| It is always fun to enjoy the latest new | | | | rejected style, a rare one out of many |
| and trendy things, no matter how | | | | that fell from favor, to mature into a |
| temporary or ephemeral. But the real | | | | classic. The great physicist, Neils |
| richness of life lies in the authentic, | | | | Bohr, said "It is always hard to make |
| the enduring, the fads and fashions that | | | | predictions, especially about the |
| evolve into "classics." | | | | future." |
| A "classic" is hard to define, but we | | | | An economist would define a classic to |
| know it when we see it. Instinctively, | | | | be something whose marketplace value is |
| we think of a "classic" as something of | | | | no longer depreciating, but is stable or |
| lasting, proven value that doesn't go | | | | increasing. Most antique furniture |
| out of style, something timeless and not | | | | preserved for posterity has become |
| to be discarded tomorrow. | | | | classic. The best designs are prized - |
| We recognize classic architecture, | | | | as the years go by, the furniture's |
| whether Georgian or Art Deco, as | | | | value and desirability actually climbs. |
| pleasing. Great art refers to the works | | | | The supply of vintage furniture is |
| of artists who have stood the test of | | | | fixed, every passing year a few more |
| time. "Literature is news that stays | | | | pieces are lost or locked up in someone |
| news," said Ezra Pound. We still listen | | | | else's collection. Like land, "They |
| to Beethoven and the Beatles. A classic | | | | ain't makin' any more of it." New |
| Mercedes or Corvette in beautiful | | | | manufactured furniture has to include |
| condition never fails to elicit admiring | | | | today's expensive labor, materials, and |
| smiles. "Casablanca," "Gone with the | | | | shipping costs, giving comparable |
| Wind," and "The Godfather" still draw an | | | | antique and vintage furniture a price |
| audience. Traditional styles of | | | | advantage. |
| furniture from many periods are | | | | Our brand new possessions from furniture |
| frequently copied by contemporary makers | | | | or department stores can slip out of |
| for placement in brand new settings. | | | | date the very next season. The work of |
| What do we mean when we say someone has | | | | cutting-edge artists celebrated in New |
| "good taste?" We really are talking | | | | York often loses its luster in a few |
| about having a good "eye" or a sense for | | | | years. "Out of fashion" really means |
| classic style. | | | | having lost its desirability. After a |
| Most modern things - movies, books, | | | | month in our homes, mass-produced |
| cars, art, or bedroom sets - are | | | | furniture, pictures, lamps, china and |
| introduced with as much hype and | | | | crystal all drop in value to a tiny |
| publicity as can be mustered. After the | | | | fraction of what was paid for them. New |
| initial excitement, most of these | | | | furniture, even from famous makers, |
| novelties slip quietly from our | | | | takes a sharp fall in value when it |
| consciousness. The height of fashion | | | | arrives at your door. A year may pass, |
| will mostly be rejected in a few months. | | | | and a dining set or sofa, still like |
| Most modern things fail to engage the | | | | new, might sell for pennies on a dollar |
| public or arouse lasting interest. As | | | | at a moving sale or auction. Automobiles |
| Oscar Wilde noted, "Nothing is so | | | | depreciate thousands of dollars on the |
| dangerous as being too modern. One is | | | | drive home from the showroom. |
| apt to grow old-fashioned quite | | | | Let someone else take that big |
| suddenly." | | | | depreciation loss. For your own home or |
| Contemporary fashions almost never slip | | | | office, consider survivors from the test |
| directly into "classic" status, they | | | | of time - classic vintage or antique |
| first endure a dark period of neglect, | | | | furniture. Durable and well made, |
| suffering from dated styling or | | | | antique pieces will appeal to your |
| obsolescence. After hibernating out of | | | | emotions, and outlast most of their new |
| the spotlight, the best of neglected | | | | competition. Their style, patina and |
| slumbering styles will be rediscovered, | | | | traditional workmanship will warm your |
| reborn as a classic. Nostalgia doesn't | | | | home or workspace, and they will save |
| happen overnight - it takes time for a | | | | you a bundle. |