I'm trying to convince B that we should start going to auctions.
He pooh-poohs the idea, pointing out that there are hordes of antique buyers here*, and that it would be like me to lose my heart over something that would skip merrily through our price range.
He's probably right. But I love that sort of thing, poking through boxes and forgotten corners, finding something that I never knew existed and envisioning the perfect place for it.
I grew up, you see, in a house filled with treasures my parents found. Re-finishing, painting, modifying. One of my favorite pieces of furniture (and one of the few I brought with me) is a cabinet that my parents found in an alleyway when they lived in Chicago, listing drunkenly against a dumpster, needing some new molding and glass and someone gentle to remove the nine coats of paint that were marring its nice lines.
B wants new things. Things that haven't been owned, that he can look at and think 'There is noone who has sat at that desk until I did'
while I fondle old cane-bottom chairs and Mission-style rockers and think 'I wish I knew your history.'
And plot for the day when I'll have beautiful, aged wood and clear colors in my house.
*And there are. Antique dealers come up from the New England states in droves with big old trucks.
12 comments:
Mr. Serendipity and I have that argument on a regular basis - I'm on your side.
I'm on your side too. I once dated a guy (long time ago) who wouldn't go bowling because you had to wear shoes someone else had worn.
I love old things with a history...
the same argument echos over here. tom wants modern, sleek, back and white expanse. i want to have to walk around curvy, quirky pieces of furniture that were once this or that but now serve as a such and such. j, you should seriously do a post of your favorite things. i would love to see your cabinet.
Ooh, RA, what a good idea!
Maybe you'll find a happy compromise? Mixing new and old is always nice.
The world would be such a better place if we all reused and fixed up furniture and other household items rather than having to have new things all the time. It is another way to recycle that people don't think about. At least I didn't! This is one of my resolutions. Plus antique stuff can look very cool.
He probably grew up with stuff from other family members. Maybe it feels like poorboy stuff to him.
The thing is, since he is born into that community, he can get the greatest deals, sometimes even free, by taking it off people's hands. Wouldn't a South Shore Freecycle be awesome? I was given a set of Bass River Chairs by a woman who grew up with them in her house. To her, it was old stuff, to me, divine.
Old is better than new; you can tell B it's much better constructed than new furniture store stuff! Maybe that can be the hook.
I am with you on this...I love beautiful things, to touch them, smell them, to imagine with whom they have been residing...oh to own an antique store!
I'm more inclined to NOT buy upholstered furniture through auctions or tag sales. There's some history I'd rather not become acquainted with.
I am a bit like your husband, but I also love old things! A foot in each camp, & that is probably why my house always looks so so.. mixed & mismatched! LOL.
I get my kicks for garage saleing, & buying pre-loved small treasures.
same debate here. since *i* furnish and decorate, i do what i want. I figure if he wants to to the work, he can go pick out everything and get what HE wants. but as long as *I* am doing the work, I get what i want. plus, i brought 75% of our furnishings with me into our marriage - all of which are flea market/auction/thrift shop buys. and he has seemed to cope. (I did break down and buy a *new* couch because the used ones were all so damn ugly...)
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