Yes, that's where I shop, too. I just can't figure out the 1980's painted furniture in such ghastly colors! Why do that? If it's filler until something better comes along, why paint it ugly? Isn't it ugly enough already?

1980's furniture was probably better made than stuff you get today. Since people know it's not antique they figure it's OK to paint it. It works well in teens bedrooms & spare room(guest room) If people are renting or in small home it just may be "fill-in' furniture until they can get that bigger house & what they really want.

Without examples, even though I don't really want to see them, it's hard to understand what you are kvetching about.

Why do sellers paint 1980s furniture in bold colors? Because they can't sell it otherwise or can make more money if they paint it. Are you saying you would buy these items if they weren't painted?

I feel personally, if someone wants to paint "1980 furniture", and can find a use for it, I say more power to them. Wow. I might just as likely torch those pieces at the next bonfire.

Look for the fine old pieces that were well made and survived, and ignor the 80s garbage, and I believe you will make a much better investment in your collection. If the seller felt a need to paint it, you probably didn't want it.

You are missing my point entirely. WHO buys that stuff and why when there is better quality for nearly the same price?

Posted by lov_mkitchen :You are missing my point entirely. WHO buys that stuff and why when there is better quality for nearly the same price?

Sorry, I misunderstood, I thought you only wanted to kvetch. Any question like "who buys that junk..." is usually a rhetorical question that isn't begging for an answer. Like, "WHO listens to Justin Bieber when Frank Sinatra is a much better singer for nearly the same price?"

In fact, you answered your own question: "The young couples today want the painted stuff. "

I haven't really seen 1980s furniture painted, but if I were buying and selling that stuff I would probably paint it. I saw a somewhat clumsy Chippendale chair and desk (desk was more of a hunt table size) with decent but not remarkable carving at a garage sale this simmer. It was somewhat clunky, over sized with ugly proportions, like they were doing in the 1980s-2000. It was cheep enough that if I had a shop I would have scooped them up and painted them. Yes, in one of those colors you seem to hate, but more likely I would have painted the set black or white or maybe one of each.

Search Google if you are truly interested in the trends in painted furniture.

Here is a link that might be useful: painted furniture interior design

I think it is because people watch TV home design shows and are trying to use color to liven up their spaces. Walls are usually painted neutral or earth tones so bold painted furniture makes that splash of color.

For now it seems brown furniture is out and antique furniture even more so. It's a great time to buy.

Acadiafun, Those arguments make more sense. Paint it like a clown, then "distress" it, then put it in your new greige home. The only thing worse than fuchsia paint is the chippy stuff. Not in my kitchen!

Acadiafun, you are right, the trend now is to use color to liven up spaces with bold painted furniture and splashes of color. And the magazines and TV shows have picked up on that. You gotta be sure that their advertisers who sell brand new furniture aren't too keen on the idea that a potential customer can buy a funky old 1980s piece and reinvent it with a splash of paint rather then toss it out and buy brand new. Sometimes it's chicken-and-the-egg as to whether TV starts the trends or just preponderates the obvious trends.

But there was a time, not long ago when Martha Stewart's word was law in the antiques industry. If she said, paint your trim white, millions of antique homes with woodwork that had survived decades with the original finish intact, were suddenly assaulted by the white paintbrush. If she said you needed a dark color wood hunt table, suddenly the price for hunt tables sky-rocketed as every antique collector suddenly realized the one thing that was missing in their life. When she said Jade green glass was the next great thing, the price went from 25â a plate to $10 (btw, I made a killing with jade glass at the time when I sold my massive collection purchased at the Goodwill, etc. but which was just gather dust in the basement after I had packed it up years before when I upgraded my kitchen china to French and German porcelain)

You are also correct when you say that brown furniture is out and antique furniture even more so, for now. (btw 'brown furniture' is a term that is sometimes used for traditional furniture made in dark colored wood from 1850-1950)

Anyone who was told that Antiques were going to be in style for ever, or even told that just because they liked something, that it was always going to be tasteful and in style: was lied to.

There is nothing wrong with the color fuchsia, of course, prior to the 20th century it's rarity as a dye color made it an ultimate symbol of luxury and indulgence. It is also an important color in India inspired interior design -which trickles down into Moroccan, Bohemian and many beach decors.

But I do wish that everyone just had to have 80s furniture painted fuchsia -it would leave more of the good stuff for me to buy at fire-sale prices.

I like this post. I live in a 1940s vintage cape cod and pick and choose what I think is classic. For example, the oak hardwood floors are classic. The porcelain floors in the kitchen and baths to me are durable and beautiful so I think of them as classic. I find arched doorways and plaster much more classic then open floor plans and drywall. But I could be wrong.

