Confessions of an Interior Designer
A beautiful brass 3-part mirror cocktail table that has recently been added to the JBT Designs inventory via an estate auction.
Photo courtesy of Town & Sea
I have a confession to make, I’m an auction-holic. If you’ve been following my journey as an Interior Designer for the past few years, you probably know that one of my favorite parts of my job is sourcing, or what I like to call “treasure hunting.” I pride myself on creating one-of-a-kind spaces for each client by combining their family’s personality with the integrity of their house’s style and to accomplish that, I spend a good portion of my day keeping my eyes and ears open for new vendors and products, while exploring resources both online and in person.
Since a main ingredient of the rooms that I design, are pieces that have a sense of history, sentimental value and are jam packed with a good story, auctions are one of my favorite go-to places to shop. There is nothing like the rush I feel from bidding and they literally make my competitive heart skip 10 beats but as with everything in life there are some do’s and don’ts that we should try to be cautious of. Below are some tips on how to shop an auction like this auction-holic:
Shop from reliable vendors. Whether it’s reading reviews/ratings or directly reaching out to buyers and/or the auction house, it is crucial to first and foremost know that you are not being scammed.
Know an item’s value. It’s important to note that value isn’t just monetary, it could also include how sentimental a piece is. If an auction item is exceeding the market price but you have been wanting, needing, dreaming about it and that product is no longer in production, you have my blessing.
Be competitive and smart. There is definitely a competitive rush that comes with bidding in auctions but there’s also a rush that comes from knowing when to walk away.
Plan for the future. Especially if you are an Interior Designer who is looking to build inventory, go ahead and buy the quirky, beautiful and weird products that you can’t quite place yet but that you just know will work somewhere someday.
Do have fun and don’t take an outbid notice too seriously. Refer back to tip #3