How to buy vintage for your home
I'm excited to welcome my first guest to write on these pages. Lisa Dawson (Joie de Vivre) has written a book: Resourceful Living and is full of sage advice on how to hunt down a vintage bargain.
My first guest, Lisa Dawson, is very generously sharing her expert knowledge on how and where to shop for vintage pieces. Here she is focusing on her kitchen, but head over to her Substack where she shares all manner of expert tips. Her book, Resourceful Living, is packed with advice on how to revamp your home with things you already own, find the best vintage deals and, crucially, how to avoid fast fashion in interiors. You can subscribe to her newsletter Joie De Vivre for £4 this week - until 6 April 2024 - after which it will rise to £5. For paid subscribers here keep reading to learn her methods for finding the best stuff on eBay.
I have never had a new kitchen, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t made the most of each one I’ve inherited. We moved house nine times in 14 years and, during that time, I’ve ripped off cupboards, changed doors, swapped handles, painted any surface that moves and accessorised to within an inch of my life. I’ve even painted the fridge. The amount of time I spend in the kitchen far exceeds any other room in my house and, as a result, I am constantly striving to create an environment that lifts my spirits when I enter.
Getting the space to feel ‘me’ has always been the priority - the rest of the house always comes second. When we moved into our current home, the kitchen was newly fitted in a classic Howdens shaker style. It looked very smart, but it didn’t look like me.
Since 2015 I have painted the kitchen doors five times, each time sure that this time would be the ‘right colour’ but it has never lasted more than a year. It was only recently I realised WHY it was that I couldn’t quite tick the boxes no matter what I did - I didn’t actually want a kitchen with fitted cupboards. I wanted a freestanding kitchen, comprised of individual units, drawers and counters I had sourced myself and chosen to suit the space. But this was not to be. Mostly because I already had a perfectly good kitchen and not only was it wholly untenable to remove what I had, but it was also financially stupid and likely to instigate divorce proceedings.
So I decided to compromise by asking my local antiques shop, The French House, if they had anything that they thought might work as a central island to replace the kitchen table that was there already. Somewhere in France they found a very battered old shop counter they adjusted to fit the shape of the room. They cut it down to size, raised it by adding a plinth, created a larger worktop by using brackets and then brought the whole thing back to life by fixing the broken bits and staining it. The result? The perfect combination of old and new. I’ve teamed it with a mixture of vintage finds and new pieces and ceramics picked up from the High Street and independent stores and created a space that combines the best of both and has made me, I tell you, VERY happy.
So how can you create an individual, characterful kitchen that ticks the sustainable preloved box whilst still being a working utilitarian space? Here are my top tips, plus my favourite sourcing platforms and shops that will help you achieve this in your own home without blowing the budget.
BRING IN VINTAGE PIECES
During my quest for a central counter – from eBay through to the more targeted vintage market on Vinterior - I discovered there are options at wildly varying price points. This variance can often feel as if adding vintage is beyond your means but there are plenty of ways of creating a kitchen without spending huge amounts of cash. Check out Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree – yes, there’s a lot to look through but you never know what treasure you’ll find. Make the most of search engines - my search terms included “vintage counter, French table, work bench, large vintage cupboard, prep table, kitchen table” and “vintage drawers”. By mixing these up you’ll get a much wider result and more likelihood of finding something that suits your budget.
Head to eBay and Vinterior and seek out independent vintage stores that you can find on Instagram and keep in touch with them for stock updates. Check out your local antique showrooms, many of whom will be online too. Try The French House, Monkey & Bird, Merchant & Found and A Hundred Stories, all of whom specialise in reclaimed furniture and can often track down the perfect piece for you.
ADD AMBIENCE
The best thing about creating a kitchen space that incorporates vintage is that you are seriously upping the cosy factor. Have you ever seen a reclaimed kitchen that doesn’t immediately make you want to pull up a stool, light a candle and open the wine? There is something very warming and welcoming about natural woods and tones that make such spaces very conducive to spending time in. And that, my friends, is EXACTLY what I want my kitchen to feel like. Kitchens should not be purely utilitarian spaces - there is no reason why they shouldn’t express your character and personality just as the other rooms in your home do.
Combine task lighting such as spots with warm glow wall lights to ensure that you can up the wattage when needed and ditch it when you don’t. And who says that table lamps are for living spaces? By adding them to your surfaces you are ensuring that you can change the ambience of the room with the flick of a switch - shop your home to see what you have that will work without spending any cash. If you have space to add chairs or barstools, then head first for vintage or second hand as a juxtaposition to modern kitchen units - just this small contrast can make the biggest difference when it comes to softening the look. Or, if you have a spare corner or wall, work out how you can best utilise it - you may be able to add shelves for a plant or favourite crockery, or if you’ve got room, a small armchair or sofa. I have a dream that one day I’ll be able to add a sofa into a kitchen and am always hugely envious of those who can - the perfect combination of kitchen and living space.
Head to Merchant & Found who specialise in vintage dining chairs and stools, or check out your local second hand shops or vintage stores for endless options. And eBay is a one stop shop for all that is second hand - from small sofas and armchairs through to lamps and vintage shelving units. Consider swapping out task lighting for more subtle wall lights - try John Lewis for some cosy glamour such as these Dar Imani lamps, or these plug in wall mounted options from Dunelm in fluted glass. Think tactile when adding table lamps and go for texture, such as this curved wood option from Pooky Lights.
COMBINE MODERN AND VINTAGE ACCESSORIES
A great way to create a kitchen with character is to add some well chosen pre-loved accessories. This is possibly my favourite subject and there are SO many ways that you can do this. From trawling the charity shops for vintage cookbooks (much fun to be had going through these; I have some handed down from an Uncle in the 1970’s which include every retro-classic recipe under the sun) to finding glorious Spanish platters from online traders. All of these items can be combined with newer kitchen staples to create a space that is both individual and interesting to look at.
Do try to think outside the box when it comes to bringing in the basics - a lovely old jug can be used to hold utensils or use vintage dishes for your salt and pepper pinch pots. Old carboys or glass jars work well for displaying greenery and you won’t need to look far in your local charity shop to find preloved oven dishes that will look as good as they are practical.
WHERE TO SHOP?
Car boot sales are treasure troves when it comes to accessorising your kitchen - make sure you have all the details of your local events so that you can be up at the crack of dawn for the bargains.
Charity shops are particularly good if you’re seeking dinner or cookware and have an ever-changing display of stock.
Head to online or Instagram stores such as Petit Tresor, Found and House Of Brunswick for pieces that have been individually sourced. Handmade ceramics can also add individuality to your kitchen – you’ll find beautiful handmade items online by individual makers such as Minnie Mae Studio and Harlie Brown.
To learn Lisa’s tips for navigating eBay keep reading or upgrade to paid here:
Did you know that UK households discard around half a million tonnes of furniture a year? Shopping on eBay can be a great way to save things from landfill but it can be hard to find the good stuff as there is just so much there. According to the site, the average person wants to refresh their home three times a year and only 14 per cent of them say they are buying more second-hand furniture than a couple of years ago. That needs to change so if you feel daunted by the sheer size of the vintage sites read on.
Lisa is passionate about buying second-hand, pre-loved, vintage and used - call it what you will. For her eBay is the first place she goes when she wants something “new”.