This week’s question is from a member of the audience at last month’s FT Weekend Festival, where Luke was in conversation with FT editor Roula Khalaf.
I’m getting bored of buying online. Any tips on where to source things that have character and uniqueness?
I know the feeling. Over the past 18 months I have developed a serious addiction to online auctions, fuelled by the exhilarating experience that websites such as the-saleroom.com offer up. The Saleroom connects users to auction houses the world over — one can leave absentee bids or join online auctions and bid in real time. I’d used the site before but during lockdown, when I was starved of junk shop visits, it became a lifeline.
Look, I know that life is not (completely) about accumulating stuff, but collecting old things is a passion, and if I spot an English School painting of a lovely prize cow coming up for auction in Abergavenny, well, I’m there (virtually), I’m bidding and, no matter what, I’m winning.
In any spare moment I have, I seem to be on my phone, searching for potential new oddities. They pop into my head all day — even when I’m falling asleep. Could I squeeze that little etching of a Gothic ruin above the light switch in my bathroom? How about that octagonal tortoise-shell snuff box, its lid adorned with cameos — have I really lived this long without such a dazzling object?
Nothing, however, compares to getting lost in an antiques shop and discovering items that one didn’t even know one needed. With antiques and vintage items, more often than not you need to pick them up and give them the once over. You want to see those scuffs and knocks up close.
This is the trade-off when buying online — it’s easy, but errors can be made. I’ve lost count of the number of times that things have turned up and they’re much smaller or larger than I imagined (no doubt I forgot to look at measurements), and I’m still rather angry about that pair of old candelabra that turned up and instantly fell apart.
On the flip side, it often doesn’t make sense for antique dealers to open shops. Sky-high rents (particularly in London) have driven dealers away, and why spend money on rent when excellent sales can be achieved online? Many dealers operate showroom-cum-offices, and some allow customers to visit their warehouses, so it’s worth asking when browsing online.
Naturally, my personal list of favourite places to shop in person is mostly comprised of businesses local to me in the Cotswolds and London. (When I visit other places, I research online, ask friends or turn to Instagram.) Antique centres, such as Station Mill near Chipping Norton, are excellent because they house many dealers under one roof. I’m in Station Mill every other week or so — regular visits are worth it, because the stock is constantly replenished.
There are particular towns, of course, known for a high concentration of dealers. I have written in the past about my love for Tetbury, Gloucestershire, about an hour west from us, but there are other spots in the Cotswolds: Winchcombe and Woodstock are both worth investigating.
I want to shop at exciting places that sell things with soul. In London, favourite haunts include 8 Holland Street and Jermaine Gallacher. Kensington’s 8 Holland Street, a gallery and design studio founded by Tobias Vernon, showcases 20th-century British artwork, European vintage furniture and studio pottery, Scandinavian and Moroccan textiles, as well as contemporary design. I have my eye on an earthenware vase by Alice Gavalet; I adore its wobbly fins.
Jermaine Gallacher, with a showroom in Borough, stocks a mix of postmodern and contemporary furniture and objects. On my wish list? A clay clown’s head by Hal Brooks.
In New York, one favourite is Saved NY, known for its cashmere throws and cushions. This cult store, based in Gramercy Park, also sells a beautifully curated mix of antiques and vintage decorative objects.
When I’m in Paris there is Les Puces, a network of markets on the northern edges of the city, the best of which is Marché Paul Bert Serpette.
A few months ago, I made a conscious effort to curb my online hunting habit. It’s still a thrill for me, the process of finding a lovely little painted chair in a random auction 200 miles away, leaving a hopeful bid and waking up to find I’ve won it. But I too am pining for real-life experiences.
I think that the future will be about balance: it is easy for dealers, makers and designers to sell via their own platforms, and I love the experience of browsing and shopping on my phone. When I venture out to shop, I want the good stuff. Some nondescript place selling stuff I’ve seen before just isn’t going to cut it. I want to be wowed.
If you have a question for Luke about design and stylish living, email him at lukeedward.hall@ft.com. Follow him on Instagram @lukeedwardhall
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