, help the environment, create jobs for the people who sell it, and help young families or people starting over!
17
@oyvey AKC, above, who volunteers at a thrift store, says that even they don't want it! What to do? In the meantime, after downsizing from a 2600' sf home, I (and others I know) pay those insane storage pod fees...all because we can't part with what we bought or, better yet, because we feel it dishonors our parents' memory to part with the darn stuff. We gotta get over this, huh?
8
@An ESQ That is that person's observation of where they are. Where I am they will gladly take most things and the thrifts are empty of good stuff lately. I go regularly to a number of them and that is my observation.
7
@An ESQ but AKC is at one store in one town in one state. Surely his comments aren’t applicable to the entire US!?
2
A more disgusting fad is the "open plan" home, where your kitchen sink is in your living room. Old homes are being destroyed, walls torn down, gimcrack cheesy renovations...and how do you heat one giant room? Hoping this fad will die soon; someone who wanted to buy my house wanted to destroy it, and most of the homes I look at are uninhabitable and hideously ugly.
58
In the San Francisco Bay Area, those items would sell voluntarily, jumping into the arms of people who would love and take good care of them, at the Alameda Antiques Fair, AKA http://alamedapointantiquesfaire.com/.
20
I love both modern and antique, and the suggestion about limiting antiques in a home to 25% is great advice. Save good stuff in the garage or storage and switch out the old items, so you can still enjoy them. There is nothing like something beautifully crafted, worn, used. These items make any place interesting and warm. And remember that antiques go in fads and they may be out now, but they may be back with a twist soon.
15
@Leslie S, yep. Case in point—Tiffany lamps. You couldn’t give them away in the ‘60s—now replicas are a cottage industry.
6
My grandmother bought a marble top table from the sear catalog in 1890. My mother cut it down into a coffee table in 1945. It is really cute and the whole family loves it. I moved from Michigan to California with it and when it seemed that I needed to move to Massachusetts, I gave it to my daughter who then lived in Los Angeles. She then moved to San Francisco into a cut condo where the ornate fireplace, woodwork, etc. blends perfectly with the little coffee table. It is now over 120 years old, has been loved by one family. I think the key is to choose a few very precious pieces for the family to love into the future and let the rest go. I gave up many pieces on Craig's List for free and was heart warmed by how grateful people were.
32
@Susan Kuhlman I've bought a few things off Craigslist, from a newer Crate & Barrel dining room table that wouldn't fit in the original owner's place, to WW2-era steamer trunks that traveled with the owner's grandfather to and from Germany during the war.
Even the people selling the Crate & Barrel table told me, "we're happy this table is going to a good home." I've loved my Craigslist purchases. It's more than an economic transaction. People just want to know that their stuff will continue to be appreciated.
20
Really - so many comments about how tasteless millennials are? The reality is, these things come in cycles... and we are sick of having so much stuff. Minimalism is in vogue for a reason, hence Marie Kondo's popularity. With smaller and smaller spaces to live in, white and minimalism opens it up.
Quality antiques need to be maintained well and taken care of. Rugs, china, furniture... I would not want to worry about that if I had a family with kids. Generally young people and parents are both working full time. People are just looking for things that are easy to maintain and clean and thinking practically.
20
I agree. My parents started out embracing MCM, acquiring some brown furniture along the way. I have some of both and my older boy is carefully curating MCM style in his apartment. Things evolve.
3
The whitewashed walls and spare furnishings that seem to appeal to buyers do not necessarily signal a new aesthetic. I believe that they simply allow a prospective owner to see the "bones" of the space, and to imagine their own items in it. It's the closest a realtor can get to showing a blank canvas without resorting to the sterility of completely empty rooms -- just enough warmth to suggest comfortable habitation without the strong presence of the current owner's personal style.
Paint and furnish your home however you like, but be aware that buyers have no interest in your personal taste or lifestyle and could be put off, even unconsciously, by an obviously lived-in space. It's not a judgment on your taste as much as it is (perhaps) a failure on the part of the buyer's imagination.
41
We acquired wonderful Quebecois pine antiques along with our historic cottage in Quebec in May 2018. We love them.
Whether they're "worth" anything particularly, beyond what we paid for them - well, that's besides the point.
They make our cottage come alive, and we'll enjoy them as long as we're able to come here.
49
The modern look does not appeal to all of us. Downton Abbey, anyone? Go outside of NYC and those gorgeous pieces WILL sell!
27
Are you willing to settle for my house, Castle Rackrent?
3
I read a lovely piece by a funeral home director who said the family should think about setting up a table with the departed's 'treasures' to offer the guests on the way out to remember that person. Hummels, tools, whatever the person collected that the family will not want.
I already told my husband to make a table with my fiesta ware, I'm sure someone can always use an extra bowl or mug.
62
I’d love your fiesta ware! Great idea for the table.
13
@mainesummers. great idea. A. I may suggest it to my daughter. She’s always showing off my Fiestaware when friends visit.
3
@mainesummers Great idea--my library and the wine cellar should make a nice pairing--take a book and a bottle on the way out!
7
I'm enjoying reading these comments. When you live in a home, make it comfortable for you. When you're selling, it becomes a product for the marketplace. Adjust it. Eclectic seems just right.
22
It seems I am even more out of touch than I thought.
I love antiques but have only one or two from my family. I bought an old Victorian house in a small Maine town that seems to beg to be furnished and is mostly empty.
So if you have something looking for a loving home, let me know. :)
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@Stephanie Itchkawich
A Victorian house in Maine--sounds lovely! Good luck with it :)
9
@Stephanie Itchkawich:
seriously, check out Craigslist, Ebay and nearby Salvation Army, Goodwill and other such shops....
6
@RLiss, Etsy has nice antiques, too.
2
My parents have lots of antique furniture from their families. Neither I nor my 2 siblings has any interest in these items beyond a few small pieces. The furniture was appropriate for my grandparents' large homes in Bronxville and North Carolina, and in the enormous 19th century rectory that I grew up in -- but not so much in the modest homes of my generation. Even beyond scale (the antiques are huge), there is the care and upkeep of old furniture to consider. I don't want to have to worry about getting chairs re-caned, or finding someone appropriate to repair a break in the arm of some lovely 120 year old dining chair. Don't even get me started on the large quantities of family china that has been passed down to me .... gorgeous and completely impractical.
11
@Charmander I’ve told my kids that they can use all this “fine” stuff as every day working goods, and if it breaks, it doesn’t matter. All the stupid Lenox China I was forced to take from my mom, they get to use and put in the dishwasher bc it’s cheaper than a new set of ikea dinnerware. What they want, keep, and sell or give to organizations that help formerly homeless folks get on their feet. It’s all just stuff.
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@Charmander
Made to be used even if gets broken. Use it!!!
12
Moving high value furniture, new or antique, is the problem as is smaller spaces. Just keeping regular possessions under control is quite enough.
6
The problem is that 9 foot high bookcase, and all the houses I look at have 8 foot ceilings.
10
Interiors as well as furnishings are in peril. I've seen rooms that once had wonderful warmth and appeal converted to stark, sterile spaces after significant remodeling. It's jarring to see a place go from gracious and welcoming to the inside of a Bond villain's yacht.
Handmade wood furniture from periods past will have a resurgence eventually. When people realize they want to live with things that have substance and soul, they'll be back.
In the meantime, if the aversion to brown furniture means we're not clear cutting massive tracts of species like mahogany in various countries, so much the better.
78
I agree about brown furniture but I don't agree that antiques, in general, need to go. I decided to go the Mid Century design. I bought and bought. Covered sofa and chairs in white canvas. Black stripes, great look with Anglo Indian Ebony. Then one day, not long after it was finished, I couldn't take the operating room feel anymore, and other pieces began to ease in. The Norma Desmond rooms
are back in place. All I need is Bill Holden to waltz me around the room. When I die, I want to fall over into mounds of lush oriental rugs.
I visit an auction house close by and the owner and I both agree that even though he sells MC, we're already sick of it. What goes around, comes around, especially in decorating.
37
How can a generation that is so concerned about climate change and pollution eschew furniture that has lasted well over 100 to 250 years? Made with natural, sustainable (then), and still biodegradable materials, old brown furniture is the most environmentally responsible choice. Where will furniture made with foams, plastics, and petroleum products end up? What kind of resources are being consumed to make them?
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@ST
I agree wholeheartedly with the points you make about the environmental appeal of old furniture. But much of it is so big and some of it can be fragile and high maintenance.
I just buy newer furniture on Craigslist. I have a young child, a teenager, and a cat in the house. We can't be fussy about furniture.
8
@ST
Agreed! There lately has been a lot of attention in the news about the waste produced by the fashion industry. It’s the same with furniture, etc. Buy old because it is better made and less wasteful, and there’s nothing more cool than caring about the planet.
50
@Charmander:
If you put away or store or sell the most delicate pieces, and let the rest be used as 'everyday' ....I see no problem.
The problems come when people have a figurative grandmother in their minds tell them "don't sprawl on that couch", "you can't use the best china for an everyday meal" and so on....
11
Ever since I heard that 'sitting' is the new cancer, I have been looking for comfortable for hours at a stretch New England furniture company hardwood type chairs -- mainly of the Windsor variety. One day I stumbled across four curved Windsors with strong wood spindle backs--the type a jury might use circa the 1950s. I bought four in VG condition with an expandable wood dining table for $300. I just sold two Windsor Nichols and Stone Highback fan chairs for $200. I also recently picked up 3 mint condition Kennedy rockers for $40 each. I find modern chairs and fat overstuffed furniture cheaply made and too rickety to sit in or impossible to climb out of as they put your whole body into a state of suspended animation with no muscles working (terrible for posture). Certain Windsors via the spindles give the back a gentle massage and keep muscles gently firing during the sitting period and make for better posture. Many are very sturdy while not looking chunky. I believe there is nothing finer than a sturdy comfortable well-made usually New England furniture company brown wood chair for a real person. A lot of thought and quality went into mid-century New England brown wood furniture and I find it is well made for today's health and longevity.
35
I just figured it out ! Brown does not look good with grey !
I am so tired of grim, sterile, metallic interiors. Good rugs are never out of style. I have several treasured carved , "brown" pieces- an armoire in the bedroom-covered in carved roses, a hutch in the living room which is English arts and crafts with an incised thistle design and a small cabinet that came out of a church with handles of carved grapes. They all delight the eye and I can't imagine deciding that they have to go. My walls are various shades-an ivory, a very pale buff, a coral, a vivid orange. There is a lot of painted furniture as well-white, green and coral. Lots of art, textiles, some sculpture. It is not a big house but people always describe it very nicely and are happy to be in it. I think that there are many people now in a position to dictate taste who grew up seeing the only tasteful spaces in their experience to be public ones. Hence everything is supposed to look like a hotel lobby, a casino, a resort. But I do agree that one cannot acquire these heavy pieces unless one has a stable life. Moving them is very expensive and requires professionals.
45
Brown goes with warm grays not cool grays. Really. There is a difference. Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter goes with everything including wood and dark leather furniture. And it looks great with color and even bright colors. An all neutral interior is hideous whether it’s beige, gray or white. You need to have color, texture and contrast. Beige walls with all dark brown furniture is just as bad as all gray and white interiors. Add a couple of silk plants and it’s barf city. Also, gray, white and beige walls have been around forever because they are neutral colors. Gray just happens to be trending now.
20
@Consuelo
Sounds beautiful!
3
The financial stability that owning antiques requires is largely gone for younger buyers. Younger people may have to move on short notice. They live in tiny over priced spaces with no room for normal sized furniture. They have debt. This is a great buying opportunity for those who can use a few fine antiques to contrast with the Ikea.
57
While I appreciate a well made piece of furniture, I choose not to burden myself or my children with too much stuff. These times are uncertain and our situation can change in an instant. Over stuff, I choose cultivating my wits and a better world.
18
I wish I could buy the quality of furniture my parents or grandparents bought. Please sell it to me at about the same cost you bought it at. It's not like my current salary (that baby boomers set) is that much different then yours was 40 years ago, or my taxes any lower, and my cost of living is quite a bit higher (how much did it cost you to buy a house?).
