Dated Decor & Furniture You Shouldn't Get Rid Of | Keep These Timeless Pieces
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- čas přidán 23. 07. 2024
- In this video, I chat with you about some classic and timeless furniture or decor you should keep. Some of these pieces may feel dated or don't fit your current interior design style, but they are staples that you should consider keeping before passing them on to a loving home. Old furniture can be made new again! Let me know what items you would add to the list!
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⏱ Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:50 - Solid Wood Furniture
03:26 - Any Hardwood Floors
05:27 - Vintage Rugs
07:25 - Sentimental Pieces
08:46 - Wicker and Rattan Furniture
10:21 - Clawfoot Tubs
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My rules for painting wood furniture- 1) if it’s a quality piece, don’t paint. Stain it to match your aesthetic. 2) if it’s a a questionable wood, think pine, it’s okay to paint. It’s far better to repurpose and have it last a bit longer than to buy something new. It’s far better for the environment and your wallet. 3) use quality cabinetry paint if you paint a wood piece.
I stripped my great grandmother's glass doored bookcase from the 1920s and it turned bright orange! I was hoping it was walnut, but nope. It was pine. Orangey pine. So I painted it a light mocha to match with my home. I tried living with it naturally for ten years, but it was just awful. It's much better this way
Yeah, pretty much. I don't really mind the painted wood so much, but the distressing makes me stabby. I hate it. So much.
I bought a second hand 80s dresser with heavily stained golden oak. For $75 i definitely bought it for the construction but hated the color, so that was painted rather than strip it. I have ash furniture i bought bare and polyurethaned when I was in my 20s
Its still my good looking bedroom furniture 40 years later!!
Better put on my glasses.. I read "quality cranberry paint:...fauly specific!
I like cherry wood and oak, which tends to be on the orange side but it usually has a more mellowed down, orange tone with a patina that makes it a big darker and not so bright.
...a subject that's not talked about often enough! Thanks
Agreed.
Flashback to 1974 and my first house I was walking through Marshall Fields and saw a blue and white lamp I loved. I still remember it was $45 which doesn't sound like much but back then you could buy a lamp anywhere for 10 or 15 plus I had NO living room furniture yet!! I kept thinking about it and a month later someone gave me a little money on my birthday. I went right to the store and bought the lamp. Flash forward to 2023, after owning eight homes...I still have the lamp! Buy what you love and you will keep it.
Yes!!!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤
I love this story very much! I have a vintage chandelier that my mom bought with her first paycheque back when she was a teenager. She kept it for over 50 years and now I treasure it…both for its beauty and because my mom loved it 🩷
Yes! I have some lamps and other pieces my parents from the 70s in my early 1900s house with dark oak wood trim paired with contemporary stuff and it all works because it all stuff I love.
You had me at “I was walking through Marshall Fields . . .” ❤ I really, really miss Marshall Fields.
Best advice❤
In 1975, first year of teaching, purchased a cream coloured pure wool, British Indian carpet, from HBC. It cost more than a month’s salary. Still have it, still love it. They said it would last 25 years that was almost 50 years ago. Such a great purchase and still timeless.
Good quality carpets will last more than a life time - depending one traffic area and proper care.
Same here. 1973 bought a beautiful wool oriental carpet in neutral colors from an older woman who was moving, and I still have that carpet throughout many moves. Right now it’s in my bedroom and I still love that rug!
Thanks for taking a stand AGAINST painting old wood pieces. Breaks my heart every time.
Plank width is interesting. Years ago I toured an old mansion and they said to note the plank widths. The narrowest planks were used in the formal rooms. As we went upstairs, the planks were wider in the personal family rooms, wider still in areas used by the help, and the really wide planks were used in the attic. The rationale was that narrow planks required more labor and were more expensive per square foot, so wealth was shown by the width of wood you used for people to walk on.
That’s good to know. I thought the planks in my place were narrow because they were cheaper than wider ones. They’re first growth timber, oak I think, and you can see the bottom of some in parts of the unfinished basement. There are small rectangular spaces in some areas and because this kind of flooring is common in my neighbourhood they sell bags of the pieces you can glue into these spaces when the old ones fall out.
It’s quite the adventure living in old spaces and finding history when you renovate. My upstairs neighbours discovered the horsehair in the plaster.
Also, they typically used less expensive, softer woods in the less public spaces in a home: pine or fir as opposed to oak or maple in the public spaces.
@@jodynuttall3215 I just really thought it was interesting how things have changed. Since there are no old growth forests left, wide planks are more expensive since they are a limited resource. When wide planks were more abundant and wood was milled and shaped by hand, the narrow more labor intense planks were a sign of wealth. I still look at narrow planks and think gym or bowling alley. 😄
Solid wood (real wood) is beautiful. Anything else posing as wood looks like, something posing as wood.
@@kailee5694 in some rooms they even put hardwood around the edges, and a cheaper soft wood in the middle where it would be covered by a rug.
