All the weird stuff I loved at the antiques market
+ that would go in my private museum if I were filthy rich and lived in a place with wings à la Beauty and the Beast.
I love vintage stuff. There’s something about old objects, whether that’s furniture, clothes or “oddities” that I can’t get enough of. If I were rich, I know I’d be one of those collectors who’d hoard anything and everything I’d find beautiful or amusing up to the 1970s. Why the 1970s? As a kid of *mostly* the nineties, I’m not ready to call the nineties a vintage era yet. And yes, I’m ignoring the eighties… There’s something about neon colours and the song “I Love Rock n’ Roll” that irritate the shit out of me. Sorry!
Back to my fantasy. Maybe I could have a room dedicated to my treasures, like a mini private museum. I’d have dinner parties, and I’d invite my guests, Marie Antoinette glass of champagne in hand, to my museum wing so we could marvel at my taxidermal crow, unique art and burlesque headdresses from the 1920s.
If you’ve been a reader for while, you’ll remember my stint as a vintage peacock chair dealer. It didn’t last long because I sort of had a breakdown during that time, but it had nothing to do with the chairs and everything to do with me avoiding deep-rooted issues for years. I may not be a dealer anymore, but I still have a good instinct for spotting priceless pieces that people don’t seem to appreciate, like that 1950s G Plan Librenza coffee table I bought on Facebook Marketplace for £40 that is worth almost ten times that.
One of the things I love about London is the next-level thrift shopping and the antiques markets. I’ve been to the Chiswick High Road Antiques and Vintage Market twice and I’ve seen so many fascinating objects. I went to the market’s November edition and it did not disappoint.
Let’s pretend I have a private museum wing in my apartment. These are the things I’d consider adding to my collection from last week’s market.
This regal painting of a rabbit
I like rabbits and anyone who can pose for a portrait while maintaining a commanding, regal look for hours has my respect.
This wooden stick
I don’t know what it is or what is its purpose. But I need strange objects in my museum. I can’t believe it’s £45.
This poster of women bathing in a box of sardines
The poster is called Sardines des rois à l’huile by J.D. Cadé. It reminds me of one of my old apartments in Montreal. It was so small I had to squeeze past my bathroom sink to sit on the toilet.
A plush toy, probably possessed
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