18
@k8te, go to local auctions in small towns. My parents' items went into an auction in small-town Mississippi and here's what things went for: a 9 foot sofa with down-stuffed cushions, beautiful linen fabric, carved pecan frame - $175. A wooden tea-cart from the 1940's - $20. Down-stuffed club chairs with pecan legs - $20 each. Stunning large wood-framed mirrors for about $50 each (we're talking things that had cost hundreds when new). It was painful to watch it go for so little, but I knew these items were not desired as they once had been. I took the viewpoint that someone else was getting to enjoy them at a real savings.
43
@k8te
Goodwill also has a lot of good furniture. We live in an area where sudden military transfers are common and a lot of beautiful furniture winds up at Goodwill because the family has no time to sell it.
16
I'm finding TONS of stuff on Facebook Marketplace. People clearing out Mom's house, or redecorating.
1
As has been said, what a shame to waste youth on the young...
21
@HapinOregon
Why? Because the youth have different preferences in style and decor? What a myopic, condescending view.
9
And what a shame to waste the money that comes with decades of stability on people who care more about taste in furniture than actual people.
4
@Left Coast:
I don't think HapinOregon is being myopic or condescending at all.
4
Very little nuance in most of these replies ; a lack of imagination and a very narrow view of what modern is.
'Modern' to me means a certain amount of empty space combined with things you love. A serene environment, not cold.
Modern furniture can be beautiful, cozy and comfortable----there is a lot more than IKEA out there ! I love color, use glorious color with some restraint ; to infuse joy and warmth. All too often there is too much wood crowded into American rooms ; too many patterns. Too much of everything. Busy ! Gloomy ! Space is important.
The younger generation wants more efficient homes ; a 'cleaner' look. A place to re-coup after a days work. Does not exclude warmth.
22
@cenita fairbanks
Yes, exactly. Overstuffed interiors are gloomy and scream "old people live here" but you don't have to go to the operating room extreme.
Clean and cozy without too much junk!
7
It's one thing for brokers to pander to the HGTV crowd and paint everything light grey
It's another thing to advocate painting any beautiful wood furniture some color just to make it "modern".
The former is just business. The latter is a sin.
99
@Mtnman1963. Agree. Once painted, you can never really restore the wood. It is destroyed forever. All that gorgeous mahogany or cherry or oak gone for good. If a piece is truly an antique don’t paint it electric blue. That will be fashionable for about ten minutes. Clean and polish the wood and use it as a statement piece.
5
If brown is cheap, I'm - a - buyin' myself some walnut furniture!
53
I need to start looking for a Chinese red lacquered secretary soon before prices goes back up.
34
@M good luck with that as I’m pretty certain they’ve never gone out of slyly nor dropped in value 😀
2
Good time to buy antique furniture, I guess.
22
> "George V game table and chairs they bought for
> $10,000 back in 2006 {...} would likely sell for only
>$1,200."
>"two 19th-century chairs that had originally cost her
> $12,000. “The current market for them is $1,000"
I sympathize with their plight (my wife and I just spent a long time finding a suitable home -- for free! -- for a couple of sets of non dishwasher safe fine china, a particularly undervalued thing at the moment, that we don't have room for in our already well fiilled* house). But there is an element of disappointed speculation in some of these tales as well.
Tastes will change, perhaps back to this (as someone said, "history doesn't repeat, but it does rhyme") and I hope the good stuff finds appreciative new owners. But that doesn't mean its price will skyrocket or even hold its own.
* With a lot of antique furniture -- a mix of heirlooms that carry family stories, and thrift-store bargains and even dumpster bargains that we refinished. We love that look and have studiously avoided finding out what anything is worth -- though whether the kids will cherish it as we do when we're gone has occurred to us...
11
@absurdum. Re “non-dishwasher safe china” — Because I want to use what I like in a way that works for me, I’ve discovered that many pieces of china 100 years old do very well in the dishwasher. Some gilded plates may even do better because their edges aren’t rubbed in cleaning or drying. I prefer not to believe all the cautions I hear without testing some myself. Besides, if one plate breaks, I can always give the rest away.
13
@ST agree! 90% of our dishes are antique or vintage and the only things that don’t go in the dishwasher are wood salad bowls and delicate (new) champagne glasses. Ditto for the vintage sterling silverware bought on eBay, use it every day, and I could sell it tomorrow for what I paid.
6
I’ve only just gotten the budget to start buying antiques instead of new pieces and I never want to go back. With the bottom having fallen out of the market, antiques cost the same as or less than decent quality new furniture (not Ikea stuff you’ll have to replace when it falls apart in five years) and tends to be more nicely made. Plus there are so many more style options if you’re willing to hunt around a bit. I’m buying to furnish my own home for the next half-century, not as an investment or to follow trends, and that makes antiques a much better choice. Besides, those spare, light spaces are hard to actually live in, especially with pets and kids to get everything grubby.
64
@KP I recommend Arts & Crafts (Stickley), it’s beautiful, maintenance-free, and practically indestructible, our kid and cats will attest.
11
@KP, heh. My mom and I always crack up whenever we see commercials featuring perfect glass-cabineted white kitchens and totally white family rooms—owned by families with kids and dogs. How in God’s name does one keep spaces like that clean in real life?
16
The white, minimalist, Pinterest-y trend has to GO. They look good online but are so sad in real life. Colors, artwork, sentiments, personality, charm - please come back!
204
@Bridget T. Those white kitchens chip soon and are so impractical for actual cooks. Maybe not so bad if everything you get is take-out.
2
I'm 22 and just purchased a somewhat more updated home. While I appreciate modern touches, a solid antique piece can really make a room feel more "homey." I'm not about the sterile white spaces that we've been seeing. I've been in several and they're kind of unnerving.
Also, buying antiques is green! We bought a solid oak table that had been painted black with two different sets of chairs painted the same. We paid half the price of what we would pay for a cheapy pressed wood table and we got to give a nice old table and chairs a home. Older furniture just has more character.
356
As you’re Gen Z, your tastes will differ from Millennials. Of course you’re rejecting the sterile look and going back to something antique!
10
@Kaitlin -- wish there were more consumers like you!
17
There will always be an opposite answer to a style or trend, so, if you can, hold on to your antiques and be flexible. Anything before Victorian will keep their value.
I always liked the mix of old and new, but only if both are top pieces.
10
I much prefer the owners’ version - it looks like a home. The virtual loft looks like a corporate rental.
234
Staged rooms, whether real or virtual, are just that: staged.
They function the same way a “furnished”floor plan does, which is to let the buyer know how and where furniture can go in a space.
They are designed to be neutral so that you can project yourself into the room and see it as your own.
All these comments deriding the blandness of the staging, and praising the warmth of the rooms filled with real lives, completely miss the point.
When you buy a place to live, you are usually not buying the lives that the sellers lived in their home. You want to be able to make that apartment (or loft or house) yours, and Start fresh, but rooms filled with someone else’s grandma’s furniture are very much not that.
44
@Michael
Then why stage?! I sold my holiday condo empty, saved a lot of money! I also sold my old gracious brick home in Boston, unstaged. It was sold for asking price, but the new owner turned it into a charmless brick home by knocking out interior walls, and concrete the front entry courtyard by replacing the bricks laid in intricate pattern with character and craftsmanship. Wow, they call it the modern look!
13
Staged rooms, whether real or virtual, are just that: staged.
They function the same way a “furnished”floor plan does, which is to let the buyer know how and where furniture can go in a space.
They are designed to be neutral so that you can project yourself into the room and see it as your own.
All these comments deriding the blandness of the staging, and praising the warmth of the rooms filled with real lives, completely miss the point.
When you buy a place to live, you are usually not buying the lives that the sellers lived in their home. You want to be able to make that apartment (or loft or house) yours, and Start fresh, but rooms filled with someone else’s grandma’s furniture are very much not that.
6
When I have needed fixtures and furniture I've happily received what I can when given to me, or I've found it after some searching at estate sales and antique stores. It does take a lot of time to find smaller-sized and *durable* furniture that's not marked up higher than buying similar items new. Many consignment stores are asking for high prices for particle board furniture that's not in great condition or even all that sturdy, but I gladly shell out for quality older pieces.
As an immigrant kid I don't have any of grandparents' things or furniture handed down to me, so for whatever it's worth this (elder) millennial is happy to shop at your antique and estate sales -- that said, my home is quite small, so there's not much I can fit!
22
Difficult article to relate to as I live in a far less disposable and frugal-by-nature country.
Many of the 'newer' looking rooms have an uncomfortable and stark coldness to them.
Antiques are far kinder to the environment. Reduce, reuse, recycle. With antiques one can do that with style and warmth.
Would much rather prefer beautiful aged to perfection wood furniture and furnishings that have lived a life, or several lives, than Wayfair type cheaper made products and trinkets.
Not keen on supporting cheaply made online products where underage, often foreign, workers are possibly exploited and paid pennies to make cheap future landfill items.
140
@On a Small Island -- Are you on Vancouver Island? We love BC. Wish we had moved there when we were able.
Totally agree with your comment. Our house is filled with "old"/"brown" stuff. So be it. It feels like home. No MDF board or some other material that off-gasses for years.
13
Collect what you love and decorate your home in a way that makes your comfortable and happy. I couldn't less about trends or current fashions. I like 18th and 19th century country/folk furniture and lanterns. I'd decorate my house entirely with these pieces if my bank account could handle it. When it comes time to part with a home, then yeah, listen to the pros and stage it to sell.
37
Yes on both main points of your comment.
When you live in a house, you are expressing your own taste (and probably have at least a little clutter), and well you should. When you sell a house, you are drawing out the buyer's fantasies of how they might like to live, and giving them physical and psychological space to imagine making the space their own and equipping it with their things. These are rather different scenarios.
18
As an antique and art collector I understand how quickly rooms become cluttered. Getting rid of a French carriage clock would be like chopping off a finger.
So, I have two temperature controlled storage units and rotate pieces from the units to my house. Unfortunately this causes me to purchase additional items.
I am 69 years old and my health is poor, so one of these days I'm going to have to move to an assisted living facility. Or at least that's what my kids tell me. So I can live in a two room apartment that has the charm of a shoe box or chance it out in my home. I'll take the latter. You are what you are surrounded with.
49
@MJG
Stay where you are! I wish you well!
36
@Concerned Citizen -- this is real sage advice.
12
@Concerned Citizen
Reading your description 'I'd rather die' made me laugh, cry & nod all at the same time. Quite the apt choice of words.
5
My "brown" Nakashima coffee table and sea grass chairs look great. How silly, using the word "brown" to denigrate! Beautiful wood is exactly that.
98
@Concerned Citizen When people refer to Brown furniture, it is usually stained a dark brown which was popular years ago. It can be lightened in most cases.
5
@Su Ling Saul Excellent point. I have my immigrant grandmother's circa 1912 oak dining set with pressed back chairs and his & hers leather upholstered rocking chairs. They were dark oak and I had them refinished in light oak and tan leather. Updated the stodgy look.
10
At a certain moment, it will feel fresh and young and hip to cruise through antique stores and secondhand shops for cast offs redolent of history. This will be a treasure hunt showing nonconformity and value for the forgotten. And then it will be a trend, and people will fill houses with wood furniture, which, like trees, happens to be brown. They will have long tossed aside their white laminate, crumbling particle board.
People will realize that much of this heritage furniture has clean, elegant, simple lines and that it’s a caricature to think of it as fussy or ornate. They will come to appreciate the depth of the patina, the flowing lines, the rounded corners and edges. They will notice hallmarks of workmanship absent in their churned-out junk. They will see that placed properly, this furniture creates an airy, open, sophisticated, and energizing environment. This is not to reject, say, mid-century modern spareness. Far from it. But antiques don’t mean clutter or claustrophobia. And styles co-exist, and fine style will endure, even if all styles are cyclical and temporarily supplanted by new ones.
Antiques will always endure cycles of dismissal and worship. Best advice is to buy what you love, now, at affordable prices. Unless you have a crystal ball, I wouldn’t treat it as an investment, but I’d be happy to purchase things I love—and the history attached to them one pieces together over time—at an excellent value.
1
Some influencer type person needs to start a campaign about how GREEN antiques are. With everything going on with climate change, etc. new furniture and the techniques used to harvest the wood and manufacture the pieces is the opposite of green. Using pieces where the wood was harvested 100+ years ago, the glue is made from natural materials, and the fabrics are all natural, is the way to go. If the message to young people could be that they can save the earth by buying antiques, things might change. Pottery Barn, RH, Crate & Barrel are the equivalent of fast fashion!