Nick: “Classics are timeless and can work with any design style.”
I couldn’t agree more. I have vintage rugs, a huge antique library bookcase, and a rattan sitting area, in my very contemporary style design, and it’s so rich looking. The mix is everything - it adds so much texture and depth to the design.
Yes! Especially with how solid wood are pricey, I think people get caight and up with trends too often, not realizing that a lot of vintage and natural designs carry lasting and priceless value. In some cases, it makes you take a second glance at these things in envy, cause timeless classics speaks on taste and culture.
Your home sounds lovely.
Yes, especially since it can look really nice to mix styles and make it very easy- have one contemporary style and mix in a few traditional pieces, and it can make the space look so much more cozy and like a place you want to live in.
It adds "soul". 👍🏻
My landlady ripped off the beautiful oak hardwood floors years ago on the apartment I live in now. When I noticed them in other people's apartments in my building, she just said "oh, I was modernizing it" and so she replaced them with laminated wide planks (now they're not in the best condition but I manage). I really get along with her but she has no idea how DUMB that was.
I wouldn't assume that. I have lovely fir floors throughout my house, but the old man who lived here years ago used the back bedroom for a workshop. There is a horrible oil stain that will never come out. You don't know what some people can do to a place. She might not have wanted to speak ill of them, but I would think if she were "modernizing," then she would have taken out floors in the other units also.
Yes, some stains go all the way through the wood, making restoring them impossible.
I lived in an apartment with old teak floors with lots of cigarette burns. The owner asked me if I minded. I said I loved the character.
@@joannebutzerin6448 you;'re assuming the landlady owns the entire building and not just one specific apartment within the building, as is increasingly common in areas that were historically owner-resident heavy
True. In my part of the country separately owned units are called condos, while apartments generally have a single owner or owner group.
@@emryspaperart
Most of my furniture are pieces I've collected over the last 30 years. They are solid wood from the 1700's and 1800's. The workmanship it took to carve the details with no electric power, is timeless and beautiful! I love and appreciate every one of them.
I do not understand people who follow design "trends," ESPECIALLY in a world of dwindling resources. KNOW what you love, BUY what you love, and KEEP what you love. The original capital outlay will very quickly resolve itself into a bargain. People who cycle through whatever is the trend du jour are ultimately trying to reinvent themselves rather than defining and refining their aesthetic.
Bought this house last year and found the original hardwood floors from 1958 under the very worn carpet :D I LOOOOOVE them!
I’m with you, bought a house built in 1951 and the hardwood floors are stunning! And just pulled up the rug from the upstairs hall and stairs and found even more beautiful hardwood floors! I feel so lucky to have found them.
You are so fortunate! I, too, had a 1958 rancher that had solid oak flooring throughout the main floor. I had them refinished, threw down some oriental rugs, and BASKED in the beauty that those two features gave to the rooms. I recently moved, and although the rugs came with me, I miss those floors…
That is a dream! Yayyyy for original wood floors
I'd also add moulding/millwork as things not to discard (provided it matches the architecture of the home). I do a lot of work on Craftsman homes and I'm always so happy when people haven't demolished the built-ins or removed the moulding above the doors or windows.
Or painted the brick fireplace!
We saw many craftsman windows, builtin cabinets, and moulding demolished (before and after sales listing photos). It was truly sad to see.
I lucked into a beautiful one owner home that has been beautifully cared for. Gunstock oak flooring, oak and maple trim, solid oak doors… A couple of the rooms had the trim painted but the majority of the house was in its original condition. I love vintage furniture and the craftsmanship that went into it.
@@33JenesisAs someone who dreams of affording a nice old craftsman one day, it hurts my soul when people tear out the stuff I’m dying to have.
Someone ripped out the craftsman arch in my house, put up wood paneling (this did mean I had one layer of paint and two layers of wallpaper to get to the plaster), and dropped the ceilings. They didn't completely remove the window trim but cut it all flush and removed the extra decorative top trim (also they didn't paint the living room and dinning room trim). But they also got rid of the baseboards and picture rail. At best I can say I still have the original wavy glass and leaded glass windows in my house. Part of the problem is that I think that it is douglas fur which is not an easy wood to get a hold of today. I removed the fiberglass tub in the bathroom and put in a vintage claw foot tub. My kitchen cabinets are in really great shape and I plan to keep the originals. I think it is important to pick your updates in an old house so they feel like they belong. A supper modern looking kitchen wouldn't feel right in my 1910 vernacular house. But updating the inner works of the house makes sense. My fixer upper is a mixed bag of past good and bad choices. I hope someone in the future doesn't curse my choices.
Solid wood furniture is underrated. And thrift stores are full of it! I got a beautiful oak coffee table for like $20 & I’m pretty sure that thing could survive a nuclear war.
