A key tenet of creating a sustainable home is using second hand furniture and homewares in your designs. In the UK, the pandemic has shuttered our usual haunts such as antique shops and fairs. Luckily, there a number of online platforms and marketplaces that make it easier than ever to search for and buy second hand pieces that bring texture and character to your home.

There are so many reasons to buy second hand and vintage items for your home. Buying vintage, antique or up-cycled pieces is a great way to stylishly furnish your home whilst being mindful of the environment. Buying second-hand is not only more environmentally friendly, you can also grab a great bargain. There are few better feelings than finding the perfect piece you love for an affordable price. I recently found a rattan bedside table for £22 from a local antique shop which perfectly suited the room’s design! These items will have significantly lower lead times than new furniture as they are readily available.

These online marketplaces and shops offer a responsible alternative to mass-produced decor and provide a new lease of life to millions of second hand pieces that might otherwise go to waste. With designer pieces in particular, these hold their value well and in some cases, increase in value thanks to their status as a design classic. Mad about the House recently wrote an article about iconic investment pieces and future design classics which is definitely worth a read!

Perhaps what I like the most about second hand pieces is the story they tell - about where they’ve been and what it means to you. Whenever I stroll round an antique shop, I like to imagine who the previous owners of these pieces are. You know with second hand furniture and homewares that you’re getting quality that has lasted for many years and will do for many more.

Whilst I am a big advocate of buying preloved pieces, it’s not to say there aren’t brands responsibly designing and creating new products. There are plenty of designers and craftspeople using innovative techniques and reusing waste materials which I’ll cover in a future blog.

Mid-century telephone seat and mirror in the Cambridge Flat

Online Marketplaces

Ebay
Etsy
Facebook Marketplace

Online marketplaces are making it easier to buy quality second hand and vintage pieces which can bring character to your home rather than new mass-produced homewares.

eBay

The most popular marketplace is eBay, which I’ve often used to find second hand pieces. Due to the sheer amount of products on these sites, it can be overwhelming and time-consuming to scroll through hundreds of listings - so here’s a few tips:

Check the ‘used’ box in the filters
Use specific search terms to find what you’re looking for, e.g. ‘red Togo armchair by Ligne Roset’
If the seller has a best offer section - use it! Most sellers are willing to negotiate especially if the item has been live for a while. I managed to get a £50 discount on an armchair recently.

In recent years eBay have expanded the offering to include larger retail company listings like Argos and there are a big number of sellers mass producing vintage-style wares so it’s important to check the ‘used’ filter! Even if an item shows collection in person, it is possible for you to organise a courier service for goods further away. This is especially useful when stricter lockdown restrictions are in place.

Etsy

Etsy is the home of small creative businesses, mostly known for crafts and handmade goods.

From dining tables made from reclaimed wood to 70s Murano mushroom lamps, there are very few furniture and homeware pieces that you can’t find on Etsy. The great thing about purchasing through Etsy is you’re supporting independent sellers and small businesses.

Facebook Marketplace

With Facebook Marketplace, you are less likely to see vintage designer pieces but you will find good bargains in your local area. If you are up for an upcyclng challenge, you can often find second-hand furniture that needs a bit of work and TLC.

I haven’t mentioned Preloved, Gumtree and Freecycle which are also worth checking out for pre-loved furniture.

Curated Marketplaces

Vinterior
Selency
Pamono

These online marketplaces are easy to navigate to discover vintage and antique furniture. The focus is on quality - items are carefully curated from trusted sellers and guided by the principles of a circular economy. Prices are generally higher than on eBay but you’ll be getting great quality pieces with real character and dedicated support from their customer service teams. All offer 14-day return guarantees so in the unlikely case that the item you ordered isn’t right or is not in the condition advertised, you have peace of mind that it can be returned with little trouble.

Selency

Selency is a platform for everyone to buy and sell beautiful, unique second hand furniture. They cater for professional and non-professional sellers, being the intermediary between the seller and customer. As a French company, they have sellers in mainland Europe and the UK, recommending you filter by location to lower shipping costs and impact on the planet. Even with narrowing down to the UK, you will find thousands of beautiful pieces from affordable prices. From original exhibition and movie posters to ornate Chinese screen, there are a range of styles on offer.

Vinterior

Vinterior partners with 1,000 independent boutiques and sellers to offer vintage furniture. Their passion for craftmanship and products filled with character is obvious in the carefully curated marketplace. They offer over 25 styles, including Mid-Century, Art Deco, Retro, Modern Scandinavian, Shabby Chic, Bauhaus, Industrial, Boho, Rustic, British, French, Italian and Chinese Antiques.

Pamono

Pamono specialises in vintage and contemporary furniture, lighting and other homewares from a curated list of sellers. There are items for different styles and budgets with excellent quality photos and descriptions taking any of the nervousness out of buying preloved items. If you are looking for design classics and collectibles, Pamono should be one of your first ports of call. Authentic furniture designed by legends such as Verner Panton and Alvar Aalto are readily available.

Reuse in action. A secondhand sink from Retrouvius.

The Modern Marketplace

Typically hosting in-person shows, The Modern Marketplace has an online directory of mid-century and modern dealers, designers and retailers. Their website takes you to their trusted partners such as Ecobirdy - who recycle old, unused plastic toys into design-forward kids furniture. Their chairs are making me wish I could be a kid again!

Retrouvius

Retrouvius is an architectural salvage and design company founded in 1993, Maria Speake and Adam Hills. It is an interiors institution having built up an excellent selection of reclaimed goods and materials from huge architectural demolitions such as Heathrow Terminal 2. Their reuse philosophy that good materials and well-made things are precious drives everything they do. The pieces are quirky and unique - think using old school laboratory tops being fashioned into kitchen worktops or an antique marble fireplace.

Auction Sites

The sale room is an online auction site with thousands of unique items from over 700 auction houses from around the world. Auctions are run throughout the day and you can get ahead of the game by viewing future auctions and adding items to your watch list. It’s worth noting there are additional fees added onto the final sale price so its important to work these out prior to bidding.

Local antique shops & Instagram

Your local shops are adapting to the pandemic and using social media, like Instagram, as well as their websites to showcase their stock. Speaking of Instagram, a number of sellers of vintage and antique homewares are using the shopping platform on Instagram. Some of my favourite sellers you can find on Instagram are:

Criterion Auctions
The Vintage Curator
Millefiori interior
Loft me 70s
AU Bespoke

The home of Dax Roll and Joyce Urbanus, of interior design firm Nicemakers, filled with vintage pieces

There are options to suit all budgets online, as demonstrated by the wide range of places we’ve listed above.

Given the amount of choice across these platforms, it shows how much quality furniture and homewares we already have readily available. Homes don’t need to be filled with only second-hand furniture but there is something beautiful about the imperfections of second-hand and vintage furniture that you don’t find with most new pieces. Much like with fast fashion, classic designs have been copied and mass-produced making it more difficult to differentiate between real and fake, those carefully crafted and those manufactured in a factory with questionable conditions.

Personally I cannot wait for the antique shops to reopen and for fairs to restart. There’s nothing better than being able to see items in person and learning the story behind them, although I would probably take any sort of activity other than watching box sets and going for walks at this point!

Where to buy second-hand and vintage furniture and homewares in a pandemic