10 Antiquing Finds You Should Never Leave Behind

Antiquing can be such an exciting adventure, but it can be challenging to know if you’re making the right decision in the moment. Here are 10 finds you should definitely never leave behind.

Antiquing is such a great way to fill your home with affordable character, charm, and beauty. The antiques and collectibles you find at an antique market have already stood the test of time in terms of quality and durability, and filling your home with hidden treasures that have a story and a personality all their own is the surest way to create a truly timeless look. The challenge with antique shopping is that you never know what you’ll find, so you often need to make decisions on the spot, before you leave the antique mall. We all have a story about a beautiful piece that we left behind at an antique show and later regretted. Nothing haunts you like the piece of quaint decor or memorabilia you didn’t realize you needed until it was too late. 🙂 I thought today it might be helpful to share my list of vintage items that I’ve come to realize I should never pass up when I’m in an antiques shop or visiting flea markets because I’ll always find a place for them. I might not know where they’re going immediately, but if I love them, I’m always able to find the perfect place for them before too long.

Where to shop for antiques: St. Jacobs Antiques Market in Waterloo, ON

An Amazing Chair at a Great Price

You may think you don’t need any additional seating furniture in your home, but there’s always room for a chair, especially when you fall in love with the perfect Victorian side chair while out visiting antique dealers and consignment shops. You’ll always find a spot for a beautiful chair at a desk, tucked in a corner as a place to toss clothing or even as a little table. When it comes to versatile vintage furniture and antique furnishings, chairs are always winners. I found this bergere chair by luck for $40 at my local Habitat for Humanity store, which is a great place for antique furniture, and it really completed this built-in bookshelf wall.

The Perfect Wood Tray

Trust me when I say that you will never regret buying an antique wood tray. You might think that it’s an unnecessary piece of home decor, but you’ll bring that beautiful walnut or oak tray home and suddenly see that there are so many places around your home that it will be perfect for. Use these on coffee tables to hold decorative items and housewares, on a desk to corral framed photos, on a dresser to anchor decorating vignettes, and in so many other places, whether your style is primitive or more refined.  These trays really are a secret weapon for making your home decoration endeavors look finished and cohesive.

Classic Bookends

Bookends in classic, traditional shapes and materials will never go out of style and will help ground your bookshelves, countertops, and console tables for years to come. I found my first pair of brass bookends at a flea market, and I actually bargained for them because I loved them so much, but only had a small amount of cash left at the end of the day. I might not do the same thing today because I’ve come to value antique merchants so much, but the seller at the time was more than happy to let me have them for a great deal.

A Print or Painting That Speaks to You

I promise you that if you fall in love with an original painting or antique art piece and you leave it behind, you’ll regret it for the rest of your days. Well, maybe it isn’t quite that dramatic, but art really brings a space to life, and when you find just the right fine-art piece, you should have it. I often find that vintage and antique pieces with saturated colors speak to me, although the rest of my home is quite neutral. But when I do find just the right place for a thrifted print or vintage painting, there’s nothing more satisfying in the world of decorating. The piece pictured above on my messy kitchen shelf has a few bright colors in it and it took me awhile to find the right spot for it, but now I love to look at it every day.

The Perfect Plant Stand or Tiny Table

Much like an eye-catching chair, a little table can fit in just about anywhere in your home, and you’ll be amazed at the number of places where it looks just right once you get it home. A traditional plant stand can function as a small cocktail table between chairs, for holding lamps, or next to a sofa if you don’t have a plant that needs to be displayed. The “plant stand” pictured here is actually an old ashtray stand that I repurposed. I see these elegant, one of a kind, ashtrays often and have always wanted to find a use for them.

