There is a quiet but substantial move away from sleek, contemporary design as the dominant interior style in homes over the past few years. And while some people still opt for a minimalist mood, many more are forgoing flat-pack furniture and embracing an eclectic style that includes older, solid-wood furniture alongside durable contemporary pieces.
Speaking with participants at a recent furniture upcycling workshop, it was striking to hear how many of these homeowners are now mixing modern furniture with vintage and antique pieces – some of which they redesign to suit their spaces.
“People don’t appreciate the full modern look any more. We pick out one or two statement pieces to mix in with modern furniture,” said Mary Kennedy at the workshop, led by Waterford-based artist and interior designer, Marianne Heaphy.
Michelle Burnett of Cush Interiors agrees. “The thing is, you don’t need to have a period house to include pieces of antique furniture in your interior style,” says Burnett. She says her clients often want to incorporate a favourite 1950s armchair or another piece of antique furniture handed down through the family into their homes.
RM Block
And while so-called brown furniture can still be a step too far for many homeowners, learning how to upcycle selected vintage and antique furniture by painting tables interesting matt colours is allowing people to bring new life to old pieces. Putting brightly coloured patterned fabrics on the seats of otherwise dull but sturdy chairs or spraying gold lacquer on small, elegant cabinets or sets of drawers are more examples of this DIY approach to design.
“Post-recession, the design world has changed and I have a different perspective, too, in the last eight years. People don’t want a home out of a catalogue now with everything new. Many want to mix antique and contemporary furniture together,” says Burnett.
The Financial Times recently highlighted a new generation of dealers who started trading furniture for fun on social media and then moved into it being their main pursuit.
From careers in the music industry, photography and graphic design, this new breed of antique and vintage dealers trawl through some of Europe’s more obscure auction rooms for hidden gems. They then resell everything from art deco lamps to Henry Moore sculptures to vintage pottery to clients inspired by their personal taste.
These London-based dealers include people such as Toby Ziff, Mario Kardana, Marine Edith Crosta and Katie Ridges. Some of this new generation of dealers sell in pop-up community or retail spaces while others have gone the whole way and sell their wares in bricks-and-mortar stores. Anyone in London reading this could check out the stalls at the Spotlight Market in Clapton today.
Back in Ireland, there also seems to be a revival of interest in antique fairs held in community centres and hotels countrywide as individuals and couples seek out quirky and unique pieces of furniture to bring more personality into their homes.
And local antique shops such as Joy Thorpe in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, are inspiring many people to mix and match their furniture from different periods. Her Instagram page and website is a perfect shop window for how items such as a Victorian hall chair (€190), a Victorian lady’s sewing table (€390), a Victorian slipper chair (€490) or a Georgian mahogany fold-over table (€490) can look so stylish and comforting in a modern or period home.
Thorpe, who studied textiles at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, first started incorporating furniture into her Kilkenny art gallery. “Soon, I was selling more antiques than art,” she says. She later ran an antiques shop in Castledermot, Co Kildare, before moving to her current shop in Castlecomer five years ago. “People are braver now with their interiors and want to mix things up. They see the value and character that older pieces bring,” she adds.
The auction rooms at Mullens in Laurel Park, Woodbrook, Bray, Co Wicklow, have always been a great place for browsing through vintage or antique furniture that can bring novelty or even humour as well as functionality to domestic interiors.
[ How to bid wisely at auctions: ‘An emotional decision is rarely a wise decision’Opens in new window ]
In their next timed online auction – which begins to close at 6pm tomorrow evening, there are many such items. Take the vintage oak nine drawer architect’s plan cabinet (€300-€500) or the vintage camphor wood brass bound trunk (€100-€200) – useful for storage but also attractive additions to a room.
The cherrywood tallboy (€150-€250) is also practical, solid and suitable for either a reception room or a bedroom. The vintage oak and brass barrel with two open shelves (€100 –€150) is a little more playful.
The Charles Rennie Mackintosh-style black lacquered side chair with medusa pattern upholstered seat (€60-€100) is like something you’d see on an interior design programme. The Glasgow-born architect, designer and artist renowned for his modernist works was – together with his wife, Margaret Macdonald – influential on European design movements such as art nouveau and secessionism in Austria.
The auction also has a good range of oriental rugs, with estimates ranging from around €100 and up to €600-€800 for the better quality ones.
Mullenslaurelpark.com, joythorpeantiques.com
What did it sell for?
The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, JMW Turner
Estimate £200,000-£300,000
Hammer price £1.9m (€2.2m)
Auction house Sotheby’s
Diamond pavé bracelet
Estimate €12,000-€18,000
Hammer price €14,200
Auction house Matthews
Sapphire and diamond bracelet
Estimate €4,000-€7,000
Hammer price €3,750
Auction house Matthews
Art deco bracelet
Estimate €20,000-€30,000
Hammer price €18,000
Auction house Matthews
