Modern Vintage Design
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Bluebell Bazaar on Etsy.com — Etsy has an unbelievable amount of vintage goods, but as any seasoned Etsy shopper knows, it can become overwhelming very quickly. I've found the best thing to do is to search for individual store recommendations and go from there. One of my favorite vintage shops is Bluebell Bazaar. I love the unique and industrial vintage accessories in this store — there's a less polished feel to these items that is really fun. Above: Porcelain glove molds.
REHAB Vintage — REHAB Vintage Interiors has a limited, but incredibly unique and customized selection of product. The style of this shop is primarily industrial, as they specialize in vintage steel desks and retro office furniture. You'll see a lot of steel lockers, airplane propellers, and metal signage on this site. All of these items have been expertly refinished by the team at the Los Angeles shop, and can be easily purchased directly on their site. Above: Bowling Alley Table. Made from a reclaimed bowling alley lane, this table was custom built by the REHAB team in their shop. 95 inches long, 41" inches deep, 31 inches tall.
Three Potato Four — Three Potato Four was started by a darling couple, Janet Morales and Stu Eli. Graphic design fiends with a knack for collecting funky, vintage finds, they started Three Potato Four based on all the wacky items they loved collecting so much. The site later expanded into a storefront in Philadelphia, but they still curate an impression collection of unique vintage goods. The store mainly consists of a rustic, industrial, country-cottage chic style. Many of these antique items have been impressively restored and repaired, while others maintain their original wear and tear. Above: Vintage Royal Quite DeLuxe manual typewriter, restored to original working condition.
V and M. V and M (which stands for Vintage and Modern) is a site that's slightly similar to 1stDibs.com. The site connects dealers with buyers to access a great selection of vintage goods, ranging from traditional antiques to more modern finds. While you do have to create an account to participate, it's free and easy to do. V and M also comes with several informative online publications that give great tips for both experienced and novice online auction participants. Above: Chrome, Lucite, and Mirror Bar Cart. Rolling cart made of lucite and chrome with mirror rectangular shelves, circa 1970.
Deconet — Launched in 2008, Deconet.com is another online marketplace dedicated to modern design. New objects for sale are added every hour, and prospective buyers can shop by product category, store name, region, or style. This free site is a complete and one stop shop for buyers and sellers, since items are purchased directly via Deconet. The site has set up a guaranteed safe service for selling and purchasing. The inventory has a wide collection of classic modern pieces by Eero Aarnio, Eames, Verner Panton, and more, as well as other unheard-of midcentury designers. Above: Eero Aarnio Pastilli easy chair, designed in 1967. 53 centimeter height, 91 centimeter diameter. Polyester reinforced with fiberglass.
Lushpad — A marketplace with detailed descriptions on a wide range of modern design, Lushpad's wide range of information for shoppers and sellers is what sets it apart from other sites. Articles about classic designs, tips for shopping online, and biographies of classic designers are all part of their current and upcoming library. Their marketplace features a great variety of iconic originals and lookalikes, all with great editorial descriptions. Based in Vancouver BC, the site is available only in North America at this time. Above: Percival Lafer coffee table, made in Brazil in the early 1970s. A patchwork of rosewood and teak with mahogany outside edges, glass-covered top. 17 inches tall, 4 feet 11 inches across, 30 inches deep.
Old Plank Road — Based in Chicago, Old Plank Road has been importing and restoring European antiques and vintage furniture since 1992. Their website, updated with new product daily, specializes primarily in French and English vintage and antique furniture. Items are all available for purchase, and any interested buyer can contact the store to start the purchasing and delivery process. Above: Hand-painted French hotel sign, circa 1930. Made out of steel, with a newly rewired original lantern. 63 inches height, 18 inches deep, 36 inches long.
AntiquesPlus: Based in Australia, this impressive database has a much wider variety of styles and goods than many online shops. It’s always great to see unique vintage goods that come from outside of the mid-century, and AntiquesPlus has a large quantity of art deco pieces, more expensive antiquities, ceramics, dolls, and costume jewelry (just to name a few of the many categories). Above: Copper Salt Box with Original Liner, AUD $95
Thrift-Ola: Thrifting and vintage goods have been Thrift-ola founder Leona’s passion for most of her life. She has a passion for the look and feel of old things, and “rescuing” second-hand objects to bring them back into mainstream use. Her store, based in the UK, is sweetly organized by witty genres from “Cocktail o’ Clock” to “Brick-a-Brac Shelf.” The kitschy items are mostly 1940s-60s accessories, all restored to impeccable condition.
The Daily Memorandum: A self-described lot of “Intellectual Americana,” the Daily Memorandum is a fascinating mix of folk art and industrial goods. While the store has a booth at the Brooklyn Flea Market every weekend in June, its online shop offers the same type of excellent selection. There’s everything from a vintage 1950s Schick Shaving kits to an antique industrial draftsman table. Prices range from $10 to $1000 and more, so there’s a little something for everybody.
BackGarage: All items in this Chicago-based online shop are sourced from estate sales, auctions, thrift stores, junk shoes, and antique stores all across the Midwest United States. While its style is definitely mid-century modern, this little shop loves its color. Oranges, reds, and yellows are what reign here — a refreshing change from the standard teak-wood bonanza of most mid-century shops. I particularly love the low priced books, dishes, and kitchen accessories.
Vintage Looks: Founded in 1998 in Philadelphia, Vintage Looks provides a widespread array of both new and vintage goods. What initially began as a small online vintage clothing store, slowly evolved into the vintage furniture store it is today. The shop also has vintage lighting, housewares, appliances, and accessories in stock. It mostly consists of mid-century modern product, and other styles that are more “retro” in feel.
The Vintage Supply Co: This adorable Etsy shop used to have a location called Moderna Muerte, which is now closed. Now, the Vintage Supply Co is available online, and will soon have a shop in Lake Worth/West Palm Beach, Florida. Founded in 2005, the goal of this shop was to help furnish “a vintage life.” Vintage Supply Co specializes in 1950s-1970s vintage clothing, accessories, and furniture, with new product uploaded every week.
Urban Remains: An impressive hodgepodge that stays true to the store’s name, Urban Remains is an online collection of what you might expect to find in an archeological dig after the end of a civilization
• Search for terms in the home page search bar before going into furniture or collectible pages. This is particularly handy if you're just browsing for a particular style rather than a specific object. Going into the individual pages may mean you'll miss out on some things — there are plenty of great items that people have listed in the "Garden," "General" and "Free" sections.
People are fairer and even more generous when they’re in spaces that smell clean, like from cleaning products. In one study, on Dutch trains that smelled like a familiar cleaner, people littered less. So let the odor of Windex perfume your mudroom!
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