6 ReasonsWhy You Should Choose antiques
When I had my little French antique store I would talk to people about how buying antiques is about falling in love. Antiques can jump out at you, maybe because of their beauty or quirkiness, or colour and you feel drawn in. You might be reminded of someone or another place or time. In a sense, antiques can choose you. This has been my experience on many occasions over the years. However, if we turn this thinking around, there are many good reasons why we should seek out antiques or vintage as our first option. How many of us head straight for the Swedish flat pack store or the local department store for decor or gifts. Well here are some reasons to seek out antiques and vintage as your first option.
Real antiques have real stories.
All antiques/vintage items have a story to tell. We might not always know the story, but we can wonder. For instance, I have a marvellous French antique farmhouse stool. I often wonder about things such as, the people sat on it so long ago, or what farm house it belonged in or what it was used for. Yes, some old things cause us to ponder.
Sometimes an antique item does have provenance. In my online store at the momet I have a gorgeous 1920s miniature manicure set. I purchased it from one of my regular customers who told me about her mother who owned it and how she would always take it with her in whatever handbag she was carrying at the time. At one end of this little manicure set, there is a small compartment that holds a chalk like substance. I was told how, during the 1920s, her mother and he girlfriens would scrape their fingernails onto this white chalk because it was so fashionable to have a white film underneath the tips of your fingernails.
Often antiques have a backstory that is easy to determine. For eampe, in my store at the moment I have a large antique copper cooking pot on legs. After some online investigation I found out it is a ‘tortiere’. A tortiere is a special piece of cookware that was used to make Quebecois pie, which was eaten with family and friends during times of celebration.
Many antiques come with the marks of time. Their beauty is in their flaws and their inherent imperfection. I once had a large and very old farmhouse table, circa 1700, in the shop. It had been expertly and respectfully restored. The marks of time were visible. Not only did this add to its character and beauty, but on many occasions I would look at it and ponder. Who sat around this table so long ago? How was that mark made? When was that repair done? The Japanese have a term they use called ‘Wabi sabi’. It is a world view centered around the fact that nothing is truly perfect or permanent. It is sometimes described as the appreciation of beauty that is imperfect, impermanent and icomplete in nature.