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I think this is the next big thing when it comes to decorating - I'm seeing more and more silver and silver plate collections in decorating magazines. There are still many good pieces to be found at flea markets, antique and resale shops, etc.
I'm about to go scavenging - any more ideas, anyone?
I just want to respectfully point out that the link is for a blog written by an antique and decorative furnishings dealer. I see that she also has links to her Etsy storefront and is selling silverplated wares. One of her silverplated trays is $45.
In my area, silverplated trays don't usually sell quickly. I feel that what shops like Maison Decor do is look for creative ways to sell what isn't selling or what they can find cheaply and make a big profit on.
And just like fashion clothing magazines, the editors are always looking for new and exciting trends. But not every new trend catches on in a big way. They are still a good source for ideas to shake up the same old same old stylings though.
Well last week, I bought a 10" diameter silverplated gallery tray for $2.99... maybe I can sell it for $45 like the Maison Decor dealers at the next antique show I do. Will let you know how I make out.
Well last week, I bought a 10" diameter silverplated gallery tray for $2.99... maybe I can sell it for $45 like the Maison Decor dealers at the next antique show I do. Will let you know how I make out.
Keep us posted! And good luck!
Some people are realizing that silver plate is affordable, and can be re-used in a variety of creative ways. Since there's not much investment in it to begin with, they figure it's perfectly OK to hang it on the wall, or use it to hold pencils or cooking utensils, whatever. If they want to polish it - or not - so what?
Entertaining has changed, and a lot of people don't use silverplate as much anymore - not for it's original purposes. Should they throw it away? Is it automatically "poor taste" to use it in some other manner?
I have a butter churner in my foyer. It's holding eucalyptus. I don't churn butter. Am I guilty of some sort of faux pas?
I have a wooden bread bowl that belonged to my great grandmother. It's holding scented pine cones. I will never use it to make bread.
Hey, guess what else I have. I have a silver plate ASHTRAY set from the 1940s. It hooks together and when it's put together it looks like a flower. I will NEVER use this as an ashtray. Should I throw it away, or sell it to someone who promises to only use it as an ashtray? And hey, I only paid $10 for it - should I feel stupid? Should I feel guilty if I decide to sell it and get $60 for it?
My point is this - interior decorating is creative and fluid and very personal. The bottom line is "Does the owner like it?" I think that some of the creative uses for silver and silver plate are very interesting and can look quite smashing. Apparently some other people feel the same way. WOOHOO, GOOD TIMES, GOOD TIMES!
Guess what I did one time - I painted an armoire from the 1880s. That's right - I didn't leave it in it's original condition, even though it was in good condition. I slapped some paint right on it. Now, twenty years later, my daughter and I are about to repaint it (it's going in her living room). Yes, we are supposedly decreasing the value of it, but we don't care. It looked great in the paint job I gave it twenty years ago, and looked terrific in my house. Now it's going to look terrific in hers. That's really all that matters to us. And since I only paid a couple of hundred dollars for it, and never intended to sell it anyway, "decreasing the value" didn't matter to me. What mattered to me was what I looked at in my own home day in and day out for the next two decades.
Guess what I did one time - I painted an armoire from the 1880s. That's right - I didn't leave it in it's original condition, even though it was in good condition. I slapped some paint right on it. Now, twenty years later, my daughter and I are about to repaint it (it's going in her living room). Yes, we are supposedly decreasing the value of it, but we don't care. It looked great in the paint job I gave it twenty years ago, and looked terrific in my house. Now it's going to look terrific in hers. That's really all that matters to us. And since I only paid a couple of hundred dollars for it, and never intended to sell it anyway, "decreasing the value" didn't matter to me. What mattered to me was what I looked at in my own home day in and day out for the next two decades.
All I can say is that I truly hope that some valuable antique never finds its way into your hands. That's really all that matters to us. Good thing it was just some armoire from the 1880s and not a rare item that can never be replaced if that's your attitude.
Guess what I did one time - I painted an armoire from the 1880s. That's right - I didn't leave it in it's original condition, even though it was in good condition. I slapped some paint right on it. Now, twenty years later, my daughter and I are about to repaint it (it's going in her living room). Yes, we are supposedly decreasing the value of it, but we don't care. It looked great in the paint job I gave it twenty years ago, and looked terrific in my house. Now it's going to look terrific in hers. That's really all that matters to us. And since I only paid a couple of hundred dollars for it, and never intended to sell it anyway, "decreasing the value" didn't matter to me. What mattered to me was what I looked at in my own home day in and day out for the next two decades.
