Need Furniture? This Is The Best Time to Purchase Vintage
by Joni Foerter
Indefinite shipping delays, poor materials and build quality, transport damage and bigger carbon footprints and deforestation. Do these sound great to you? If not, consider browsing vintage furniture shops for a more affordable, higher quality pieces of furniture. Vintage furniture’s primary advantage is being made of higher quality material, particularly hardwoods, with often superior craftsmanship. In addition.you see the actual item you are going to purchase, not a floor sample or catalog photo. It is not shipped from out of the country, a very time consuming pursuit, nor is it delivered in a flat box with a novel-sized instruction manual that is hard to read.
According to Zillow, “Secondhand furniture and décor will be in demand, a trend driven by supply issues and the desire to reduce waste by giving used furnishings a new life” and “younger homeowners will put a modern twist on design trends that were prominent during their childhoods.” And WSJ indicates that “interior designers and homeowners, fed up with endless waits for new purchases, are turning to antique, vintage and even contemporary resale furnishings for quicker delivery.”
At shops like Furniture Rescue in Fairfax VA, there are thousands of pieces of vintage furniture and home decor items that have been previously owned. Why not either buy a previously owned piece or perhaps work some magic on pieces you already own, including that great hand me down from great Aunt Lilly? These types of shops specialize in helping each customer find just the right piece to meet their defined purpose, fit to their space,and to their aesthetic. Consider having the furniture painted, or stained. Another popular option is a paint-stain combo. Pinterest has great photo ideas of different paint stain combinations. Learn DYI techniques or find experts to get the job done. Is your furniture too short or too tall? Perhaps modification is a way to modernize something that you really love. If it’s no longer your vibe, consider purchasing new-to-you vintage furniture. Full service shops should be able to take almost any piece of vintage furniture and either restore to its glory days or create a new future for its vintage bones. Full service rescue operations might include offering repairs, refinishing, painting, creating decorative upgrades and as needed, or adding just a touch of expert TLC to refresh furniture.
New furniture is increasingly harder to find and more expensive. Whereas, vintage furniture has some of the finest and seasoned woods that have been expertly handcrafted and may just need to hit the ‘refresh’ button to add many more years to its life. As we recycle these pieces of furniture back our lifestyles, we avoid much of the waste and energy that is needed to create new furniture. A great alternative is to bring a vintage piece of furniture into your new lifestyle. Forbes, “The trend of sustainability is here to stay.”
All this time at home has made people yearn for a fresh look. The spike in home remodeling and all the moving around people have created new spaces to fill. The Washington Post sees that “Frustrated consumers still waiting for a headboard and bedside tables they ordered six months ago are increasingly willing to buy previously owned.”.
The pandemic made us reinspect our furniture and take care of it. Furniture Rescue has seen a significant uptick in refinishing and repairs. Reusing old furniture is a natural choice to reduce waste for sustainability-minded consumers. Find your new family heirloom that used to belong to another family.
Join us for our upcoming classes:
All Classes taught at 3158 Spring St., Fairfax, VA 22031, all materials included and all are taught by Joni Foerter. All classes begin at 6:00 pm except the class on Tuesday, October 11. Classes fill quickly, so register early. Register at https://furniturerescue.myshopify.com/collections/classes
- Painting 101 Class – July 16, August 18, September 14, October 11 (noon to 3pm), November 17, December 8 $135
- Come learn about furniture painting. You’ll master the techniques necessary to create your own beautiful heirloom at home. I’ll show you the proper application of paint, distressing, and finishing. You’ll take home hand painted sample boards and the confidence to tackle your project. Learn about the difference in paint types, furniture prep, paint application and a variety of finish techniques.
- Oyster Painting Class – August 12, October 7, December 7 $85
- Join us for an Oyster Shell Painting Class. Each student will make and take two adorable Oyster Shell Ring Dishes and a Wine Bottle Hang Tags or Holiday Ornaments. Each participant will get to choose their own oysters and choose from many designs. All materials included. Additional oyster painting kits are available for purchase at the time of the class.
- Painting 201 Class – September 29 $135
- Open to anyone who has taken the Painting 101 class at Furniture Rescue. Learn advanced finishing techniques, tackling difficult to work with projects, stencils. Also practice using molds, applicques, stencils and more to dress up any finish.
- Dining Chair Recover Class – July 13 $135
- Update a set of dining room chairs by re-covering the cushions with a stylish new fabric. Each student can bring one or two chair bottoms for recovering. Please bring two yards of your own fabric.
Check out the upcoming article from Joni at Furniture Rescue. How to identify quality vintage furniture, it could be your next family heirloom.
Written by Joni Foerter, The Back Dorr
Haynes, Grace. “These Will Be the Top Home Decor Trends of 2022, According to Zillow” Southern Living, 08 December 2022.
Koncius, Jura. “Antique and vintage sales have soared, thanks to supply chain issues” Washington Post, 26 January 2022.
Lauren, Amanda. “What Zillow, Wayfair, Yelp And 1stDibs Are Predicting About Home Design Trends In 2022” Forbes, 27 December 2021.
Slatalla, Michelle. “How Shipping Delays Turned Used Furniture Into a Hot Commodity” Wall Street Journal, 24 Feb 2022.
