Getting lucre for my Kuypers
January 9, 2009 2:01 PM Subscribe
How do I sell my antique* art deco** bedroom furniture?
Long story short: my mother bought a bedroom furniture set in the early '60s, lived with it most of her life, gave it to me when she and my father redid their house a few years back. I'm getting married, my fiancée doesn't like the stuff (and frankly, it is very... art deco,* and I've always used it because it was free, not because I loved the look myself), so I need to either pay to store it (which seems silly) or get rid of it.
Turns out the designer is very well known in interior design circles, and some of his furniture, at least, seems to fetch reasonable prices.
But I live in Sherbrooke (a smallish town in Quebec), without a vehicle capable of transporting a seven-piece art deco bedroom set. The furniture's in great shape -- a few rings on the finish on some pieces, worn finish on the seat of the desk chair, and a chip out of one dresser drawer but no substantial wear or damage in my inexpert opinion.
There's definitely no market in Sherbrooke for antique art deco furniture. After that, I'm a bit lost. How does one sell antique art deco furniture? Is there some sort of directory of awesome furniture specialists? Do I just Craigslist/eBay the set and tell people they have to come to Sherbrooke to get it?
*Is 45 years old "antique"? I don't know. Close enough.
**I don't actually know if it is "art deco," but it's an art term I know and I'm rolling with it. It definitely resembles the above-linked sideboard.
Long story short: my mother bought a bedroom furniture set in the early '60s, lived with it most of her life, gave it to me when she and my father redid their house a few years back. I'm getting married, my fiancée doesn't like the stuff (and frankly, it is very... art deco,* and I've always used it because it was free, not because I loved the look myself), so I need to either pay to store it (which seems silly) or get rid of it.
Turns out the designer is very well known in interior design circles, and some of his furniture, at least, seems to fetch reasonable prices.
But I live in Sherbrooke (a smallish town in Quebec), without a vehicle capable of transporting a seven-piece art deco bedroom set. The furniture's in great shape -- a few rings on the finish on some pieces, worn finish on the seat of the desk chair, and a chip out of one dresser drawer but no substantial wear or damage in my inexpert opinion.
There's definitely no market in Sherbrooke for antique art deco furniture. After that, I'm a bit lost. How does one sell antique art deco furniture? Is there some sort of directory of awesome furniture specialists? Do I just Craigslist/eBay the set and tell people they have to come to Sherbrooke to get it?
*Is 45 years old "antique"? I don't know. Close enough.
**I don't actually know if it is "art deco," but it's an art term I know and I'm rolling with it. It definitely resembles the above-linked sideboard.
Best answer: I don't actually know if it is "art deco,"
It's not. It's mid-century modern. If you try to sell it as "Art Deco," people will probably yell at you. You could sell it as Danish modern, even though it's not, y'know, Danish. Just advertise on Craigslist and / or eBay, put up lots of photos, use the designer's name and lots od terms like mid-century, Danish Modern, and even "Eames-era" because that's what people search for, and be very clear in your listing where you are and that you have no intention of dlivering.
posted by dersins at 2:20 PM on January 9, 2009
It's not. It's mid-century modern. If you try to sell it as "Art Deco," people will probably yell at you. You could sell it as Danish modern, even though it's not, y'know, Danish. Just advertise on Craigslist and / or eBay, put up lots of photos, use the designer's name and lots od terms like mid-century, Danish Modern, and even "Eames-era" because that's what people search for, and be very clear in your listing where you are and that you have no intention of dlivering.
posted by dersins at 2:20 PM on January 9, 2009
Mid-century modern, which is Kuypers' era, is very much in demand these days. As dersins mentioned, you do not want to refer to it as "Art Deco." If you have any local furniture consignment shops, you might want to talk to them about selling your furniture: the clientele of such places knows what they're looking for and are usually willing to pay for good specimens.
posted by Plinissima at 2:25 PM on January 9, 2009
posted by Plinissima at 2:25 PM on January 9, 2009
Best answer: I know metafilter's own dobbs is into vintage mid-century stuff and he's also in Canada (different city tho). I only mention because it appears his account has been disabled and he may not see this thread. Perhaps you can track him down through his website (see link in his comment I linked to above).