All I can say is that I truly hope that some valuable antique never finds its way into your hands. That's really all that matters to us. Good thing it was just some armoire from the 1880s and not a rare item that can never be replaced if that's your attitude.
You got that right
My grandmother painted her 1917 quarter-sawn oak Victrola red (along with mustache-handled black walnut dressers an off-white). When I had the Victrola refinished (looks as good as the day it was new), the first thing the refinisher said was "Who the h*ll would paint something like this red?" Ran me $800 to get it fully restored (I did all the internal mechanical work).
Personally, I try to keep antiques in as close to the original/authentic condition as possible. I collect them. Fortunately, my relatives were mostly only children from the Midwest, so I ended up with most of the black walnut stuff... absolutely beautiful, NOT PAINTED.
But as is true in most things, there is no accounting for taste, such as when someone slathers on a coat of paint on a nice antique.
(There is also a special place in h*ll for people who electrify oil student lamps, by drilling a hole in the kerosene tank to route the wire. Totally destroys it value, and beauty.)
Go buy some Ikea junk.
In terms of silver-plate vs. sterling, that is like buying a fake Rolex from a street vendor for $25, rather than a real one. The image of beauty does not even closely resemble actual beauty. Just finished cleaning out my parent's house.... we couldn't even give away the silver plate (we took all the sterling). But I am sure that GoodWill appreciated the donations, including 4 plated tea sets. (over $10K worth for everything donated). But to each his/her own.
Last edited by SuperSparkle928; 12-17-2012 at 08:50 AM..
Guess what I did one time - I painted an armoire from the 1880s. That's right - I didn't leave it in it's original condition, even though it was in good condition. I slapped some paint right on it. Now, twenty years later, my daughter and I are about to repaint it (it's going in her living room). Yes, we are supposedly decreasing the value of it, but we don't care. It looked great in the paint job I gave it twenty years ago, and looked terrific in my house. Now it's going to look terrific in hers. That's really all that matters to us. And since I only paid a couple of hundred dollars for it, and never intended to sell it anyway, "decreasing the value" didn't matter to me.
All I can say is that I truly hope that some valuable antique never finds its way into your hands. That's really all that matters to us. Good thing it was just some armoire from the 1880s and not a rare item that can never be replaced if that's your attitude.
I would not deface a "rare item that can never be replaced." As you stated, an armoire from the 1880s is not particularly rare. I know this and therefore I felt comfortable painting it.
I do have an armoire from the 1700s, with the original paint. It's worth quite a nice little sum and of course I would not repaint it or alter it.
I also have an earthenware jug from Romania from the 1700s. It's pretty valuable. So far I've managed to control myself and neither break it nor paint on it.
As I said before "What matters to me is what I look at in my own home day in and day out for the next two decades." I wouldn't buy something I didn't want to look at.
My point, since you obviously didn't grasp it, is that sometimes we can re-use items from the past in new ways - and that's not necessarily inappropriate. For instance, I have an 1830s Biedermeier sofa. My plan is to re upholster it in a really fun fabric rather than the staid and boring replica fabric that it's currently upholstered in. Sure, it's "true to period" (though of course it isn't the original fabric) but it's boring and doesn't match anything in my house. So I feel very comfortable re upholstering it in something funky and fun.
If it makes you feel any better, I did refinish the damaged wood in a hand rubbed oil finish and plan on using real upholstery nails rather than staples when I re upholster it.
Last edited by KathrynAragon; 12-23-2012 at 08:16 AM..
Personally, I try to keep antiques in as close to the original/authentic condition as possible. I collect them.
Same here - when they're valuable. Lucky for me, I know the difference between a VALUABLE antique and a pine armoire that's as common as dirt.
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But as is true in most things, there is no accounting for taste, such as when someone slathers on a coat of paint on a nice antique.
Right, which is why I will never repaint my Swedish 1910 wedding chest, or my 1700s painted armoire from Germany, or my great grandmother's kitchen chair in the original blue paint.
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In terms of silver-plate vs. sterling, that is like buying a fake Rolex from a street vendor for $25, rather than a real one. The image of beauty does not even closely resemble actual beauty. Just finished cleaning out my parent's house.... we couldn't even give away the silver plate (we took all the sterling). But I am sure that GoodWill appreciated the donations, including 4 plated tea sets. (over $10K worth for everything donated). But to each his/her own.
Right, and some people will always be pretentious - but to each his own, right?
