On Saturday, Megan and I headed to Antique Row on S. Broadway. This area of Denver has over 7 blocks of antique stores, each with its own flavor. I got a kick out of the Bavarian taxidermy nightmare that was Heidelberg Antiques ("This place is haunted by the ghosts of 1,000 antelope"). We were also really impressed by an antique shop that sold full-size antique bars. Imagine if you took the entire interior out of Atkins Park and put it in a giant showroom - that's what this antique shop specialized in.
I actually had a few things in mind that I needed. My condo's floor plan is unique. It has a few odd corners with strict width limitations. There are mirrors everywhere, including a full wall in the living room. So although I want a little more storage, I don't want to crowd it and I'm limited as to where I can put things. I'm also going for a rustic, farmhouse feel. Ugh, where to find furniture like this?
We spotted this thing in the far back corner of a huge antique co-op. Doesn't look like much. It was dirty and had some damage near the base. But we saw potential - it had a great red stain, was a good size for storage, and I had the perfect spot for it. It's an old root vegetable storage bin, which we thought was really unique and cool.However, the seller's asking price was ludicrous. After a phone call and a quick negotiation, he marked the price down 1/3. It was SOLD.
Megan and I lugged it back to my place. I attacked it with a half a bottle of Murphy's Oil and...it cleaned up beautifully! We placed it in the corner by the giant wall mirror. I even bought a big, distressed metal clock to hang on the wall above it. As Megan would say, "LOVE it".
Here's it is in full Transformer glory:
Hooray for my first antique purchase!
If you need some advice or tips on shopping for antiques (so that you are spending your money wisely), my dad deals in antiques. Your first buy looks pretty good, but I have a feeling that the handle on the side was an add-on. Overall, it looks like a great buy.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jason! I'm not generally into antiques (my friends have tried to drag me into antiquing trips in the past), but I couldn't find what I needed anywhere else. Well, at least at a price point that makes sense. I kind of turned to antiques out of desperation. LOL.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the handles may have been an add-on. They look very 1970's. But boy howdy, were we glad to have them when we had to tote this thing from the parking lot to my condo. Lol! I actually plan on replacing the fixtures anyway. I recognize that this may diminish the value, but I'm not too concerned about the value of a mid-century potato bin. LOL.
It's a fun piece (definitely a conversation piece, I've never seen anything like it) that goes with my decor. So I'm pretty happy.