Millennials are putting antiques into their eclectic design mix

Whoa. Hold on there, Grandma. No need to throw out your family heirlooms just yet.

Yes, we know antiques experts have been lamenting a lack of interest in old stuff for a few years now.

We’ve heard how the baby boomers are downsizing and flooding the market with matching early 20th-century dining and bedroom sets because their minimalist, millennial children don’t want any of it.

And prices for anything over 100 years old have definitely been slumping as of late.

But it’s hard to reconcile such doomsday accounts with what local antiques dealers are saying. Or with the number of young people who shop the vintage flea markets in the West Bottoms. Or with popular decorating styles many of those young people — not to mention a lot of middle-age homeowners and high-end designers — are drawn to.

It’s called eclecticism or maximalism and it comprises a whimsical mix of old and new furnishings. Flip through Elle Decor or surf Houzz.com and you’ll find lots of examples.

Gwen McClure, owner of Bottoms Up Antiques in the West Bottoms, says she sold more merchandise than ever at the Round Top (Texas) Antiques Fair last month.

“We sold to stores from Los Angeles to New York,” McClure says. “We had designers come in and say that their clients had mostly new furniture but wanted a couple of good antiques to round out and add depth to their designs.”

She and most other vendors at Bottoms Up sell antiques dating back 100 years or more, many of which were procured in Europe. Her four-story warehouse is often bustling on First Friday weekends each month.

“People are recognizing the quality of antiques and that they’re cheaper than going to stores like Restoration Hardware, which sell replicas,” McClure says.

George Terbovich, an interior designer and owner of George, A Lifestyle Store in the Crestwood Shops, sees indications that antiques are making a comeback. His shop always has several carefully selected old pieces mixed in among new products.

“It’s generational and the millennials haven’t as yet decided if that’s their like,” Terbovich says. “But I think there are certain areas in design that are revisiting antiques with a convergence of many different styles into one.

“The one thing in design is it’s all becoming more personalized,” he adds. “Antiques will always be the ultimate reference point because everything is evolutionary. Even the best modern designs have their genesis in antique design. And ultimately the most interesting houses know how to integrate both old and new. If you’re so lucky to inherit a good antique, you should always make room for that.”

One thing designers and dealers are not seeing is an interest in complete sets of antique furniture, especially if it’s ornate and mahogany.

“If you’re doing a restoration or a historical redesign, that might work,” Terbovich says. “But there are very few people doing that today. And there are no rules for mixing them with other styles. That’s the first rule in design. There are no rules. People should design for themselves first and foremost. Not anyone else.”

According to most dealers, millennials, by and large, prefer midcentury furniture and accessories, which are vintage rather than antique (which denote pieces that are at least a century old). But there’s also a market for antiques with cleaner lines, including early American and European country furnishings.

Mallory Gobet, 28, has a mix of contemporary, midcentury modern and antique styles in the Overland Park home she shares with her husband.

She inherited most of her antique and vintage pieces from her grandparents. They include clocks, a wood bed frame and a cedar chest that her grandfather built.

“When I was younger I didn’t care for antiques or vintage, but when I got into college it was a cute, affordable way of decorating, and I wanted everything antique,” Gobet says. “Now I’ve come back to the middle where I like a few pieces but not everything to be older.”

Her friends, she says, also tend to mix vintage and antique furnishings with stuff from Ikea.

There’s a fine line, Gobet says, between a fresh, eclectic mix and “feeling like you’re walking into your grandparents’ house. You don’t want everything to look or feel or smell the same way. But there’s also a little nostalgia of having those antique things and the stories that go with it.”

McClure feels good about the future of antique and vintage furnishings. Younger generations do prefer living in smaller spaces with less stuff, so antique and vintage furnishings might not sell at the same prices that they once did. But they are still selling.

“The kids don’t want the fussy stuff,” she says. “They want cleaner lines … and they want things that are practical that they can use. They’re more concerned with how comfortable the sofa is and they do want the original patina. They don’t mind scratches and well-lived, less pristine objects.”

She has also noticed that her younger clients are really interested in the provenance of the antiques they buy.

“They like the history and stories involved and the depth of the piece. It’s more personal,” she says. “There’s always a story or history with antiques that you don’t get going to a furniture store.”

This story was originally published October 29, 2016 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Millennials are putting antiques into their eclectic design mix."