They Look Fabulous...
It always amazes me how the popularity of different antiques and collectibles along with things like architectural salvage change over the years. Years ago, I remember my Mom, along with a lot of other folks, paying what I thought at the time was a small fortune for antique dishes. These days, at least in our shop, we have trouble selling dishes. For years, we sold lots of oak pieces and then oak fell out of favor for awhile. Now, oak furniture seems to be making a comeback and we are selling it again.
Salvage is another example of how the antique and vintage market can change. Architectural salvage, as in vintage doors and windows, old hardware and so many other wonderful other “"house parts” used to go on the burn pile or in landfills.
Having renovated seven homes in the last 40 years (yes, I said seven) we have always tried to keep as much of the old as possible in the houses we’ve redone. When we first started trying to locate items we needed to keep the vintage feel in our homes, we could buy doors, hardware and other items for not much money. Not so today. The salvage market has exploded, along with the prices. Leaded glass windows, corbels, French doors and other salvage are being used as home decor and are commanding big prices.
Over the years, if I came across something that I thought I could eventually use somewhere in a home, I would buy it and store it. Case in point, some ten years ago, I bought the corbels that are now gracing my kitchen. They were fairly cheap because no one wanted that kind of stuff at the time (including Al, who uttered his usual “"what in the hell are you going to do with those?”). They look fabulous, if I do say so myself…k
August 29, 2016