As I have already covered in Tip TWO, ‘antique’ and ‘vintage’ basically mean something manufactured in an era before the one we are currently in. Adding antiques into your home, whether it is with furniture or smaller items like books or picture frames, they can create soul and heart and add an easy warth which is hard to evoke when everything in a room is box fresh.
Firstly, no need to be intimidated by buying old. There are lots of easy options which do NOT include having to bid in a stuffy auction listening to a man talking like he’s had 5 vodka red-bulls. Online Ebay is a great start. Try putting ‘antique’ in front of whatever it is you are looking for and then also filtering by ‘used’. Make sure you the description and photos are detailed enough for you to get a feel for the item – if they aren’t, try messaging the seller. Make sure you know exactly what you are buying before bidding. Most big ticket items are collection only but I have used Shiply a number of times and it has always been fairly simple. To get a quote from them, head to their website and enter the collection and delivery town. They will email you quotes from different couriers for you to pick from. From my experience, UK delivery is around the £50 mark for chests/ottomans and £100 mark for wardrobes. If you manage to nab a bargain for the item, even with the Shiply cost it can still work out much cheape than buying new. There are other courier options to Shiply, this is just one I have experience with! Alternatively, you can try a local man or woman with a van service. And remember, if you get it and you really don’t like it, you have fall back of re-selling it on Ebay again.
As well as Ebay, there are other online auction houses – try the Sale Room and Vinterior. They often have little gems! Also, Instagram can be fab! The designer Rita Konig has an instagram page called @rita_k_shopping where she follows lots of antique dealers – I simply followed who she follows which seemed to be a good start! There are other online antique websites but sometimes these tend to be more expensive collector items, which might be just what you are looking for, but if you’re looking for the cheaper end of the market I would try the above first.
Markets
So this does take a little more time and effort but I have been to a number of these now and they are such a good day out (for someone like me who is borderline obsessed with interiors, anyway). There is a great website, www.antiques-atlas.com, which lists all the major antique fairs in the UK. I have been to a number of the IACF fairs and they have proven worthwhile. I would say that they can be hit and miss and if you are serious, I would get there first thing on the first day, before all the good stuff is snapped up! These events are often where antique shops buy their stock so you are often buying it before the mark up has been added by the antique shop. The market comprises of marqueed stands, held by numerous antique dealers, some specialising in bigger furniture, some art and rugs and some smaller trinkets. I take some cash but most stalls are happy to accept a bank transfer. Not many of the stands will have a card machine, in my experience. I have hired a small van a few times, when I’ve known I need bigger pieces of furniture. The smaller ones are easy to drive and are around £150 per day, which if you are buying a few things, spread over each item is not too bad. If you are only buying smaller items, I recommend taking a gardening trolley or even a wheelbarrow to tote it all around with you!
Antique warehouses/shops
There are a number of large antique warehouses in the UK – the best option to find one near you is to head to google. These places will usually be in an industrial estate and have lots of antiques in one place. Another nice way to shop old is to pootle around smaller antique shops. The range might not be as good but if you are looking for smaller items or just like collecting lovely things, the smaller shops can be a great stress free way to pick bits up.
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