Here at Gracious, we chose to go into this business not only for our love of beautiful homes, and unique, vintage designs, but for a deeper life philosophy.  We believe that decorating homes with vintage, repurposed furniture is the best option for our planet, our economy, and most importantly, our homes.  We want to share why we have a passion for vintage furnishings.

Here are our top five reasons to buy vintage:

1. Quality and Scale 

Vintage furniture was made before the time of mass production, and it’s undeniable – they don’t make ’em like they used to!  People assume “oh this is an antique, it’s fragile.”  Really?  It’s been around for 75+ years, and I guarantee the cheap chair or table you have won’t be around that long!  Many of our furniture items were crafted by artisans, who put love into the creation every detail.  Their high quality has already withstood the test of time, and will continue to shine with age.

Most furniture produced today is oversized.  Furniture that was created in the mid-twentieth century, perhaps around the same time your house was built, is scaled appropriately.  A large couch might not seem enormous when displayed in a spacious show room, but how disappointing to return home with a new purchase only to realize that the sofa makes the rest of your furniture appear tiny, in comparison.  Gracious sets up vignettes in our store to give realistic, scaled demonstrations of how a piece of furniture will fit into your home.

2. Replace “The Placeholder” 

Admit it, you have one.  That table, chair, lamp, or piece of furniture that fills a space, but does no more.  “It’s fine,” you  tell yourself, but why not fill that space with a piece that you really love?  When building a home, it takes time to finalize a room, which is why we have carefully selected beautiful furnishings that are often the perfect missing piece that you’ve been searching for.

We believe you should love every piece of furniture in your home, and strive to create this, one unique purchase at a time.

3. Conversation Pieces 

How many homes have you visited that look like page 43 of the Ikea catalogue, with a dash of Pottery Barn?

In our store and homes, we can tell you a story behind each piece of furniture.  We have a love for hunting down unique items that no one else has, and that can’t be bought at Pottery Barn.  We love pieces with character, that speak to us individually, not to the masses.

4. Ethical Business, Locally 
We often hear customers say: “I could buy a similar pillow at Target, so why should I pay more to buy one here?”

To this we reply; yes, Target does have cheaper throw pillows.  Unlike Target, our throw pillows are made locally, here in Washington, where labor costs are fairly compensated.  The small price difference from the wallet represents the real cost of local production  We carry pillows made from designer fabric which often costs $100+ per yard.  Since we seek out these fabrics at a bargain, we are able to sell them much less expensively.  These are the kinds of pillows we can rest our heads upon and sleep soundly.

5. The Green Thing

The main reason to buy vintage, repurposed furnishings is simple: the world is already full of beautiful things that have already been created, so why buy something new?

We believe that repurposed furnishings bring more character and style into your home, while conserving the planet’s resources, and creating a unique home that expresses your individual personality.

We hope you’ll come visit us, when in the market for home decor and furnishings.