THE VERY BEST ONLINE SOURCE FOR ANTIQUES
Greetings. Today I decided to take a small detour away from my ongoing travel posts in order to introduce you to a new discovery I’ve made. It’s a website called TheHighBoy.com, and I think it’s the very best online source for antiques and fine art.
The HighBoy is a curated, online marketplace that collaborates with hand-picked antique and fine art dealers across the country. The website aims to make the experience of discovering and sourcing beautiful antiques, art, and great design easy and captivating.
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m currently working on finding furnishings for my son’s first apartment, and in doing so I stumbled upon The HighBoy.
It’s a relative newcomer to online shopping, but in the last year and a half they have taken the world of antique hunting to a whole new level. Targeted at younger consumers who buy nearly everything online, The HighBoy define themselves as, “The next generation in antiques.” It’s a website that helps people purchase antiques with confidence online, the method of shopping I too prefer, as it’s the most convenient way to shop from my remote location here in the mountain resort of Lake Arrowhead.
So, as I showed you in this previous post, Austin’s apartment, the upstairs unit in a vintage home in Boulder, Colorado, has a very bright yellow kitchen counter and gray carpeting. Rather than try and fight it, I’ve decided to simply incorporate canary yellow and gray into the color scheme that I’ve planned for Austin’s decor. In fact, according to House Beautiful, Canary Yellow and Mineral Gray are trending colors for 2017. Boy did I luck out!
I am also leaning toward going with a Mid Century Modern/Mad Men-Esque esthetic for the space, as I think it can be both masculine and in keeping with the historic flavor of his soon-to-be abode.
The HighBoy had this inspirational vintage yellow kitchen on their Instagram page which gave me hope that Austin’s yellow kitchen could actually look nice with the addition of a few coordinating accessories.
I had originally began my search for Austin’s apartment furnishing by perusing sites like eBay and Craigslist, but had a very uneasy feeling about the integrity of the sellers I was dealing with. Plus, the idea that I’d actually have to visit the homes of strangers to purchase items on Craigslist haunted me. On the other hand, what makes shopping on TheHighBoy.com so refreshing is the fact that they have already done the vetting for me. While The HighBoy represents over 100 individual antique dealers worldwide, the dealers whose items they have curated for sale on their website have been fully vetted, as are the items themselves. Only the most reputable and professional sellers are represented who sell the genuine thing. Plus, the items I purchase would be shipped right to Austin’s door with a complete satisfaction guarantee and easy return policy.
I also enjoy the fact that their website is simple to navigate, with beautiful professional photographs of each item, as well as a complete description that takes the guesswork out of any purchase. In doing so The HighBoy is changing the way the world thinks about how to discover and purchase antiques & fine art. One can browse the website by style, period, origin or theme, or you can simply search for a particular item of interest. Categories include furniture, lighting, decor, jewelry and fine art. But since I’m on a budget decorating Austin’s 1st apartment I went straight to the category, “Under $500.00” and was delighted to find a treasuretrove of great items at affordable prices.
When I furnished my first home it was with hand-me-downs from my parents and garage sale finds. A mish-mash of conflicting styles and periods. Thus, little remains of anything purchased for my earliest abode. However, in planning the items I’ll include in my son’s first apartment, I decided to avoid the temptation to shop at the big box stores for throw-away furnishing that will never stand the test of time, both in their endurance and in their styling. Instead, because time allowed it (I’ve got all summer) I decided to fill his home with vintage finds that will hold up and not have to be replaced in a few years when they either deteriorate or go out of style. Both in terms of my wardrobe and my home furnishing I have never enjoyed trends, preferring timeless pieces that will never go out of fashion. I have tried to instill these values in my sons, because living with timeless items of beauty tremendously enriches our everyday lives. While certainly not every item I purchase for my son’s apartment will be a refined antique, I’d like to gift him a quality piece or two that will hopefully move with him through his life. So, toward that end, I went shopping on The HighBoy.com.
This is one of my inspiration shots for Austin’s decor, taken from the book, “The First Apartment Book” by Kyle Schuneman.
Needing a desk for Austin, I searched The HighBoy under the category of tables and desks.
I was delighted to find this Mid-Century Ming Style Desk in yellow at a list price of $650.00. I doubt I could buy him a new desk for less.
Below is my inspiration photo for Austin’s Bedroom. I loved the idea of repurposing an old steamer trunk for use as a nightstand.
I saw another inspirational steamer trunk photo on The HighBoy’s great Instagram page which I follow with anticipation, as they are constantly posting fabulous photos!
So, I entered “Steamer Trunk” in the search bar on The HighBoy’s website and found a large selection of trunks to choose from.
While searching the website under the category of seating & armchairs, I also came upon this interesting Harvard Crest Professor’s Maple Armchair for a list price of $675. That might just fit nicely into Austin’s bedroom decor as well. It’s not Mid Century Modern but it is college themed, would blend with the steamer trunk and plus I like eclectic decor.
This is my inspiration image for Austin’s living room, which is actually a small space in front of the open yellow kitchen. I’m considering placing a small sofa or loveseat in the room, and think it might look cool if it were upholstered in yellow. The jury is still out as to whether or not I’ll take that plunge, as a more subdued gray fabric would be masculine and less funky.
So I searched The HighBoy sofas and found a few possible “yellow” contenders for the space.
I also need a side chair to accompany the couch. This vintage executive chair is a possibility.
Here are some sofa selections in Gray.
I think I’m leaning toward the gray color pallet with perhaps some yellow throw pillows. And here are a couple of a side chair contenders to accompany the couches that I found on The HighBoy.
Austin’s apartment also has a small dining space off of the bright yellow kitchen. I found this absolutely killer set of Herman Miller Mid Century Lounge Chairs on The HighBoy. What a kick the boys would get out of sitting on these chairs pulled up next to a rectangular shaped dining table. I wish I could afford them.
So, what do you think? What items would you choose if you were furnishing Austin’s apartment? And what do you think of The HighBoy, the great new resource for locating vintage and unique decor items on the internet?
So there you have it: THE VERY BEST ONLINE SOURCE FOR ANTIQUES
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Unless otherwise credited, all photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission.
