Few things pique guests’ interest like a room full of antiques. If you’re shopping for antiques to add splendor to your space, but you don’t know how to locate the pieces you’re dreaming of, give the tips below a go. These helpful hints will get you searching in the right places and help you land the perfect antiques!
RELATED READ: A First-Timer’s Guide to Cleaning Antique Furniture
Know Your Style
One way to save time when scouting antique is to narrow down what style you’re looking for. Are you looking for Neoclassical antiques? Queen Anne antiques? Art Deco antiques? Antique styles vary wildly. If you have a vision in your head that involves cabriole legs and a scalloped apron, do some sleuthing to find out what style those traits fall under. (Hint: French Provincial is a good bet.) Once equipped with a specific style name, plug it into your search bar. You’ll be served up pieces that fit your needs to a tee.
Know Where to Shop
Long gone are the days when the only way to hunt for antiques was to Google “antique furniture stores near me” and hit up your local area’s antique row. These days, millions of antiques are for sale on the internet. However, not all online antique purveyors are equal. If you’re looking for vetted antiques, try sites like Chairish. At Chairish, every piece is hand-curated by our team of style experts, and we take special care to make sure every item is properly labeled in terms of style. Expert tagging means that our dozens of style filters, (ranging from Victorian to Art Nouveau to Mid-Century Modern), work like a charm. Our intent is to make it as easy as possible to locate niche-like styles in a flash!
Know Your Furniture Terms
Because so much of antique shopping is plug and play these days, having a firm grasp on furniture terms is essential. For instance, looking for a Mid-Century dresser with a hutch up top and drawers below? Terms like “Mid-Century Armoire Dresser” or “Mid-Century Dresser Armoire” are commonly used to define these pieces. Should your searches be yielding low returns, try amping up your furniture vocabulary. Chances are there are other terms that dealers and sellers often use to categorize what you’re looking for.
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Lead photo by John Merkl, styled by Jody Kennedy; At the home of Allison Speer, designed by Allison Caccoma
