Design classics and other old things.

You may have seen from my tweets that I managed to get to Jacobs Antiques Centre in Cardiff (I wrote about it here) on Friday. I'm so glad that I finally got to go there - it is a really great place!

There was a huge array of treasures on display there - it is made up of 50 or so separate "stalls". Some are set out neatly and only had a few things to sell, whereas other stalls required a real rummage! There was a lovely mix of furniture, accessories, vintage clothes and jewellery - when we got there it was really difficult to choose where to begin!

The first thing that caught my eye, apart from piles and piles of old suitcases, was an old black Barcelona chair and ottoman similar to these ones (though admittedly a little more worn):

Image from here.

Image from here.

I then could have taken advantage of a massive bargain - I found a 4 tier Kartell Componibili storage unit for £100 and the vendor said I could have it for £70! It was similar to these but taller:

Image from here.

I told the woman that I would go away and think about it as I thought that it could provide a solution to my bathroom storage problem (mentioned here). But, I think I really want a glazed wooden cabinet and although the Kartell unit is very cool, it wasn't really what I wanted. It is amazing how tempted I was though, to buy it without anywhere to put it, just because it was a design classic - familiar feeling anyone?

There was a lot of much older dark wood furniture in the place, and out of this range, an Edwardian "potty" cabinet that would be great as a bedside table, caught my eye at £35. It actually looked a lot like the EDLAND bedside table from IKEA:

Image from here.

It just shows doesn't it if you like old furniture, it is so much more economical than buying flat packed!

I also saw a wooden glazed cabinet that would be great in our bathroom, but stupidly I had forgotten to bring my measurements with me, so I couldn't make them an offer on Friday (this may be my excuse to go back soon). The cabinet was £40 and looked similar to this one:

Image from here.

If I do decide to go back and buy this (if it's still there) I'll probably paint it so it's more in-keeping with our bathroom, and so the wood is protected by the paint.

I'll definitely be going back to Jacobs, and if you live nearby and haven't yet been, I'd definitely recommend taking a visit! Next time I go I'll also try and remember to take my camera as I realise actual pictures of the place would give a better illustration than my description!

Have you bought anything from an antiques / second hand place recently?