antiquing
Seeking vintage goods
Antiquing is the hobby or practice of searching for and collecting antiques, typically at shops, fairs, or estate sales: We spent Saturday antiquing in the countryside.
The term also refers to techniques for making new objects look old—distressing furniture, applying crackle finishes, or aging metal: She's antiquing that dresser to match the farmhouse style.
Purchasing secondhand merchandise
- browsingCasual examination of options
- flea marketsOutdoor secondhand sales
- auctionsCompetitive public sales
- estate salesHousehold contents sold after death
garage sales · swap meets · consignment · dealers · haggling · bargaining · bidding · scouting
Surface film from aging
- vintageQuality from past eras
- retroEvoking recent past
- classicOf lasting excellence
- victorianOf 19th-century Britain
mid-century · baroque · rococo · colonial · craftsman · regency · belle époque · nostalgia
Organizing for presentation
- accumulatingGathering in increasing quantity
- acquiringGaining possession of
- amassingCollecting in quantity
- catalogingSystematic organization into records
appraising · hunting · sourcing · hoarding · dealers · collectors · provenance · rarities
Restoring a worn surface
- refurbishingRestoring to good condition
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- repairRestore to working order
- reconditioningRestoring to good condition
preserving · polishing · stripping · reupholstering · patching · cleaning · touchup · varnishing
thrifting
Purchasing secondhand merchandise
- browsingCasual examination of options
- flea marketsOutdoor secondhand sales
- auctionsCompetitive public sales
estate sales · garage sales · swap meets · consignment · dealers · haggling · bargaining · bidding · scouting · picking
patina
Surface film from aging
victorian · mid-century · baroque · rococo · colonial · craftsman · regency · belle époque · nostalgia · timeless
curating
Organizing for presentation
- accumulatingGathering in increasing quantity
- acquiringGaining possession of
- amassingCollecting in quantity
cataloging · appraising · hunting · sourcing · hoarding · dealers · collectors · provenance · rarities · ephemera
refinishing
Restoring a worn surface
- refurbishingRestoring to good condition
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- repairRestore to working order
reconditioning · preserving · polishing · stripping · reupholstering · patching · cleaning · touchup · varnishing · gilding
glassware
Drinking containers of silica
- porcelainTranslucent fired clay
- silverwareMetal eating utensils
- potteryFired clay objects
ceramics · textiles · jewelry · clocks · lamps · mirrors · frames · china · crystal · brass
armoire
Tall freestanding clothes cabinet
secretary · chifforobe · settee · chaise · buffet · hutch · washstand · rolltop · hope chest · vanity
- pastimeshobbies, amusement, puzzles, cards, crafting
- decoratingdecorating, adorning, embellishing, ornamenting, beautifying
- New EnglandMaine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut
- metalworkblacksmithing, gilding, silversmithing, enamel, metal crafts
- application techniquesbrushing, rolling, spraying, dipping, sponging
- decorative finishesfaux finish, faux finishes, glazing, varnish, patina
antiquingmodernizing
Making something current
restoring · refinishing · refurbishing · updating · renewing
antiquingdecluttering
Eliminating unnecessary possessions
purging · discarding · throwing away · disposing · junking
- classical antiquityGreco-Roman historical period
- Egyptian antiquitiesAncient Nile Valley artifacts
- Greek antiquitiesAncient objects from Greece
- Greek antiquityAncient Hellenic period
- antiquities tradeBuying and selling ancient artifacts
- antiquities marketTrade in ancient artifacts