Family Tree by Signe Wilkinson for May 12, 2024

She’s looking in the wrong places! I have a house full of antiques—solid wood, beautiful craftsmanship, most costing less than $200. My oldest piece is from the mid 19th century—a rather beat-up traveling desk that I use as “mail central”. Most expensive are an Art Deco (I love Arts and Crafts and Art Deco) armoire ($500) that I use as a TV holder and a quarter-sawn oak filing cabinet that I use as … a filing cabinet. I have chairs, tables, dressers, and lots of miscellaneous tchotchkes, all for $200 or less each, all of them at least 80 years old.

This is the time to buy them. Antiques are out of style, and the “in” stuff looks like it came from IKEA. So, you can get beautiful stuff cheap. My six piece 1920’s bedroom set costs me $3000 in 1970, when antiques were popular. I could get about $700 for it today. It may increase in value in the future, but I wouldn’t sell it for 10K. I just appreciate the fact that I don’t have to look at IKEA crap.

I have my grandmother’s china cabinet and dressers. I wouldn’t part with them for all the tea in China.

When I was little nylon and rayon were the only generally available synthetic fibers. Bakelite was the main plastic.

That’s only if you insist on nice-looking ones. You can get perfectly serviceable used furniture at almost any large thrift store. The environment will thank you and you won’t have to pay for professional “distressing” of the finish.