Where to buy mid-century bits and pieces?

[Parkly]

I'm sorry for a not-very-clear thread title but I couldn't think of how to word it!

I've recently moved into a 1969 bungalow and want to embrace the aesthetic! I'm ok for furniture, but I'm thinking about crockery, cutlery, random objects, soft furnishings etc.

I will scour eBay and Etsy, and have already looked at Habitat. Are there any other websites/places people know of? Many thanks 🙏

Do you want actual vintage items or just items which look vaguely that style? If you want the genuine article you should get yourself along to one of the Modern Shows, or look up some of the retailers who sell there.

https://modernshows.com/

Hk Living

I live in a house full of this stuff :)
Its because of my age :(

Does time allow you to keep an eye out for local house contents auctions when people die ..... ?

Try Hemswell in Lincolnshire

Thank you for the replies. I'd love actual vintage but suspect my budget won't stretch - so replicas it is.

@BocaChica I expect your house is lovely :). My parents had some beautiful Bakelite (think they were Bakelite) cutlery in pastel colours (suspect they were more 50's than 60's), and a drinks trolley and a whole host of other stuff that they just gave away 😮

We had the same thing! Found that “vintage” shops were out of our price range so went to online auctions and got stuff for an absolute steal

"...that they just gave away..."

Thats exactly what happens :(

Tho' the bakelite handle cutlery got put away in some safe corner in the 70's when friends gave us a set of Maya s/s cutlery from a visit to Norway ( used to this day & more or less as good as new )

Vinterior. Massive site but you can filter a lot including by price and for furniture by size. Choose UK only sellers unless you fall in love with something that has to be imported.

Local auction houses. Especially ones in small towns that are so small they aren't online so there won't be much competition!

Second local auctions & charity shops are always worthwhile I’ve found some really lovely stuff in my local charity shops by popping in regularly.

I got a fair bit of stuff going to car boot sales in a posh market town. Also charity shops sometimes have crockery and cutlery. I got some oneidacraft cutlery from one and some Hornsea pottery sets from others.

I also buy from eBay - there are Bakelite cutlery sets on there. You may have to view it as a longer term aim and just buy bits here and there. You can get some bargains depending on what it is.

Interested in the auctions - how do they work?

Look at Retro To Go, a blog where the author finds cool house bits at different shops.

My parents had some mid century stuff. The veneered furniture was worth more than solid wood dark furniture when sold. I kept some of the glassware that I remembered being used in the 70s drinks cabinet. The coupe glasses - once considered utterly naff - were very saleable vintage items. I kept some tiny barel shaped glasses with a grape motif etched on. I think they used them for sherry in the 70s.

The Meakin daisy pattern crockery had only a couple of items remaining. I use the sugar bowl as a porridge bowl. It really is that big.

I favour an eclectic style. Our cottage is a delightful mishmash of building styles, Victorian being the most modern. In our corner nook, a 60s table lamp base that had a huge orange shade on it when I was a small child, now has a quite neutral shade and sits next to a highly convincing faux wood plastic box and on top of a 50s sewing machine storage box. The faux wood is like something out of vintage Habitat, I found it in a charity shop for less than a pound. The sewing box was in an antiques market that had no specialism in mid century, also not expensive.

I never find good stuff in charity shops any more. Firstly because the people who were adults in the 50s-60s (the people who had the good stuff) are mostly already dead (the people dying now tend to have 70s-80s crap that nobody wants). Secondly people are more savvy and they sell the valuable stuff instead of donating. Thirdly the charity shops are also more savvy, they filter out all the good stuff and put it on eBay so there are no bargains.

Charity shops, Facebook marketplace, Facebook selling groups. Some things are crazy priced, like anything g plan, but other mid century makers can be brought cheaper than new furniture. I buy up bits of vintage glass wear and bits from charity shops for very little

Second hand furniture shops like the British heart Foundation.

i found a gplan side table in a second hand furniture shop for £20 (never heard of them until i got it home and looked it up). A few miles up the road (aka the posh end), the table would have been triple the price.

Look for local auctions.

Easy Live Auction | Live & Timed Bidding in Online Auctions

Thank you so much everyone. I'll try and find out about auctions near me.