I’ve got some new (to me) furniture pieces to share with you today! I’ve been feeling a little uninspired by our collection of tables and shelves, and wanted to mix things up. I love change when it comes to home décor, and that has been especially true since I started working for myself from home and look at our décor all day nearly every day. I need to refresh my environment from time to time to help inspire and energize me. This time, though, I didn’t want to go the normal route of scouting for vintage furniture from our local antique stores. Instead, I decided to try out an online auction.
I had heard about Green Valley Auctions from a friend of mine, and signed up to receive previews of their upcoming auctions. When I spotted one that was packed full of gorgeous mid-century furniture, I made a note on my calendar to be available that particular day so that I could bid on some of my favorite pieces.
The company has a dedicated app that made it super easy for me to place and track my bids. There was a visible real time countdown for each item so I was able to see exactly how much time I had left to put in my max bids, which was convenient, but I will say that the countdown lit a fire under my anxiety level. As I watched that clock count the seconds down, I ultimately ended up bidding more than I probably would have spent had I seen the item at an actual antique store. The adrenaline just got to me! I see why gambling can be addicting.
I think I got some good deals in the end on the three pieces I chose, but I’ll be honest that the countdown enticed to me to go a little further than I had planned to, and the auction fees were also a little higher than I was expecting them to be. The company provided very fair warning about those fees up front before I placed my bids, but I didn’t take the time to actually calculate the percentage, so I was a little surprised by the amount of added charge. Overall, though, I was super impressed by the app, and it was entirely my fault for not doing the math ahead of time and for not having a little more control of my ravenous need to compete for beautiful mid-century furniture. I know some of you know exactly what I’m talking about! At least I hope so.
I think my favorite piece from my haul of three was the metal and glass coffee table that I styled in our snug seating area off the kitchen. The maze of metal rods on the circular base is so mesmerizing, and adds a nice hit of modernism to this largely traditional nook. I also really love the smoked gray glass tabletop. It’s a nice, rich complement to the glass dining room table that we have just across the way on the other side of our kitchen. Before fees, I got it for $48 at auction.
This handmade solid wood shelving unit below was at a similar price point before fees were added on, clocking in at $50. As soon as I spotted it on the auction app, I could picture it holding lots of books and plants in our lounge. Our cats have been really interested in chewing on plants lately, so more and more often I’ve been hanging our greenery up high to keep it out of our pets’ reach. This lovely shelf was the perfect solution, and I really appreciate that stained cherry wood finish. The curvy sides are very on-trend now, too. It’s my favorite thing to spot when I’m walking down the hallway toward the bedrooms.
Finally, we have the $139 Lane Perception end table that you see pictured below. I actually used to have a similar Lane table at our last house, but I sold it before we moved thinking that I wanted the furniture in our new house to be more traditional. Turns out that modern pieces feel more like us, so I’ve been pushing the design in that direction after all, and this round wood end table is the perfect fit. I love the woven detail on the front-facing doors, and the sleek wood handles also lend this piece a lot of elegant, refined character, I think.
After winning my items through the app, I was sent an email with pickup instructions and was directed to a dashboard where I could schedule my specific day and time for warehouse pickup. I scheduled all three pieces for the same day, and was really impressed by the auction staff’s professionalism and organization. All of my items were gathered together with my name tag on them, so I was in and out within just a few minutes. I can’t wait to bid again the next time my budget allows, although this time I’ll pay more attention to the fees percentage, and I’ll also do my best to reign in my insatiable need to win…Stay tuned! Which is your favorite piece from the three that I won this time?
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P.S. Happy birthday, Kat and Jake!
