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Post by craftedbys on Jul 6, 2018 15:33:59 GMT
I love going to flea markets, the indoor kind where sellers have booths but don't stand there looking over you while you browse. I love the hunt for unusual things and the excitement of discovering things I've been wanting.
We only have a couple in our town and much of their stuff is way overpriced, like they are trying to be antique stores. FYI, just because it is dirty and a few years old doesn't make it an antique.
We went to MIL's for a few days this week and there are TONS of flea markets in her area. We went to 7 or so while we were there.
My vent is a lament of all these people who take beautiful solid wood pieces, in many cases ANTIQUE, and paint them some horrible color. Leave them alone people! Slapping a coat of tiffany blue paint on a mahogany dresser does not increase its value!(Especially if it is not a good paint job!) And I am certainly not going to pay an extra $100 for a painted piece when i am going to have to strip it and refinish it.
That blue is still a very popular color, although I saw quite a few grey pieces. This one Bassett dresser with beautiful detail and drawers with dovetail joints was painted this flat grey, hardware and all! I could have cried.
The number of painted pieces was astounding, many more than in previous years. It's like they think noone will buy a regular wood item so it must be painted.
At one place I found an interesting cabinet painted an ugly brown color, but it had interesting glass doors and inside there were slots to adjust the shelves and the shelves were different widths so you could really customize your display. My thought it would be great storage for fabric or scrapbook paper.
I ended up going back the next day to see if it was still there and would fit in my car. It was! It did! And looking at it closer we discovered that it is solid cherrywood!
Compared to many of the pieces I saw it was reasonably priced. I guess because it was brown instead of some trendy color.
I know many will not agree with me, painted wood furniture is very popular right now. But when it comes to antique wood furniture I prefer to see the natural color of the wood.
Stepping down from my soapbox niw.
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Post by LisaDV on Jul 6, 2018 15:44:09 GMT
craftedbys, I'm right there with you! I want the real wood, not some painted piece. But to add to your vent, also stop watching HGTV. I know the cheapest way to brighten and redo your kitchen cabinets & trim is a coat of white paint, but when you have beautiful hardwoods - especially cherry, walnut, mahogany. Of course, I wouldn't want it on oak or maple either. Just don't do it. I cannot wait for the white/grey look to be over. I love the look of real wood throughout a home.
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Post by papersilly on Jul 6, 2018 15:50:03 GMT
I recently watched an episode where Sarah Richardson painted a beautiful headboard and footboard white. It was a vintage piece with floral inlay design and a warm honey finish. Tommy, her design partner, was aghast when she said she wanted to paint that beautiful bed. She painted it anyway and it makes me sad to think that there is a gorgeous finish underneath that white paint.
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Post by workingclassdog on Jul 6, 2018 15:51:27 GMT
I love the look of something painted.. so tired of wood stuff. I look in my family room, wood floors, wood furniture, brown couches, all brown brown brown.. ugggg and it's hard to change from that, like going grey.. cause it's so expensive to totally change your color scheme...
BUT I totally agree if it is a well known furniture maker or an expensive piece of cherry wood, I would say don't paint. But some of that 70s stuff.. paint away!! Just do a decent job of it and don't paint the hardware.. ewwww.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jul 6, 2018 16:01:31 GMT
It's like they think noone will buy a regular wood item so it must be painted. The younger ones won't buy it. They much prefer the painted look and avoid heavy, dark wood. Why do you think all of the thrift stores and second hand shops are full of pieces of good mahogany furniture? The kids don't want any of the stuff we Baby Boomers had. All my friends are getting rid of this stuff left and right and finding they are having to donate or sell for very little. If you really like the wood look, then hit the estate sales and get the stuff there before it gets sold and painted! This isn't the first go round with painting good wood furniture. Does anyone remember the 60's & 70's trend of "antiquing" wood furniture? My mother would paint anything that 70's green with the antiqued glaze, including my antique upright piano made of tiger oak. It survived just fine and years later I helped dad refinish it to the original wood, no worse for the wear. After saying that, I will admit that I'm 61 and sick of the wood look. If it can be painted a brighter color, then it's been painted in my house. That would include the oak and mahogany grooved paneling from the 1950's, as well as all the cabinetry. The only exception to what I'll paint is my mahogany rice bed and dresser. But I've found a little bit of dark wood goes a long way. Everything else has been painted and/or lightened up. DD will eventually inherit the bedroom set and if painting it is what makes her keep it and enjoy for years to come, then have at the paint can. I'd much rather see the wood pieces being used and enjoyed, rather than gathering dust in a storage shed or junk shop.