Ugh, I swear I'm not stalking dobbs. I feel dirty.
posted by mullacc at 2:45 PM on January 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
Ugh, I swear I'm not stalking dobbs. I feel dirty.
posted by mullacc at 2:45 PM on January 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: No photos (yet), but I'll probably dedicate a fair bit of time next week to cleaning everything out of the room and then photographing each piece, being sure to document all the blemishes, in the living room under decent light.
Thanks for all the advice so far, and the corrections on my weak senses of what constitutes both "antique" and "art deco" -- it's very much appreciated.
The "Danish Modern" is a very good resemblance, except that my furniture has a lot of ripples in it -- see the sideboard linked in the original post. It's gorgeous, it just isn't the sort of thing that appeals to everyone.
posted by Shepherd at 3:36 PM on January 9, 2009
Thanks for all the advice so far, and the corrections on my weak senses of what constitutes both "antique" and "art deco" -- it's very much appreciated.
The "Danish Modern" is a very good resemblance, except that my furniture has a lot of ripples in it -- see the sideboard linked in the original post. It's gorgeous, it just isn't the sort of thing that appeals to everyone.
posted by Shepherd at 3:36 PM on January 9, 2009
Please put on craiglist or ebay and then post links in this thread. I love this stuff and a drive to Canada for a good piece is not out of the question.
posted by spicynuts at 4:03 PM on January 9, 2009
posted by spicynuts at 4:03 PM on January 9, 2009
Best answer: Danish modern and mid-century stuff is HOT right now. Pick up a copy of Dwell magazine to see how people are incorporating this type of furniture into their homes.
I cruise ebay and Craig's List for furniture all the time. If something is within a few hour radius and I wanted it, I'd buy it and rent a truck and bribe some friends to go with me to pick it up. I know I'm not the only one willing to buy furniture this way!
I do want to point out that the website you linked with the Jan Kuypers piece...their prices are insane, though they do have amazing things. It takes just the right buyer to pay $4300 for used furniture. As someone selling furniture like this for the first time, you are most likely not going to get the same kind of prices.
posted by pluckysparrow at 6:35 PM on January 9, 2009
I cruise ebay and Craig's List for furniture all the time. If something is within a few hour radius and I wanted it, I'd buy it and rent a truck and bribe some friends to go with me to pick it up. I know I'm not the only one willing to buy furniture this way!
I do want to point out that the website you linked with the Jan Kuypers piece...their prices are insane, though they do have amazing things. It takes just the right buyer to pay $4300 for used furniture. As someone selling furniture like this for the first time, you are most likely not going to get the same kind of prices.
posted by pluckysparrow at 6:35 PM on January 9, 2009
Pick up a phone book from Montreal or Toronto and look for Christies or Southby's. They'll be happy to talk to you. Modernist stuff is HOT HOT HOT.
posted by legotech at 9:23 PM on January 9, 2009
posted by legotech at 9:23 PM on January 9, 2009
Best answer: Although the term is often mis-used, furniture can only be properly called "antique" when it's over a hundred years old. "Antique" also has a legal definition in many countries, including Australia and Britian (and thus maybe Canada?). Importing items that can be proven to be antique do not attract customs duties.
Anyway! As pointed out, your furniture is modernist or mid-century rather than art deco. The overall shape of the sideboard and especially the design of the legs are clearly influenced by Danish modernism, but the wavy front is very unusual -- in a good way, imo, though as you say it may not be for everyone. Call it an "unusual mid-century sideboard by a well-known Canadian designer" with lots of pics and people can make up their own minds.