282
I love 'brown' and have appreciation for antiques, particularly pieces that were cut from old growth trees that no longer exist. One solid piece of wood (not multiple slabs glued together.) This is recycling.
63
Interesting article. Thank you. When my beloved parents passed away, my sister and I each selected one of two small sentimental furniture pieces -- plus a few practical items. My two adult daughters did the same, selecting favored items to remember their grandparents. I happily took my mom's bone China "dishes," which I treasure and use. Everything else was sold at a three-day estate sale, mostly to nice strangers and dealers -- but some to friends who adored our parents, too. The process was healing and cathartic, and I believe my parents would have approved of our choice to let go of their life collectibles and furniture -- to make space for our own. Their open-mindedness was a gift, far more valuable than their furniture. My husband and I only hope our daughters will feel the same about us!
37
@Concerned Citizen: Yes, certainly more than a little buyers remorse from those in the "furniture as savvy investment game." At 50, my wife and I have acquired some things we very much like, although beyond a handful of small items passed to us from a grandparents estate, we don't have much that would qualify as antique. Our nest is edging ever closer to empty, and I can see the day coming where we downsize into something more proportional to our needs. These days, there's rarely even a need to go up to the second floor. I look at more than a few items around our home, many of which show the marks of a lively house in which 3 kids were raised and never less than 2 dogs (and those two getting old) have had the run of the place, and ask myself "Will I even own this item 20 years from now?" For me, my question isn't despairing or nihilistic, just practical. The objects are of limited importance and were merely the infrastructure that created a home for a loving family.
I'll take this article as a wake up call that our wedding china and silver should become our everyday ware over the course of the next few decades. It will be like Downton Abbey everyday (but without the servants, the pedigree, the money or the drama)!
14
"To keep a room feeling young and fresh, she advised keeping antiques to less than 25 percent of the furniture."
God forbid we should be anything other than "young and fresh." During the forties and fifties, people threw Tiffany lamps into the trash, considering them dowdy and outdated. GenX and the millenials are happy to go to Ikea or West Elm and buy flimsy new furniture rather than trawl thriftstores the way the young boomers did. It will take a new generation to appreciate all the old, "brown" furniture that hasn't ended up in the landfill.
112
@msd Not sure to what GenX people you refer because I am GenX and my friends and I were always furnishing our homes with amazing thrift store finds. Pretty sure GenX was majorly responsible for so much thrifting in the 80s and 90s that there was a span of time where all the stores were picked clean. Please do not lump my generation into the Ikea/West Elm crown. Ugh.
31
Does anyone ever sit on this "new" furniture? Or really live in these crispy, neat and impersonal homes? Looks like a corporate boardroom but certainly not like a home with your children.
42
@Kathleen Have you ever sat in an armchair from the 1800's? Yeah, no, not comfortable. My Mom's house is filled to the brim with family heirlooms dating back to who-knows-when, and it's basically a museum. Chairs you can't (and/or don't want to) sit on. Rugs you can't walk on (why are they on the floor then?). Several sets of silverware that need regular polishing. Generations worth of china sets that can't be used when my children are around for obvious reasons. It's not a home, it is an uncomfortable and foreboding environment. Give me a big soft newer couch I can cuddle with my kids on over my Mom's high-back chairs and fainting couches. Who cares at this point what it looks like, it facilitates closeness with my kids and is a million times easier to clean.
25
@Christine:
I see your point, but also think you and your kids have been "taught" that the rugs can't be walked on, the china can't be used (what is it being saved for?)......
I'd suggest talking to your parents if they're at all approachable or just plan to sell/ donate their furniture and collectibles when the time comes.
6
My husband and I moved recently and kept our favorite (4) smaller antique pieces and sold the rest (that hurt). Haven’t used my great-grandparents’ 50th wedding China in years, but it’s a classic pattern so I’ve held onto that. We’ve mixed the few antiques with roomy custom made contemporary sofas and chairs mixed with modern art and added more color to our fewer accessories. I like a house that looks like it’s been added to over the years, not a place that looks too matchy or too stylized.
17
Minimalism must have an end point, somewhere. I remember reading a satirical novel, years ago, about academia (pretty sure the author was James Hynes) in which a graduate student’s thesis on postmodernist postconstructuralist postcolonialism or something was a sheaf of blank paper.
So the ne plus ultra of minimalist decor will be an empty white room with a bare bulb hanging overhead. Designed by that much heralded visionary Xenon Puffbladder, known for curating spaces for the Names You Know. Like that fiercely brilliant billionaire an probable mutant tech CEO, with two brains, or that mysteriously reclusive movie actress who speaks 12 languages and can make herself invisible. Enormously expensive nothing. It’s the next big thing.
65
Ugh. Aren't we sick of painting everything blindingly white yet? That Chelsea loft in its "after" photo looks like a set from "2001: A Space Odyssey" -- not relaxing, but enervating, and even somewhat distrurbing.
104
I have my mother's 80s sofa with cabbage roses, so Mario Buatta (but not). Thank goodness it's faded, that makes it more bearable. The antiques have aged better than the sofa.
2
Why can't people get beyond this psychological issue? I've had friends reject great houses at good prices because of paint color...what a mental block. Filth, mold, and damage might make one think twice...but someone's antiques? This is silly, but I guess people struggle to imagine what the space would look like as theirs.
52
@C'est Moi, yes, some buyers lack imagination. But it’s also true that the wrong colors on the walls and too much furniture can make a place look and feel small, cramped and gloomy. So the home just doesn’t feel right to the buyer.
13
I have never been around antiques other than old stores somewhere. I do not own anything that is older than I am.
Everything in grandma's house came from the Sears and Roebuck Catalog. Mom was a former Marine.
The only two colors I saw growing up were glitter and camouflage.
Antiques were something to be found in a New England liberal's home and good folk like us just didn't do that. They put up an aluminum Christmas tree rather than walk out the back door onto a 600 acre farm and cut one down fresh.
10
It seems there are 2 points shared in this article.
1) It has been posited that prospective buyers are too stupid to envision a space as their own, or to see beyond others furniture, paint, and flooring. I have a hard time believing the general population truly lacks that much intelligence. And seriously, in NY, where affordable space is so coveted? Please. If a real estate agent has to resort to computerized trickery to sell your place because Grama's brown end tables are there, it's time for a new agent.
2) People don't want your stuff. "People" includes your kids, grandkids, collectors, strangers, etc. When my mother died suddenly a few years ago, my sibs and I got the wake up call after we spent a week speed-moving her things out of her rented condo. I grieved proundly as we gave away things I'd seen and touched many times. But as we let those things go, I started to see the excitement on the buyers faces. They were getting new treasures, things they may not have been able to afford otherwise. I knew they were going to paint and refigure pieces. So what?
Here's what I've learned. Things are often just memories. Keep the memories and let the things go. My hub and I are downsizing now, and sometimes I take a deep breath as I pull up to the Goodwill or St. Vincent dePaul. Just let it go.
109
@Rebecca
Taking photos of the things you are attached to, before donating or selling them, is helpful too.
26
gee - I really feel for the Bartons - so painful getting rid of their stuff. I sure hope the nearly 2.25 million dollars you are asking for your three bedroom apartment compensates you for your loss. And if that doesn't, then perhaps the commission on the other overpriced apartments Mr. Barton sells will do the trick. So painful.
34
Don’t toss it out just yet. Just ask the lady in Compiègne, France. A old, dark “non-descript” painting was found in her kitchen. It’s worth 6 million. What’s in style today will not be tomorrow. We should know that from fashion. The best solution is to combine new and old. It adds richness, (sorry for the pun), to the modern design.
24
You don't like that out-of-date stuff and your children don't wan it? Put it on ebay. Guaranteed that *someone* will buy it.
12
Do whatever makes you and your loved ones smile in your own hard earned place.
10
HGTV is a terrible influence (except for the blonde woman who restores old houses, cleaning and repurposing everything). My sister is a devotee, and her house is completely gray and white, including the kitchen. Will her grandkids remember it the way I remember our grandmother's cheerful yellow kitchen, its ruffled white curtains embroidered with strawberries and its counters lined with colorful cookie jars? Somehow I doubt it.
91
@M.E Why shouldn't they? As much as you loved you grandmother's decor, I'm guessing what you really loved and remember is your grandmother. Paint colors go out of style, but happy memories of grandma's kitchen never do... And besides, by the time they're grown the current style will be horribly dated.
5
@M.E Why shouldn't they? As much as you loved you grandmother's decor, I'm guessing what you really loved and remember is your grandmother. Paint colors go out of style, but happy memories of grandma's kitchen never do... And besides, by the time they're grown the current style will be horribly dated.
2
@M.E. Nicole on Addicted to Rehab? I love that show and yes, it sets a better example for sure with her renovations of neglected houses and repurposing of anything available. Otherwise, HGTV just dumbs it down for the masses so they can buy it at Ashley furniture or Walmart.
5
If you're going to live with the stuff, might as well live with the stuff you like, and not what some current, trendy interior designer is telling you to like.
Trust your own tastes.
40
@Ladybug Of course we're all are influenced by new trends , as long as we common folk don't go for it whole hog , we will be fine . We don't have to make 'statements' with our choices of decor to impress trendsetters , our statement is comfort , love , memories . a certain amount of success and most of all welcoming warmth . Our cherished stuff , whatever the mix , will make that happen ! Elle Decor will not be impressed , but my grand and great grand children love it .
Good grief , the first photo of the loft in Chelsea, one with the antiques and Persian rugs , is hideous, it could not be more unattractive. I fail to see the beauty is a 700 part metal and glass monstrosity like the hanging beast in that photo.
17
A few years back we bought an Edwardian bow fronted side board. It fits in with our mid century style sofas. It fits in with a repro' Eames chair. But the best thing about it is it oozes history and workmanship and was made with pride and love. You can't beat that.
47
"People aren't reading and writing like they used to".
Maybe that's why these new interiors looking so boring.
59
This is kind of an FYI. neither of my children had any interest in the sterling flatware, Waterford crystal and Wedgewood China I inherited or received as wedding gifts in the 70’s. I decided to load it in the car and take it down to Replacements in NC. At the
Last minute my daughter packed up a bunch of splashy Anthropologie China she was tired of. I got a lot more for that than my lovely Wedgewood.
I guess there are too many boomers like me getting rid of that stuff.
33
As someone who's from a long line of collectors of the "...interesting" (that was the reaction I got from a designer who walked into my house and, once he'd regained his composure said "how....interesting...you must have done this yourself"), I can relate to many of the comments and the article. Yes, I'm still thrilled to bits with that "refreshing" "folk art" carving of some sort of carnivorous fish hacked out of a log that's been lovingly named "Edna" but I know she's not for everyone.
If you really want to see how prices have bounced all over the place, watch one the Antiques Roadshows where they compare the appraised price from the original taping to what it is at the time of the rebroadcast. The price fluctuations are astonishing but I know, deep in my heart that Edna will still fetch the $25 I paid for her at the end of the day packing up rush at the Allemany Flea Market in San Francisco 17 years ago...
14
Both of my parents have passed away, and I have felt it meaningful and reassuring to bring new life to their legacy - their 1962 wedding china- the gorgeous Lenox Weatherly pattern - is used every day for every meal. I treasure them and remember when they were brought out for special occasions and holidays in my childhood, Every day is a special day now.
I also have ‘brown’ furniture handmade by my father - small storage tables, a desk - I cannot imagine them in anyone’s home other than mine.
I have bought my own quality solid wood furniture- handmade in Amish country- because it’s beautiful and real. One day I hope my daughter - or maybe my grandchildren- will want it and cherish the memories of legacy pieces as I do.
25
When my last parent died, I knew the gorgeous antiques and furniture (not antiques) would go for little at a well-respected auction. It was heartbreaking, but not surprising to see a stunning 9 foot sofa with down-stuffed cushions and carved pecan wood frame go for $100; the accompanying club chairs went for $20!
Crazily enough the items that fetched good money were outdoor garden furniture and ornamental items: a bistro table and chairs my mom bought at Walmart for $40 went for $175. Large decorative concrete garden pieces went for $200. All told, some decent money was made, but nothing like it would have decades ago. I was not sad to see things go, they were not my style and the few things that were, are now in my home.