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GiantsFan
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Post by GiantsFan on Jul 6, 2018 16:04:03 GMT
I'm right there with you. We prefer the natural look of wood and stone. The distressing of real wood furniture makes me distressed.
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DEX
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Aug 9, 2014 23:13:22 GMT
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Post by DEX on Jul 6, 2018 16:05:53 GMT
I paint quite a bit of furniture. These are my reasons for doing it: If you watch Antiques Roadshow dark wood furniture has seriously gone down in value. The younger generation does not want dark wood. Unless your piece was in the Revolutionary War, it is probably not worth much. Those of us who are buying or looking to redecorate are sick of honey oak or other dark woods. I have had that in every single house since 1974. I’m over dark wood. I recently bought a solid wood TV stand that has good bones but was beat up pretty badly by the previous family. I only paid $5.00 because of the condition but it will look great in my basement in Chinese red. Paint covers a lot of flaws. Refinishing furniture destroys value. It is a fad and I guess I don’t care right now. When I moved into my current house I could not afford to spend $$$ on furniture to fit the space. I got some pieces for-$ and am happy right now. It is great we all have differing opinions.
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Post by 950nancy on Jul 6, 2018 16:13:05 GMT
craftedbys , I'm right there with you! I want the real wood, not some painted piece. But to add to your vent, also stop watching HGTV. I know the cheapest way to brighten and redo your kitchen cabinets & trim is a coat of white paint, but when you have beautiful hardwoods - especially cherry, walnut, mahogany. Of course, I wouldn't want it on oak or maple either. Just don't do it. I cannot wait for the white/grey look to be over. I love the look of real wood throughout a home. I was JUST watching a Flip or Flop show that had the white cabinets. I know that many people think they look clean (so hard to keep looking clean though), but all of the white and gray looks so cold to me. I love hardwoods. We had our oak cabinets resurfaced with a hickory over 15 years ago and I still love them. The floors in our house are bamboo. They are just so inviting. I have one painted piece of wood in the house and it looks pretty cheesy. I painted it and that is a big part of the problem. I need to fix that someday.
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Post by 950nancy on Jul 6, 2018 16:16:17 GMT
I paint quite a bit of furniture. These are my reasons for doing it: If you watch Antiques Roadshow dark wood furniture has seriously gone down in value. The younger generation does not want dark wood. Unless your piece was in the Revolutionary War, it is probably not worth much. Those of us who are buying or looking to redecorate are sick of honey oak or other dark woods. I have had that in every single house since 1974. I’m over dark wood. I recently bought a solid wood TV stand that has good bones but was beat up pretty badly by the previous family. I only paid $5.00 because of the condition but it will look great in my basement in Chinese red. Paint covers a lot of flaws. Refinishing furniture destroys value. It is a fad and I guess I don’t care right now. When I moved into my current house I could not afford to spend $$$ on furniture to fit the space. I got some pieces for-$ and am happy right now. It is great we all have differing opinions. I totally agree about differing opinions. I can look at grey/white and appreciate the lines and texture, but the colors just do not appeal to me. I see a cloudy day, rain, dreary, etc. and everyone else around me sees a gorgeous room. There must be something in our memory that makes us all feel some way or another.
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Post by Chips on Jul 6, 2018 16:22:31 GMT
I have refinished a lot of furniture over the years and after having stripped paint off of a few pieces (it is a long tedious process) I have no plans to paint any of my pieces. I have a dining room table that is almost 100 hundred years old and I love the story of it's nicks, scratches or marks. So in 2023 when my table is 100 hundred years old I am throwing it a big party!
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Post by jeremysgirl on Jul 6, 2018 16:22:45 GMT
My dad's girlfriend is an antique collector and seller. She thinks painted wood is a sin. But you know who she sells to? Other 70 year old women. Younger generations just aren't into antiques she says. My good friend has a booming business. She does both refinishing of woods when she feels like she can salvage them and painted woods. Her biggest sellers are pieces from the 60s and 70s painted with modern colors. I love pieces from that era. And I love them painted. I wish I had kept my dad's 70s stereo cabinet. If I had that piece right now it would be a TV stand in my living room with an awesome color.
