When I go to an antique fair, I sometimes go incognito, then I photograph all of the things I love, or the things that inspire me. 

What I truly love about outdoor antique fairs is the exposure to other people’s conversations.  I’m not eavesdropping on purpose.  But one can’t help overhearing the most interesting observations with so many persons milling about inspecting, inquiring, and always commentating.  I find it fascinating.  I find people fascinating, with all of their different tastes. 

I have perused several of the the larger local antique fairs in the past month, and I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve found inspirational.  Some can be recreated right at home. 

Take a tour with me. 

I spotted this mirrored coat rack made from architectural salvage.  It reminds me of the coat rack I made with an old headboard.  You can see that project right here. 

Look at these beautiful conch shells that someone has carefully embellished with pearl string.  They’ve been mounted on secondary clam shells and they make quite a pair.  They were very large shells, about 8 inches tall, and so very pretty up close. 

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Sonoma County, California is most famous for its wineries.  Within its borders there is a town called Sebastopol that is more famous for its orchards and antiques.  Weekend treasure hunters can visit the flea market, a dozen antique shops, and find great salvage, all within a three mile radius on a Saturday morning. 

I go looking for great finds in Sebastopol at least once a month.  One of my favorite stops is Ray’s Trading Company, offering some of the best salvage and vintage finds around, as well as great reproductions.  The proprietors can answer any question about anything in their warehouse, and they are never shy about telling you if something is a reproduction or a true antique.  I ask a lot of questions and I always get an education. 

My apologies in advance for the quality of these photos – they were taken with my iPhone since my camera battery died.  

Inside Ray’s, you can find all sorts of antique knobs, pulls, keys, crystals, and doorknockers. 

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I have a dozen cabinet doors leftover from the old kitchen before our remodel, and I couldn’t bring myself to take them to the salvage yard just yet.  I’m glad I waited, because after I gave it some thought, I came up with a few ideas for repurposing them.  The first idea was to transform two of them into memo boards for my office.

Here’s the Before and After:

I think great fabric makes stylish wall art.  These two memo boards also add practicality, and a place for displaying inspirational images or mementos.  Here they are (unadorned) on my office wall. 

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There is an amazing hunting ground just over the hill in Sonoma called Artefact Design and Salvage.   Inside, you’ll witness some decor that would make any designer swoon.  Outside is a massive architectural salvage yard that sets my heart awhirl.  It’s all way out of my budget of course, but inspirational to look at. 

Interior shots: 

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