I am back home in Kansas City! I had such a great time out in California, and while I really miss the weather right now, it’s good to be home too. Today I wanted to share some photos of antique shopping in Petaluma. This was my first experience with true antiquing. I’ve called shopping for old things in Kansas City “antiquing”, but what I’m really doing is looking for items I can repurpose. I hunt for ugly things that I can make pretty with some new paint. In Petaluma, the things were already beautiful, and the price tag certainly reflected that! So while I didn’t have room for most of these items in my carry on or my budget, I still had so much fun looking.
Chelsea Antiques
My first stop was by far my favorite. It’s called Chelsea Antiques and I felt like I stepped into what I imagine French antique stores are like. The first floor was layered with oversized pieces. Massive white distressed doors, chandeliers, and large tables were artfully displayed around several large rooms. Upstairs was even better.
Corbels and beautiful old doors everywhere!
I wanted to bring all those pillows and the buckets home with me!
How cools is this wall of black chairs?
My favorite kind of antique/thrift store is one that is modeled after a retail store, creatively arranged and showing you ways you can use the items in the store. Chelsea Antiques does this so so well.
Vintage Bank Antiques
I was so excited to go into this antique store, look how massive it is! It was quite the experience, with literally thousands of items covering every inch of space. What really impressed me was the amount of art that they had for sale. Again, nothing would fit in my bag, but I would love to cover my walls with one of a kind pieces from here!
Also, if you are interested in old tchotchkes, this is your stop. There are rows and rows of locked display cases with every possible collectible.
This is a photo of the main floor, taken from the top floor, and there is a large basement as well.
I had fun looking around in this store, and even purchased a couple of items, but it is decidedly less curated than the rest of the stores I went to. It definitely feels like you are “on the hunt”, but some people love that. I like a little different experience better, like what I saw in the next store…
Sienna
Oh my goodness, Sienna is so beautiful!! I would furnish my home from here in a heartbeat.
Apparently I have a thing for chairs on walls…
The whole store felt so thoughtful and well designed. I am not a huge lucite fan myself, but I love how it looks with this table.
Petaluma was such a fun little city to vacation in. It turned out to be quite the little foodie town, with tons of great restaurants and cafe’s, all within walking distance of our adorable hotel. I would love to go back, there were more antique stores than I had time for. I got a lot of ideas for the kinds of items I want to look for here when I’m out shopping, as well as some ideas for DIY projects. I’m feeling rested and inspired to decorate my home, the perfect vacation in my opinion.
Do you have antiques in your home?
