Sunday Antique Tour

Hi friends. This week I decided to mix it up and share a Sunday antique tour. We’re coming up on three years in our home this spring and I’ve been working on transforming our home into the house from Knives Out (2019) that entire time.

In this post I’ll share my favorite finds, where I found them and things I’m still searching for.

Out of all the categories of art I collect, portrait are my favorite. I love the feeling of story they bring to our home. I used the woman in the portrait above as a character in my novel. I love imagining their lives and stories. I’ve found a few at local shops, but the majority from Etsy and eBay. My favorite search terms are “original antique oil painting” “original french portrait” and “original oil painting portrait signed”.

I find busts pretty boring in museums (sorry!), but compelling as home decor. Our favorite one is this mid-century brass young girl. We named her Princess Margaret and refer to her as my girls’ sister (mostly because it offends one of them… it’s become an inside joke). She lives in our entryway and is always wearing either a tiara or a seasonal hat. Today she’s wearing my Sharon Says So Bookclub Hat.

History Matters!

I remember the exact moment I saw this lamp across the aisle of the antique mall. I immediately calculated the maximum I’d be willing to pay for it in my mind and when I checked the tag it was much less (hooray!). I’d love to find a few more of these in various sizes, but I’m not in a rush.

I found an oversized ceramic key (about 12 to 15 inches tall) and then a year later I found a second, metal key. They hang in our bedroom and I made up an elaborate story about how I stole them from a “real giant’s” home for my children. When no history exists for an antique object, it’s ok to invent one (official rules).

These dice were found at a small antique mall with three of my friends. We all got matching dice and it’s such a fun memory.

On the third floor we have a double guest room, so we designated one for adults and one for kids. The majority of our guests have children, so it gets used often. It also makes a great sleepover room for cousins. After going back and forth on themes I decided on a general fairytale theme (as you might guess from above I couldn’t choose between Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland).

This ship was an estate sale find. I remember I stood in an hour-long line and all I bought was this basket and a set of novelty lobster shaped knives.

I am definitely a maximalist when it comes to brass hands. They are all over our home including smaller ones and larger ones (like this). I also used quite a few of the Nellie collection (from Anthropologie) in bathrooms. I love brass and hold hands so much. They are the epitome of the style I am going for.

In our seven-year-old’s new mermaid-themed bathroom we added a type drawer screwed straight to the wall. So far it has seashells and a few small brass objects in the compartments. I’ll be keeping an eyes out for tiny things over the next few years to fill this shelf with. I love miniatures.

I have a large collection of brass bells that sit all over the home on bookshelves. In addition to bells I also collect hourglasses, magnifying glasses and scales.

We have matching spice jars in a drawer, but I decided to collect a few of these lighthouse spice jars to sit by the stove. I chose rosemary, nutmeg and cinnamon. I’m planning to add garlic at some point. They make me so happy!

The dollhouse bar cabinet was one of my luckiest finds. I saw one on Knives Out and the very next day my local estate sale site had one listed for sale. It was a beast to move in my car, but I’m so happy we found one. And, yes, I decorate it for Christmas.

Things I’m still searching for: Now that we’re done renovating I am mainly focused on slowly filling the home with beautiful objects (while also ruthlessly decluttering… always both!). At this phase I won’t buy something unless it has a specific place or function. I’m mainly interested in completing the spaces that are half-finished like the fairytale bedroom and the library dining room. This year I’ll mainly be collecting small details like brass candlesticks, plates to hang in our kitchen or unique photo frames.

I will always have room for one more small painting and antique books. If you have an interest in Victorian jewelry my favorite small shop to check is Erica Weiner. It’s so well curated. If I ever go to Portland I’m definitely making an appointment.

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