Hot-to-haves Top of the glass
Variegated houseplants, coloured glassware and kilim rugs are flying out the door at auctions and garage sales. Mikaela Wilkes reports.
The hottest homewares to collect are all about bringing a fresh pop of colour into a room. In a world dominated by massproduced items, the uniqueness of handmade items is raising their profile and price tags in the decor world.
Some Kiwis are shelling out thousands for the most exotic houseplants, locally crafted handblown glass, and aged rugs.
But don’t worry, you can also bring these trends into your living room for much less than that.
Rare variegated houseplants
New Zealand’s most rare and expensive houseplants now rival furniture and art for their collectable value.
The most expensive houseplant sold on Trade Me went for $6500 last month. The Hoya carnosa
compacta ‘Hindu rope’ raised the same price as a
2009 Toyota Corolla, and $1500 more than a monstera in Auckland, in January.
That was a large variegated specimen, Monstera
deliciosa albo variegata, and it was described as a ‘‘great investment plant’’.
Trade Me spokeswoman Ruby Topzand said indoor plants are the ‘‘hottest homeware’’ on the website right now.
In the past seven days, 21,000 searches were made for the term ‘‘indoor plant’’ and 32,000 searches were made for the most popular hoya species.
The popularity of indoor plant collections is only growing (forgive the pun), driven by the Jungalow decor trend, the sustainability movement, and Millennials’/Gen Z’s desire to care for something, other than a baby, and to reconnect with nature.
But with so many new green fingers, no
$20 Peace Lily will stand out on Instagram. The bigger and more exotic the plant, the higher the value.
Such is the desire for exotic greenery, that when Auckland commercial landscaping company Outside In announced its plan to give away hundreds of shopping-mall-size free plants, people showed up to its Penrose factory ‘‘nonstop’’ for days.
The company’s following on Instagram swelled from 1000 to 20,000 overnight after the giveaway moved online.
Coloured glass
In a world dominated by mass-produced items, the unique handmade nature of blown glass provides a welcome break.
Vintage glass is one of the easiest collections to start, with options for every budget and purpose. Glass art, furnishings and light fixtures can be found in a Salvation Army rummage bin, high-end recycle boutiques, or at online auctions.
Lou Barker of Blue Scarlet interior design has hunted out coloured glass at secondhand shops for 15 years. Her collection includes vases, ashtrays, paperweights, wine glasses, and anything she can eat off.
‘‘I try to use it all because otherwise it seems wasteful,’’ she said. Some of the pieces were picked up for less than $5, and the most expensive – valued at $400 – was a gift. All are displayed on a custombuilt shelf in her kitchen.
‘‘Glass is a great way to inject colour,’’ she said. Barker recommends garage sales to keep costs down and said the cost of a medium-sized vase bought secondhand will range from $10-$50.
The easiest and most affordable glass categories for collecting are depression glass, carnival glass and milk glass.
They can be found in abundance at markets, estate sales and antique stores.
Journalist Amanda Cropp bought her first coloured glass pieces in the mid-1980s.
‘‘I now have more than 30, ranging from el cheapo glass from Farmers, and The Warehouse up to a bowl that cost $300, but most cost well below that,’’ she said.
She also successfully brought some home from overseas travels, including two incredibly fragile vases bought on the Venetian island of Murano, where hand-blown glass is made.
‘‘The trip involved wading around the flooded streets with my trousers rolled up because of the high tide.’’
Depression glass is clear or coloured translucent glassware that was distributed free, or at low cost, in the United States and Canada during the mid-1920s to the mid-1930s.
Carnival glass was made in the early-20th century and is identifiable by its iridescent finish. Mid-century reproductions of carnival glass do not have this. Milk glass is named for its opaque white shade.
If you would like to focus on pieces that are likely to appreciate in value, consider art glass.
Kilim rugs
Cordy’s auctioneer Ross Millar said genuine old textiles were enjoying a boost in popularity, especially kilim rugs of a certain age.
‘‘Those that are about 50-80 years old are getting to a really good age,’’ Millar said. ‘‘They’ve softened down and the colours have faded and that sort of look is really popular. That bucks the trend for pile rugs.’’
The word kilim is of Turkish origin and basically refers to a pileless textile. The pile is the rug term to describe the surface of the rug, and how dense it is. A kilim tends to be flat and thin and is reconigsable by its bold geometric patterns.
The traditionally made flat woven rugs were enjoying a renaissance in popularity, partly because they still represented a good buy for homelovers. Just a few hundred dollars is enough to win at auction in some cases. Buyers were even forgiving of less-than-perfect pieces.
‘‘They don’t seem concerned about some damage or wear,’’ Millar said. ‘‘They see it as adding a layer of history.’’