6
@KC
I always think I should rent a truck and head down to the States for a shopping expedition. I love to mix antiques with modern but I cannot afford the prices in Canadian antique stores. Or for that matter, the prices of new, better quality furniture. We head to Ikea because it’s affordable, not because we want to... if I can get a chair for $70 (and I need 8 of them), I have no real choice. Even Wayfair (not exactly a haven of fair trade, artisan quality items) sells chairs for anywhere between $300 and $1200 a piece. Who can afford that??? I’d much rather buy antique chairs and recover them - I know how, it’s not that hard. But I can’t find the shield back style I like anywhere - not in a complete set anyway, and not in good condition. So we make do with pressed wood
5
@Beatrice Lawson
You definately need to rent a truck and come down. Brown shield chairs are dirt cheap, just clean them up and recover the seats. I'm toying with the thought of painting mine turquoise.
4
@Beatrice Lawson
You absolutely should consider coming down. So much for so little here.
"The thrill is gone."
I no longer 'hunt' for stuff, haven't for 6 or 7 years (at least).
Even gave up "Antique Roadshow" when finally realized, as my (older) husband had been saying for years -- 'but what do people do with all the stuff?"
And even with all this, and my niece emphatically saying she doesn't want a thing, she's getting my 'formal' Wedgwood china -- because it's beautiful and in 'her colors' -- silver and white -- and it's a cool/unusual pattern ... if she breaks it all up and makes mosaic art out of it, so be it ... I won't be around.
15
Thirty somethings seem to be concerned about the environment but don't want antiques (aka used furniture) which is one of the oldest forms of recycling. I have a few pieces that I have used and enjoyed for over ten years that came from my parents that used the same pieces for over 30 years and they were old when they got them In the same amount of time I have had friends replace entire rooms 2 or 3 times with the 'old' stuff in the dumpster. Oh, and I don't have a cluttered look. Edited 18th century looks great in modern buildings or at least that is what I get told.
35
I am set to inherit, among the many, many large pieces of antique furniture, my Great-Grandmother’s china set, my Grandmother’s china set, my Mother’s China sets and the accompanying silverware, serving plates, and china cabinets. My Dad literally told me it was my duty to “carry on their legacy.” I would prefer to keep the set I like and carry on their stories and family traditions instead of lugging all this stuff around with me for my entire life. Antiques themselves are not the problem, it’s the shear amount of them that get accumulated. My Dad’s house literally has rugs on top of rugs. It’s an overwhelming and stressful environment.
40
@Christine totally. And for all the people saying that the younger generation doesn’t respect craftsmanship and quality, and it’s more environmentally friendly to use old things? Where were those sentiments when you were buying your own wedding china, knowing full well you’d inherit the sets above you? The acquisitiveness - but also the difference in how generations live, the expectations, the formality, the status symbols - is part of an inherited issue. My mom already doesn’t want a lot of the brown furniture she’s inherited but she feels duty-bound to respect and maintain it. How many generations have to feel that way?
14
It's not that younger generations don't like furniture with character. It's that we move a lot (at least those of us from families well-off enough to have antiques in the first place) and this stuff is HEAVY.
36
Looking at the before and after results of the staging efforts, I have to wonder, whatever happened to taste?
31
Since when did most people have good taste?
Never.
So what sells it not "elite" by virtue of it being common .
I adore the look of those olive walls and the clutter of gorgeous muted wood.
22
I think it's good that millennials don't place a lot of value on this furniture. As a country we are too obsessed with acquiring stuff and more stuff. We need to get away from living in giant houses filled with tons of furniture. The way many Americans have been living isn't sustainable.
45
the sentiment is correct, but buying furniture from Ikea and considering it a disposable good every time one moves is not a sustainable practice.
37
@middle american:
or, to rephrase what you said, its sustainable as long as people are willing to pay the money but its wrecking the earth....
4
What kills me is the difference in quality. Compare your solid wood dining room table to the cardboard wood fiber one from IKEA. The IKEA one won't be here in 10 years, maybe not even 5. And what about the climate issue here? Why do we keep throwing out this solid wood furniture so that we can buy the equivalent of "fast fashion" level furniture from a third-world factory?
I found a great solid wood table at the local dump, threw it my truck, painted it, took and resold it in less than a week at the local antique mall at a nice profit.
97
@Concerned Citizen--YES, and even when you spend good money on a piece of furniture, you soon learn it doesn't have the staying power of the couch you took from your parents' house.
6
Bright and white and beige and white and cream and white and beige. UGH. Hopefully this trend toward whitewashing everything in sight will eventually end. Having beautiful hand-crafted antiques and interesting objects in your home from around the world isn't junk or clutter. It's art. It's unfortunate that most of the designers working today (and the ones endlessly featured in The Times) can't see beyond white walls and beige furniture.
55
It's not fair to paint all antiques-filled interiors with the same brush. The Chelsea loft looks dated but the Upper West Side apartment is gorgeous.
12
@Mopar
Really??? I find the UWS apartment so cluttered I feel claustrophobic just looking at it! The Chelsea loft looks more spacious, even with the antiques and is definitely more tastefully decorated. IMO, of course.
5
Gracious living is very much out of vogue, as the effort of creating a pleasant and personal home environment has been supplanted by the frenzy of staging a life for instagram and Facebook “stories.” With that need for speed and variety—after all, who wants to look at a vignette twice?—comes disposable possessions. Perhaps when this phase of living online passes there will be more interest in things that las?
23
@Katrina Lazenby
There’s a woman on Instagram with a fair few followers who is a stay at home mum with a side hustle selling cushion she makes. All her photos are highly staged with the white and bright aesthetic. Earlier this year she posted a pix with her husband. Her long post said that they had to forego family holidays because she was spending so much money on home accessories to keep her IG “fresh”. It read like a cry for help. Wish I had screengrabbed it because the post was soon deleted. So yes, ppl do stage their lives for IG. Sad.
2
It's not just the furniture although that is depressing enough; I have a complete set of furniture from Tampico which is well over 100 years old but unsaleable. Even small items are unwanted: pieces of Taladro, bone china tea services, and so on. What am I going to do with a lovely Edwardian fish cutlery set? Looks like it won't be long before there are no fish left to eat with it, just pieces of frozen cardboard from a supermarket.
15
For decades I subscribed to and enjoyed several "shelter" magazines. This is the year I abandon them all. I find it hard to believe that all of these wealthy homeowners are listening to fashionable interior decorators and choosing to live in cold, sterile rooms with nothing to capture and enchant the eye. They all look alike. Comfortless. Unimaginative.
44
@Dona Maria, I know some of those “wealthy homeowners” who have homes you would consider “cold (and) sterile with nothing to capture and enchant the eye.” For many, their dirty little secret is that they have multiple homes. So the vacation house on the lake or in the mountains or on the coast may be full of sentimental tchotchkes, the old books they could part with, a beloved schoolhouse desk they used in childhood, an old family dining table. When you have more places to stash stuff, you can have one home that is a minimalist showcase.
16
@Passion for Peaches
Oh this reminds me of recent story (maybe NYT) where wealthy homeowners have show kitchen they never use and a cubbyhole real kitchen they actually use.
1
I for one am not shedding a tear for any antique dealer or buyer. What an amazingly pretentious industry that should have known the approach of overpricing everything to the nines, with a goal of attracting only the wealthy, would bite them some day. I recall my experiences dropping into "high-end" antique stores in NY, CT, New Orleans or even the Berkshires (my wife is an interior designer) and being so put off by the attitudes and ridiculous prices.
38
@Patty Elston, I agree about the attitude. And it’s not just the high-end places. I once asked a seller, at one of those ubiquitous collective antique marts, what she was asking for a small table. Not a valuable antique, by my measure. But it was pretty, and had some nicely done hand-turned legs. She quoted an outrageous price for it — probably 150% more than it was worth — and commenced babbling about how long she’s been in the business and some of the amazing furniture she’s sold, etc. Dropping names. Really putting on airs, since this mart was just an old barn, and most of what use was selling was more “used furniture” than antiques. The woman was quite coarse in manner, so her act more comical then offensive. She even announced that “if you have to ask (her) prices you can’t afford me!”. I was about to excuse myself and leave, but then this happened. As she rattled on, she backed up and SAT DOWN on the table she claimed was a rare antique! I heard the table creak. Poor table!
20
As kids, we loved shopping for antiques. I got a beautiful heavy silver bracelet for 50 cents and a china tea set made in Occupied Japan for 1.50. There were also great used bookstores and still are - autographed, 1st edition, out of print books, etc. sometimes quite cheap. Someone gave me a Nook, it had a sad, grey screen, and when it broke, no one could fix it.
9
I'll take all those unwanted 'brown' furnishings, i.e. very fine, rare or extinct wood. I love the stuff, you can keep the modern.
31
It isn't so much the brown furniture as the crowdedness of the look with just too much stuff crammed into the space.
Too many displayed collectibles remove all the mental oxygen from a room and it gets a hoarder vibe.
And there needs to be a place to dispose of all the Creepy Hummel figurines.....you can remember your loved ones without having to retain everything they owned.
39
These days, people are sheep when it comes to decorating fashions. It's mid-century modern (imitation) all the way...and the same Eames-designed lounger in every apartment. Yawn...
For those interested in health and the environment...Antique furniture has already off-gassed. Nobody needs to cut down more forests to make it.
For those on a budget: 20thc reproduction (fake) antiques in brown wood are cheaper than IKEA. Visit some local auction house previews, and see for yourselves.
For those who appreciate craftsmanship: older antique furniture is hand-made, usually of beautiful woods.
For those looking to buy/sell real estate...Whatever happened to the ability to look at a home and imagine your own stuff in it ?
42
I recently bought a house and was always a bit surprised by the spareness while I was looking. I was always thinking; Where do they keep their books?
35
Evidently no one wants books around anymore. The fellow in the finance industry who bought our apartment tore out most all of our bookcases the minute he moved in. It’s where it’s going. To me, each book contains either a cherished memory or the promise of an interesting journey. I don’t think the current or future generation agree.
24
It’s called a Kindle. Thousands of books in one small device. Welcome to the 21st century.
14
@DRS. And 25 years from now, you won’t be able to “access” anything on that particular piece of plastic, and will be forced to “upgrade” (pay again) instead of being able to walk across a room and pulling down a favorite book. Lotsa luck!
42
I want to be selfish. I want to stay in my house until die. Then my family can do whatever they want with my stuff. If no one wants anything - ok. But thinking about a dumpster in our driveway and watching my daughters pitching my “collections” is a lot to mentally handle.
This is probably the wish of many. Not exactly likely though.
12
My mother died in her bed and I got stuck in her old house with all her stuff. It could be worse, it's better than the open plan homes for sale.
1
If anyone out there has a collection of antiques out there that they regard as an impediment to the sale of their home, my wife and I would be more than happy to relieve you of them. We would dearly love to have such a collection but have never been able to afford it.
30
@gmgwat You should look on Craig's List and eBay. I have offered up brown furniture, china collections, armoire et al., and so much does not get picked up even for free. Really. Don't just wish -- look. It is all there.
13
Sounds like you need to start shopping at estate sales. The whole point of this article is that some people literally can’t give away their antiques for free.
14
the room i'm sitting in is filled with brown furniture, some i acquired and some that came to me through the family, some i snatched from the street, and some i made. i like it and that's all that matters to me. but my biggest regret is the five foot diameter rock maple pedestal dining room table i just had to have when my mother downsized. impossible to get rid of. she had a habit of buying striking pieces of wood at yard sales so i took the 11ft by 17 inch piece of mahogany she bought, and the two and a half inch thick live edge clear pine she also bought and made my own dining room table. once in a while i think i should start going through all this furniture and ease it on down the road, until i start opening drawers and get overwhelmed by all the stuff in them.
4
I can confirm this is true. No one wants antiques or “classic” style furniture these days. I had to clear the home of a deceased relative, and ended up giving away some real treasures that had been in the family for a few generations. I have no room for such things. Neither did anyone else.
It males me sad. Those items were loved.