Most people cannot afford sterling silver. If you had to sell the "real stuff" you'd have a bit of trouble too in this economy. But there is a growing market for sterling plate - and a lot of fun ideas for how to use it creatively. It's fun precisely BECAUSE it's inexpensive - a lot like carnival glass.
I have a small collection of carnival glass, and it's in a lighted cabinet. The light glistening off those colors is beautiful and I've had many compliments on this inexpensive display of something that I'm sure "real" antique collectors would turn their nose up at. I don't care - I bought it because I love the play of light on it, and I think the unusual shapes are interesting.
That doesn't mean that I don't understand the value of my other "real" antiques. It simply means that I don't really care whether or not an object is "valuable" - if I like it and think it will look good in my house, used as originally designed or otherwise, I will buy it whether it's $4 or $4,000.
And that, my dear, is an indicator of self confidence and creativity.
Same here - when they're valuable. Lucky for me, I know the difference between a VALUABLE antique and a pine armoire that's as common as dirt.
Right, which is why I will never repaint my Swedish 1910 wedding chest, or my 1700s painted armoire from Germany, or my great grandmother's kitchen chair in the original blue paint.
Right, and some people will always be pretentious - but to each his own, right?
I don't think it is pretentious... it is an appreciation for something that is 'real'. Could go to Walmart and get a faux-fur jacket, or 'leatherette' gloves, but that ain't gonna happen.
Most people cannot afford sterling silver. If you had to sell the "real stuff" you'd have a bit of trouble too in this economy. But there is a growing market for sterling plate - and a lot of fun ideas for how to use it creatively. It's fun precisely BECAUSE it's inexpensive - a lot like carnival glass.
I would rephrase that as "Some people cannot afford sterling silver". Come on, it is less than $30/oz. We're not talking gold here, which is over 50 times as much.
In terms of unloading stuff, we have not had one iota of a problem emptying an entire house full of things. No trouble there. Why the h*ll someone would pay $7K for a pair of loudspeaker horn drivers is beyond my comprehension.
You should have posted sooner, as I would have mailed you piles of silver plate, including 3 full tea sets for free. But GoodWill is now happy. Gave them some sterling as well. Want 900 pieces of Ruby Glass? (those won't be free)
I have a small collection of carnival glass, and it's in a lighted cabinet. The light glistening off those colors is beautiful and I've had many compliments on this inexpensive display of something that I'm sure "real" antique collectors would turn their nose up at. I don't care - I bought it because I love the play of light on it, and I think the unusual shapes are interesting.
Again, you should have posted sooner... the carnival glass we had went into a 20 yd dumpster.
I have a huge collection of early black Wedgewood Jasperware, and 'real' antique collectors would also turn their nose up at it, but I collected it because I liked it.
That doesn't mean that I don't understand the value of my other "real" antiques. It simply means that I don't really care whether or not an object is "valuable" - if I like it and think it will look good in my house, used as originally designed or otherwise, I will buy it whether it's $4 or $4,000.
I guess we have a different definition of valuable. It is not what it costs, but how sentimental, authentic and real it is.
And that, my dear, is an indicator of self confidence and creativity.
Don't know where the 'self-confidence' term comes from, but as we stated at work in the engineering labs years ago, 'The appearance of rigor' shows an entire lack of it. Just my opinion.
You should have posted sooner, as I would have mailed you piles of silver plate, including 3 full tea sets for free. But GoodWill is now happy. Gave them some sterling as well.
Darnit!!! What sort of sterling did you give them? Did you let them know which pieces were sterling?
It sounds like you were closing down an antique shop!
But seriously, kathrynaragon while I do like your posts in the other areas of the C-D site, I feel that you could be a LOT more tactful in how you phrase your pleasure with your home decor. You should know that some might be offended with how you treat your antique furniture by refinishing it, so you shouldn't be so gleeful about how what you and your daughter do pleases you. Why throw it in other people's faces?
And it seems to me that you have control issues. That part of your pleasure derives from going against what others recommend (such as not refinishing antique furniture) and actually thumbing your nose at us.
But please consider that if others reading your posts about what you've done with your possessions are inspired to follow you.... there could be someone with a really special antique piece of furniture worth $100K and then they completely ruin it by painting it up. Now I actually don't think that your refinished armoire was anything special, but had it been, what you and your daughter did to it was akin to having a winning lottery ticket and then throwing it in your washing machine... on purpose!!
So what I want to clearly state in this thread to anyone else reading these posts... is that before refinishing any antique piece of furniture please, please, PLEASE research your piece before altering its appearance.
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