Sep 26, 2008

Dibs on Design

Do y’all know about 1stDibs? Because if ya don’t…well, ya should! A few years ago, a lot of designers I talked to started mentioning it as a favorite resource for finding those unique pieces that really joosh-up a project, so I checked it out and have been a loyal site-stalker ever since. It’s like shopping a Paris flea market from the comfort of your living room, and a great educational tool as well. Real-estate mogul Michael Bruno thought it up as a “multiple listing service for the design industry” in 1998 after seeing dot-com kids with nouveau money to burn and McMansions to fill, and started his empire in Paris by listing inventory from local dealers. In 2002 he expanded the site to include hand-picked (he visits and vets every vendor) U.S. shops, including local faves Thomas Jolly (that’s his 19th-Century carousel horse above), Richard Wright (Alvar Aalto Tank lounge chair, on the right), Malcolm Franklin, DouglasRosin, Architectural Artifacts, and Antiques on Old Plank Road. You can search the site by city, category, period—whatever—and the prices are usually posted, with links to the stores. 

—BRADLEY LINCOLN

Posted at 12:26 PM in Obsession | Back to all posts