While a vintage item may seem timeless, the fact is that those selling and buying antiques need to be aware of current trends. Just because you may find a green couch from the 1960’s for a great price, does not mean it is currently in style. Here are a few tips for buying and selling antiques to keep you up-to-date with trends for 2014.
Know What Is In Style
You first need to decide if you want your house to reflect what is in style in Sri Lanka, or what is selling well in major world cities, such as Paris and New York. Due to the fact that classified sites such as http://ikman/lk are so helpful in finding furniture for sale, staying in touch with regional style may be a better choice. You can take a look at local magazines, newspapers, or television advertisements for current trends. If you see it represented in the media again and again, it’s a safe bet for being currently popular. You can also talk to a local real-estate agent who is selling high-end homes. Call and ask what trends they are seeing in the hottest homes in the country. If you decide to go with a Parisian or New York look, many of the popular home magazines put out by these cities can be found online. Look up online publications such as “Martha Stuart Living” or “Traditional Homes”. Also, explore different Parisian websites featuring architecture and home tours. Finally, whether you decide to go with local or global flavor, spend time looking at the websites of popular stores in the area or around the world.
Small Furniture
In 2014, small, simple, and uncluttered is a popular look for any home. This may mean looking for physically smaller antiques. While many antiques tend to be large and heavy, look for a shorter vintage table that you would normally place next to your couch, and use it in the center of the room as a tea or coffee table. It’s generally helpful if smaller tables or cabinets have shelves or cubicles underneath, as you will still need a place to store home goods. A plus to having smaller items in your home is that there is now more space, and it looks larger. If you are having trouble finding places for all your things once you downsize, it may be time to think about donating or selling rarely used clothes, household items, and jewelry. If you haven’t used or worn it in the past few years, and it isn’t a family inherited item, it’s probably safe to get rid of it.
Statement Pieces
While going smaller is the trend, it’s important to have one or two statement pieces. These can be larger in size, fancier in detail, or more expensive in material. A hot trend for 2014 is statement dining room tables. Family meals and entertaining friends are very important, so having a small and bland table will not do. You can look for large tables made of solid wood with intricate carvings or tables from overseas. Keep in mind how many people you want it to fit, how much shipping will cost on a heavy piece, and the color-scheme of the rest of your house. If the other rooms have mainly light teak furniture, it would be good to stay within that lighter color family. Also, if you happen to have furniture for sale, you can always refinish a statement piece to match popular wood choices at the given date. Selling antiques means staying up-to-date on trends, as well. Finally, remember that placing a large statement piece in a room means the rest of the items need to be small and sleek, or the room will seem small and crowded.
Buying Antiques from Overseas
One of the wonderful parts about living in Sri Lanka is its location in the world. It has access to many different countries and cultures. A trend for 2014 is to bring culture into your home with purchasing antiques for sale from a foreign land. Perhaps you will want to look for an African painting or a Chinese vase. While buying local for tables, chairs, and cabinets is logical, it’s possible to spend a little more money on accent pieces. If you are following the smaller furniture trend, a beautiful wall hanging from another country may really bring the room together and keep it from seeming bare and empty. This is also your chance to introduce a little color. If you have stuck with mainly light woods, whites, and tans, it’s okay to add a splash of orange or red. It may be helpful to choose three similar colors to incorporate into your living space. For example, yellow, red, and orange go well together. If you keep accents on the same end of the color spectrum, it will produce a polished and inviting look.
As always, there are a few general rules to follow when purchasing anything online. After you have established the trends and what you are looking for, always ask to see a photo of what you are buying. If the seller can’t produce a photo, the item may be damaged or look very different than the description. Also, ask what the refund policy is. You will want to know ahead of time if it will be a final sale, or if you can see how it looks in your home, and return it if you don’t like it. Save money on shipping by asking if free delivery is included, or if you can pick up the purchase from the seller. If you decide to meet the seller, always bring someone with you for safety, preferably a male. Finally, always measure your living space. Know exactly how big your dining room table can be and the size of the door frame. There is nothing worse than spending money on beautiful antiques for sale, just to find out they don’t fit in the house, and you can’t return them. Antique shopping online can be fun, easy, and keep your home trendy, if you just remember these few guidelines.
