“Go Green” with Antiques

Antiquers were “into” recycling before the term came into common use. The same people who like antiques hate to see things thrown out that are still usable and useful. They have always valued old things.

Furniture found in antique shops is not always technically antique. To be a true antique, an item should be 100 years or more old. Everything that went down with the Titanic is just becoming an antique, technically, this year! However, the older furniture is usually better built, with better materials, than today’s furnishings.

Mid-Century Modern pieces date from the late 1940’s to the early 1960’s. This furniture is made from hardwoods, chrome, steel, and laminated materials. Danish Modern was very popular during the 1960’s and 1970’s. It is often make from teak wood, and is defined by its simple, clean lines. It is compatible with many contemporary styles, and works well in a home that mixes accent pieces to great effect.

In the kitchen, hand tools haven’t changed much over time. A wood spoon with a beautiful, aged patina is a treasure. An antique wooden bowl may no longer be used for mixing a cake, but it makes a lovely fruit or salad bowl.

One can set an elegant table with new dishes. One can also do it for less, and more uniquely, by shopping at an antique store and buying older dishes. If one sticks to a color scheme, and mixes patterns, it can be quite striking. Thrift stores are great places to search for single goblets and stemware.

Decorating magazines have many ideas for “re-purposing” items. Use canning jars for floral arrangements. Make candleholders by cutting up table legs. Use cake stands as plant stands. Make a table runner out of antique crocheted doilies. Make pillow covers out of old curtains. The list is endless, and only limited by your imagination.

Great linens in natural fibers can be found in antique shops for a fraction of what one would pay for it new. Cotton or linen tablecloths may be soaked in a solution of warm water and oxygen powder if they are yellowed from age or storage. Always check for color fastness before you launder any cloth item. Before you buy a used tablecloth, be sure to open it up and check for stains and holes. A tiny hole or stain near a hem is unlikely to be noticed, but a stain right in the middle of the table will be obvious.

Beautiful old linens can also be repurposed into pillow cases, curtains, or slipcovers for dining room chairs. One damask tablecloth can be made into at least one pair of café curtains. If you don’t own a sewing machine, one of your friends probably does. Curtains are easy and quick to make.

If you’d like some inspiration for “going green,” simply visit an antique shop or thrift store. One is limited only by their imagination and inspiration. You can also create an effective community organizing strategies to bring people who want to fight climate change together, go to https://thesolutionsproject.org/community-organizing/ to find out how.

By Karen Hewitt