Although I love to flip through the latest home decorating store catalogs to see what looks and styles they’re showcasing, I don’t want my house to look like a showroom from any one source. I love finding different pieces and I shop everywhere from Swedish big box stores to local design posts for a layered look of furniture and décor that speak to me for various reasons. Sometimes I’m looking for something to fit into a certain space and I find it at a great bargain, and other times, I’ve had something in mind that I’ve been on the hunt for – for a while it was a bar cart – now it’s just the right piece of calm and serene artwork for our bedroom for instance. Whatever the case, I often think that older pieces of furniture – especially well-crafted ones – bring a great mix of texture into the home.
A few of my favorite recent really amazing bargains – we’re talking a $5 Ethan Allen desk – have come from Seattle’s Pacific Antique Galleries auction house. I love the galleries – a labyrinth of treasures large and small. And with an unlimited budget you could certainly find more than your fair share to take home. Recently, I purchased a pair of bunching tables in the galleries priced more reasonably than the ones I’d been looking at online from a couple of major home décor sources.
The Inspiration -
Instead, I scooped up this industrial chic pair at Pacific Antique galleries for about half the price of the two options above.
Although the galleries are a great way to spend a rainy weekend afternoon (and we have a lot of those in Seattle!) the real deals are found once every few months at their general auctions.
The first time I went – it was more of a sit-and-take-it-in experience. Each time you go, the deals on furniture really depend upon who’s in the audience and where they’re buying for. There are typically quite a few dealers buying for their booths and stores, as well as regular people like myself looking to score a deal on some new house duds.
Recently, I attended a “Premiere” hoping to find the same amazing deals I’d encountered at the general auctions. I had my heart set on a couple of dreamy works of art, but left empty handed. Here’s a look at the pieces I was eyeing along with their projected value and final sales price.
Estimate: $1,000 – 2,000
Sold for: $1,000
WALTER FARNDON (1873-1964, NY) OIL ON BOARD
Estimate: $1,500 – 3,500
Sold for: $900
JEAN-CLAUDE PICOT (1933 - , France) OIL ON CANVAS
Sold for: $550
Now I feel like I should have gone for her – she would have looked right at home near my desk, and this actually seems like a pretty reasonable price, but in the moment I decide not to raise that paddle.
OIL ON CANVAS - Signed Carolyn Delaney portrait of woman in blue dress and square earrings.
Estimate: $100-300
Sold for: $70
And this was a cool antique Swedish style tall case clock that went for under $300.Swedish clock
Estimate: $300-900
Sold for: $275
Here's a sneak peek at a few items that will be available at the upcoming General Auction this weekend!Happy Shopping!
If You Go
Address: 241 South Lander Street Seattle, WA 98134
Parking: Parking is available in the lot – as well as on a number of side streets near the galleries.
Check it out on the web: www.pacgal.com
Eat: The Mexican food truck in the parking lot actually serves a pretty mean taco. Browsing all those antiquities may put you in the mood for some French fare. You’re in luck – the newest outpost of Macrina Bakery is located just around the corner from the galleries – while you wait between sets at the auction house!
Image via
Macrina Bakery Cafe
1943 First Avenue South
Seattle, WA
206.623.0919
