Kirstie Allsopp's expert tips on getting the best vintage deals

Kirstie Allsopp

Whether you’re looking to buy furniture, bedlinen or accessories, follow Kirstie Allsopp’s rules for success.

Mixing old and new to create an individual style in your home is all part of the vintage revival this season. High street shops are embracing the trend with florals and antique-style furniture in their collections – but if you want to bring a touch of originality to your home or garden, vintage fairs, salvage yards and specialist shops are great places to visit where you can pick up vintage furniture and homeware.

Choosing second-hand

Shopping for second-hand furniture and decorative things for the home is something I love doing, but it takes time and effort to get into the swing of it. It’s essentially being a shopaholic, but without a specific wish-list because your search is for what you might find that you can’t live without, instead of searching for something that you think you need. Even buying just one thing that you know you’ll treasure is special. It’s also highly addictive, so be warned! I like walking out of the shop door with something that leaves with me and only me. Buying that one item in the shop is far better than purchasing one of 10,000 that many other people will have in their house. I like buying things that other people can’t love or no longer have any use for.

ABOVE: You can pick up great buys at vintage fairs and reclamation yards. China is always popular – look out for highly collectable Shelley and Royal Worcester pieces. Original Victorian fireplaces are also a popular choice.

Salvage and reclamation yards

The selection of items available at salvage and rec yards is vast and varied. Often you’ll find you like things that would have originally been used for a completely different purpose, or that have fallen out of fashion or into disrepair. If you can find a new and improved use for something, that’s great. Try to visit the same places week after week in order to get to know the owners and let them get to know you, what you like and what you’re after. That way, if you’re after something specific, they’ll look out for it.

Markets

Market shopping is like going on a nature walk and specifying what you want to see – that won’t work, because it’s all a bit random. If you want to get your hands on the best stuff before everyone else, arrive as soon as the market opens, but if you’re into bargaining hard for your finds, wait until the end of the day – stall-holders more often than not prefer to sell stuff at a lower price than take it home. Browsing is not the way to find the gems in markets. You need to look thoroughly, dig deep and sift around right to the bottom of the pile – diamonds are smaller than bricks. Markets have a no-returns policy, so when you’re thinking of buying, look at your find, get a feel for it and don’t take it away until you’re completely happy with what you’re getting.

ABOVE: Decorative vintage biscuit tins, tea caddies and tobacco boxes make great ornaments and storage jars, while original bathroom fittings are much prized too, especially if you want an authentic look.

Skip diving

You’re not supposed to take anything out of a skip without first asking the owner’s permission. OK, so ask for permission – that’s easy. The hard bit is getting the confidence to walk up to a skip (or to the side of a road), have a rummage and then have the guts to take something out if you want it. Skip-diving or skipping is one of the easiest things in the world to do. I have no advice or tips for it. All I’ll say is that recycling, freecycling, all of that stuff that goes around and comes around is a good thing. Why waste a perfectly good chair, or mirror, or bed, or lawnmower when it could be put to good use somewhere else? It’s a great form of recycling, and it’s also resourceful and thrifty.

Featured in the July 2011 issue of Real Homes