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Deleted
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May 10, 2024 14:36:24 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2018 16:31:59 GMT
I'm 72.
I still have an "antiqued" chest in my garage. I just bought grey furniture for my den. I want to paint the oak cabinets in my kitchen. I'm getting my paneling painted white in my family room. The decorator told us it would make our photography "POP"! that's all it took for dh....he wants his photography to pop. I can't stop watching HGTV I don't want my kitchen to be open to the rest of my house....How do you keep every dish washed and every applicance put away all the time? And how do real estate people put up with all those whiney clients. I just want to slap some of them!
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Post by mikklynn on Jul 6, 2018 16:33:20 GMT
We painted our 1980's oak veneer cabinets. It's a huge improvement. But, I would never paint solid cherry! Yikes.
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rickmer
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Jul 1, 2014 20:20:18 GMT
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Post by rickmer on Jul 6, 2018 16:34:23 GMT
i work in real estate and in staging homes, grey is king... light grey, dark grey, off white (with a tinge of grey)... you name it. so i think the painted pieces would attract people with a more contemporary decor in their homes.
that being said, you are absolutely correct - just cause it's old doesn't make it an antique or worth big bucks. we have this issue when people are selling their homes. they cannot get their head wrapped around their old, heavy, dark dining room set is not valuable just because it's old and "they don't make em like this anymore".
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Post by bigbundt on Jul 6, 2018 16:51:48 GMT
that being said, you are absolutely correct - just cause it's old doesn't make it an antique or worth big bucks. we have this issue when people are selling their homes. they cannot get their head wrapped around their old, heavy, dark dining room set is not valuable just because it's old and "they don't make em like this anymore". Exactly. My parents were selling some of my grandma's furniture and some of the prices they were putting on these things were insane. They couldn't understand why people weren't buying. Brown furniture is not popular but painted and details pop out, pieces can be very beautiful and striking! And does paint somehow destroy the integrity of wood or something? I'm not talking about truly valuable antiques that make up like 5% of antiques out there. If someone wants a red or blue dresser their only option is press board or cheap pieces? If a solid piece is painted today it can be stripped and restored later. Isn't it better to repurpose these better built items that can survive transformations and keep it out of the landfill? Isn't it better to have something you love instead of having to deal with the limitations of shades of brown if that isn't your thing? It is still a solid piece of furniture even if the wood grain doesn't show. If you like wood grain, great. Not everyone does. I don't care for the farmhouse trend that is everywhere but I don't condemn others who do and can recognize the good execution of it when I see it. This painted trend will pass and the brown wood trend will cycle back eventually.
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Post by cindyupnorth on Jul 6, 2018 17:36:01 GMT
I blame Ikea...
Everyone wants the McMansion, white, crisp, clean, simple design. So they aren't drawn to the true old pieces, or even the used ones, so they paint them the popular colors, ie GREY, white, blues, to draw people in. And honestly these sort of painted pieces tend to blend in better with the Ikea brand. I don't mind the painted furniture. I would rather see someone repurpose and use a good old piece, then trash it.
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schizo319
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Post by schizo319 on Jul 6, 2018 17:44:15 GMT
I'm a member of a Furniture painting fanatics group on facebook and I have nearly cried over some of the pieces I've seen painted - burl walnut, tiger oak, solid cherry/mahogany etc. I completely agree with you that not everything needs to be painted - especially with that god awful chalk paint that everyone seems to be slapping all over everything - complete with copious amounts of sanding to make it look "rustic" or "shabby chic" all the while having visible paint drips down the sides because someone saw something on pinterest and fancied themselves a furniture refinisher...
I just finished painting an old wood coffee table (I'm pretty sure it came from a flea market in the early 80s, so definitely not an heirloom type piece of furniture), and I turned an old 70s headboard/footboard into a bench for the front porch which I also painted (grey) but it was bulky "utility type" wood clearly meant for someone who was furnishing a kid's room on a budget.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Jul 6, 2018 17:46:07 GMT
Eh - with the exception of cherry and mahogany, I really don't like wood grain. I think oak is ugly as hell. My father nearly had a heart attack when I painted all the trim and doors in this house. "But it's REAL wood" Yeah - it's still real wood under the paint. I've painted a few furniture pieces. The vast majority of furniture isn't worth much anyway - so who cares if it decreases in value. I have a fun wooden sideboard I bought for like $50 on NextDoor. I painted it a crazy color and put it in the basement for kid snacks. I think people get way too hung up on wood grain personally.
