Extreme vintage

We were lucky to acquire many beautiful pieces of furniture with the apartment we’re renovating.

Table leg

They are so full of character. How could anybody choose melamine-covered plywood boxes when you can have this?

Not to mention the nasty vapors from the glues that hold together those composite materials.

These are all solid wood. Not recycled, not given a “new” life, but given a new lease on life. Another chance to serve and be appreciated.

To stay out of a landfill. Even the thought makes me shudder!

Some pieces make it hard not to smile. Can you imagine having these critters cavorting around your feet during dinner?

And I would love to know who these two were. Real people? Based on a painting?

Some of these date to the late 1800s, when machines were starting to be used.

The twisting design is machine-made, albeit more than a century ago.

But clearly no machine carved this.

I don’t want to do up the place like some stiff museum. It should be comfortable. But a generous helping of antiques seems befitting of our 1624 apartment. It adds to the escapism when someone visits—who wants to go on vacation to a place that’s just like home, or just like any fancy hotel?

I’ve shifted from vintage to antique in my personal preferences, but I also love ultra modern design. I especially like it in restaurants. Yet I wouldn’t want to live in it—it’s too perfectionist and would leave me stressed.

Do you like antiques? Where do you stand on the wood color vs. paint debate?