Yes!!! I got a gorgeous wooden wardrobe (just a little one, because I only needed a shelf, some drawers, and a tabletop basically) with lovely carved details between each drawer, and it's made me fall in love with my closet. Usually I don't like my closet because it's a very utilitarian space (I love clothes, but my closet is usually ugly). But that wardrobe has genuinely made it so fun to look at my closet, which is making me keep it a lot cleaner, too. It's a sturdy little thing, and it makes my clothes smell AMAZING (I think it's a dark oak, it doesn't look or smell like cedar). And it cost less than the last winter coat I bought!
I have a friend who is an interior decorator. The first time he came to my home I felt very self-conscious about my rather eclectic mix of furnishings and accessories. He was actually so complementary and said that if you go with what you love it will always work together. So now I have an 1800s French China cabinet, it’s huge! Right next to a very modern vertical bookcase from design within reach. I have sentimental pieces like the corner cabinet made for me by my grandfather mixed with rugs that my parents brought back from Turkey and lots of leopard print😂
Sounds lovely ! True designers will work w/ what you have , blend new w/ old , classic w/ quirky , etc. & let your personality show so your home is a reflection of you , not them !
this was nice of you to reassure us mere mortals that is OK to be "unfashionable" for loving our sentimental pieces. it's who we are. there are a lot of timid people who go along with trends cuz no one told them they didn't have to.
I love how respectful towards the traditional style/pieces this conversation was, especially knowing that you’re not particularly a fan of vintage yourself. I personally love those beautiful timeless pieces mixed in with contemporary and it’s nice to talk about how people can continue to honor those beautiful pieces among different styles rather than keeping up with every trend. The pictures were great as well and i will be rewatching :)
For anyone who insists on painting wood furniture ... clean it well, then add a coat of shellac before painting.
Not only does the shellac make a good primer, but if you or someone else wants to strip off the paint later, it makes stripping much easier.
I just said this elsewhere about laying down a coat of white shellac before painting - thanks for validating my advice!
It’s much easier to restore painted furniture (especially primed with shellac) than stained furniture! While I don’t like seeing beautiful vintage pieces painted, at least they are protected this way. But seeing them stained hurts me in my soul because that often cannot be undone.
I did not know that it is easier to strip that way. Thanks
that's really good advice, thanks!
Thanks for making feel better about my choices! I have mixed in old and new and just makes me happy! My kids are somewhat horrified that I have this one tiny corner cabinet with items from my Mom, grandma and even great gran. It looks like an old lady cabinet in the corner of a beautifully decorated room , but it makes me smile!
Good for you! Sadly, the younger generations don't have any interest in family treasures. They're too busy with other priorities.😏
Tell them it's called grandma chic, it's a thing. 😇
I'm with you, plus have a number of boxes in the basement with some gorgeous old things inside. Staffordshire, silver, things that could be valuable. NOT getting rid of it. :)
Sad that the young ones don't appreciate the effort that went into handmade things from the past. I know,sadly,that my mother's and grandmother's beautiful handmade things will just be thrown away when I die. Kids and grandkids don't care about anything that isn't "cool"
@@katella Stay as fit and healthy as you can because when they grow up and have kids and grandkids of their own, the perspective changes, and you want to be there to see it. :)
Painting solid wooden furniture: "I understand it ... but I'm also saying don't do it" Funniest, most insightful Nick so far this year!
Any cast iron tub, whether it has claw feet or not, is definitely worth holding on to because 1) it weighs too much to move & 2) it’s basically a thermos and will keep your bath warm a long time. Show that old tub some love with a nice re-glazing & invest in a really nice rain shower fixture for some luxe vibes.
I never thought about that- I have a 60s cast iron tub in ming green that I love but haven’t used for a bath. I feel silly for not thinking about how well it would retain heat compared to the newer tubs I’m used to!
You also have to keep the claw foot tub when the entire home renovation was built around it because it sure won’t fit through the door.
Until you age to the point where getting out of it is dangerous
@@juliebbb6031 A bit too heavy to move, too.
@@joswearingen3507 There are conversion kits to make that easier. Not sure how $$$ that is.
If you price out the new dressers or side tables at West Elm or Crate and Barrel, the savvy shopper will quickly look at vintage-better furniture at a fraction of the price. Example: my 1960’s solid wood danish modern dining table (with leaves and a table protector) was $225 on a Craigslist sale. Anything similar brand new was going to be at least $2500!
When I moved from a studio apt. to a much larger apt. I moved some pieces of furniture from my parent's house that were purchased by them when they built their house in 1955 and LOVE them. Beautiful and in pristine condition. I look at them everyday and it makes me so so happy.
Oh lordy! I was sitting in a dentists office a few months back and they had some hgtv makeover show on... the homeowner was like, "this was my grandmother's hope chest, I really want to incorporate it into our space..." 5 seconds later, cut to the hosts sanding/cutting off all of the design flourishes on the wood and schlaping some paint over it 😢 I was about ready to break down in that waiting room.
