Featured Brown Furniture Comeback?

https://www.asheford.com/asheford-news-ticker-headlines/is-brown-furniture-finally-back-in-style

I'm not familiar with the Asheford Institute, but obviously they have a financial interest in the popularity of traditional antiques, so this must read this with that in mind. I do agree that MCM and minimalism are overplayed at this point, and could see something else becoming popular, just not sure it's brown furniture. But if not, then what? When it comes to vintage furniture, there aren't many other options.

 

If some of the big designers or influencers start showing brown furniture, it's bound to take off. It's certainly out there for the taking. Although with some fraction of it now having been painted, maybe less out there than I'm thinking.

My house is a mix of everything, so I'm covered in any event.

Interesting article.

 

Victorian is making a bit of a comeback. The explanation I heard is that Millenials whose parents both worked often spent a lot of time at Grandma/Grandpa's house. Grandma and Grandpa collected Victorian furniture and other tchochkes. So...they want some of what their grandparents liked. They're also outgrowing flatpack and want something that won't fall apart with a dirty look. The lucky ones are buying houses and can buy things that stay put. Victorian sure is that.

 

Having both Victorian and flatpack in my home, I feel very seen by this post.

Flatpack was a necessity when I moved out though. Too poor for anything else and didn't want a all-in-one partical board set anyway. I got hand-me-downs, a few pieces from a furniture warehouse, and now I'm picking up a few things with more substance from auction or thrift.

My home is wild with variety, I admit.

 

That's how everyone furnished a house, generations ago. Old stuff, hand-me-downs etc. A friend furnished her home her from tag sales and Free piles. Fifty years later she and her husband still have some of it.

 

I'm like that too...no home & garden house here.....

 

Ditto. My student digs were filled with furniture an aunt no longer wanted. I currently still have some of my grandparent's furniture, and a friend gave me an MCM swivel chair years ago.
I also have some cabinets my husband made, and two comfy sofas, their ugly upholstery covered by grand foulards.
The only furniture I actually bought is Art Deco, Indonesian, and Chinese.

 

I'm glad to know I'm not alone!

I have a lot of artist friends and people have responded well to my weird mix and even tried copying it lol. The flatpack is all the bedroom and library shelves. We rent currently so though I do want to replace it, I don't want to add 7 hefty bookshelves before a possible move. The books will be bad enough!

 

Most of our friends were artists, and the first thing they always said when walking in was that our house looked so nice and had such a great atmosphere. A few even wanted interior design advice from me. (Just collect old junk and only dust once a month.)

 

We're maximalists! We were on trend before the trend!

 

I grew up with furniture my dad made . When we left Venezuela in 1960 my dad had all the packing crates made with good quality local hardwood. We had no money so he made all of our furniture in early American style. All he had was a hand saw, a jig saw and planes. He turned out some nice pieces. When my husband and I first got married we had no money as well. I shopped garage sales and the basements of antique stores. I refinished everything. Some I wished now that I hadn't. Our house was and still is full of antiques and hand-me downs. I sure hope my grandchildren grow up to love it! Primitives are still my favorite.

 

I love my old brown furniture, I wouldn't trade it for modern. I am waiting on my husband & son next year to fly to NY & drive my grandparents furniture. The only modern thing is my current bedroom furniture, our beds (adjustable) and our monster leather sectional. I have my Grandparents dining room set, end tables, coffee tables & I cant wait to get the rest.

 

Like many of you, we also got a ton of vintage and antique furniture from relatives, from chairs to tables and dresses to our dining room set. When we bought our house, the only furniture we bought were beds and, later, a sofa set. It’s flanked in our living room by some utterly stunning channel backed Danish Art Deco club chairs. I just love the “brown” carved wood tables and chairs.

I’ve also picked up a number of old carved or turned chairs at antique stores and had them reupholstered for a fraction of what a new Restoration Hardware chair would cost. I’m surprised more don’t do this. There are a ton of 100+ year old throne chairs at antique stores that would be great for anyone’s home, but they may have nasty, dated upholstery, so they don’t get a second look. One unusual spool turned chair I bought had such old and icky upholstery that it never made it into my house, and I drove it straight to my upholsterer.

I think styles are cyclical, and quality furniture will be back. Supposedly when Art Deco came around no one wanted Art Nouveau.

 

As most products, furniture is now included that is made overseas. There are a few companies that still make in house but most of the pieces are not, and for a custom piece I could buy a car for what they wanted. My father owned furniture stores, but he also manufactured his so I still have some “ins” in the industry, however we don’t have a queens budget (30K) so when we started looking at the regular stores, when we finally bought not too long ago, knowing what I wanted for a den I looked to my Canadian friends, I was able to meet the rep, who said all pieces comes (mechanically) come from china (I watched that starting to happen years ago) the only Canadian part he said were the assembly & the leather. Did I settle not really, because rather than have a sofa that was = to car, I have a sofa & spare change!

 

at least we added some local value....

 

Palliasar a very good brand, my father did business with them, I remembered the name when I was looking. So I went on a hunt. So thank you for the contribution of a great company. Except my Grandson & I played match box cars on it & yes we both scratched it! A very big oops on Nana’s part. Not as bad as when I let my Granddaughter eat a red, white & blue popsicle on a down filled sofa 2 years ago, we both had covid so she was attached to me. She fell asleep, and you know never wake a sleeping child…

 

I'd have said a sleeping cat - children don't have claws, but cats don't eat popsicles.

 

Growing up, we were dirt poor. Factory workers when the factories were shutting down. I also spent time in foster homes and a lot of them were old farmhouses. I feel as though I grew up in the 1800s. One of my great-aunts had this print that I used to stare at a lot. I have it, now. It went to a cousin who kept it in a shed and she gave it to me when she went into a nursing home. It's in my bedroom now. This was the house I dreamed of having and I've pretty much replicated it. The only thing missing is the butler, but we can't have everything!

 

Certainly no higher compliment to an artist than to catch someone's imagination so fully with your work, that they want to step into it. And then do!