Let me just say I love my husband, but he’s no home design trend-setter. For example, last week we were in Costco casually perusing the aisles, when he spied some pretty good-looking patio furniture.
“Hey, that would look great in our dining room!” he offered. Not about to take the bait, I quietly sighed and made a beeline for the next aisle.
So imagine my surprise when I picked up the debut issue of Flea Market Decor magazine a few days ago (which, sadly, doesn’t have an online version that I can send you to). I had grabbed it, along with numerous other flea-market-related publications, to investigate what is clearly a trend (seeing as how there are numerous magazines devoted strictly to flea market design. But that’s another story.)
There it was, in an article detailing the “Top 12 Finds for 2012” in spot No. 2: Outdoor furniture. According to Rick McConn, owner of the Marburger Farm Antiques Show (which is held in the flea-market mecca of Round Top, Texas, so you know McConn knows his stuff), more and more homeowners are bringing the outside in. Popular outdoor options include vintage wicker, metal garden chairs and glass-top dining tables. Hmm. Turns out Jack was onto something.
The next day, during our bi-weekly Sisters broker tour, I stumbled upon several more of the aforementioned flea-market trends in one very stylish home — including numerous takes on the number one trend: galvanized metal. In the most out-of-the-box version, the homeowners had incorporated galvanized metal as shower wall material — very cool (check it out in the photo here).
While touring the home, I also spied Trend #5 (wireware); Trend #11 (wood furniture); and Trend #8 (primitives). Check out another of the homeowners’ clever use of materials: the vintage farmhouse screen door turned pantry door, shown below, along with a few more photos from the home showing how they incorporated wireware, wood furniture and galvanized metal.
Who knows, if I had had the time to study the house at my leisure (a luxury we never have on tour), I might’ve found everything on the list in that single home. Kudos to these sellers! I had no idea little Sisters was on the cutting edge of home design.
Here’s Flea Market Decor’s complete list of “Top 12 Finds for 2012”:
1. Galvanized metal (i.e., tubs, buckets, milk pails)
2. Outdoor furniture, especially vintage wicker
3. Smalls, such as tea cups, creamers, silverware and Limoges
4. Aubusson and kilim rugs
5. Wireware (i.e., baskets, shelves, candleholders)
6. Lighting (crystal chandeliers, sconces and chandeliers made from industrial parts)
7. Kitchenware (i.e., old sifters and baking tools)
8. Primitives (from dolls to furniture — simple and utilitarian)
9. Portraits
10. Antique books
11. Wood furniture (natural and painted)
12. Religious artifacts (rosary beads, crosses, crowns)
Are you selling your home this spring or summer? Consider staging it with a few of the trends mentioned here to really wow potential buyers. And, of course, if you are thinking about selling your home, give me a call. I’d love to get it sold for you.
About the Author
Lisa Broadwater, GRI, CDPE, is a Central Oregon-based real estate professional who specializes in listing and selling homes, especially in Sisters, Tumalo, Bend and Redmond.