In an attempt to simplify my life, I sold off some of my newer furniture through consignment last year. The consignment shop did not want my older style and antique pieces, even though they are collector quality. I tried an auction house, and no one purchased the stuff. So I suppose if you have a yen for antiques, this is the time to buy. It’s a buyer’s market.
31
I have dabbled in selling vintage/ antique pieces for about 30 years. The MCM boom is fading. I am watching 20somethings that are fascinated by the heavier, ornate pieces of furniture. They have spent their lives hearing the praises of "clean lines" and are starting to tire of the style.
29
And let’s not forget the plight of us children of snowbirds! My mom joined many of her friends, cramming as much of their NY brown furniture as possible into their white stucco condos. I think my sister and I had to pay for someone to take it all away.
6
I think the biggest thing with these homes filled with antiques is all the clutter. Lots and lots of tchotchkes cover every table and shelf, and dark walls, dark carpets, dark upholstery compound the problem. Getting rid of the cluttered furniture and ornaments, the copious number of obscure dark, dingy oil paintings, painting the walls, and reupholstering some of the furniture in lighter colors helps to alleviate the "brown" of the wood furniture. Oh, and if you have dark wallpaper, get rid of it!
24
Maybe it can all be marketed as good for the environment. Manufacturing huge quantities of new stuff is really bad in terms of deforestation, use of other natural resources, use of toxic chemicals, transportation, etc. etc.
30
Years ago my college roommate was given numerous antique pieces from her family when they downsized. Her parents, down on their luck, were once prosperous, from old money outside Philadelphia. And many of the pieces were quite valuable and very old. They were also huge, and heavy, and not the kind of things you could move or store easily.
I remember thinking about what a burden they were for my friend, a schoolteacher, jammed into her modest little apartment in Florida. I had almost nothing, and never would inherit anything fine or valuable, but even then I felt relieved that I wouldn't have the responsibility she had, to secure and maintain those "valuable" pieces throughout her lifetime.
26
In twenty years the design pendulum will swing again and dark wood antiques will be back in vogue. No one could give away mid-century modern in the Eighties.
40
@FB, I saw a swing like that with Stickley style Craftsman furniture. It was all the rage, for a time, and the old Stickley pieces were really pricey (they are still manufactured, but the wood is not as lovely) and hard to come by. Then it was out of fashion and you could get some great bargains. It never really bottomed out because Craftsman furniture always has a market among owners of Craftsman homes, but it’s popularity goes up and down.
I love old wood furniture and wish I had a place to put some of the bargains I see being sold off. But I am at a stage of life where I need to have less, not more.
Anyone who loves modern, minimalist and sleek would be apoplectic if they visited my house. I like it the way it is.
23
@FB... Not true! I lived in Manhattan then & that was when mid-century modern was at its hottest, especially at Fifty-50!
2
With spare interiors and light colors all the rage right now, selling a home filled with period pieces can be a challenge.
SPARSE interiors, right?
3
@Patrick D, no, the correct word is spare. Sparse is the more negative word. It means meager. It implies miserliness, as if something is lacking. Spare means that the space is not overfilled. It implies a purposefully restrained design.
13
My parents, both in their 70's, are antique collectors. They live in a huge house with too many antique pieces. One day they will no longer be here--my siblings and I will one day have to deal with selling or getting rid of most of it. I can already see the headache ahead. I never understood people's desire to collect and accumulate. What's the point? We're all going to die one day. We don't need most of the things we have...
26
@MrNiceGuy What's the point? It was their home, and it was the place they enjoyed coming home to, living in, perhaps at times throughout their lives, fondly recalling the occasion of a gift or a purchase. Their antiques provided the feeling of a warm or lovely home. Who knows? Many people appreciate the beauty of objects others have created. Their home was for them, and your future annoyance was mostly likely not in their minds. Simple solution. Speak with them about the burden this places on you, and ask if in their will they would designate where to donate what you and your siblings don't want. If this doesn't work, you and your siblings donate it, or roll up the dumpsters and pitch it.
31
@MrNiceGuy
" I never understood people's desire to collect and accumulate. What's the point? We're all going to die one day..."
What a sorry world it would be had nobody bothered to collect all those paintings and works of art you now enjoy in the great museums of this world.
And doesn't Art live forever?
22
@Carol
We placed items on the curbside when we last moved. We had no problem with getting rid of things when they were marked "free."
4
Coming to Central PA in the seventies and attending local auctions I appreciated some of the things we collected: old crocks, sea trunks, a Morris chair and cane bottom kitchen chairs with turned legs. Some things were found by the side of the road and restored. I "get" the mid century modern, but I also want to use what I already have. When I see a chair possibly made by an artisan in the area, I appreciate it now just as I did forty years ago. I find that Ikea which I see around chips and looks worn - perhaps that is planned obsolescence! I suspect that as soon as everyone has abandoned "brown" furniture, then once again the search for it will be revived. BTW "brown" is a disparaging term for the gorgeous patina and grain of old woods.
71
Interior taste today is a lost art. Spartan modernism is factory made. Everything before 1830 was made by hand. This antique sensibility is lost (as evidenced by the closing of antique shops all across America) and the people left with houses full of beautiful objects that their children don't want because some online retailer is more appealing, must enjoy what they have purchased for themselves alone. Perhaps this is the way it should be. Generational shifts are always jarring. The imari and mahogany and asian rugs will hopefully live to see another day for a new generation that will appreciate them again.
48
In my opinion, that totally white room evinces nothing: no personality, no style, no taste. It is the room that someone decorating a home for the first time might pick, because it's innocuous. It's also cold. Some say that people choose all white décor because they want to be the center of attention. Ugh. One's personality, not one's lack thereof, should be reflected in their home, they way they dress and the way they treat others. Just sayin'.
59
White and emptier denotes: cleanliness, opens the space, a blank canvass to furnish/decorate upon. I love my decorated home, but that is Real Estate 101, sorry not sorry.
13
My husband and I have a lot of older pieces of furniture throughout our home, none of which ever cost a fortune, just pieces that blend warmly and nicely with the overall look and feeling of the place.
The nicest compliment people give us is when they comment our place feels like a rich, engaging home to hang out and chill, read, drink some wine or share some stories.
The only things I am "married to" are little things from my mother, i.e., her wedding picture, her cookbook, a shoe box filled with her handwritten recipes, and a few pieces of jewelry that aren't worth much, monetarily, but priceless in the sentimentality arena.
I appreciate and marvel at many antiques but never really go past that because I never want to be in an emotional spot where it would hurt more to see them to than ever having them in the first place.
Besides, my rarest of antiques is my perfect and loving husband. He is one of a kind and I will NEVER part with him.
41
I made the painful decision to part with my parents' dressers (one high and one low with mirror), purchased new when they were newlyweds in 1956. They were brown and plain, and did not look visibly "mid century modern". I donated them to a local ReStore (proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity) which takes anything in decent condition - at least here in Bucks County PA.
A few days later I regretted my decision and went back to the ReStore to buy the dressers back. They had sold already. As had the dining room set.
Somebody likes traditional furniture at the right price. Nothing need be thrown out - someone will give it another life. Just quit the notion that your household goods are an investment. Buy what you like to look at, use it as long as you wish, and then pass it on.
113
I like one of a kind pieces. I don’t like the modern dentist-office-waiting-room-masquerading-as-a-living-room look. The obvious staging is rather off putting.
77
I’m straddling the Gen-X/Millennial line. I’m taking care of young kids, and aging parents. As a child of boomers, both my spouse and I have divorced and remarried parents...that adds up to 8(!!) people in my parents/step-parents/in-laws/step-in-laws’ generation. They all have houses in the suburbs full of heavy furniture, china cabinets full of unused dishes, and collectibles galore. I dread the day we have to go through those things. Why should my young family be burdened with the all the physical things they loved? Can I not pick out a few favorites with deep meaning to keep as a memory of them? Why is it not acceptable for me and my family to develop our own tastes in home decor and what meets our needs? My parents’ generation amassed things that suited their tastes, why am I not afforded the same luxury?
83
@William Becker
Your post resonated with me - I'm a boomer whose parents are recently deceased. When my brothers and I broke up my father's last apartment, I limited what I took to what would fit in two boxes in the trunk of my car. That limited me to some childhood books that I'd loved, some colonial silver that had been in the family for hundreds of years, a carved wooden cowboy that I'd played with as a kid - you get the idea. Just a handful of items that had meaning. Everything else was donated. It was not as painful as I thought it would be. My wife and I took a hard look at our stuff, and we've started aggressively weeding things out so that we leave a smaller footprint behind. It feels great.
68
@Tudor City Crab I work for an estate planning/estate administration law firm. I am amazed at what people accumulate over the years. When my in-laws passed away, there were many family "pieces" that "everyone" had wanted before the parents died. Now, we ended up with almost everything in their house because my husband just couldn't part with it. I just hope I "go on ahead" before he does and let him sort it out!
18
@William Becker My Mother was an only child, and the repository for all the family "treasures". When she moved in with me, I had to get a large storage unit for all that would not fit in my house. When she died and I cleaned out that storage unit, I realized that she had never used most of the stuff- she kept it out of guilt. I had an epiphany..I only needed to keep what I liked. So I did, kept a few small things for each of her grandchildren, and donated the rest. Both I and my kids are very happy with this. When I go, I hope my kids will do the same.
9
People who love antiques should keep them and love them. However, if they want to sell their houses, they shouldn't expect others to share their sentiments. They aren't buying your vision of a lovely home, they are buying into their own ideas of a lovely home.
Bottom line is this; if they want to sell the house, they should box up all their stuff and store it temporarily (they're going to have to do it to move anyway), and reset it as directed by the professional sales agents.
32
Please, if you do not have enough intelligence to look at a space and see what YOU could do with it, buy one of those metal shipping sheds. Or live in a basement. Color and furniture are 2 things you can easily change. White is the absence of color, like your sense of style and taste. And the trouble is most designers can not figure out how to work with the white, creams, beige colors that are available. Go read Donald Kaufman’s books on color. He was an architect who worked in color. White is bland, not stylish and ordinary. And there is tons of unimaginative and very ordinary white interiors out there. No cache, no style. But you know what, people who return from Europe, England especially, always comment on how beautiful those high gloss aubergine or dark forest green rooms are. And if you can not see beyond the space you are considering buying, then you deserve to be trolled. As does your realtor who also is unimaginative and afraid to work hard to sell your property.
10
@Per Axel The buyer isn't going to be trolled, they are going to select another property that meets their needs and is more in line with their preferences. Most people who sell a home hope to do so at the highest price possible, and a good realtor will make suggestions to facilitate that. If you prefer to sell your property for less than other comparable, well-staged homes in your market, then feel free to disregard their advice. It's your money after all.
10
@Per Axel Absolutely. So sad that people these days have no imagination.
3
Consumers should stop being influenced by Ikea and Restoration Hardware. They are only trying to sell you something to replace perfectly good items you already own and enjoy. Celebrate your own personal taste in furniture. I wouldn't part with my family heirloom antiques for all the money in the world. Those antiques are the legacy of memories from many generations of my family.
223
I've inherited my share of antiques and I am among those who love a blend of the old and the new. I disagree with those who are so saddened that "value" has been lost - I don't think it has if you and your family have spent years enjoying the pieces. That is significant value and maybe that is enough.
138
@Kate A I also love a blend. Antiques add a depth of style and sophistication to a space and keep it from looking like a showroom or retail store. Suppose you threw away your entire wardrobe today and shopped for everything new tomorrow, you'd look like September 2019, forever stuck in one idea when what you really want is a layering, so much more interesting and unique.
12
These things run in cycles. If folks are going to take a big loss on something and they can afford to store items or give them to willing younger folks, they will likely increase in value in coming years. I have been in and out of the antiques business since the '80s and have seen fashions come and go. Do not despair based on your realtor's opinion, millennial's current taste or an article in the Times, in five years the opposite can be true, have faith. Hopefully not everyone will think that gigantic TV on the wall is tasteful anyway, regardless of what year it is....
92
I hate those giant TV sets and they turn me off, like those ugly, tacky, renovated "open plan" homes. Some local rich person had an open house and my mother and I had to run out into the street to scream with laughter, it was in such bad taste. The TV set took up an entire wall and was so big the picture was blurry. It was like sitting in the front row of a movie theatre.