Yes, paint up that cheap furniture, but leave the good stuff alone :) ❤
So agree.
Thanks for this video, Nick! Old, well made furniture is such a special find - so much history.
My son's baby dresser (he is 45 now) was a refinished, painted dresser that had gone through Pearl Harbor and was brought back to the states. I have a couple very old drop leaf tables that belonged to my great-grandparents (late 1800s) which I place their pictures on. My grand-daughters have already 'claimed' which one they want!
I live in a small town - my mom pulled a heavily painted, solid wood buffet/sideboard (whatever) from the alley trash, hosed/bleached it and used it for *years* in the mud room to hold laundry soap etc. Fast forward about 30 years (!) and living in a city and I wanted to try my hand at refinishing furniture, so Mom gave me that piece to 'practice' with. Found a special stripper that does not harm 'original patina' at a 'home show' and went to work. I didn't know the type of wood so took it to a specialty wood shop - guy said it was 'black walnut' and discussed how to refinish it with wax. Beautiful! Fast forward 15 years .... I live in same small town again, I work from home, client came in with a friend and the friend was mesmerized by the piece (in my living room) ... said it looked just like one her great-grandmother owned. After a short discussion we decided it was the same piece! (knowing who and where people lived helped) I, being very sentimental, offered it to her - she declined saying she was just glad it is being loved and cared for again!
What is the brand/name of the stripper?
Love this - thanks for sharing !
Thank you for sharing this amazing full circle story. Really satisfying and enriching!
What delightful synchronicity. Yep, as long as it's being loved and cared for, that's all that matters. Congrats on the restoration. I wouldn't be that brave!
(Following for the recommendation )
I would also add don't paint wood trim. One of the things I love about old homes in Tasmania is that people, largely respect the natural Tasmanian timbers used in them and have not, over the decades painted them. This is, of course, changing as wealthy house flippers and AirBnBers have bought up large swathes of real estate, pushing up the property prices ridiculously and "modernising" traditional homes. Vandals!
Tasmania? I was just reading that the new queen of the Denmark is from there.
@@653j521 Yeah, she married that dude about 25 years ago, from memory.
Love that you make these types of videos. Too often, the so-called "experts" influence what we're "suppose" to be buying or how we're "suppose" to be decorating. It's refreshing to have a real expert come on and make us feel better about holding on to some of these vintage and heirloom pieces. 🙂
"History doesn't always repear but it does rhyme" what a nice way to phrase that! Great video as always
I’m a third generation owner of a stuffed, rolled-arm chair. It envelops every new sitter in comfort and warmth-still going strong at age 90. Nothing is made this well today.
That is amazing!
Not nothing. There are still experts who make quality items.
Thats the point nowadays! If it break you have to buy more, right? $$$
Sooooooo glad you mentioned painted wood furniture! I thought I was the only one who likes to keep the integrity of wood pieces without paint.
You are not the only one, there are many CZcamsrs and subscribers that hate them as well
I used to own a townhouse built in 1958. The kitchen was original (except the white goods of course). I loved those solid wood, beautifully restored cupboards. I replaced the floor and backsplash tiling from 70’s with tiles that could have been produced in the late 50’s. After selling the house I was invited back but my former neighbours told me the new owners had ripped out the kitchen and replaced it with IKEA’s “finest”. I never went back! 😢
My parents’ house still has its original 1956 aqua blue oven installed at the perfect height in the wall. None of the other appliances match it, of course, but gosh I love that oven. If they ever sell, I’m going to ask them to save it for me.
An antique dealer from my knitting group explained it this way: if it’s mass produced (loosely, ‘vintage’ not antique) you’re not really devaluing the price itself; that’s just going to depend on trends and the market value of what’s in style. Whether you paint or refinish/restore is going to depend on what you like. If it’s not mass produced, be careful. You can ruin antiques by painting or refinishing. Having it appraised first is probably your best move.
So how does anything ever get to be antique in the future if it can be painted today? I prefer Nick’s approach as it preserves for future generations and doesn’t just serve the tastes and economic realities of today.
Thank you for this video, Nick! Especially though you are not a "vintage-person" (I am). Thank you for respecting craftmanship, materials and history of these items!
This needs to be said often and loudly.
We live in this throw it away and get brand new sort of country and unfortunately a lot of the furniture is poorly made out of not that great materials.Our economy depends on the buy buy buy mindset and the advertising convinces us as to what is in style, or should I say trending.All of this works against valuing or holding onto "old"stuff .It's nice to see a video encouraging people to appreciate good guality,thanks.
My dining table and chairs are a solid oak set that my parents bought used when they got married in 1950. It's probably 1930s, originally with a bleached finish and painted flowers. We used it as a playroom table when I was a kid, then my dad and I refinished it. I might refinish it again one of these days, but I'll never get rid of it, even though the chairs are not the most comfortable in the world. Dad reglued and rescrewed all the loose joints back in 1989, and it's still solid as a rock.
