There is something special about bringing an older piece of furniture into a new home. It might have a few scratches, a mark from a cup or years of wear, but that's part of what makes it interesting.
When we're looking at second-hand furniture, we're not looking for something that's perfect. We're looking for something that's well made, has plenty of life left in it and will work in our home.
Look past the scratches
One of the first things I look at is how the furniture was made.
A few scratches or marks don't worry me nearly as much as a loose joint, damaged frame or badly repaired piece. Have a look underneath and inside drawers if you can. Older furniture was often made using solid timber and traditional joinery, and you can learn a lot by looking closely at how the pieces fit together.
Things like dovetail joints, solid timber construction and good-quality hardware can be clues that you're looking at something that was built to last.
And don't be afraid of a piece simply because it looks a little tired. Sometimes a good clean and a little care is all it needs.
Don't be too quick to make it look new
This is something I think is easy to get wrong.
When you find an old piece of furniture, there's often a temptation to sand it back, paint it and make it look completely different.
Sometimes that's exactly what a piece needs. But sometimes the marks and changes that have happened over the years are what make it beautiful.
I love the idea that a piece of furniture can come into our home with a history of its own. The faded timber, little dents and changes in colour are things you simply can't reproduce on a brand-new piece.
If the timber is in good condition, sometimes a gentle clean and a suitable furniture wax or oil is enough to bring it back to life.
Mixing old with new
I don't think a home has to be filled with old furniture for second-hand pieces to work.
In fact, I think an older timber table or sideboard can look even better when it's surrounded by simpler, newer things.
A beautiful old wooden table with modern chairs. An old sideboard with a new lamp. A second-hand cabinet alongside clean, simple walls.
It's the mix that makes a home feel like your home, rather than a showroom or a museum.
And that's really what I'm looking for when I find something second-hand — not perfection, but something that has a place in our home and still has plenty of life left in it.