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Post by craftedbys on Jul 6, 2018 18:27:34 GMT
I am ok with some painted wood, so please don't think I am dissing those of you that have painted wood. I have seen some gorgeous painted things and can appreciate a statement piece.
Growing up we had several pieces that my mom "antiqued". Years later they moved this one cabinet to the garage, and i asked if we could have it. DH removed all of this green finish and discovered a beautiful solid mahogany wood--not wonderful it was so heavy!
Last year my brother mentioned he would like that cabinet and I got to tell him he was 20+ years too late, LOL.
There is another tall wood storage cabinet that is still in that antique green. I want it to put in my sewing room for fabric storage. I think I am going to leave it as is because the inside and shelves are covered in this great 1970s pink, gold, and green floral wallpaper.
I think it is sad so many young people would rather surround themselves with all things Ikea. Is it our disposable society now? I would think the whole thrifted, repurposed trend would be bigger.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2018 18:38:11 GMT
i work in real estate and in staging homes, grey is king... light grey, dark grey, off white (with a tinge of grey)... you name it. so i think the painted pieces would attract people with a more contemporary decor in their homes. that being said, you are absolutely correct - just cause it's old doesn't make it an antique or worth big bucks. we have this issue when people are selling their homes. they cannot get their head wrapped around their old, heavy, dark dining room set is not valuable just because it's old and "they don't make em like this anymore". That's so true! So many people don't care how "well" anything's made anymore. They just care, does it look good? Can I set a pretty table, gather the family and lean our elbows on it while enjoying the company without it all crashing to the floor? Yes? I'll take it! Not judging, it's just the way it is.
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Post by chitchatgirl on Jul 6, 2018 18:44:58 GMT
Mom and I had this conversation recently because we used to be anti-paint too. While clearing out my grandmother's house, mom gave me a french provincial buffet from Basset. It never would have matched my stuff the way it was and it had taken several beating over the years. I told her that I would like to paint it and turn it into a media cabinet. Her response was that she was happy that I wanted something of my grandmothers and was making it mine. We've both refinished lots of furniture and figure we can always strip it back if we want. In fact, I've already stripped that piece once and it took a weekend. If that's all it takes for me to truly love something that I remember in my grandmothers house when I was a toddler, I'm going for it. Life is too short to only "like" something vs "love" a piece of furniture just because it is or isn't painted.
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azredhead
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Jun 25, 2014 22:49:18 GMT
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Post by azredhead on Jul 6, 2018 18:49:37 GMT
I'm right there with you. We prefer the natural look of wood and stone. The distressing of real wood furniture makes me distressed. Ditto same we have a misson style wood frame,we haven't wanted to switch it out. It's actually held up fairly nicely even with our dogs over the years. It more the bed frame we need to replace, but no distress look for the frame so I don't wanna change it. I do laugh at my SIL she distresses everything!!
