If you're anything like me, you love your home, you love vintage, antique and preloved homewares and you love a bargain! So the winter sales are the perfect time to browse responsibly and look for sustainable pieces for your home that you will love forever. No fast fashion here!
Shopping for vintage and antique homewares can be a more sustainable choice for your home interior because it helps to reduce the demand for new items to be produced. This can help to conserve resources, reduce energy usage, and decrease pollution and waste that is often associated with the production of new goods. In the times we live in, this is more important than ever as we think about generations to come and the challenges they will face.
Another reason - and very important for me! - that vintage and antique homewares can be a more sustainable choice is that they often have a unique character and style that can't be found in mass-produced items. This can help to create a more personal and individualized home interior, rather than one that looks like every other home.
I don't want my home to look like a museum, but I also don't want it to look like a catalogue cover from the high street, so for me, it's about finding the perfect vintage or antique piece that sets off a shelf or corner of my home. That creates a statement and a talking point, and that adds unique character, depth and patina to my interior design.
So - what should you look for when browsing the winter sales for vintage and preloved homewares? Here are five tips on buying antique home decor and hopefully snagging a bargain to boot!
1. Check out Instagram and Etsy for vintage and antique homeware sales.
Instagram is full of sales at the moment! Follow hashtags like #vintageshop #vintagesale #vintagehome #decorativenantiques and #vintagedealer to find some wonderful dealers selling all manner of kitchenalia, vintage props, antique decor and more. You can find me on Instagram @considered_living
Etsy also has a lot of sales and if you're overseas, it's often a more straightforward shipping process for you - one of the reasons we have "ConsideredLivingShop" on Etsy, in addition to our website here - is to make shipping easy for customers in the US, Australia and even further afield.
2. Choose wisely - is it the perfect piece for your home?
It can be so tempting to go hog wild in the sales, but you could end up with a house full of items that you like but don't love and that's not sustainable. Buying vintage and antiques is all about the love baby!
So take your time and make sure you find the perfect piece for a corner of your home. Something that will make you happy every time you look at it. And that you know you'd think about forever if you didn't grab it. That's the litmus test! Will you still be thinking about it in a month's time? If so, it's the vintage piece for you.
3. Practicality and beauty can go hand in hand
One of the things I love about vintage and antique homewares is their longevity - they are built to last! So if you're looking for practical items that you can use day to day and that also look stunning on the kitchen shelf, now is a good time to snap them up.
Great examples include vintage glass storage jars - I love the green glass lidded jars from France - for storing dried goods in the kitchen.
I also have a million uses for any wooden box or rustic bowls and vintage pots - for holding everything from pencils to candles to pot pourri to keys. Storage can be stylish too
4. Check the condition before you buy
Part of the reason you buy vintage and antique home decor is for their patina and character. Often this means that signs of age merely add texture and interest, and are to be encouraged! Howevever, be clear about the condition you are buying the item in. Good vintage dealers will include photos and descriptions in their listings about the condition but don't be afraid to ask before you commit to a purchase.
5. Mix up your interiors with a blend of vintage & new home decor
As I've already shared, I don't want my home to look like a museum! So I'm careful to blend my antique and preloved items, such as my French cafe au lait bowls or vintage pots, with new items that complement my interiors scheme. This could mean adding a simple white plate underneath a rustic folkware bowl, or using a new frame for a vintage piece of art (or a vintage frame for a new print).
Hopefully these tips help you when you're looking to add decorative antiques to your home in 2023, and maybe grab a sustainable bargain at the same time!
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