hi! i’m olivia, curator, owner, and resident of GLASSHAUS. the first question i often get is: how do you choose your objects?
it’s hard answering that. do you ever get that feeling when you see something, you didn’t know you needed it until you saw it? i think that’s really it. GLASSHAUS is filled with things i find curious and fun, and most importantly, sustainable (vintage). they’re often directly from or reminiscent of designs from the space age.
the second most asked question is: where do you find things? well, let me show you –
estate sales – these are most special to me. it’s someone’s life of treasures you get the privilege to look through, and find hidden gems like simon fussell’s 1970s ABS plastic drawers
liquidation sales – commercial spaces often clear out inventory, and you could score frank gehry’s modernist left twist cubes
furniture resellers – don’t be afraid to network and grab contacts here as they’ll continuously have fresh stock. my favourite was buying all of anna castelli’s componibili drawers, designed in 1967
thrift stores – this is a volumes game. mostly misses until you get that one hit like HT huang’s toucan lamp 1980s which keeps you going for more (oh no as i typed this out it felt like gambling mentality 🙃)
antique & vintage markets – you can’t go wrong here. mostly already curated by dealers and sellers. margins for reselling aren’t huge, but it’s a favourite weekend past time to just browse and stumble across things like an old school ikea mushroom lamp
antique shops – same as point 6 above, but with more regular hours of operations which could land you a chunky 70-80s mirror from japan
flea markets – these are where to find the deals and sellers are often open to negotiating, such as for nancy funk’s ceramic wall hook hand signed & dated 1977
garage sales – drive around your neighbourhood on weekends and keep an eye out for those neon signs! you could stumble upon a set of verner panton’s s chair 1967
overseas – i love many european designers, and there EU prices are often more competitive given no foreign import tax. you just need to be open to being a mule, which i was more than happy to do for mario bellini’s 1969 chiara lamp
digital marketplaces (online) – easily accessible and fast, since people are clearing out their belongings daily such as this 1970 joe colombo’s boby trolley i purchased from an artist
on the streets. randomly- seriously 🤔 usually larger items people hope you can haul away in “very well loved” conditions, like charles and ray eames’ lounge chair 1956 (don’t worry, this one was a replica or it would have been too good to be true 🫢)
and finally, from other sellers like @kuzakscloset, who had lennart bender’s 1960s lounge chair listed
on that last note, wonderfully enough, i’m so excited to partner with @kuzakscloset & @statestreetmarket! i’ll be hosting my first ever pop up this october 27 in los altos from 11:00 – 17:00.
a peek at the crew that will join me there
it’s a real honour knowing old things will bring joy and be welcomed into new homes. thank you so much to everyone who’s been a part of our last 3 years and here’s to meeting some of you soon!
if you have any questions, please ask away in the comments. i hope this was helpful x