Just add chair pads and they will no longer be uncomfortable
I had the opposite experience of painting furniture. I bought a 1950s era, traditional bachelor’s chest with a white Formica top and white factory painted finish. I got curious about it and stripped off all that white paint. The frame and drawers were walnut. WALNUT! I had to paint the Formica (black), but that walnut is now the star.
Good for you!
This is a cry from my heart! I have the same persian rug for 30 years and it still looks perfect. Mixed in with a 19th century armoire and modern furniture. Obviously, I live in Europe...
Yay, Nick! My grandparents and parents were both antique dealers. I learned the value of real quality pieces. Painting reproductions is fine with me. I’ve seen many images of an Eames lounger on a traditional Persian rug. Beautiful!
I was gifted yrs ago, a sofa & loves seat set. All solid beautiful wood with throw pillow type cushions to sit on. Very 1970s Ethan Allen Heritage.
I just love it. Many have commented on I should get rid of them, but I love the wood and have over time updated the seat covers. I have a very cottagecore/english style of home, and the set fits so beautifully with that style. Thank you for saying it's ok not to toss just because it might not be trending. 1:57
And then when those things are trending again those same people are jealous.
@@poodlegirl55 🙂
As a designer , I sold lots of EA in the 70's - it was very well made !
It’s content like this that makes me love your channel. You don’t force your design style on anyone (not even the farmhouse lovers 😅), and you were objective in your commentary. I personally love a mix of modern and vintage. Nothing warms my heart more than seeing my grandmother’s solid wood china closet in my parents’ entry way or my great grandmother’s mahogany table she received as a wedding gift in the living room styled with family photos and a vase. There is value to these gems.
Ok....im really happy you posted this. I have inherited many gorgeous pieces of very old furniture that were totally handmade. The dovetails are all different and super thick wood. They are dark wood(antique black walnut) my taste leads to modern sleak and straight. I have been toying with selling them but now after your talk Im going to keep these pieces. To buy these pieces new as today, i could never afford these pieces. Your talk cemented it for me. Im going to meld them in with accessories and make it work.
All my furniture is thrifted mid century and I love how solid and timeless it is! I’m on team don’t paint wood furniture too!
We were lucky enough to find an incredible vintage wool rug, sold by a guy in a dirty little tattoo shop in a random side street, for just £50, and it is absolutely an heirloom quality piece. We’ve had it in multiple rooms through multiple houses, and despite the colour (rosy red, beige and green) and the overtly traditional style, it really does just seamlessly fit in anywhere.
What a find!
I always want to have a home like a Nancy Meyers movie set. Hardwood floors under wool rugs, botanicals, books, neutral colors... Eventually I will get it right. An inherited dresser and handmade occasional table are my starter pieces. Wish me luck! Love your videos ❤
Yes!
I want to live in a Nacy Meyers movie set! My favorite look is from "It's Complicated."
Spot on! I have wool rugs that weren’t even expensive - probably machine made - that I’ve had for decades and they’re still gorgeous.
I cleaned an old hardwood floor well with Murphy's Oil Soap then hand buffed it with paste wax, it turned out gorgeous
I love making this sort of video! Old is bold! And I love a good piece of vintage! Great video Nick!
I've unpacked my mother's Roseville pottery, now that we're in a MCM house. Works great and wonderful reminder of Mom the collector.
I agree about keeping wood items. At the worst, take them to the garage to serve as classy shelves. I don't know if you add it later, but I would never get rid of a chair either. Wood or office or whatever--there is always a place for a chair.
I have a buffet my folks bought pre 1960. I also have my mom’s china cabinet from the late 70s. My mom always believed in buying quality furniture to last a lifetime. Both pieces are gorgeous. I will never paint them. The buffet has been through many moves, many kids, many dustings and cleanings and still looks nearly new.
I have A LOT of French pieces and I wonder if they'll be on this list. French country, french provincial, french cottage - You name it, if it's French inspired, I have it. LOVE IT ALL!
7:25 Only tangible gift I got from a sibling (we grew up separately and gift cards are a safe option) was a four legged ceramic piece, not sure if meant for a candle. Sister gave it to me because she didn't want because the feet were uneven. I simply stacked felt pads, looks a little odd, but works great for wallet, keys, and coins. So appreciate inclusion of sentimental.
Thank you! I needed a voice in my corner to convince my husband that we need to refinish, not replace, the solid hardwook flooring in the house we bought in 2019 (that was built in 1981).
The basket chair you showed quickly was something we had growing up in the 60s. Loved them.
Great video. Updating a dated piece of furniture to whats "in" now just means it will be dated again soon-ish. So restoring and styling in a way that is modern by using other pieces might be smarter.
