Recycle Your Old Antiques
We finally got all of our belongings from Kansas City this past weekend. When we started pulling the items out of the storage area, I wasn't prepared for the rush of emotion of seeing my mom's favorite things again - none of which I had seen since a week after her funeral. But once I got past the sadness and came to terms with the fact that her stuff would be with us here in the Ozark Mountains, but she would not as we had planned - I was grateful again for the gift she passed on to me for the appreciation of antiques.
More than once the movers made comments about the "real wood" and beauty of things from the past, but antiques provide more than just sturdy, good looks. Thanks to the hearty craftsmanship of items made in the 19th and early 20th centuries, I will never have to buy another stick of furniture again. The bedroom set, dressers, desks, china cabinet, dry sink and other items she left me will uniquely decorate our home here in the woods, while providing me wonderful sensory memories of my parent's and their weekend outings to flea markets and auctions. And with those memories, I always imagine who owned the pieces prior to my mom, who always came home so excited when she found a good "bargain" on a quality piece of the past. These treasures will also allow me to reflect on the day-to-day lives we led right up until my mom left us 18 months ago, and bring warmth into our own home.
As important, we are reusing and recycling. By not purchasing new furniture and adapting what we have to our new surroundings, we are conserving energy and materials, many of which are not renewable.
If you don't have the opportunity to enjoy heirlooms, many quality pieces can be found at flea markets, antique stores and through re-use stores all over the country. You have to keep your eyes open for the real bargains, but when you find them, it is like having a little piece of history in your home.
posted by Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell @ 4:48 AM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
Excellelnt post, the ultimate recycling and green being is to reuse and repurpose. Recover a sofa that has good bones It may cost as much as a new one but less energy resources will be expended in covering than manufacturing. My husband will stop and pick up any wood items that he finds on the curb and dismantle and reuse that wood and the materials... He , a lover of wood things, cannot bear to see the wood tossed aside to go to the land fills.
I am recycling by storing my fancy Asian rosewood furniture for our daughter's first house and will use the inherited Dunken Phyfe table and roseback chairs instead. More suited to our small town low-key life now.
O.
Kerri- I too learned a love for antiques from my mother. Once, on the way to my church, I passed a garage sale with items spread out in the owner's driveway. Sitting near the curb was the cutest little Victrola. It looked out of place and so lovely among all the old lamps, castoff clothing and aged appliances. I couldn't stop because I had to meet someone at church, but I said a silent prayer that it would still be there on my way back.
Fortunately, it was, and it now sits in a corner of my living room. This is really my favorite way to acquire antiques- by serendipity and keeping an eye out for treasure buried in trash. I've been able to collect a few nice pieces that way. I have also resorted to buying well made reproductions when flea market hunting didn't turn up just the right item. Although it's not as good as recycling, I know that even those pieces will someday grace the homes of my daughters, and hope they bring as much pleasure as your mother's furniture does for you.
Kathy
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