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Post by jeremysgirl on Jul 6, 2018 19:00:46 GMT
I think it is sad so many young people would rather surround themselves with all things Ikea. Is it our disposable society now? I would think the whole thrifted, repurposed trend would be bigger. I guess I don't know why you'd be surprised by this. How many houses have we seen posted here making fun of the decor in the house? Or how many threads here have people requesting help with a paint color and 90% of the responders suggest some shade of gray because that's what's trendy right now? How many people on this board say, "I'm embarrassed because of my oak cabinets in my kitchen?" People make other people feel like if they aren't right on trend, then your home isn't worthy.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2018 19:10:18 GMT
I think people get way too hung up on wood grain personally. I do too. I've seen people react to a beautiful piece of painted furniture as if a religious artifact has been destroyed. I would think the whole thrifted, repurposed trend would be bigger. <iframe width="29.25999999999999" height="3.0400000000000063" style="position: absolute; width: 29.25999999999999px; height: 3.0400000000000063px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none;left: 15px; top: -5px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_14796110" scrolling="no"></iframe> <iframe width="29.25999999999999" height="3.0400000000000063" style="position: absolute; width: 29.26px; height: 3.04px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 1397px; top: -5px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_36437933" scrolling="no"></iframe> <iframe width="29.25999999999999" height="3.0400000000000063" style="position: absolute; width: 29.26px; height: 3.04px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 15px; top: 92px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_65095416" scrolling="no"></iframe> <iframe width="29.25999999999999" height="3.0400000000000063" style="position: absolute; width: 29.26px; height: 3.04px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 1397px; top: 92px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_4852673" scrolling="no"></iframe> It is big in my area. All the local Facebook pages are filled with bargain basement priced or even free finds that have been beautifully painted, now with a high price on them and people are snapping them up. Years ago I found a wooden rack with glass fish bowl type canisters with wooden tops for $12. I painted the wood rack and wood canister tops black, painted some old style text on the rack, distressed it a bit and sold it for $75. Before I put it up for sale, I had a hard time deciding if I should sell it or keep it.
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Post by Lexica on Jul 6, 2018 19:32:39 GMT
I'm with you if the piece is a gorgeous solid wood. I don't mind painted antique pieces if they were of a cheaper make that uses a veneer instead of solid hardwood. Typically the veneer is damaged on those and you need to either replace the veneer section or do something to cover it up. I have a small piece that I bought for a couple of dollars at a yard sale. I filled in the missing parts with wood filler, took a photo to remember where the wood filler was, and then painted the piece. The picture was because I wanted to rub down the edges and wear areas on it and didn't want to remove paint over the wood filler. I like it, and truthfully, I would never have it in the condition it was in when I found it.
I have a small chest of drawers in my garage right now waiting to be stripped down. Someone painted a weird lime green color, handles and all. It wasn't a beautiful wood, it was made from fruit crates. I like the handmade look of the build and the fact that you can see the original crate labels when you open the drawers. I am going to strip it down to see if I like it without any paint on it. If not, I'll paint it white or something, and put new handles on it.
I feel the same way about painted brick and stone. My father owned a brickyard when I was growing up and I used to go with him on the weekends and I played in the yard area. I grew to love the look of certain bricks and stonework. When I see a gorgeous fireplace that was originally some beautiful brick or stone painted, it just bothers me. Especially when they paint the grout in some other color. I saw one painted glossy white and they painted the grout in gloss black. It was a bad, bad look. I would have to have had it sandblasted if I were to buy that place.
I have a brick fireplace in my family room that has a raised hearth with a seat at one end and a wood storage area on the opposite end. It takes up the entire end wall of my family room. My ex built it after we bought the house, and we are the only ones in the neighborhood with a second fireplace in our family room. The realtor that will be selling my house suggested painting it white to make the room seem bigger. I just can't do it. If the new owner wants to paint it, so be it, but I just can't do it. Maybe I could if they were generic red bricks, but they are a gorgeous brick that I picked from Dad's yard. And we used the same brick for the fireplace in the living room. So if the new owners choose to paint it, I'll never know and it won't hurt my feelings.