Some young homeowners near us bought a pristine 1920's cottage and promptly painted its original, tiger oak front door with flat finish turquoise paint. I die a little every time I glance while driving by. (I know it's not my house, my door, I know that.)
I have to plan my trips to avoid a house with gorgeous brick that was painted. I wish he would've covered that. It's so wrong.
@@LaurasLastDitch I totally get it.
I have been blessed to have been gifted a 9X12 rag rug made by my Great Grandparents on their 4 harness loom for my parents. It is beautiful, rich jewel tones--shades of red, navy, green with a touch of orange and brown. It needs to be bound on the edges and cleaned, but I am so excited. I even have a picture of my Great Grandma at her loom. Really enjoyed this post. I love timeless pieces.
What a treasure!
Almost all of our furniture is vintage or antique. I feel that an "out-of-date" piece like my Barrister's Bookcases (or a clawfoot tub) helps to ground a room - adding history or gravitas. I agree about not painting old furniture, but one could have a piece refinished and lightened up!
A painted " accent piece " is a nice touch & can compliment a color in a picture / oriental rug / pillows / drapes , etc.
I agree with you 100%! I keep my vintage pieces… I’m aware that such quality items will not be made as well in the future. If you find it, it will cost you a fortune! Thank you for sharing. You certainly know what you’re talking about! 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
I inherited my childhood home. Both my parents lived into their 90s and so lived in the home for a long time. So there is a natural mix of styles. Furniture from the 30s to the 70s. Wicker from the 50s and 70s. Mid century modern. Traditional mahogany. Barcelona chairs. I like very modern styles so at first I planned on selling the furniture and replacing it with pieces more my style. Problem is that I couldn't replace the old pieces with anything approaching the quality of the old solid wood quality built pieces. So I reluctantly decided to keep it. I am so so glad I did. These old pieces really are beautiful and sturdy and worthy of respect. I mixed them with some more modern pieces and modern decor and lamps and I think it all works together and is beautiful. I feel very fortunate. I inherited a treasure trove.
I pulled up the old wall to wall carpet and found the original red oak hardwood floor throughout. I decided I didn't want them to look new. So I didn't refinish them and left the imperfections. I used a product called Rejuvenate and the imperfect floors look gorgeous.
Thanks for this video and I agree 💯
This is one of my favorite videos you've done. I enjoy them all, but as I look at the solid wood 150 plus years old stepback cupboard in my kitchen, I'm reminded it needs a good lemon oil rub down. Painting...NEVER!
Great video Nick, it is so nice when an interior designer is able to 'sell' a style that isn't their personal favourite. Personally I like to see a modern piece or two in a traditional space, or vicey versy.
If I could have the kitchen floor of my dreams it would be cork! It’s easy under foot and if treated correctly will last for years, looking brand new!
I bought a 1930's or '40's rolled arm sofa and chair from a couple who had a small business restoring old pieces. They kept a list of people who wanted vintage sofas and chairs. She would find the battered pieces, and they would call the people on their list to come have a look. If you were next on the list and liked the piece, he would restore and reupholster in the fabric of your choice. I've had my sofa and chair since 1980, and have reupholstered once. Solid hardwood construction, weigh a ton. Beautiful and comfortable--and will apparently outlast me! I hope I can find an appreciative next owner for them....
In the 80s, an acquaintance bought a home built in the early 1900s. It had some aweful 70s shag in the living room, hall and bedrooms. The husband was a carpenter, and they bought this home having significant skills to renovate properly. (The kitchen wooden cabinets had numerous layers of paint, the current coat being blood red, lol)
Anyway, when they worked in the floors, the layers went something like this. Ugly, dirty shag carpet, rotten underlayer, some other thread bare carpet, 1950's lino, 1940's grey lino with huge red flowers in the design, several layers of paint and THEN! Two inch thick, solid, bird's eye maple hardwood! They just about fainted. The value of that flooring at the time was probably close to what they paid for the house. I don't think this wood is even available now, at least to mere mortals.
I would have fainted! They must have been lovely.
Omg the only thing I have seen like that is the solid heart Redwood used to build my landlord’s 1906 Victorian. Fortunately the previous owner restored everything. Not even possible to get this anymore since they cut down all the old growth Redwoods long ago.
It’s so nice to see a video that helps point out the beauty of natural materials and furniture that may be absent on newer pieces and not just getting rid of everything that isn’t currently in style. I seem to remember you have an awesome framed placard off of a bus or a trolley that was your grandfathers that you framed. Those are the kind of stories that make a room interesting.
I have a hook rug that’s 5’x3’ and whoever made it” hooked” the date 1964 and their initials LM in it and it’s beautiful. I’ve been wanting to display it on a wall but for now it’s in my bedroom where there is not much foot traffic. Great video Nick!!
