4 Top Designers Share Their Secrets For Sourcing Unique Furnishings

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midcentury brazilian rocking chair

Designer Sean Leffers is all about giving vintage finds new life. Here, a chair (by the window) is reupholstered in Ralph Lauren “Eden Rock.”

Many factors have to come together to create an incredible space, but what really makes a room sing are the thoughtful furnishings that only a design pro can find, curate and arrange to a masterful degree. We asked a few top-notch talents to dish on their favorite sources for scoring one-of-a-kind pieces that leave clients—and admirers—asking, “Where did you find that?”

PHOTO: DARREN EDWARDS

brass beds of virginia bedframe

Brass Beds of Virginia

Danielle D. Rollins

“I have a bit of a thing for Brass Beds of Virginia, and they’re my not-so-secret resolve for quality handcrafted metal furniture and beds. I particularly like their canopies—they have everything from campaign to pagoda styles. And I love auctions! Like, really love. My latest obsession—it should come with a warning because once you try it you’ll be hooked—is LiveAuctioneers.com. My good friend and Carolina Herrera designer Wes Gordon told me about it, and he’s as addicted to the thrill of the hunt as I am.”

PHOTO COURTESY BRASS BEDS OF VIRGINIA

dbo home

DBO Home

John Robshaw

“I like to source up in Connecticut where I have a house. DBO Home makes handmade porcelains, Michael Trapp has a warehouse brimming with Indonesian teak furniture, and Hunter Bee in Millerton, New York, has a truly eccentric mix—and the best of all it can all be loaded up in your SUV! No shipping charges.”

PHOTO: WILLIAM GEDDES

midcentury brazilian rocking chair

A midcentury Brazilian rocking chair reupholstered in Zak and Fox “Amitan” in colorway “Shar.”

Sean Leffers

“My favorite way to shop for chairs is by finding vintage or antique pieces that are in need of being reupholstered, finding fabric that I love, and making a piece that no one else on this planet will have. I find cool chairs everywhere from antique shops to garage sales and fabric from remnant sales, on eBay or more expensive to-the-trade options. The most important part is making sure the chair fits your body and that you are madly in love with the design and the fabric. It’s a great way to reduce environmental waste by upcycling and support local small businesses.”

PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER STARK

oak table with pink marble top

Oak table with pink marble top.

Alison Pickart

“In the days when we could travel, the markets in Europe always have the most interesting and unique finds. My favorite is Marche Paul Bert in Paris. But now with Instagram, you have so much more exposure to artists that might have never even registered on your radar. Now more than ever, too, you can find really unique accessories and art pieces in online marketplaces like Charish and 1stDibs. Additionally, some designers (myself included) are even starting to unload inventories of fabulous pieces that won’t break the bank and will add a huge amount of instant style to your home.”

PHOTO COURTESY ALISONPICKART.COM