So, we all know that Pottery Barn has made a name for itself by making popular styles more attainable to the masses. Yesterday, I found that I had received PB's newest catalog. As I leafed through it, I was a bit flabbergasted. Pottery Barn has taken the leap from selling vintage and antique-inspired items to actually selling "found" items. I must admit that I am feeling about dubious about this. How many demijohn bottles could Pottery Barn have bought from this "collector" that they can tout them to the millions of people who receive their catalogs? They also have coffee sack pillows and dough molds like the ones my dear friend Carolina had at the Urban Market after carefully scouting them herself. Can the items in the PB catalog truly be vintage? I have had my doubts about certain items being advertised as "vintage" or "antique" online, in antique stores, and at markets and certainly have my doubts about these new PB items. By the way, PB's "found" items are available through internet/catalog only and are selected for you. Isn't half the fun of buying a vintage item picking out the one that feels just right? Is this development good or bad? Is it a complete turnoff to know that items like these are now being sold by a commercial chain like Pottery Barn? Does knowing that so many people could wind up having the same item as you make it less desirable? After all, think about how many items or looks are found in publication after publication, blog after blog, yet people still love them. Is it a positive thing that these items are more easily accessible and more affordable? Take the demijohns for example, the antiques market is pretty much saturated with them, yet some people still charge and arm and a leg for them. When something is so readily available, doesn't it become less valuable? I fully understand when an antique item comes with a high price tag because it is completely unique and it makes the buyer's heart sing, but when you find the same things in booth after booth or store after store, prices must come down. Supply and demand, people! I must say that I don't like the fact that independent antiques dealers now have to worry about contending with a retail titan like Pottery Barn, but I feel as though there might be some positive aspects to this newest development. At the very least, it might open up the average person's eyes to a new way of accessorizing. However, now that PB is carrying items like these, does it mean they are completely over? What do you think will be the next hot vintage accessory?
Found Demijohn Bottles
Woven Demijohn Bottles
The dough molds are not on the website yet, but you can see one on the console table along with some demijohn bottles.
Pillar Candles Resting Inside of a Found Dough Mold
Vintage-Inspired Baskets
A Set of Hand-Carved Wooden Scoops
Vintage-Looking Cubbie Organizer
A Close-Up of the Cubbie Organizer
I couldn't help but think of the Friends episode where Ross, Rachel, and Phoebe had opposing views of Pottery Barn and treated it like a huge moral dilemma. Where do you stand on the issue?
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