Design Happens

The HGTV.com team recently visited High Point Furniture Market to rub elbows with the design world’s movers-and-shakers and take the pulse of what’s to come. After several days of (blissful!) interior design saturation, I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that antiques are HOT! Think mid-day-sun-baking-asphalt-in-the-middle-of-the-Mojave-desert hot. To capitalize on the trend, most showrooms had a curated, collected-over-time look that mixed their newly-manufactured products with a few vintage-inspired pieces.

Traditional furniture and accessories have always been a Market mainstay. Reproductions of everything from heavily ornamented Louis XVI settees to pale Gustavian commodes have never really gone out of style; but at this Market they were joined by the real deal: centuries-old case goods, lighting, classical sculpture, architectural salvage and quirky, one-of-a-kind accessories.

Here are just a few of the goodies I spied at Market; unfortunately, most of these gems are available only to the trade so I couldn’t include links — hit local antique shops or online sites like V&M, 1stdibs or Ruby Lane to search for similar items.

*burled wood chest: Luisana Designs  *early American ship’s compass: Design Legacy
*iron basket pendants: Bobo Intriguing Objects  *carnival chick: Design Legacy

*French parquetry trunk: Luisana Designs  *19th Century French zinc dormers: Design Legacy
*marble statue of Eros and Psyche: Del Ray and Associates  *Empire-inspired pull: Bassett Furniture for HGTV Home

So, what’s your take on creating a collected-over-time look? Tell us about your favorite antiques or how you mix old and new in your home in the comments below.

MORE ON ANTIQUES:

• Adventures in Antiquing: Repurposed Wooden Tray
• Adventures in Antiquing: Classical Busts
• Adventures in Antiquing: Old Clock Repurposed as a Frame
• Adventures in Antiquing: Vintage Avon Bottle