5
My kids don't want any of my"stuff" either. Some of it has been in the family for over 200 years and was, when my parents had it appraised 35 years ago, quite valuable. My parents instilled (read: pounded into my head) a sense of responsibility for these objects as if they were family and not just artifacts of family. I have not yet been able to bring myself to let it go, but have at least gotten to recognize it is a burden to be tied to stuff, even beautiful stuff. Someday....
59
@JCG. It was my responsibility as executor of my parents' estate to dispose of everything inside the house, as well as the house itself. I got over any sentimentality about the objects once I did a deep assessment of what all was crammed into their two story, 4 BR, formal dining and living rooms, and family room. It was all lovely for them, but not my style and there was just simply too much of it (also not my style). I learned quickly that furniture and even high-end clothing (but not designer) have nearly no resale value, so one just swallows that and works diligently to complete the job at hand. I kept one item: An iron doorstop shaped like a little dog that my mom had loved as a child. I also followed all of the advice of the realtor - hired an estate sale company to first empty the house, then removed the carpet to reveal utterly pristine oak floors, and had the reams of wallpaper removed and painted every wall the lightest dove gray. It sold 2-3 months after we listed it. I might still have it today if I hadn't been willing to follow the advice of experts!
21
@JCG. It was my responsibility as executor of my parents' estate to dispose of everything inside the house, as well as the house itself. I got over any sentimentality about the objects once I did a deep assessment of what all was crammed into their two story, 4 BR, formal dining and living rooms, and family room. It was all lovely for them, but not my style and there was just simply too much of it (also not my style). I learned quickly that furniture and even high-end clothing (but not designer) have nearly no resale value, so one just swallows that and works diligently to complete the job at hand. I kept one item: An iron doorstop shaped like a little dog that my mom had loved as a child. I also followed all of the advice of the realtor - hired an estate sale company to first empty the house, then removed the carpet to reveal utterly pristine oak floors, and had the reams of wallpaper removed and painted every wall the lightest dove gray. It sold 2-3 months after we listed it. I might still have it today if I hadn't been willing to follow the advice of experts! PS It was also pounded into me as to the value of all these objects, primarily because they were "family pieces." I didn't want them and had no room for them. I also had come to see the degree to which one can become tied down by stuff.
6
@JCG I think that is just tragic. I am so sorry.
6
An interesting trend is distressed wood along with
repurposed old industrial and agricultural items which have been cleaned up. (Well, maybe not in NYC or other urban settings where the living spaces have less square footage than the ‘burbs). When I’m horizontal my heirs will be rich if this trend continues.
8
Exactly. Four years ago we dispersed a houseful of antiques and found the rugs at Ikea were preferred, an entire collection of clocks were valueless on market - it was quite sad. I let somethings go anyway which I wish I had not. A beautiful set of handblown Czech amber crystal with gold from my grandmother because I had not used them in years. . . . but I'm still sorry.
57
When, 30 yrs ago, I went to sell my Alexandria, VA ranch house, the first realtor told me to paint the real knotty pine part of the basement white. The upstairs had a renovated galley kitchen open on one side and a remodeled, skylit bath. I ignored the first realtor, found a second who sold the house to the first person who looked at it. So much for greige and realtors.
50
@J
That was then, this is now. Now, that house better be at least minimally staged, else you're leaving money on the table. We all like our personal things and have our personal tastes. But selling a home is a different matter. You have to present a neutral palette that allows a buyer to envision *their* stuff in that space, not distract them with the sellers stuff. There have been a lot of articles about this and there are just differences between younger and older generations when it comes to acquiring furniture and setting up house. I get both sides, but me personally I trend to minimal. I have old things I love, but these tend to be glassware, art, metalware, accessories and stuff that can be easily boxed and transported- and can compliment a variety of styles. Oversized heavy furniture is a real bear to deal with unless you absolutely love it.
16
@J, agreed. After my dad died, my mother was thinking of selling, feeling she needed to reduce her tax burden by moving. The realtor brought in a stager who went through our entire house disparaging its mid-century/brown furniture look and suggesting essentially that we paint everything (paneling, new kitchen cabinets we just bought) white. The changes would have cost the earth, and between them, moving costs, and putting things in storage, my mom couldn’t see how she’d be saving money. She decided to stay, and she’s managed the taxes quite well. Ironically, the place she was thinking of moving has had to raise taxes several times over since because of all the senior citizens fleeing there for lower taxes. :)
5
This article is right in a lot of areas but doesn't allow for the rise in nostalgia among under-50s. I am 27 years old and run Quittner Antiques, an antique store, and restoration studio, in Germantown, NY with my husband, Ben. 80% of our repair and restoration jobs come from clients over 50, but nearly 80% of our sales are to buyers under 50. They are looking for specific pieces, typically on the small side (side tables, lamps, knick-knacks, etc.) to finish a room. They aren't paying thousands of dollars for a piece, but that's ok because we are buying our inventory in a down market too, so we're still making a profit. I wish that this article included a voice that sees this upswing. Design aesthetics have changed, people want cleaner spaces and sharper lines, but more and more people are looking to incorporate the comfort they felt in 'grandma's house' into their own homes.
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@Pippa Biddle
Good for you guys! Somebody has to be on the saving end....
18
This article is very enlightening and also very sad. My siblings and I grew up in the 1960s and 70s surrounded by the American, British and Oriental antiques my mother loved to acquire. To think that most of these still classy and beautiful pieces she and her contemporaries acquired with such passion and love are now so unwanted by the next generation is depressing. I got the collection bug 15 years ago and have amassed rooms full of antique manuscripts, early printed books and artifacts from the world's great religions. I keep telling my wife that they will go up in value in the future while today's hot contemporary art and furniture will become passe-am I deluding myself?
35
No you are not. If you want to sell try a European auction house. Antiques are much more prized in Europe. They are not at all afraid of their taste. Where most Americans tremble when deciding between ivory and cream. Rather than asking do I like that piece, they wonder how it will look on Instagram. Their personal taste does not matter, as they have none.
39
@James Melikian
You can always donate your antique manuscripts and books to a museum that collects them. Huntington Library in Pasadena CA and the Getty Museum in LA both have very large collections and are always looking for more. You could also try some of your local universities and see if they would have an interest.
7
@AliciaM
I appreciate your suggestions and we are friends with the manuscript staff at the Getty Museum. Our hope is to open up a museum here in Phoenix to share with the public the antique manuscripts and relics from the great religions of the world. You can check our collection website to see what we plan to display ( The Melikian Collection.com).
9
A great article reflects the market out here. My interests are museum replicas of ancient sculptures. I bought my first when I was 11 years old when I visited the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. It cost $1.75 and I will never part with it. I fancy my many cluttered look imitates studios of 18th century collector. With paintings on the walls and stacks of books I realize I must downsize and to this end have set myself daily and weekly targets. A tough process but working.
12
Found the same when liquidating parents home. But believe there must be a market in some parts of the US. Is all of New Orleans going mid-century?
And what about environmental consciousness i.e. re-using, re-cycling. Millennials need some creative imagination. There's a ton of current design out there with re-purposed wood from barns etc.
43
@LM I would guess there's a market for lower-priced items. But trying to sell a table and a couple of chairs for $10k won't get you far with Millennials.
28
@Erica yeah, I get that one ought not expect high prices for their antiques.
But at the same time there is something very off putting about the very same people on the one hand being concerned about climate change and environmental collapse and on the other hand saying that they just can't bear that old, brown, furniture, since it hasn't kept up with modern taste and style. Out with the old, in with the new, regardless of the environmental catastrophe we are facing.
30
@Warbler - I had to roll my eyes when AOC announced her Green New Deal and then posted a video of her putting together brand new Ikea furniture for her office. So, buy from a company based on one continent, who makes the product on another, and then ships it to the final continent when AOC could have gone to any Goodwill in D.C. and found nice, real wood furniture.
52
Is anyone else struck by the fact that in the Chelsea loft they virtually replaced the piano and artwork with a large screen tv? Above a dining table, no less - like a sports bar.
479
@Annie I believe that is a painting above the table, not a large screen TV.
11
@Annie
It looks like artwork to me.
4
@Annie
It looks like either a photo or painting, not a TV...which, I agree, would be totally tacky.
6
I am an aging baby boomer with a house of "brown furniture". Over the years I have collected a number of antiques of which I am quite fond. My two children do not need nor want any of my "stuff". I am seriously considering slowly weeding out pieces of furniture, sterling silver, & paintings. I may pare down to owning only my primitives & basic necessities. The thought of my children ordering a dumpster & filling it with the things I have loved for half a century depresses me far more than getting rid of the collected things myself.
I cannot understand why today's buyers look with disdain upon beautiful old furniture that has mellowed with a wonderful patina & character. Where I came from, appreciating antiques & old things was a mark of breeding.
235
@RBR As someone on the cusp of having to clean out my Silent Generation mom's house, people (including a lot of boomers and Genxers) aren't looking to stuff so much to define status. Those of us who are still working (and taking care of both kids and parents) don't have time for hand washing china, polishing antique furniture, dusting the knick-knacks, and keeping the silver untarnished. My mom's been sitting on two 20pc sets of china for decades without use. Even she never used it because it wasn't dishwasher safe. There was a time before kids when I might have used it a couple times a years. I'll stick with my stonewear, thanks. I had some older furniture pieces. I've kept some that are mid-century, but the older items had a larger footprint that didn't work well in our space, and the dresser drawers were too heavy for the kids to manage solo. Form needs to follow function. But I'll be keeping the photos.
70
@RBR It is not just antiques & well loved old stuff that these people are disdainful of, it is anything that is not modern & new. They've been raised in a consumer world of "getting the latest IPhone & updating a home by replacing the appliances with stainless steel, furniture & counter tops", even if every thing works great. It's such an anomaly because they feel that they are doing their part for the environment by reusing, reducing & recycling plastic bags.
72
@RBR
All comes down to beauty being in the eye of the beholder.
12
When I had to downsize after the death of my husband, I was (somewhat) comforted by the concept the economists call "sunk costs." The money's been spent...it's gone, it's gone. Unrecoverable. Yes, sunk. So treasure the memories of all the enjoyment over the years. That's what's priceless.
305
@Paducah. Your comment reminded me of a financial advisor who encouraged us to differentiate between investment decisions and consumption decisions. The consumption decisions, he observed, really were mostly about what gave pleasure in the present and made for good memories in the future.
56
@Paducah
The sunk cost fallacy may be the root cause of many a hoarding situation too.
4
In the 1950s and 1960s, you could buy Chinese huanghuali furniture from the Ming Dynasty for a fraction of the price you would pay for 18th century English and Continental furniture.
While the prices of antique European furniture have vastly weakened since then, the opposite is true for their Chinese counterparts.
In 2019, it is routine to price a pair of quality 18th century huanghuali chairs at a quarter of a MILLION USD.
Market, my dears, is everything.
56
I always recommend oriental rugs to young friends. They always hold value. Even better, they mask kids grape jelly accidents, unfortunate red wine mishaps, and the older they get, the better they look.
83
@Nancy
Well, only if they are truly well made.
I have bought antique rugs. Cleaning them costs as much as buying a new rug if properly done by the hand washing method. And to keep antique rugs in good condition, they must be cleaned at least once a year. Because the wool was not preshrunk, one rug ended up being severely wrinkled as the wool shrunk during cleaning. It could never be fixed.
16
@Casey Hose. Driveway. Wool light. Scrub brush. Hang on fence. Repeat.
17
To keep Persian rugs in good condition, they must be vacuumed once a week.
Washing? My mom had them done every three years. Me? Maybe every 15. So far.
Vacuuming, spot cleaning; they've survived dogs, cats, dozens of relatives, scores of guests, babies, spills, what have you.
The coir rug I bought 40 years ago, before I inherited my Persians, was a goner the first time a wine glass tipped over on it.
22
Young families and first time homeowners aren't all that picky about donated (even brown) furniture. Yes it hurts to pass on for nearly nothing what you paid good money for forty years ago, but better it gets up-cycled and used as opposed to land filled. I have noticed a trend of millennials using old china cabinets as home bars. The shelves hold bottles and glassware and drawers store all the mixing apparatus. And they look pretty cool.
62
@MD Agreed. It's not that Millennials don't like brown furniture. They just don't think it's worth the large prices or is reasonable investment.
