Vintage First: with Ashley Ausland
“Finding vintage is a way I can preserve a piece of history”
-Ashley Ausland, of Ausland Interiors
One of our golden rules here at Good Ancestor Co. is to always seek vintage first, IF of course you cannot re-use or re-purpose a piece that you already have. Buying vintage is the number one thing you can do to reduce waste going into our landfills (or worst, washing up on our shores and polluting our oceans). The more people that choose to use what already exists (and there are more than enough treasures already here!) the less that will ultimately need to be produced. Our dream is that our world will wake up and majorly decrease the mass production of low quality pieces made with materials that harm our planet and our health. We believe if energy and materials are going to be used to make something new, we should only be purchasing from makers that care about how that process affects the earth and our bodies. But first and foremost, go vintage!
With that said, we wanted to feature a designer who is one of my oldest design friends and one of the most incredible interior designers and treasure finders I know! We spent our 20’s together giggling and dancing around the design studio we worked at together. We learned together, grew together and supported one another as we started families and eventually our own businesses. Ironically when I first got into design, Ashley was one of the first posts on my old blog, so it only makes sense she would be one of the first here!
Ashley has always had an amazing talent for finding and using vintage pieces in her designs. You can see her work at AuslandInteriors.com and follow her on @auslandinteriors on Insta. I promise, you will be inspired!
And that’s enough of me, let’s hear what Ash has to say!
“I think you can create a beautiful home with new furnishings, but you need vintage to provide the character, a little bit of patina, and definitely some soul!”
When and how did you first start collecting vintage goods?
“I have been thrifting, garage sale-ing, flea marketing, antiquing, craigslisting and literally dumpster diving my entire life. When I was little my mom would take us to the thrift store and I would be able to buy so many cool old shirts for just a few dollars- I was hooked! If we would be driving and see and old table & chair in someone’s trash we would u-turn faster than you could ever imagine and find a way to fit them all in the car, or drag them down a few blocks. We always found a way! I have found some amazing pieces on the side of a road, and they are free so it’s a win win win for you, the environment, and the person who wants it gone. Also as a history major I have a deep love for old things, so finding vintage is a way I can preserve a piece of history and incorporate one of a kind elements in my clients homes.”
Why do you like to incorporate vintage pieces into your designs?
“There are actually several reasons why I do- 1. It’s part of my process because it’s been my own lifestyle for as long as I can remember, so it has naturally become the way I design. 2. Vintage immediately adds an effortless sense of curation to a space, and you cannot achieve that feeling with all new pieces 3. It makes me feel good to breathe new life into old, discarded items and give them a new chapter in existence 4. Most of the time vintage can be more budget friendly (but now it’s so popular that pricing for old stuff isn’t what it used to be)”
Where do you find all your amazing pieces?
“Estate sales (which are my favorite way and I’ve found to be the most fruitful), flea markets (Long Beach is my fav), thrift stores, craigslist and now FB has marketplaces to sell… and antique stores, but I generally like the ones off the beaten path. By the time good vintage makes its way to the masses it’s been marked up multiple times.”
What’s your process when on the hunt? Are you searching for something specific in mind or taking it all in?
“It’s different each time, but always exciting when you know you could be on the verge of finding your next amazing treasure! It’s slightly strange but I’ve noticed that I give a gender identity to the pieces I find- either a him or a her, which tells me that I might care about these pieces more than I should!
I have gotten good at knowing if a booth is worth more investigating, but I am really good at scanning quickly (sometimes there’s so much good stuff that I get dizzy from moving my eyes too much!) For example: one time I saw what I thought was the corner of a piece of art, peeking out behind a pile of furniture, 3 booths away... when I got closer I realized it was the back side of an old 7up tin sign! The back was cooler than the front- a beautiful color palette full of patina, unfortunately I had to pay a little more bc of the front content, but It was the perfect fit for the dining room at my 27th project.
Sometimes it’s a very specific mission- which for me, when I’m that focused, usually results in me not finding much of anything. You have to be willing to have a bit of an open mind, and look in areas most people won’t- digging through boxes, looking in creepy corners of garages covered in spider webs- the good pieces are rarely obvious.
Finding good vintage is a patient mans game. I will tell clients if they are willing to be patient, I can find them the perfect vintage piece for any specific area, but it will take time.”
“Vintage immediately adds an effortless sense of curation to a space, and you cannot achieve that feeling with all new pieces”
Any tips for rookies at the flea market or estate sale?
“Yes! For the flea market:
Bring patience and a good attitude.
Bring cash, but particularly small bills. Makes negotiating easier when you want a better deal.
Try to go early if you can and don’t have a time limit for yourself.
Check the weather and layer clothes accordingly. Nothing worse than sweating it out, makes you end the shopping real quick! Wear a hat and sunscreen ( my shoulders get burned every time 🤪)
I like to purchase items and leave them at the booth so I can walk around hands free. I will take a pic of the item, and then the pic of the booth number or location, and at the end of the shopping trip I scroll through my photos and collect all the items and make trips to my car.
Engage with the vendors! Some are nicer than others, but once you show interest in their items they soften up. Even though they are there to sell, they also have a strange attachment to the items they are selling, and some care more about the item ending up in the right hands vs the dollar amount.
If you see something that moves you deep inside, don’t hesitate to buy it- that could be your only opportunity to lock it up!
If they serve beer, have one! But no more than 2 otherwise you start buying rando!
Estate sales are a whole separate animal. A lot of the same rules apply, but generally I think having respect at these goes a long way. It can feel really strange to be rummaging through the possessions of a deceased person in their home, so a little perspective goes a long way. I like to think of how I will honor this persons cherished items, and it makes the process a little better (at least for me ☺️). Also people who estate sale regularly have a reputation for being eccentric, so that’s when the patience comes in handy!”
Do you have one vintage find that was your best ever or most treasured?
“I definitely have a greatest hits collection!
-10’ bench from Long Beach (which belongs to my 27th clients- they also have my fav old CA map which we had custom framed and the tin 7up sign )
- All the art that hangs in my home is vintage- landscapes, nudes, old photography, all one of a kind pieces that I love- if it’s in my house it means I can’t part with it!
-My bathroom rug I found for $3 at a creepy backyard estate sale- it was 99% junk, but I found this single treasure buried!
-My entire record collection which I have built over 20 years and for probably no more than $100
- I have found a lot of amazing lighting over the years- all different shapes and styles, which have definitely helped elevate a lot of the rooms I’ve styled.
- A vintage blanket chest that I scored from one of my fav estate sale companies- Trisha at Pop Up Home- I have purchased some amazing pieces through her! It’s currently in my office, and it makes me happy every time I look at it (even with the sharpie that the baby colored on it 😑)
I could go on forever- I love all the pieces I get!”
Item you bought and immediately regretted or laugh about now?
No! It’s actually the opposite- I have never regretted buying, it’s the items I DIDN’T buy that still haunt me! For example: there was an incredible old pine dining table that was at an estate sale right around the corner from my house - it was the most perfectly worn pine table and I was being lazy because I didn’t have anyone to help move it and I didn’t want to store it, so I didn’t get it- and I still regularly think about what a terrible choice that was- it’s the worst feeling! Aaaand it was only $300!!! 😭 and I have a pic of it too that I look at sometimes when I want to torture myself 🤪
Any final words of wisdom?
“I think you can create a beautiful home with new furnishings, but I think you need vintage to provide the character, a little bit of patina, and definitely some soul!”
