February 12, 2020
This past weekend was mostly a dud in terms of sourcing new vintage treasures. The one thing I did happen to find is an amazing 1960s gentleman's valet. I've seen them before while thrifting but they've always been either over my budget or in really bad condition. But this one was in decent condition and a price I could live with, so I couldn't pass it up!
The valet I found features a bar at the top for hanging ties, a shoulder-width coat hanger and trouser bar for hanging pants. There's a small recessed tray for setting out things like watches, cufflinks and other manly accessories. And at the bottom a bench, meant to hold shoes or any folded items.
Since I now have this beauty in my shop, I thought I'd share some ideas for how to use a vintage gentleman's valet in your home. Obviously it could still be used as a valet to set out clothes. However that trend seems to be an outdated one and there are other ways to utilize these fun pieces of furniture!
A vintage valet would make a perfect entryway piece for a very small house or apartment. Smaller homes tend to have small entryways, or no real entryway at all. It can be difficult to find the right sized furniture piece to help define the space as an "entryway". But a valet stand has a slim profile and would provide the perfect spot to hang a hat, coat or hand bag. If it has a bench then it also give you a place to sit while putting shoes on.
In the living room a valet could be used for hanging extra throw blankets. If it has a bench it could also be used for stacking books and magazines. These valets don't take up much space and they are easy to move around. You don't have to commit to it being in the same spot for too long.
I would use a vintage valet in a bathroom for hanging/stacking towels or a bathrobe. If it had a little shelf I would use that for keeping little soaps or bath oils.
Most vintage valet's are so sculptural that they can stand alone as a piece of art. I love this photo below of a vintage brass valet just standing beside a buffet table. It may not be serving any purpose here but it sure is pretty to look at! Homestead Seattle did an awesome job with the styling here!
I hope you enjoy these ideas! If you have any other suggestions on ways to reuse a vintage gentleman's valet leave me a comment below! Thanks for reading -Nicole Mendez, Curator
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February 10, 2021
August 19, 2020
I am loving this idea for upcycled vintage chandelier crystals via Two Purple Couches blog. She has a step-by-step tutorial posted for turning old chandelier crystals into beautiful necklaces using suede cord and a few standard jewelry-making supplies.
March 30, 2020