You have been in my house! 19th-century case goods, vintage Oriental rugs, knick-knacks from travels, vintage wicker on the porch, and a clawfoot tub in the bathroom. A big advantage of those tubs that Nick didn't mention is that they keep the water hot a lot longer than new tubs. Ours was a cast iron core covered with porcelain and it was luxurious to sink into that hot water and soak with a good book to read and nobody bothering you.
Ohhhh I loved this video!! So much of you tube design culture aims to tell us what we should do with our homes and what’s no longer OK for our homes. It sends us to the stores for what’s on trend over and over in a perpetual cycle. How about focusing on quality and soul and meaning in our interiors? Sometimes that means hanging onto quality items that speak to our hearts. Love this Nick!!
Learned how to stain unfinished hardwood furniture in my 20s. I have such a reverence for real wood. Where do you even buy that new and for what price?
When we downsized and bought our current home it had fairly new wall to wall carpet but the owner peeled back a little to show the fifties oak floor underneath.
When we closed on the house thats the first thing we did was tear up the carpet and refinish that gorgeous solid oak!
I love how you frame personal style as more elevated than something you'd see in a showroom.
Love this ! The only things I don't have are hard wood floors (I wish ) and a claw foot bath .I adore solid wood furniture and Persian rugs and am lucky enough to have both .Our living room rug was gifted to us ,it's pure wool and has shrugged off cat claws ,little children and years of high traffic use .I have been using a wicker 2 drawer chest as a bedside table for years ,a very useful and sturdy thing it is too .I think the best thing about good quality ,vintage pieces is that they get worn in instead of worn out ,a few knocks and scrapes don't matter and they become old ,familiar friends .
My parents married in 1957, with absolutely nothing. My dad’s grandparents gifted them a set of hand-me-down furniture that was what we used my entire childhood & early adulthood. At 59, I inherited the last surviving chair of the set which had lived for years on my Mom’s deck & now is inside at my house. I plan to refinish The Gramp Chair & continue its life as long as possible. I think the set was new in the 1940s.
I just inherited all of my moms Drexel Heritage "real wood" furniture & was thinking on having it professionally painted a satin black as I watched a furniture flipper do this and it was absolutely Gorgeous! Now I will think twice 😮 before doing this, Thank you Nick 😊
Love DH - it was a great quality brand , well designed ; the furniture & design store where I worked sold it along w/ Baker & Henredon . May I suggest keeping the original finish to preserve the integrity of the pieces . Now classic , eventually heirloom . 🥰
If you paint it black dusting will be a nightmare!
Congratulation on your rethinking. Drexel furniture (thinking of my parents gorgeous MCM 1955 Drexel dining room furniture) deserves to retain its original beauty.
Maybe you could just use a black stain instead of painting.
Appreciate your saying keep the fine, real traditional things, great you addressed this topic, thanks.
You are such a reliable source of good ideas, taste and common sense. This was a great video, and i agree with you. Keep the good quality stuff, it pays off. I bought a persian silk rug at an local action for 80 dollars (translated to canadian dollars), and got it valued at nearly 500 dollars. Keep the good stuff or sell it, just dont throw it away.
My great grandmother’s great uncle was a cabinet maker back in the mid 19th century. My grandmother wound up with some of his pieces. When she died, they wound up with me. I love them. They are all solid wood, mainly walnut and mahogany.
Speaking of vintage rattan, I bought a Ficks Reed chippendale rattan glass top table and 4 chairs in 1980. Still have original glass. We did reupholster chair seat & back cushions. Taken great care of the 60” glass & rattan! Still love it to this day in my breakfast nook.
I have had some large ginger jars, framed pictures, and furniture that i gave to my daughter for her first home. I enjoyed them for 40 years and now I enjoy them in her home.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for saving wonderful pieces from mistreatment and from landfills, and for encouraging an appreciation for the history, workmanship and quality of the past.
I do have some solid wood pieces that were a 90s honey color, very yellowish. I had them sanded and stained a darker walnut color and changed the pulls. They look so gorgeous how and integrate perfectly in my home.
I just waxed all my wood and polished my granite countertops. I always say it’s so hard to find real wood anymore. My granite countertops and backsplash still looks great and I can seriously put anything on them hot , cold and absolutely no stains
I give so much away, most times I don’t regret that but there are a few things I kick myself for letting go. I’m the opposite of a hoarder, I just let go.
Thank you for this!✨🙏❤️
Great video! You are so right Nick. I have been decorating long enough to realize that even though my taste changes there are certain key elements that I always come back to. For example, we bought a beautiful armoire for our first apartment years ago to hold our tv. We used it for years, then put in in storage when our taste and needs changed. Now we have it out again and I love it. Surrounded by my current decor style it looks great.
Love your video! Your appreciation for wood furniture, rugs, wood floors and respecting the sentimental pieces just blows me away! The world and youtube can use more good people like you!
