Hey there fellow antique homies

Hey, I'm Mary Beth. I'm from the rural Midwest and have always been drawn to rustic American pieces with character. I own a few antiques, but mom life hasnt allowed me to really dive in to collecting yet. I'm looking to absorb some info from your posts, and find some guidance on identifying age and origin of pieces while hiding in my closet with a glass (or bottle) of wine. Ya know, the usual.

 

Welcome again!

 

Save me a glass of the shiraz, but I'm not too clued up on rustic Americana :-(

 

Thanks! My biggest obstacle is that rustic has become trendy in the past 3-5 years, and so the market is FLOODED with reproductions, and homie don't buy that crap. Haha

 

Greetings, Mary Beth!

 

Welcome!

 

Hi Mary Beth!

 

Welcome....

 

Welcome! Rustic is hard to find these days. Either the market is full of repros or someone has taken a lovely rustic piece and sanded & repainted it within an inch of its life. I don't know how many would agree with this, but there's a certain smell to antique wood that can't be replicated. If you open a cupboard or chest and do a sniff test and it smells like a sawmill, ask a lot of questions about it.

 

Agreed! It's probably easier to find in Indiana (where I live) than a lot of other areas, but I hate that it's become trendy. Because, people who don't care about the character and story are purchasing the pieces and altering them like you said solely for decor purposes. Too many fakes, items that have been "repurposed," and treasures that are repainted for a more modern look. It's so sad.