When it comes to Interior Design, Antiques and interiors go hand in hand. Antiques are beautiful, timeless pieces that add character and charm to a home. They are also incredibly useful, providing you with practical items such as a chest of drawers or a dining table.
The best way for an antique collector to incorporate their collection into their home is by working with an Interior Designer. An Interior Designer can help you choose the perfect pieces for your space, ensuring that they fit in seamlessly with the rest of your decor. They will also help you determine which pieces are worth investing in and which ones are not worth the money or space they take up.
An antique collector should always remember that they don't need a big budget to make their house look amazing—they just need the right pieces!
Working in Antiques requires a dealer to have a great level of tenacity when buying and selling, especially when dealing with rare and historic items. Its important that as dealers go through their journeys they consider networking with people outside of the typical buying and selling process and look to broaden their reach, This could be by attending Interior Design fairs and trade events such as The Decorative Fair, Decorex and London Design Fair (see here for more trade fair and exhibition ideas). By creating a need to attend either by attending for an existing Interior Designer or a private client this will help to immerse yourselves into a different world.
Here are our 3 Steps to building a working relationship with an Interior Designer:
Step 1 - Network & Events
Even in today’s world and digital landscape, the Antiques industry and Interior Design world requires a tangible relations, either with a person or a product. And one of the best ways to nurture this is through meeting people, attending events, workshops, open days and even personal invites to a showroom. Create a need to meet or ensure you participate in an event.
Step 2 - Quality always stands out!
In the perfect world we would be able to afford everything we want and we could also find everything we wanted. When on a project or sourcing mission an Interior Designer is looking for that one piece and that perfect pair that would surprise and delight their client, so much they are success and return for more. (Ultimately, I imagine that an Interior Designer would be on the lookout for an Antiques Dealer to be a long term partner). However, this is all great if the product(s) isn't to standard, and by this I mean across the wider range of price and periods, and the need is not converted. Quality will always last, will always be antique and will always pay long-term.
Step 3 - Personalize
Over time, as a relationship grows, and in a world now where experience is key, one essential ingredient that cements a relationship is how you personalize. It may seem strange to think that in the Antiques world you personalize, but essentially it’s been happening for centuries. There has always been an item that you've seen and thought I know who would you like that, right! Moving forward, it is essential as you build your relationship that you work on personalizing the relationship.
Try these three steps and start to work your way into Antiques and maybe something more, good luck!