A favorite local antique shop: Cobbletog Antiques in London, Ontario

A Perfectly Aged Wicker Basket

My love for beautiful baskets is well documented, and I often even go so far as to paint thrift store baskets to look like vintage finds when I can’t find exactly what I’m looking for. My favorites, though, are always those patinaed antique finds with lots of character, usually found tucked into other, completely unrelated wares at antique markets. If they have any unusual shape, even better. I look for real willow wicket baskets, but I’m open to a classic, early American-style orchard harvest basket if one happens to cross my path.

Transferware and White Ironstone are Common Antiquing Finds

I’ve always had a love of blue and white porcelain dishes, handmade pottery vases, and collectible serveware, but other pieces, including different colors and transferware and pure white ironstone, have come and gone from my collection based on current trends. Unfortunately for me, I’ve learned the hard way that, before too long, I’m going to want all that transferware or simple white ironstone again, and I’m going to regret giving it away. So consider this your permission to collect freely when you visit the dish and glassware sections of antiques shops and showrooms, and just store these collectables away if you aren’t displaying them at this current moment.

Antiquing Favorite: Small Brass and Silver Pieces

Brass, in particular, is a hot commodity right now, so this is something you should be able to find easily in your local antique malls. Candlesticks, figurines, and decorative accents of all kinds are coveted for their ability to bring warmth and whimsy to any styled vignette and you don’t need to be an experienced collector or picker to find some really lovely pieces. Don’t overlook silver completely, though, as these classic pieces make the most beautiful, unexpected addition to your vintage displays. Use servare and vessels as vases, and layer trays under groupings for a bit of shine and grandmillenial flair.

Beautiful Old Books

There’s just something about books that makes a home feel cozy, welcoming, and lived-in. I believe in having a large collection of books that you will actually read instead of decorating with books just for decor purposes. While I purchase plenty of new books, both large coffee table books and smaller hardcovers and paperbacks, I think the real magic happens when you combine a good quantity of old books with the new in your collection. At the antique store, look for books with spines that stand out to you, either because of their color, because they’re beautifully made, or because you like their title.

Planters, Patio Furniture, and Garden Items

In a world of cheap plastic flower pots, faux concrete birdbaths, and fake rattan garden furniture, choosing to use the real deal instead of cheap big box store knock-offs will bring so much life and joy to your garden spaces. If you love to use high-quality all-weather furniture and planters like I do, adding an old chair with character to hold a pot of herbs or a vintage basket as a planter will pair beautifully with what you already have and bring so much charm.

Essential knowledge for shopping secondhand: How to Clean Used Furniture from the Thrift Store or Marketplace

Tips for Making Sure You Never Miss Out on a Great Antiquing Find

I haven’t absolutely perfected my methods yet, and I still have so much to learn about the world of antiquing, but here are a few little tricks I’ve learned to help with the decision-making process when I find an item I love at an antique dealer.

More home decorating inspiration: Modern Thrift Store Decorating – What I Always Look For

Take a Photo While Antiquing

Whether I’m thrifting or out antique shopping, this little tip has come in handy so many times to help me find antiques that I really love. If you’re visiting an antique shop near your home, taking a photo can allow you to look back on an item you left behind later in the day. I find this often gives me a lot of clarity, and I often get home, look around me, and realize that a piece would be absolutely perfect in my home. I can then pop up again before the shop closes or first thing the next morning to grab the piece before it’s too late.

If I’m visiting antiques dealers far away from home, taking a picture of an item and looking back at it in photo form after a few minutes will often help me know if I really love the item or if it was just a passing fancy. I can then go grab the item before I leave the store if I decide I have to have it. Antique stores can often create a lot of excitement, so sometimes taking a few minutes to calm down can help you make the right choice.

Set a Price Limit

Sometimes, it can help to set yourself a price limit when you’re out in antique shops. For instance, you might say that if an item you come across and instantly love is under $50, you’ll just buy it without thinking about it too much. Your gut instincts are usually right, and if you love a piece at first sight, you’ll probably love it even more in your home as time goes on, so if it’s not too expensive, just go for it.

Read next: Top Ten Thrift Store Home Decor Finds You Should Never Pass Up

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