The Art of the Find

Five things I look for when choosing vintage pieces.

There’s a certain feeling that comes with finding something special.

It isn’t always the rarest piece in the room, the most valuable, or even the one in perfect condition. More often, it’s the object you notice from across the room. It’s the one you pick up, turn over in your hands, and immediately start imagining somewhere at home.

Over time, I’ve realized there are a few things I return to again and again when choosing vintage pieces. I’m drawn to objects with character, beautiful shapes, signs of age, and details that make them feel just a little different.

Here are five things I tend to look for.

1. An Interesting Shape

Shape is usually what catches my attention first.

Scalloped edges, shells, fluted bowls, curved handles, and sculptural silhouettes can make even the simplest object feel special. I love pieces that are beautiful before they’re even given a purpose.

A silver shell sitting empty on a table can be just as interesting as one being used to hold jewelry, matches, or little collected treasures.

Sometimes, the shape is enough.

2. A Little Character

I don’t need vintage pieces to look new. In fact, I often prefer when they don’t.

A little tarnish, a softened finish, tiny scratches, or other subtle signs of age can give an object a character that’s difficult to recreate in something brand new.

There is, of course, a difference between beautiful wear and damage. But when the imperfections feel honest to the piece, I don’t necessarily see them as something that needs to be hidden.

They’re part of its story.

3. The Small Details

Sometimes it’s one tiny detail that makes me pick something up.

An engraved border. Little feet underneath a dish. An unusual handle. A maker’s mark hidden on the bottom. The way the edge of a tray curves ever so slightly.

These details aren’t always obvious from across the room, but they’re often what make a simple object memorable.

I love discovering something new about a piece after looking at it more closely.

4. Something a Little Unexpected

The best finds aren’t always the things I went looking for.

I’m drawn to objects that make me stop for a second. Something unusual, slightly quirky, or difficult to immediately categorize.

A shell-shaped dish. A tiny hotel ashtray. An old sardine terrine. A sculptural bowl that could just as easily be displayed as used.

These are often the pieces that add the most personality to a room because they don’t feel like they were chosen from a checklist.

They simply caught your eye.

5. A Piece That Can Live More Than One Life

I love beautiful objects, but I especially love objects that can change with you.

A small silver tray might hold perfume today, become a catchall by the front door tomorrow, and eventually end up on a coffee table holding a candle and matches.

A bowl can hold fruit, jewelry, keys, or nothing at all.

I try not to get too caught up in what something was originally supposed to be used for. Part of the fun of bringing an old object into a new home is deciding what its next life will look like.

Finding Your Own Eye

The more vintage I look at, the less interested I become in following a strict list of what I should buy.

Part of the art of the find is learning what makes you stop.

Maybe it’s old silver. Maybe it’s handmade pottery, strange little sculptures, beautifully worn wood, or pieces that nobody else seems to notice.

You don’t need to know exactly where something will go. You don’t need everything to match. And you certainly don’t need every piece to be perfect.

Sometimes, you just need to find something that makes you look twice.

And, more often than not, those are the pieces that make a home feel like your own.