Thread by @ScarletAstrorum

everyone is talking about the Great Wealth Transfer but what’s already underway is the Great Heirloom Transfer

hop on marketplace to see what I mean…

KEYWORDS for finding beauty:

Lacquered/ lacquer/ lacquerware- refers usually to Chinese/Japanese designs in furniture or wood items with a shiny coating and intricate details

Pics in thread all from local marketplace listings, I bookmark these searches!

Even if you don’t buy, it trains your eye

Quilt/ antique quilt/ handmade quilt

Bonus points here if you learn some of the common quilt and quilt block patterns- Dresden plate and wedding ring quilts are especially beautiful

Brass

Sometimes keywords are simple! I recommend choosing a few materials (metals or woods) that you like and saving those… easy to create a cohesive look even with different eras of decor if they share a material

I especially love the brass fireplace andiron

Waterfall/ waterfall furniture

This refers to a style of furniture where the wood grain makes a waterfall-like triangular pattern

It was a popular technique in the 30s so you will find a lot of gorgeous Deco furniture with this keyword, but it’s not limited to that era

Victorian Parlor

You can get pretty far with just the keyword “Victorian” but the parlor sets are particularly marvelous.

Tip: don’t pay any mind to staging. These aren’t professional photographers, they are people selling furniture.

Owners of Victorian parlor sets are messy

Art nouveau

This is another excellent strategy- bookmark keywords for your favorite art styles. You never know what sort of trinkets you will find!

Art nouveau usually turns up interesting metalworking, like these cast iron bookends, floor lamp, and lovely jewelry boxes

Louis XIV/ XV/ XVI

Nobody really knows enough about Roman Numerals/ French history/ antique furniture to get these right consistently, so think of them as synonyms

Feeling regal? This is a very palatial keyword for finding furniture of many forms, ornate designs abound

Duncan Phyfe/ Phyfe

Duncan Phyfe is a furniture designer who created an eponymous furniture manufacturing company with his signature Neoclassical style

This keyword will turn up antique Phyfe furniture, mostly tables and chairs with elegant pedestal bases and harp motifs

Cane Rocking Chair

Little lesson here… (subtly I teach you how to Seek Beauty)
Special things have a sense of placeness.

I’m in TN. Caned furniture is popular here because the cane moves with the humidity, where solid wood warps and cracks.

Combine that with porch-sittin’

Bone China

Bone china is a strong, slightly translucent ceramic used for dinnerware

Two tips:
1) There are a number of reputable designers, search any of the following: Pfalzgraff, Noritake, Wedgwood, Minton

2) Focus on common elements, not a perfect match- eg blue and white

Hand embroidered / handmade embroidery

You’ll find a lot of napkins, table runners, and pillowcases, but also beautiful wall art with this keyword

Most of it is cross stitch (stitches in little x’s) but hand-embroidered turns up better results. Ignore wrinkles here.