European antiques arrive at Olde Good Things from Belgium several times a year, spanning styles from Victorian Neoclassical to Mid‑Century Modern. Each shipment brings furniture, lighting, and hardware made with distinctive craftsmanship and proportions rarely seen in American design. These pieces stand out for their character and history—people are drawn to something truly different.
Two to three times a year, a shipment of antiques departs Belgium bound for our warehouse in Scranton, PA. It all started with a meeting in a New York City flea market in the late 1990s when some of our founders met Henri. He started bringing us antique European hardware by the suitcase. The project grew by leaps and bounds as we asked him to track down specific items—like the ever-popular club chairs. Nowadays, we receive shipping containers of furniture, lights, signs, and yes … still some hardware. During our Iron Yards tour a couple of months ago, we mentioned the latest Belgian shipment having just arrived; those pieces have since made it online and into our NYC showroom.
The European pieces span over a century of history from Victorian Neoclassical to Art Deco to Mid-Century Modern styles. Jim, our furniture specialist at the NYC showroom, has been featuring a selection of the new pieces on Instagram, so we reached out with a few questions. Our biggest one: why are these pieces so popular?
His answer came down to one word, “different”. There are American versions of all of these styles, from Neoclassical to MCM, but style norms can vary within a single country. (If you’re curious, try looking up “NYC Art Deco” vs “Miami Art Deco”.) Once we’ve crossed an ocean, the style norms have definitely changed. European pieces were made with particular looks and designs that were never made on this continent. As Jim notes, “people right away are attracted to something that’s different.”
The “Different” of Imports
But what sort of items are these different and unusual pieces? Let’s take a closer look at what kind of European items we receive ….
Furniture
Of course, a standout customer favorite in these shipments is always the leather club chairs. But we also receive wooden chairs and stools, hall stands, tables, and a variety of filing systems and display cabinets, usually from France or Belgium. Visit our Instagram to watch our latest reels of a French club chair and an Art Deco armoire.
Lights
About a decade ago, Henri started sourcing Parisian streetlights for OGT. There aren’t too many, but when we do have them, our Altered Antiques department cleans them up and repurposes them into pendant lighting for modern uses. We also receive a wide range of other lighting, from Mid Century pendants to Gothic Revival sconce sets.
Mirrors
A staple of the Belgium shipments are always giltwood mirrors. A highlight of this latest shipment (and Jim’s favorites) is a selection of particularly outstanding French gilt mirrors. These range in style from Louis Phillipe to Louis XV and XVI stylings. Louis Phillipe mirrors are known for their shaping: contrasting rounded top corners and right angle bottom corners. Louis XV mirrors show Rococo influences, while Louis XVIs feature more Neoclassical details.
Signs
From French construction hazard warnings to Italian telephone signs, another frequent part of these shipments is metal signage pieces. These are often Mid Century designs from the 1940-60s, printed in vivid, eye-catching shades with the clean, geometric typography associated with the era
Hardware
From bathroom soap holders to door hardware to classic wall hooks, this is the oldest and most consistent category for these shipments. This year, it’s expanded to include earthenware bathroom fixtures: sinks and pedestals. There’s always something wonderfully eclectic to find in this section, so we highly recommend checking it out.
Dishware
Dishware is one of our rarer categories, but we do source a wide variety … some of it from Europe. For instance, in this last Belgian delivery, we received a phenomenal set of eighty-one BOCH ceramic pieces. If you’re looking to add some European style in your kitchen, be sure to keep an eye out when we get Belgian deliveries in.
Here at Olde Good Things, we take pride in sourcing the largest collection of architectural salvage and antiques in the country. The collection is history preserved, every piece conserving original design and craftsmanship details that are still referenced in modern design. From pieces like these imports to pieces like the Waldorf-Astoria fireplace mantels imported before our time, to pieces manufactured here in the States—we have a grand selection of American and European antiques. We are on-hand, ready to help you find your perfect piece. Reach out today or take a look at our online catalog.
