When it comes to decorating your home, knowing what to invest in is key. While it’s fun to get into trendy design aesthetics that pop up on social media, the truth is that trends come and go, and the products they highlight don’t always have visual staying power.
To get professional insight on what’s actually worth investing in, we chatted with Debbie Mathews, founder and principal designer at Debbie Mathews Antiques and Designs. She shares that she tries to think longterm when shopping for her clients, focusing on pieces they can live with forever.
If you’re looking for home items that hold the potential to become valuable collectibles down the line, Mathews recommends finding pieces that patina well, are made from solid materials, and are hand-crafted rather than mass-produced. Prioritizing quality over quantity, she shares tips for curating a collection of home items that grows in value over time and can stay with you through different seasons of life.
1. Solid Wood Furniture
A lot of furniture that looks like wood is actually constructed from synthetic materials, and is labeled as manufactured wood—or MDF for short. While these pieces are cheaper than solid wood and a good way to get the look for less, they don’t necessarily have collectible potential. Mathews recommends investing in solid wood pieces, especially when it comes to items that have a prominent role within a room.
“In general, I believe larger, wood case pieces like sideboards and cabinets, dining tables, and beds that are well constructed and crafted from wood species like walnut, mahogany, cherry, and alder have the potential of becoming collectible,” she says. Pieces such as dining tables or beds are typically significant in size and take up a lot of visual space, so invest in quality instead of taking the trend route. “These pieces are often the focal points of the rooms in which they live and can be the pieces that memories are built on,” Mathews adds.
2. Materials that Patina Well
When thinking in terms of design longevity and practical durability, Mathews suggests buying things that patina well. Whether it’s leather goods or a certain type of wood, there are materials that actually get better over time thanks to the patina they develop. “In general, wood species like walnut patina beautifully over time and just get better and better with age,” she says. To find pieces that have collectible potential, look for items that will wear well over time, whose patina will tell the story of your home and create a warm, inviting, and lived-in look.
Dylan Chandler
3. Handcrafted Furniture and Decor
“Pieces that are handmade or bench-made (not mass-produced) have the potential to become more valuable over time,” Mathews says. There’s no better way to give your home character and personality than by bringing in unique handmade items such as an interesting piece of pottery or a hand-carved side table. One-of-a-kind pieces that showcase artisanal craftsmanship make a space look like it’s been collected over time and as Mathews says, they have the potential to increase in value and gain collectible status.
4. Pieces with Classic Style
One good way to determine whether something has the potential to become a collectible is whether it’s classic enough to stand the test of time. “I believe that you increase the likelihood of this (items becoming collectibles) if these pieces are ‘timeless’ in that they are classic, appeal to a broad range of people and cultures, and are not trendy,” Mathews says. Wildly trendy pieces may be fun to incorporate into your space, but they’re not necessarily things to invest in or count on to become collectibles because they’ll likely be replaced with a hot new trend very quickly.
Karyn Millet
5. Quality Pieces with Staying Power
So, how can you shop for your home like a pro and find pieces that’ll turn into collectibles down the line? “When I shop for clients’ home furnishings, I have the mindset that we are searching for pieces that they may live with forever,” Mathews says. This results in one key priority when selecting items: “Quality is paramount in my decision making process.”
Mathews explains she prioritizes quality over quantity. “Investing in at least one high quality piece per room can instantly elevate the other pieces surrounding it,” she says. To create visual balance, take Mathews’ advice and layer older pieces in with your newly purchased furniture and decor. “Since I am an antique dealer, I also tout that every room needs at least one antique,” she says. Mathews explains that antiques can give a space a sense of history and richness that’s difficult to achieve otherwise.