11
@MD I use my great-grandmother's 1920s mahogany china hutch as a bookcase. The mirrored effect is pretty cool--especially since I've painted the dining room charcoal grey, which makes the wood pop. I could totally see my sister using it as a liquor cabinet. If you aren't married to a piece serving its original purpose, old wood can be a lot of fun. Eventually my fellow millennials will figure that out.
9
My house is filled with antiques and collectibles of all kinds. Some are truly unique, some are admittedly junk (or “junque,” as we used to say, to put a positive spin on it).
But I luckily don’t need to downsize, and I would NEVER relocate to Florida. I’d rather die than live in a gated golf community and rush to catch the early bird.
My adult children have already informed me that if they inherit the house, they are throwing everything out.
I hope they wait till I’m cold, at least!
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@David G.
I hope they sell everything , or donate to those in need. Throwing it out would be so wasteful. There are companies that do this, and your kids may even make money on the deal.
24
@David G. You have the right attitude, sir. Who cares what happens to it when you are done enjoying it?
12
One reason that antiques have fallen out of favor is that most people have never constructed a single thing using their own two hands. This trend reminds me of Mao's Cultural revolution, where venerated professors were marched through the street wearing dunce caps by hordes of ignorant, gullible students; their skills and knowledge were lost and it took China decades to catch up. The designers and craftspeople of just 100 years ago could dance circles around anyone today. That goes just as well for the architects. Whenever you read promotional literature for a new luxury condo, the sourcing of all the exotic material is invariably trumpeted. Ironically, no matter where a piece of wood or stone came from, it ends up as the same shiny, unadorned slab. Formica would do just as well for 1/100th the cost.
Designers today can not only not think outside the box, all they can think about is the box. Complex shapes are just too taxing on the brain, to envision and construct, so everyone ends up living in a place that looks essentially like their office or a hospital waiting room, down to the very spartan furniture. The software packages available to designers and architects today grants them almost godlike powers to imagine and fabricate but only have the ability to think in terms of planar surfaces. I attribute it to an atrophied ability to draw.
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@stan continople
There are still multitudes of creative craftspersons around, although they may not be paid much attention to by designers and the home industry.
Just peruse the sites etsy and instructables and you'll find some (although there's also much mediocrity to sift through to find them).
8
@nom de guerre
I agree with you. I recently built a rolling closet to my own design with both new and reclaimed wood. It’s lovely and unique and low cost.
7
Someone might want to do a similar, obviously non-real estate related piece on old coins, paper money and stamps.
29
@LucianoYYZ
Yup. What do I do with 50..or maybe it's closer to 100-- completely ordinary unremarkable kind-of unattractive 1971-72 nickle/copper Eisenhower dollars? Will a bank/the treasury department even take them back? 50lbs of treasure in the bottom of my closet! :)
3
@Steve
Well, at the very least, you have $50 to $100, so they're not worthless.
3
@LucianoYYZ, yeah, boy. My dad collected coins for twenty years, including mint sets galore, but the appraiser I took them to said they weren’t worth much at all.
I have a lot of "brown" furniture, some of it antique pieces that have been in the family for decades. I much prefer it to the "contemporary" look which seems so sterile.
88
So are people really so devoid of imagination that they can't envision the house after the current owners take out all their stuff and they paint and furnish it to their liking? Wow.
425
I know!
It's one thing to be aghast at "open concept" renovations of beautiful 19th-century farmhouses, and quite another not to be able to get past a mahogany credenza.
78
@C Wolfe You are so right! A friend once took me aside confessing how guilty she felt for insisting that she and her husband not buy a house he really wanted. The house in question was built to design specifications from the owners in the late 50's. When they went to see the house they were invited in by an old woman owner, now a widow, who was dressed in pink chiffon and had white hair dyed pink. The carpeting was pink. The walls were painted pink, and the fireplace was pink marble. The widow told them that there were beautiful wooden floors throughout the home but she always had each room carpeted and never let the carpet installers wear their shoes when working. The floors had never been walked on! The house was in immaculate condition and had been beautifully designed in spite of the woman's insistence on pink interiors.
The kicker was the old lady, who was selling the house without an agent, was asking a price far, far below the market value because she was basing her price on values from decades before.
My friend's husband kept telling her privately to look beyond the obvious, that they could remove the carpeting and paint the walls, but my friend said she just couldn't get past the blast of pink. They ended up buying a Victorian cottage at a premium price and one that needed a lot of expensive renovations.
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@cwolfe Yes most people have a hard time envisioning their homes, that's why we have even more "brown" furniture to get rid of. I rarely see a house without the giant brown cheaply made sectional (cheap leather or pleather) in most real estate listings or friends houses. My husband has been in the construction/designer field for 40 years and it's rare when a client understands what a kitchen will look like with their choices. Even semi-custom drawer inserts for flatware or utensils is a handholding process. It is interesting that millennials buy cheap furniture from a Scandinavian store or the "upper scale" stores with a lot of their furniture made in China. Most of their couches maybe last 4-5 years. If they bought an older couch that was made using quality materials and methods they could reupholster it and save it from the landfills.
57
i recently diwnsized and had to get rid of a lot if furniture that i inherited. i became "best friends " with my local habitat for humanity. your kids do not want your stuff, no matter what you think. i did do something smart, i had my deceased in laws' bedroom set painted and now use it as my bedroom set. it cost mt $550.00 and it totally transformed the pieces. my kids were impressed with the solid wood, dovetail drawers, that are not made any more. when i was looking for a place, you would be suprised at how many homes had the previous owner's antique furniture included. i said, no more dead peoples stuff for me! i want light and bright going into my old age!
15
@gracie15 Please don't speak for all kids! I'm 27 and my husband (28) and I deal in antiques and are restoring an old farmhouse and 2 barns. We both treasure our family pieces and would never want to see them pulled away from our families. We may only be a small subset, but young people like us (and our many young customers) do exist.
97
@Pippa Biddle Great to hear it!
7
Having downsized last year from a 4 story, 1840's historic townhouse in the Mid-Atlantic to a light and bright, (white) Florida home, surrounded by palms and a waterfall, I'm in complete agreement with others' experiences. The transition comes at a cost, emotional...and otherwise. Most of the antiques, particularly the old (lovely) British pine, Oriental carpets, and antique dressers, dining chairs and tables,were very difficult to move....at any price. All gathered and loved over a married life of 40+ years. Thankfully, we truly enjoyed their beauty and warmth when we lived with them. NO ONE is interested in corner cupboards or entertainment centers of any kind, of course, given the sleek mounts for large TV's today. And getting any charity (or consignment shop) to pick up "the goods"? Prepare to be sending "approval"pictures, making appointments for pickup weeks in advance, attempting to negotiate pricing, and refusals galore....they can't move it either. We kept only what we couldn't bear to part with for sentimental reasons, plus some art, accessories and those one or 2 "brown pieces" to complement those (you guessed it) white contemporary walls. You can guess (again) where the remaining stuff is: A storage unit off a Florida highway!!!
33
I'd add to antiques/brown furniture-- cabinets of expensive china, crystal and hummels! I don't want to say they're practically landfill, but...
36
@Steve I have a large box full of my mother's Hummels. I can't display them because I don't have the space and they aren't really my "thing", but I can't bear to part with them, even if somebody wanted them. My mother loved them and received many as gifts from my father.
30
@Steve, I have beautiful cut glass pieces, some from my grandparents' houses and some I purchased over the 40+ years of my married life. I can't bear the thought of tossing them out but I know realistically, my kids won't want even the family pieces.
7
@Steve
My mom has about 25 pieces of Lladro that she collected for years, and some which I bought w my dad and sister as gifts. I'll probably keep one or two for sentimental reasons, but I'll be selling the majority eventually :(
7
Many of the people commenting here would be shocked to know that the imaginary prospective buyers of this stuff are limited, severely limited, by funds and space. Plus, people are much more transient than ever before. Get a price on shipping that sideboard from LA to NYC. You'll be amazed at the cost. My two sons (30 and 39 y/o old) live in expensive Austin and San Diego. They are furniture poor in their very modest living spaces. Antiques are way down the list of their worries or desires.
78
@h king A thousand times, this! And someone has to polish and hand-clean a lot of this stuff.
11
Not if they're purchasing 1.7 million-dollar co-ops, they're not.
3
@h king Your sons might explore the second hand/thrift market right where they live! They can decorate economically.
13
This parallels the situation in Florida. There is a well-trod path for retirees here. They move to The Sunshine State into a gated golf community, bringing their best antiques with them.
Then they downsize. Mostly due to advancing age compounded by illness. The antiques go into storage. Or they fill the garage in a newer, smaller house with less grandiosity.
Ultimately the couple moves into a nursing home or passes away. The children are left with a yard sale, advertising their parent's cherished antiques on FaceBook Marketplace, for the price of pennies on the dollar.
I am new to the antique game and I don't personally spend a huge budget. But, I have gotten a small number of select pieces at these sales.
I agree a hundred per cent with the idea that a retiring couple needs to start disengaging from their antiques early on. And, don't bring your stuff to Florida.
61
@Joe Thanks for the tip.
Where to buy bargains.
2
@Oscar Mayer I'm not even bringing myself to Florida, ever.
12
@Joe
YES! Don't bring antiques to Florida. Give them to Students decorating their college dorm rooms.
YES! Don't bring any more OLD PEOPLE to Florida. Send them to Georgia which has Early Bird Meals starting at 3:00 PM.
33
Last year my 101 years old mother in law died in North Carolina
and it was true that no one young or old from family to friends wished for the lovely large pieces of furniture she had purchased in the 1930's ,not even the local antiques store who said to us "The young folks don't buy the old antiques and lately we also are hard pressed to stay in business".
31
While Old Brown is down (for now), I can guarantee that it has a higher resale value than the Resto/Poverty Barn/Worst Elm dross made popular by the HGTV crowd. Go ahead, drive down prices some more - I have a few gaps in my collection!
226
@JAC I don't thing young people who are furnishing homes today are ever thinking about re-sale. They are furnishing their homes to suit their lifestyles, which are much more casual today. I never wanted to have the same furniture for 50 years! To each his own.
16
@Maureen
Well, if you buy anything from the vendors JAC mentions, you'll be lucky if its still around in five years. They're designed and manufactured to be as disposable as paper plates. It's like "nonstick pans. If they actually were as durable and performed as well as claimed, they wouldn't be advertising them continuously on 150 TV channels.
22
Nice antique Georgian chests of drawers command thousands of dollars on 1stDibs right now, so we must assume there is indeed a market for them. Truly talented decorators and individuals still seek prestigious 18th and early 19th c furniture and know how to integrate it into any scheme. European houses always have a mix and those with all new furniture are considered tacky. People pouring money into what passes now for nice furniture are sadly misguided. PS The photos accompanying this article do not in most cases show fine antiques.
64
@Repatriate I've been an antique dealer for nearly 40 years now and can assure you that those prices on 1st Dibs are rarely met. Pricing something and selling it are two vastly different scenarios. I can't tell you how many dealers I know have been trying to sell the same pieces for 30 years! The antiques business is in the dumpster, its really very sad........
78
@Repatriate But who are you to call them "misguided"? There is an awful lot of snobbery in these comments today. People's lives are different now.
8
Restoration Hardware popular with 35-45 year olds? I live near one of their outlets and have mostly been impressed by the enormous sizes of the sofas and other furniture. It's as if people have giant houses and need huge, colorless stuff to fill them. The store has been raided for teak and towels.
I admit to using Ikea; two love seats with custom upholstery.
18
@David Martin That hulking neutral-toned Restoration Hardware stuff is truly hideous. That's what the kids prefer to antiques in the dreaded red-tone woods? (Cherry, mahogany unpopular? Good, more for me.)
15
We first heard that disparaging "brown furniture" comment when we were downsizing from our house in northern New York State, to move to a small apartment in New York City.
The Pennsylvania country furniture, baskets and small items, mostly bought at auction a lifetime ago, have given us such pleasure over the years. Most everything we own has a story, and a memory, connected with it. We have a painted cupboard that we bought from Hattie Brunner in Reinholds, PA. That's one of our treasures, and memories. It's in storage, along with our 50 year old Spode china, which is worth next to nothing on the open market.