To sell, I would either google for stores specialising in mid-century furniture within a reasonable drive of you, and give them a call/email, or do as you thought and go the eBay/Craigslist route. People will definitely drive to pick up nice furniture, or pay a carrier to do so, though I've found carriers can be difficult to work with and unless someone is able to be at your place all the time you might want to clearly specify "pick-up weekends only" in your ad. Otherwise, you can get a call in the middle of a Tuesday from your buyer's carrier that'll be at your place in an hour and you'll be there, right?
You could also send the furniture to an auctioneer. I wasn't thinking Christies (though by all means, ask them) but a general purpose auctioneer that does quality furniture/household auctions on a regular basis. These will attract a crowd of both dealers and regular folks and should tyically bring more than selling on eBay. Keep in mind that you'd need to pay for the cartage to the auction site, and there will be a seller's premium as well (varies, but roughly 10%). Unless you expect the pieces to go for many thousands, it may not be worth it.
One last thing -- bedroom suites can be a hard sell these days because nobody wants wardrobes. If you go the eBay/Craigslist route, you may like to do some searches for both bedroom suites and the individual items you have and see if you're more likely to make money by selling them together or separately.
posted by Georgina at 10:45 PM on January 10, 2009
Anyway! As pointed out, your furniture is modernist or mid-century rather than art deco. The overall shape of the sideboard and especially the design of the legs are clearly influenced by Danish modernism, but the wavy front is very unusual -- in a good way, imo, though as you say it may not be for everyone. Call it an "unusual mid-century sideboard by a well-known Canadian designer" with lots of pics and people can make up their own minds.
To sell, I would either google for stores specialising in mid-century furniture within a reasonable drive of you, and give them a call/email, or do as you thought and go the eBay/Craigslist route. People will definitely drive to pick up nice furniture, or pay a carrier to do so, though I've found carriers can be difficult to work with and unless someone is able to be at your place all the time you might want to clearly specify "pick-up weekends only" in your ad. Otherwise, you can get a call in the middle of a Tuesday from your buyer's carrier that'll be at your place in an hour and you'll be there, right?
You could also send the furniture to an auctioneer. I wasn't thinking Christies (though by all means, ask them) but a general purpose auctioneer that does quality furniture/household auctions on a regular basis. These will attract a crowd of both dealers and regular folks and should tyically bring more than selling on eBay. Keep in mind that you'd need to pay for the cartage to the auction site, and there will be a seller's premium as well (varies, but roughly 10%). Unless you expect the pieces to go for many thousands, it may not be worth it.
One last thing -- bedroom suites can be a hard sell these days because nobody wants wardrobes. If you go the eBay/Craigslist route, you may like to do some searches for both bedroom suites and the individual items you have and see if you're more likely to make money by selling them together or separately.
posted by Georgina at 10:45 PM on January 10, 2009
Response by poster: Profound apologies for not following up promptly, and thanks again for the replies. I'll be taking pictures this weekend and posting a link here, as well as following up on the PMs received.
posted by Shepherd at 12:28 PM on January 15, 2009
posted by Shepherd at 12:28 PM on January 15, 2009
Response by poster: Link here:
http://shep.ca/pages/KupyersFurniture.html
I've tried to be as scrupulous as possible about documenting any flaws; hopefully I'm not shooting myself in the foot by doing so.
Thanks for any and all interest and advice!
posted by Shepherd at 10:32 AM on January 17, 2009
http://shep.ca/pages/KupyersFurniture.html
I've tried to be as scrupulous as possible about documenting any flaws; hopefully I'm not shooting myself in the foot by doing so.
Thanks for any and all interest and advice!
posted by Shepherd at 10:32 AM on January 17, 2009
Response by poster: Craigslist posted: http://montreal.en.craigslist.ca/fuo/1034903628.html
posted by Shepherd at 2:05 PM on February 14, 2009
posted by Shepherd at 2:05 PM on February 14, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 2:18 PM on January 9, 2009