searching craigslist by material
Emily Oster
As I wrote about in this Antique Craigslist Finds post, my craigslist shopping has really amped up since we bought our house. Recently, my searches have gotten much more broad - bathtubs, outdoor lighting, furniture etc. - with one of my favorite ways of searching being by material. Sorting by material leads me to all sorts of interesting items that I wouldn't have otherwise stumbled upon. It also acts as a way to divide out pieces of nicer quality. My first go to material search term is brass. Of course, you get the bad polished, cheap 80s brass items but at least in St.Louis, you largely get antique brass - the good, heavy, un-lacquered kind of brass. Today's brass search yielded these items.
I have been looking for a quilt rack like the one above as it is a great piece to put in a guest room for extra blankets and towels. Plus this one is a steal at $35! Not a steal at $700 but a really cool piece, the above rolling card catalogue came out of a bank in Southern Missouri and is a great character item. Finally, I love the brass caps and shape of this pair of mid-century modern chairs.
My second go to term is walnut. Walnut is generally very high quality and is that perfect shade of brown - not too red, orange or yellow. Today's walnut find, is this 3/4 antique bed for $225.
Another favorite search is chrome. This largely generates mid-century items with a cool, retro vibe such as this accent chair and outdoor dining set.
Marble is another good term to try that usually gets a lot of mid-century hits. This floor lamp would be an awesome statement piece and this marble coffee table would make for a unique and durable outdoor table.
Other material terms I frequently try are: bamboo, cane, lucite, bird's eye or tiger's eye maple and solid wood. If I am specifically looking for a wood piece, I will also try searching by construction methods such as dovetail. Happy searching!