But the good news is that, when I was talking about the china once, my granddaughters, eight and ten at the time, perked up and asked, "Is it BONE china?" -- So there's hope, after all, two generations down the line.
160
I wonder what trends are in the Southwest. My husband and I live in a house with big, bulky, often antique furniture. It's a big space and has needed big stuff. And, yes, we have a big Persian rug in the living room, helping tame the acoustics. On one wall is a feature fireplace. At the opposite end of the room is a pipe organ, balancing the fireplace. The antiques are all inherited, family items--things my great-grandfather made, for instance. I don't know what my heirs will want; as for the organ, I will try to find someone in the organist community who will want it. That's all some distance down the road, though; right now, it's my practice instrument.
20
@David We were able to give my mother's 1920 baby grand to a local university, which now uses it as a practice room piano. Such a relief!
An auctioneer took our pump organ and most of our other downsized stuff). He said someone would probably turn it into a bar. Better that than chop it into firewood!
4
@MLChadwick, there was an article a while back about how there were a glut of old pianos on the market—from schools and institutions as well as private homes. With arts programs getting cut and pianos no longer a source of home entertainment, they can be had for the asking.
2
Everything runs in cycles. For a while, things are out, and then they're in again. The millennials will eventually start discovering this type of furniture in second-hand shops and say wow, this is a lot better than particle-board from Ikea. The boomers did the same thing in the 70s.
338
@Jonathan I hope so! My mum runs an antique store (of the silver and china variety, not the "found industrial items" variety) and she has noticed a small uptick in younger people purchasing old, mismatched china plates for their crockery instead of buying uniform sets at Ikea or big box stores.
5
My parents collected antiques in the 1960s. Some of the pieces I now own are VERY good. Some are "less good." ALL are valuable historically. Some once were valuable monetarily.
I can't sell them for love or money... AT ALL. Most of them can barely be GIVEN away. My children don't have the sense to care about them, even the ones which are "family" and were owned by generations of our kin. All I can do is hold them and hope that fashions, the economy, and the market rebounds... that people stop valuing the junk that is coming out of Asia and start valuing the beautifully made things that came out of America 100-250 years ago.
I'm not even asking for what that *real* Boston rocker is worth. I'd be happy with enough money to replace my 7 year old laptop, much less the $$,$$$ they should be worth.
Luckily, I don't have to worry about selling my house any time soon and at least antique furniture can be used. But it breaks my heart that people would rather have junk than hand made, solid wood, shaped by craftsmen instead of slave labor.
But alas, we know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
And I LOVE "brown" furniture. It's warm and real. It's comforting and solid. That "virtually" staged apartment looks horrifyingly cold and sterile. I'd RUN from that listing as fast as I possibly could. What IS it with people these days.
446
@Dejah For me it is two things. If you know you'll be moving repeatedly most the older furniture is just too heavy and unwieldy to even think about. And two, related, in the last thirty years I've had one residence where the stuff could actually fit, and even then only one or two pieces.
24
@Dejah If your children are like me and my brother they don't lack sense - they lack the will to be yoked to a heavy piece of furniture that they don't find particularly appealing. I am happy you are surrounded by objects you cherish, but your children have their own preferences. Surely you can respect that.
41
@Sue
America is about "new", watch the TV commercials, always "new and improved". We are a throw-away society, fashion items as clothes, shoes last only few short years, cars last around a decade, and now furniture has become a fashion item to be thrown away. My former gracious brick homes' interior walls got knocked down by the new owner for the new open lighter look, garden intricate brick path replaced with concrete and flowering shrubs got replaced with lawn only. My new house with white kitchen cabinets that was installed a few years ago by the last homeowner with paint starting to chip off already showing the cheap pine wood under it. Whereas, my natural cherry wood cabinet in the former house last, and last, and easy to keep clean.
So much for progress and fashion!
23
My house is filled with 18th and 19th century English antique furniture, lovingly collected over the past 50 years. A few pieces were inherited as well. Both my children, in their late 40's love antique and own some. In fact, they own so many that they will have trouble finding room for mine someday.
I have told my children to remove everything from the house, remove all the gorgeous very expensive wallpaper, and paint all the walls "Agreeable Gray" when it's time to sell.
I've also told them to then rent a climate controlled storage space and store all the antiques and the upholstered furniture, all very high quality furniture made in the 30's and early 40's. One cannot buy that quality of upholstered furniture anymore.
I have 4 grandchildren. I have hopes that at least 2 of them may be interested in this furniture someday. I've stressed to them that one can mix antiques with an Eames chair and put it in a more minimalist environment, and it will work. I've shown them how well the English do this - comfortable upholstered furniture (much mid-century modern is not, especially sofas), oriental rugs, a few really good mid-century modern pieces, and some English "brown" wood. It will be a home with a "soul".
If they don't want it in the end, then they can do with it as they please. I'm hoping by then that perhaps "brown wood" will come back and at least bring in some money and go where it is appreciated.
82
Victorian Mahogany furniture was a hard sell even 35 years ago for New England auction houses, Centennial pieces were not in demand, either.
American Period pieces on the other hand, any school, and especially without repair may not hold the same attraction as they once did, but it is American furniture making history, and is valuable in itself.
23
When I was in my twenties and about to start Fashion school, I coined the term Minimal Baroque to describe my taste - expansive white walls, then pick the most over the top Rococo Italian gilt console and put it against that wall, and instantly, it becomes a work of art imbued with exquisite irony. No one wants to live in Versailles any more, but objects can be transformed both visually and conceptually through context.
Put a Murakami sculpture on that console - Mr. Dobs, say, perched on a turquoise acrylic base, and suddenly, you have the most modern thing possible.
I am almost 60 now and what they are describing is what I used to call Minimal Baroque.
Choose that piece of furniture as if you're choosing a Picasso - find something exceptional. Don’t buy it just because it’s “antique”, and you will never cease to love it, whatever the trends. And it will never go out of fashion.
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@Arthur I've always taught my children to not buy anything unless it "sings" to them, and not to pass up anything that "sings" also or they will always regret it. It give me the chuckles to hear my grand son teach his new wife that idea. It has saved me a lot over the years, and I have only things I love in my home. I need to get rid of an old brown cabinet because it is too large for my current/final house. One of my children said don't give it away or sell it, I want it and I'll find some place to put it :).
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@grmadragon
Bravo,
I passed on several items that were not only singing, it was operatic. And I went back for encores! But, having been criticized for my lack of financial prudence, I was listening to the tone deaf austerity aria instead. Needless to say, but I am writing after all; even after many years, the singing continues and the "music" is in the hands of more discerning listeners.
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@grmadragon
My mother was an antiques dealer and she always said that you should buy something because you loved it, not because you thought it was a good investment. When she died, I inherited all the things she loved. I immediately consigned the pieces that would sell and didn't "sing" to me at all, and held a yard sale where I sold or gave away to a good home the rest that did nothing for me. Over time, I realized that another segment's songs had only been echos, and I got rid of them, too. Now I'm left with items that she loved and I love and the music is lovely.
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My former house was filled with "brown" furniture and collectibles. The walls were painted in fairly dark colors. I thought the house looked great! But when I thought about selling it, the realtor thought quite differently. He ordered me to temporarily declutter and to paint the entire house a shade called "Agreeable Grey". I shuddered at the thought but followed his advice. The result: I received two full-price offers on the first day the house was listed.
I bought another home, had the walls painted in my preferred dark colors and immediately proceeded to purchase more furniture and more collectibles. There is a small liberal arts school that I am affiliated with that has its own museum and runs a bed and breakfast in a historical building on campus. My will states that nearly all of the furniture and collectibles will go to them upon my passing. The college has a catalog of what they are to receive and, if truth be told, they are looking forward to the day when the transition will take place. I call that a "win-win" outcome!
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@BIll Duston Just watch your back when you're on campus.
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I'm a millennial who finally has a budget that allows me to swear off particleboard and commit to furniture from real materials. I find that 19th century dark-wood antiques do look a bit dated for my taste, but many urban vintage/antique stores have discovered a happy medium for younger shoppers. They're selling beautifully painted / laquered Georgian antiques with updated hardware, and many younger renters are buying (including me -- I bought a beautiful royal blue 6ft antique sideboard from a vintage store last month).
It can feel blasphemous to discard antique knobs and slap a trendy paint color on beautiful antique furniture (not to mention the paint won't wear well with time -- I know, I know), but for my budget and taste, this has been a way for me to satisfy my desire for well-made pieces while avoiding a room full of dark and stuffy furniture. Plus, maintaining older, real-wood furniture is the environmentally friendly option!
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i had mine painted and they have new life now!
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@GE I am also an aging baby boomer with a house full of brown furniture, none of it antique, but all of it very well made. I am also a fan of HGTV, which doesn’t hesitate to paint any well made piece of furniture a bright color.
All of this brings back memories of my mother and her friends painting the Depression era furniture inherited from their parents. It was the 1960’s and my parent were house poor, like many of today’s millennials. Lo and behold, I inherited a rock maple dresser painted blue. The first thing I did was strip that paint right off to reveal the beautiful wood underneath. I am betting that when I pass it will end up being painted gray (the color dujour) by one of my children.
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@gracie15
Ugh! Years ago I spent hours in the hot sun scraping pale green paint off a gorgeous honey pine kitchen wall cupboard. It turned out beautifully. I empathize with future artisans who will have to refinish yours.
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Just finished cleaning out my mother-in-law's apartment at a retirement community when she moved into the memory care unit and finding consignment shops that would take anything was work. A few pieces here, a few pieces there, a pile still in my house. I learned that just because it's old doesn't make it valuable (i.e. the late Victorian marble topped dresser) and the ugly late 60s/early 70s furniture went to a charity shop. Absolutely nobody wanted the china cabinet.
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I have no hope that the old pieces I inherited (or purchased and repaired myself) will sell.
Apres moi, le dumpster. But that'll be someone else's problem. In the meantime, I love my brown furniture and grandmother's Persian rugs, second-hand even when she bought them. Everything in my house is old -- there are no toxic glues and chemicals oozing out.
Young people are so concerned about the environment. Why, in that case, are they buying newly manufactured, toxic junk when they can have sturdy, better-made stuff that isn't loaded with carcinogens?
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@B. There is probably a business in buying "brown" furniture and reviving it with a new coat of paint and upholstery. Then rebrand it: it's not "antique", it's "pre-owned" or "pre-loved."
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@jlasf
"There is probably a business in buying "brown" furniture and reviving it with a new coat of paint..."
And all of the natural wood in homes for sale is being painted over too. Eventually, this will lead to a boom in the market for toxic paint-removing solvents.
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@B.
Yeah, no, they used a lot of awful things making stuff back then too. Just different awful stuff.
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My siblings and I are baby boomers in our 60’s and 70’s. Our parents loved antiques. Our home was full of them. I remember my father saying they would never lose their value. All of us inherited our parents’ sensibility and appreciation of antiques. We divided the family heirlooms and collected for ourselves over the years. There are five grandchildren who care nothing for antiques and have absolutely no emotional attachment to the beautiful, exquisite pieces that have surrounded them all their lives. Knowing that everything will be dispersed eventually and nothing will remain in the family is painful. This article confirms our experience - we cannot even give them away.
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@NH I just sold my co-op in Manhattan to move to a different part of the city. I couldn't give away my "brown," Wood & Hogan dining table. Such a shame. The inlay work is magnificent and it was in "like new" condition but nobody would take it.
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@NH: Start finding good homes for some of your things. I worked with a young women who loves textiles and retro items. Knowing that my sister and younger relatives are uninterested in my grandmother's and great-aunt's hand-hooked rugs, hand-crocheted bedspreads, 1940s/50s tablecloths, aprons, quilts, and other linens, I piled everything into the back of my car and let my co-worker take a look. She nearly burst into tears (and so did I) and said that she wanted it all. Someday it may all end up in a thrift store, but for the time being it's in loving, appreciative hands.
I also had an antique footstool and chair that were passed down in my family. My house is (very) small, and I decided that some things had to go. No one was interested, so I donated them to the local Cancer Society store. They were sold that afternoon. There is always someone out there who loves the same things you love. It's hard, but I'd rather give away some things now, to good homes, than let my nephews and nieces deal with it later.
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Yes, you can give them away.
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