Whether you’re shivering in a musty auction house and narrowing your gaze at the person across the room, or anxiously sweating at home as a table you’ve been watching on eBay finally comes to a close, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of an auction.
It’s a joy to find wonderful vintage and antique homeware in a shop but it’s a whole other level of exciting (and equal parts nerve-wracking) to bid for it. If you get lucky, an auction house can be the bearer of a real bargain but the true appeal is finding the most beautiful, unusual, weird and wonderful pieces before a dealer buys them and pops them in a shop with a huge mark-up, or a designer uses them in a residential project.
Auctions are the heart of the action. This isn’t a time for casual browsing on an Instagram seller’s page. You need to be passionate about the hunt to unearth something special, and well-informed enough to know exactly what you’re buying and how much to pay for it. It’s a tense, fun, inspiring way to decorate your home (whether bidding physically or remotely – most auction houses will ship worldwide), but which ones do the professionals visit? We’ve asked nine interior designers where they buy their homeware under the hammer. Here are their favourite haunts…
Roseberys London, London
Anna Haines: “I particularly love Roseberys auction house, predominantly for buying art at quite reasonable prices. The specialist art auctions include old masters, modern, post-war and contemporary British art, and are all very well curated. I successfully bid on three quite large abstract gouache paintings of fabric designs on parchment paper, all with floral motifs, and the colours are glorious. They are for a client’s London hallway and are destined to be framed in an aubergine lacquer – they will absolutely sing out!”
Wessex Auction Rooms, Chippenham
Lonika Chande: “For me, it’s definitely the thrill of the chase, and boy do I love a good catalogue trawl. Wessex Auction Rooms have regular antiques auctions and are also leading specialists in toy auctions. Granted, that’s quite niche, but current lots include a vintage set of Sylvanian Families complete with a camper van. Heaven! I also have my eye on a majolica lidded dish in the form of a crab and some beautiful framed raffia Kuba cloths.”
Catawiki
Charlotte Buchanan, co-founder of Buchanan Studio: “Online auction site Catawiki has everything from natural wonders to art to design and even fine wine! It’s a global platform that often has those one-off things you didn’t even know you needed. It’s pretty amazing and we use it for more specialist projects or when looking for very specific items, like recently when we needed to source Ancient Greek artefacts.”
Maak Contemporary Ceramics, London
Tom Morris, founder of Morrisstudio: “I should highlight Maak Ceramics – they are just opening a new space in Covent Garden. They helped set the record for the most expensive ceramic to ever sell (by Magdalene Odundo last year) and always have pieces by Hans Coper, Lucie Rie and Emmanuel Cooper. It’s a good place to start for any collection or to simply buy a nice piece for the mantle by some of the 20th century’s best potters. They do about three auctions per year.”
Bukowskis, Stockholm
Duncan Campbell, co-founder of Campbell-Rey: “One of our favourite auction houses both for ourselves and for clients is Bukowskis in Stockholm. They tend to have a great selection of 20th-century European design from names we love, including pieces by Carl Malmsten, Josef Frank and Svenskt Tenn.”
Christie’s, London
Joanna Plant: “Over the years, we have bought very well at Christie’s and the sales are always exciting and inspiring. We had the recent Jasper Conran sale live online in our office all day and there were moments of real tension as the big-ticket lots went up and up.”
Flora Soames: “Christie’s continue to have interesting house sales, amongst others. The recent Conran sale was pretty irresistible! Their focus on ‘interiors style’ sales, whilst no longer operating from South Kensington, makes it an obvious source when I’m working on significant projects.”
Woolley & Wallis, Salisbury
Max Rollitt: “I’ve been going to Woolley & Wallis since I was seven and have fond memories of sitting in the car park with the proverbial packet of crisps and a lemonade. They’ve really raised their game in recent years and are incredibly professional – particularly for a provincial auction room – and generally just really lovely to deal with. I have the same paddle number every time I go!”
James Thurstan Waterworth, founder of Thurstan: “So much is done online now that you often miss something in a digital or printed catalogue. Going in person can give a totally different perspective on pieces. When we are sourcing in the UK, we find ourselves particularly drawn to Woolley & Wallis for their selection of beautiful early furniture and mix of more modern pieces as well as Asian art. It’s in Wiltshire, not too far from my own home, and although I’m a little biased, it’s a lovely corner of the world to be in. The best antiques houses are the ones where you have an innate trust in their pieces and that’s definitely the case for Woolley & Wallis. It’s also a nice place to explore and unearth an unexpected find.”
Criterion Auctioneers, London
Tom Morris: “Criterion in Islington is terrific. There’s a weekly rotation of things that are all very well priced and, crucially, it’s just down the road from me so there’s lots of inspiration. I’ve bought everything from 120-piece Spode dinner sets to Arts and Crafts wardrobes to Artemide floor lights there.”
Duke’s, Dorchester
Flora Soames: “Duke’s in Dorset is a local but brilliant source, and again, they have their finger on the pulse in terms of demand.”
Hindman Auctions, Chicago
Charlotte Buchanan: “Hindman Auctions is US-based but most of their auctions are online with the option of worldwide shipping. It’s amazing for very interesting, hard-to-find and unusual furniture as well as incredible art. They also have a Modern Design and Early 20th Century Design auction twice a year.”
Dreweatts, Newbury
James Mackie, founder of J. James Mackie: “A shift in focus by the ‘big two’ away from categories such has furniture has heralded a renaissance at a number of other regional auction houses. Dreweatts, based in Newbury, is one of the best and has attracted expertise and business that formerly was only to be found in London. They hold sales across a range of categories and they’re the perfect hunting ground for furniture, pictures and all manner of other pieces that contribute to an interior.”
Joanna Plant: “We keep a close eye on Dreweatts for country house sales as I have a particular love of estate-made furniture and lovely old carpets with just the right amount of decrepitude. If you’re new to auctions, just get stuck in and leave a bid: you might be surprised what you end up winning. It can be gut-churningly thrilling.”
Flora Soames: “Dreweatts are doing well to provide a cross-section of interesting and diverse collections with competitive pricing.”
Lyon & Turnbull, Edinburgh
Anna Haines: “As well as their specialist auctions, Lyon & Turnbull hold single-owner collection sales, which are well worth looking out for. Each one is curated with a steer towards a particular collection. I picked up a handsome aesthetic movement occasional table in one of these auctions recently – it has a lovely patina and will add a real resonance in its new home.
Chiswick Auctions, London
Charlotte Buchanan: “For a good local choice to visit in person, Chiswick Auctions are great and they have regular fixtures with some lovely items and lots of variety.”
