Laura Jackson on…
This month, the writer, presenter, podcaster and entertaining guru discusses the joy of tracking down a vintage gem and longs for a time when she can go on her next sourcing expedition in Europe
Our columnist shares the best places in Europe to find antiques and why she longs to continue the hunt
I love a good furniture-sourcing trip, but there hasn’t been much of that lately – the odd visit to the antiques market at Kempton hasn’t quite scratched my itchy feet. During lockdown, I have purchased a few items online – an outdoor marble-topped table from Ebay, a cabinet from Margate via Facebook Marketplace and a new sofa from Caravane – but, for me, there is nothing quite like ‘the search’. The thrill of haggling direct at source and getting a bargain.
Last year, I went on one of the best furniture-finding trips of my life, taking my family (including newborn child!) to Belgium and the Netherlands. I was looking for furniture for the house: namely a very large kitchen cabinet in which to store my ever-growing glassware collection. I knew through interiors-obsessed friends that there were more wholesale furniture stores in Brussels, so I decided to don my Inspector Clouseau hat and investigate. A few places had Instagram accounts, so I direct-messaged them to see if they had other recommendations in their area. After checking
‘THERE IS NOTHING QUITE LIKE THE THRILL OF HAGGLING DIRECT AT SOURCE AND GETTING A BARGAIN’
on opening days and times, I began to establish a shopping route.
Our first stop was Empire, in Best, just north of the Dutch city of Eindhoven. This gigantic warehouse stocks incredible pieces, from butcher’s blocks and marble fireplaces to vintage children’s cars and old restaurant lights. It specialises, however, in shutters sourced from Egypt and has an entire room of them. We found two amazing cabinets for the kitchen, which we had shipped back to London.
Mission essentially accomplished, we then headed to Antwerp to visit a beautiful store called Christiaensen & Christiaensen, enticed by its curated mix of antiques and new rattan pieces. Another favourite was lighting shop, ’t Glashuys, that has some lovely ceiling and wall lights made from milk glass – the kind of lights that seem to be everywhere in the US, but are usually nowhere to be seen in Europe.
Our final destination was Brussels, a city that excels as a source of mid-century furniture. Some designer items come with a high price tag – like the iconic armchair by Czech designer Jindrich Halabala I spotted – but there’s some great, inexpensive shopping to be done, too. The best destinations for hunting down gems are dotted along two streets: Rue Haute and Rue Blaes, with a daily flea market just off the latter at Place du Jeu de Balle. We spent hours in Via Antica, which has three floors packed with goodies. I came away with a travertine coffee table that now sits, pride of place, in my living room.
It’s on trips like this that you discover the things you’ll love the most – items that hold memories of how and where you found them, and the deals you pulled off to get them. I’m hoping this year that we’ll all be able to go on furniture-finding adventures. There’s a buzz like no other that comes from tracking down the perfect piece for your home. See Stockists page for details of all stores mentioned