Tips for Choosing Decor Pieces That Hold Value

Ugly trinkets—yeah, I’ve thrown out more “must-have” pieces than I care to admit. Why does everyone swear their marble table or bar cart is a future heirloom? I keep thinking material choice is obvious, but somehow everyone forgets and buys more junk anyway. I did it, too.

Evaluating Durable Materials

People say “solid wood” like it’s a magic spell. MDF fools nobody. Real hardwood—walnut, oak—actually lasts, and people pay for it. I skimmed an appraisal report (probably while half-asleep) and it said marble and granite always beat glass at estate auctions. Metals too—solid bronze, not that cheap brassy spray stuff. Erik Retzer (Chicago dealer) claims bronze never tanks. I believe him.

Leather’s weird. Full-grain is expensive, but every other sofa I’ve owned looked sad after two years. Ceramics? Only the heavy, hand-thrown kind, and it has to be from somewhere that cares—Europe, the US, not mass-market. I once saw a fake stone lamp for $5 and the real one for $500. Go figure.

Investing in Quality Over Quantity

People fill their homes with “statement” vases and prints, hoping one will be a jackpot. Spoiler: never happens. Buy one good dresser, not five cheap ones. No one’s flipping IKEA for profit. A stager I know told me, “If it doesn’t feel heavy and hurt your wallet, it’s not investment decor.” She’s not wrong. A 2023 resale study showed vintage Herman Miller chairs went up 12% in value; generic sofas? Nada.

Brand names matter, but so does craft. Hand-made lamps, limited art prints—they can beat big-box “designer collabs” if the materials are legit. Stickley, Knoll, Lalique—those names are tracked for a reason. I force myself to wait a week before buying anything for the house. Regret is expensive. Plus, who wants six identical throw blankets?

Frequently Asked Questions

Still bitter about missing that Eames chair before prices exploded. Auction houses don’t care. Every curator, picker, and dealer I’ve met says it’s all about details, provenance, scarcity, and sometimes weird patinas. Not just buzzwords, apparently.

What types of art pieces are considered a good investment in the long run?

Forget whatever’s trending on Instagram. “Blue-chip” artists—Basquiat, Kusama, Richter—are the only ones art consultants actually mention. Art Basel data last year showed post-war American paintings still growing, not “decorative” prints from chain stores.

Sometimes auction houses pay more for a slightly battered print with perfect paperwork than a mint one nobody’s heard of. Limited runs (50 or fewer) do well, but why? Who knows. Oil on canvas feels solid, but then again, sometimes it’s not.

How can you tell if a vintage decor item will appreciate in value?

Mid-century lamps were everywhere in 2012. Now? Only matters if the label matches auction records. Water rings and original finishes can help value; over-restored stuff loses its soul (Paul Middlemiss says patina is king). But even experts argue about what matters. Age alone means nothing—provenance and design signatures are the real deal.

What criteria do experts use to evaluate the investment potential of a piece of furniture?

Dealers always say “condition, authenticity, provenance” before anything else. Style is a footnote. Auction houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s care more about maker’s marks and original features than what’s hot on social media.

Original editions, documented repairs, known histories—those are what move the needle. Designer collabs spike sometimes, like when a celebrity mentions a discontinued Ligne Roset sofa. Sometimes it matters. Sometimes nobody cares.

Can you recommend any timeless decor trends that are likely to retain their value?

Trends are a gamble. But Danish teak? Never goes away. Auction stats back it up. Hand-knotted Persian rugs—real ones, not knockoffs—still get huge bids. Marble-topped sideboards, antique mirrors with ornate frames—call it nostalgia, call it craftsmanship, but they keep coming back. My neighbor bought a “timeless” Lucite table and regrets it now. Go figure.

What factors should be considered when purchasing decorative antiques?

Everyone’s obsessed with patina, maybe too much. A perfectly refinished Georgian sideboard usually sells for less than one with scuffs and stories. Always check for authenticity docs and auction comps. Otherwise, you’re just guessing.

Sellers hype “original” and “unrestored,” but you need condition reports and sales data (Red Online did a piece on this). Watch out for reproductions—sometimes even the experts get fooled. And hardware! Who knew a replaced lock could tank value?

Is there a market trend that indicates which collectibles might be a smart buy today?

Honestly? No idea. One month, everyone’s obsessed with vintage Murano glass—like, did I miss a memo?—and then suddenly, luxury candleholders tank so hard you wonder if people just collectively got bored. Paul Middlemiss says there’s this “underlying movement” toward unrestored stuff. I mean, I kind of get it. People want the original, not the fake-perfect. But then you’re stuck with scratches and weird chips. Do those add value? Or just make you look lazy?

Limited editions, designer collabs—yeah, they seem to go up, or at least that’s what Modernism Week sales numbers claim. But NFTs? I don’t even want to talk about NFTs. Blink and the hype’s gone. I watched this bidding war over a ceramic stool once (was it even comfortable? who knows), and it was all about the label. Not the glaze, not the design, just the brand. Makes you wonder if anyone’s actually buying what they like, or just flexing for Instagram.