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Post by bigbundt on Jul 6, 2018 19:46:06 GMT
Isn't that what people are doing by painting old furniture? In my living room is Ikea's Ektorp sofa, loveseat, and two arm chairs. I can choose from a bunch of covers and colors. The covers are WASHABLE which is what I need with small children. If those are trashed beyond help, I can have "new" living room furniture for less than $500 by buying new covers AND I can pick them up today if they are in stock. Those "cheap" and "disposable" sofas have outlived three other sofas we have had in the same time frame that were WAY more expensive and ended up in the landfill. Here is the thing... I like flexibility. And Ikea is so damn flexible. I have a wall of Pax wardrobes in my office and I didn't have a few choices like a traditional store, with all the frames, doors, interior organizers there are literally thousands of choices for looks and finishes in one spot without going to a bunch of stores or searching online. If I find something I like there but it isn't perfect, I feel like I can paint, reconfigure, hack whatever even when brand new because it wasn't a large upfront cost. I hate going into traditional furniture stores or online and spending hours trying to find what I want. Maybe it has an element that eliminates it as a choice. The return is left when I need it to be right. It is light wood when I want dark. It comes in one ugly color. It is only sold as a set when I want one piece. It takes months to find something and even then it isn't exactly what I want but is close enough. And it almost always is $$$$$$$ so even if I do buy it, I feel like I spent so much on it that I can't change anything and never really love it. And I don't find that the quality of a lot of lower cost traditional furniture is anything better than Ikea anyway but it costs a lot more. I prefer to buy used quality items if I can but sometimes it doesn't pan out timing wise. Cheaper places like Ikea allow me to have an acceptable placeholder, for not much money, so that I can play the long game for the perfect item and not settle. My kids' bedroom furniture comes from there because I literally know no one who has taken the "quality" childhood furniture their parents spent so much on with the hopes they could use it on into adulthood and infinity. My MIL has been trying to off load SIL's for at least five years now. I had friends give me shit because I bought a cheap $100 Jenny Lind crib instead of those very expensive cribs ($800+) that converted to full beds because their kids will use it for twenty years. Most ended up not even using it after a few years and buying something else anyway so really, who came out ahead there? My daughter has a bunk bed currently and I know it is something she will outgrow in a few years so I am less concerned about heirloom quality.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jul 6, 2018 20:05:14 GMT
I think it is sad so many young people would rather surround themselves with all things Ikea. Is it our disposable society now? I would think the whole thrifted, repurposed trend would be bigger. Thrifting and repurposing is huge here. They are taking all that good wood furniture and painting it to fit their style and decorating schemes. They do recognize quality and durability, they just want it to fit with their lifestyle and look. The younger generations are getting caught between those who complain because they buy Ikea or other "disposable" furniture, and those who complain that they don't appreciate the good wood furniture and paint it. They can't win for losing! that being said, you are absolutely correct - just cause it's old doesn't make it an antique or worth big bucks. we have this issue when people are selling their homes. they cannot get their head wrapped around their old, heavy, dark dining room set is not valuable just because it's old and "they don't make em like this anymore". So true. People have a hard time accepting that the good furniture they paid a lot for back in the 50's, 60's, etc. is not worth much, if anything. There will be very few true antiques that come from that period in another 50 years. For one thing, the vast majority was mass produced, even those "good" brands like Bassett, Drexel, Henredon. I've just finished going through all of this with DH about letting go of the rest of our mahogany furniture. A coffee table was donated. The Link Taylor end tables were about to be donated (at most I could get maybe $40 each for them) until my sister said she needed them. Yes, they were expensive, have dovetailed drawers, etc. Now they don't fit in our house, do not go with our updated decorating style and are in the way. It took a while for him to come around. I even heard "they don't make em like this anymore".
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melissa
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Jun 25, 2014 20:45:00 GMT
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Post by melissa on Jul 6, 2018 20:14:41 GMT
Everything old is new again.
My mom did this when I was a child to an exquisite French style mahagony desk that has a built in leather inset. It's a gorgeous piece of furniture. Over the years, the blue has become a little distressed looking. I have embraced the blue but still consider distressing it further with a little bit of white.
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Post by bigbundt on Jul 6, 2018 21:14:19 GMT
The younger generations are getting caught between those who complain because they buy Ikea or other "disposable" furniture, and those who complain that they don't appreciate the good wood furniture and paint it. They can't win for losing! This is true. Repurpose or recycle all you want as long as you NEVER CHANGE IT. What?
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Post by Flowergirl on Jul 6, 2018 21:24:37 GMT
I get the OPs point, but I think this is a personal preference thing. Very little of the furniture I’ve seen at flea markets I’ve been to lately is actually a valuable antique—even the solid wood, well-made items. I have no problem with people painting wood furniture if that’s the look they like and it gives a dated piece that would otherwise end up in a landfill a new life.
If someone is painting pieces to sell them and they’ve overpriced them or done a poor job, the market will tell them so when the piece sits unsold at that price point.
I’ve emptied the houses of many older people who have passed away or are downsizing. Not many people want to buy old dated furniture...not 20 somethings or 60 somethings. If paint can turn an functional item that’s eye sore or dated into an appealing and useful piece to someone, then paint it if that’s what you like. Or keep strolling the flea market and you’re sure to find plenty of unpainted wood if that’s what you prefer.
In terms of young people and thrifting, I see a lot of mixing of old upcycled pieces with new/IKEA type stuff.
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