My brown furniture antiques IMHO are classic. My black/glass modern furniture is "for now" and although it looks clean and modern it will not hold up to the test of time. I guess I do not respect particle board. But my antiques will be classic as long as I care for them.

Would I take a beautiful brown wood antique and paint in fuchsia or turquoise? No. But I understand why others would. And IMHO as long as it keeps that piece of furniture out of the trash heap, with the possibility of restoration then I am okay with this.

Question

Does paint keep the wood from drying out? I feel sad seeing old pieces that suffered from lack of care. If any painting saves a good piece from cracking then that's good. I dislike the colors and prefer natural wood. Anything's better than particle furniture that gives of toxic fumes. Ugly paint can always be removed. I hope I find a great old piece at a great price later because of the ugly paint. It's not just 80s pieces that get this treatment.

I don't think it's ever a good idea to paint anything unless you plan on keeping it painted for ever & ever;
paint runs into every crack.

Back in the 1960's, there was a craze for "antiquing" furniture.
You'd paint it & then apply another coat of a different color, & rub the second coat off with a soft rag.

Thinking that any change was an improvement, people antiqued everything.

Time rocked on, & it became the 1980's, & I visited a friend at his warehouse where he re-furbished very old, very expensive pianos.

He was working on a mahogany concert grand piano, seems like it was a Steinway, that someone had "antiqued":
turquoise, with gold spray paint on the black keys.

Posted by sylviatexas "He was working on a mahogany concert grand piano, seems like it was a Steinway, that someone had "antiqued": turquoise, with gold spray paint on the black keys.

When I read that why do I think of a Tim Burton Movie that isn't necessarily spooky until you see an old Johnny Depp in a velvet tux sitting at that piano commencing to play.

lol!

Is 1980s furniture antique? Does it have any intrinsic value? Let them paint over the 1980s and keep away from the 1880s.

1980's furniture is not antique in my book. Another reason I was questioning the "antique store" guy's comments to me. Why did he even have that junk in his store? Did he decide there was no profit in genuine antiques but there was in painted "distressed" furniture? Yes, Lilylore, more for me at fire sale prices - when I can find it.

Another vent on my behalf: on craigslist, WHY does everything listed in Antiques have to be titled with the word "Antique"? If it's in the Antique division, isn't it obvious the seller is trying to sell it as an antique? Does adding the word antique make it so? I recently saw a 1960's hand held hair dryer listed as antique. 1960 wasn't THAT long ago! I know because I was there!

Would you have painted this?

Here is a link that might be useful: Oak Hallway Mirror

Posted by lov_mkitchen:"Would you have painted this?"

No I wouldn't have. But I very much doubt that this particular mirror was painted recently. It looks like the top of a hall tree. There was a craze in both the early 1950's and late 1960s for painting old and Victorian furniture, even cutting it up to make a more modern piece. I've seen many magazine articles, have books on the subject and, believe it or not, much of this stuff was being rescued from the trash heap.

If you hate old painted furniture that much, you could try digging thru old dump sites for stuff that wasn't never painted. Or, you could be grateful that this piece was salvaged, and buy it from the CL ad, take it home and lovingly restore it to it's former magnificence.

But if this were in my local CL at the right price, I'd snap it up an leave it with it's, literally, layers of history.

This post was edited by Lilylore on Sun, Jan 4, 15 at 5:12

"Another vent on my behalf: on craigslist, WHY does everything listed in Antiques have to be titled with the word "Antique"? If it's in the Antique division, isn't it obvious the seller is trying to sell it as an antique"

Because when doing a search on Craigslist you can search all the categories
at the same time. Searching the word 'antique' will bring up the ad.

ML

We went to a wonderful antique mall in Ft Worth yesterday, and I thought about this thread. Things I noticed:

More young shoppers than I used to see.
Less painted furniture.
Much higher prices than in years past.
More unique and rare pieces.
The mall was packed with shoppers, and every booth was rented.

So, yes, antiques seem to be in demand and selling here (I visit other stores, and peruse CL often, too).

Re: painted furniture ... I've painted and sold a few pieces myself. I prefer vintage, not antique, and stay away from overly vivid (imo) colors. I like to "rescue" something destined for the landfill, and fix it up.

This is one we did a few years ago ... the table was broken, everything in pieces .... we were there to buy something else, and were told this was going in the trash, unless we wanted it? We did. :)

After pics (it was a common oak table popular in the 90's, very damaged):

Close-up ...

Last one! (As shown, we wanted the original grain to show through for the checkerboard).......

MizM, beautiful table and a great job. I might hazard to guess that the table looks better now than when it was brand new.

Thank you, Lilylore! I had a lot of fun working on it, and really didn't want to sell, but had no room for another table. I get too attached to the pieces we do (I did keep an entry table we did recently). :)