Love this, because my style is like… mid-century/estate-sale/jungle, and finding ways to marry old/traditional with modern/quirky is a constant (fun) challenge that I give myself. I love the lived-in quality that a few really old and meaningful pieces can give a modern space.
I've been caring for my 97 year old Mom for several years. Keeps me tethered to the house, but I've taken the opportunity to have the furniture I remember growing up prompt many childhood memories. Beautiful solid cherry from my parents original bedroom suite, pieces from my first bedroom suite, fit for a princess with Ethan Allen antique white nightstand and desk, huge solid brass planters and on and on. I've been decluttering but plan on keeping all of these old pieces, finish left untouched. I could use your help Nick, you would be perfect!
You may want to refinish, carefully. Odie’s oil can work wonders with older wood
Thanks for saying these things. People get caught up in trends & forget how beautiful some of their pieces are. I totally agree.
However you caught me off guard & pulled me back in with my decision to repaint my vintage kitchen hutch a more modern colour. With chalk paint! Iinfluenced by my post Covid lower income & my CZcams algorithm 😅
I love traditional so thanks for reminding people how they can be mixed in with any style.
Thanks Nick for giving me confirmation that my ‘dated’, but to me, still beautiful and well loved pieces are worth keeping. It just proves that it’s hard to go wrong when we invest in quality, we’ll-built furnishings that were purchased not because it was the latest-greatest trend, but because we just loved it.
You basically described all the furniture in my house. Most of the furniture is from the 1950-60's solid cherry, marble tops, and several pieces of rattan I inherited along with some lovely rugs I bought in the 1990's.
I have a low china cabinet and corner table, both solid wood, that my late Dad made in like 1960 so it's fully mid-century modern. Let me tell you, I am so glad I kept these pieces through the changes in décor over the decades!
Thanks for affirming my decision to keep my old wood flooring in the 100 year old home we renovated after retiring! We .ove them and would never have gotten rid of them. We had them refinished, and luckily had enough to cover the main living space as well as the kitchen ! Unfortunately, I did paint some old pieces of wood furniture , I guess I can sand them and bring back the wood! 😢
Let's all share this video with as many people as possible!! Nick, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for speaking up for the vintage and the classic. They can and should be mixed in with a home's overall design. No one needs to live in a museum, but quality well designed and well loved things will always have a place!
And I'll be one of the thousand people you estimated and add even more emphasis on something you so politely touched on: For those of you buying quality, solid wood antiques and then stripping and painting them with that damn chalky paint only to then "antique" them, shame on you!! Buy something modern day or a repro or lower quality and have at it, okay, if you simply must chalkify and paint a sunflower on something. Otherwise, leave.👏them. 👏alone. 👏
I buy lots of wood furniture from the thrift stores. I won't buy something
just because it looks cool, but it fits my decor and my needs. It's amazing
how much those old entertainment cabinets make great display and book
shelves. They will last longer than you or me.
Your best video to date, I still have a plantation rice bed and kitchen table the kids grew up with them and now the grands are eating at the same table and sleeping in the same bed, and it does my heart good. And I have a coffee table from my grandmother, priceless
Nick, this is one of my favorite videos of yours!
Right now we’re staying at an AirBnB cabin on a lake and when I first walked in the door, I was hit by an overwhelming sense of comfort and nostalgia. The solid wood furniture, beautiful wood cabinetry, ornate detailing, wide staircase with runner and wood banister, warm deep yellow paint accented by white molding, gorgeous moody sconces. I feel like I’m in an episode of my favorite 90’s sitcom. It feels like home! Your video came at the perfect time to solidify in my mind that I absolutely need to be holding on to my timeless pieces.
I'm so thankful people let go of their beautiful antiques on FB Marketplace for me to buy. I have two antique pieces form there and I assured both people I would love and care for them. I want to buy more but I'm running out of space.... Thanks Nick!
100% agree with all your selections. Would also include wonderful old cast iron sinks!
I have a load of old furniture, but have got rid of my grandmother's wardrobes as they were so impractical - hanger front to back not side to side without the depth to convert. No one wants them, so to the dump they go. But I did keep all the brass fittings which match the drawers, so when I get a built-in, I will reuse them.
No to free standing baths unless you have a cleaner to get into all those hard to reach places.
I agree, they are useless as closets, but what about using them to store items on shelves? A wardrobe could be converted to shoe or sweater or quilt storage. Some of them are just too large for a smaller bedroom though.
@@elizknight8262 I live in an older country home , seriously lacking in closet space - I would have paid decent money for your old wardrobes ! 🥰
They had so much potential.
Thank you for saying if it doesn't fit you it's ok to sell it. I inherited my great-grandmother's mahogany bedroom set. Three beautiful pieces, but they were huge and overwhelmed any bedroom I have ever had. I carted these pieces from coast to coast for twenty years. I finally donated them to Goodwill so someone else might appreciate them but have felt guilty every since but I don't miss them. They were never going to fit in any house I have.