It’s tempting to place an antique item in a high traffic area of your home, but is it the right design decision for your space? Giving a little thought to what you primarily use certain rooms and spaces for helps dictate what items make sense there and what do not. This is especially important when you’re looking to place a priceless antique furniture item and you want to make sure it will be a defining feature of the room without it cluttering the space or risking damage. Here are some considerations regarding antique items and their functionality. An Antique’s Intended Use Decorative items might look nice, but can they actually be used for something? That all depends on the antique’s original intended use. Regular furniture items, including chests of drawers, armoires, end tables, desks, and other decor items, will likely still enjoy plenty of modern day uses. In some cases, they need a little TLC before they are functional. For example, a dresser could look excellent and still hold plenty of clothes, but maybe the drawers are cumbersome to open and close. A quick installation of a more modern sliding mechanism to the drawer and Voila! You now have a high-quality antique dresser with drawers that work! Is It Okay to Tinker with the Antiques? Making small adjustments to your antique furniture is divisive in the collector’s community. On the one hand, the adjustment has restored functionality and added a modern-day convenience to your life. The piece now looks excellent in the space but works like brand new. On the other hand, some collectors consider it sacrilege to make any kind of alteration, including reupholstering antique chairs and other seating, painting, removing patina, and more. Before you alter your furniture, consider if you intend to sell it down the line. If so, consider that what you do to change the item may affect its resale value. If you do not plan to sell and it will not tarnish its presumably already-impeccable appearance, do what you like! It’s better to have a great antique that works in your everyday life than to have an oversized decoration that’s a pain to use! Antiquated Antiques Some items no longer have a use in today’s world, and that’s okay. These items likely won’t be more than a collectible for the display case, but they’re still valuable nonetheless. Non-functional antiques including smoking stands, gossip benches, Priscilla sewing stands, gramophones, and parlor pigs, to name a few. You could repurpose some of these items or use them to accent a room, but it’s unlikely you’ll be posted up at the gossip bench with a 1920’s style telephone asking the operator to connect you with Esther. Judy’s Jewelry Antiques add an element of sophistication and class to a home. Judy’s Jewelry understands this, and that’s why they’re Fort Myers’ premier dealer of antiques, as well as estate jewelry, vintage glassware, and other priceless artifacts. Stop by today and see what they have; you’ll be glad you did!