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Collection by Luke Hopping

Winning Bids: 7 Unbelievable Online Finds

Amassing a modern furniture collection on a budget used to require hundreds of man hours spent trawling yard sales. Now all it takes are the right keywords. Culled from our archives, here are seven instances of everyday design mavens who hit the online auction jackpot.

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In Kathryn Tyler’s finished home, a palette of wood, concrete, and painted brick forms a neutral backdrop for vintage treasures, including a $30 dining table, $3 poster, and a set of 1950s Carl Jacobs Jason chairs she snagged on eBay for $400.
In Kathryn Tyler’s finished home, a palette of wood, concrete, and painted brick forms a neutral backdrop for vintage treasures, including a $30 dining table, $3 poster, and a set of 1950s Carl Jacobs Jason chairs she snagged on eBay for $400.
A vintage 1950s credenza discovered in Paris supports three works by Aumas and two Sol LeWitt–inspired cubes used in one of his window displays. The daybed is an eBay purchase reupholstered in fabric from Kvadrat and the dark paint is from Dulux Valentine. Aumas found the photographer’s lamp at a Brussels flea market.
A vintage 1950s credenza discovered in Paris supports three works by Aumas and two Sol LeWitt–inspired cubes used in one of his window displays. The daybed is an eBay purchase reupholstered in fabric from Kvadrat and the dark paint is from Dulux Valentine. Aumas found the photographer’s lamp at a Brussels flea market.
Subverting the traditional, conservatively cozy British barn conversion, Carl Turner created a getaway in rural Norfolk for himself and his friends to visit, repose, and consider the beauty of agrarian minimalism. Turner reclaimed most of the timber used for the flooring as he renovated buildings in London. He thought his stockpile was big enough for the Ochre Barn, but the scale of the place defeated him. The solution, surprisingly, was eBay, turning up an old mill’s worth of boards.
Subverting the traditional, conservatively cozy British barn conversion, Carl Turner created a getaway in rural Norfolk for himself and his friends to visit, repose, and consider the beauty of agrarian minimalism. Turner reclaimed most of the timber used for the flooring as he renovated buildings in London. He thought his stockpile was big enough for the Ochre Barn, but the scale of the place defeated him. The solution, surprisingly, was eBay, turning up an old mill’s worth of boards.
At right, the family dines at a mid-century walnut table found on eBay, seated at a mix of new and antique Wishbone chairs by Hans Wegner.
At right, the family dines at a mid-century walnut table found on eBay, seated at a mix of new and antique Wishbone chairs by Hans Wegner.
The bedroom is tucked in the back of the residence and doesn’t receive a lot of natural light. The couple emphasized the coziness of the space by painting the walls in Space Black from Benjamin Moore and selecting an oversize artwork, Flotar, 2011, by Christian Curiel. The bed is a Louis XV–style reproduction, approximately from the 1950s, that Gil and DeSimio found on eBay.
The bedroom is tucked in the back of the residence and doesn’t receive a lot of natural light. The couple emphasized the coziness of the space by painting the walls in Space Black from Benjamin Moore and selecting an oversize artwork, Flotar, 2011, by Christian Curiel. The bed is a Louis XV–style reproduction, approximately from the 1950s, that Gil and DeSimio found on eBay.
Mazza and Patten both used off-the-shelf Ikea cabinets in their kitchens. They customized them by raising them up a few inches and dropping a sink into a store-bought table, which serves as the countertop. The pair is thrilled with the results. Even the architects they hired to work at the deli from Grupo 7 were impressed: “They said, ‘These cabinets are insane. How do we get them?’” Mazza recalls.
Mazza and Patten both used off-the-shelf Ikea cabinets in their kitchens. They customized them by raising them up a few inches and dropping a sink into a store-bought table, which serves as the countertop. The pair is thrilled with the results. Even the architects they hired to work at the deli from Grupo 7 were impressed: “They said, ‘These cabinets are insane. How do we get them?’” Mazza recalls.
The kitchen is one of the most unified spaces in the house, thanks to the appliances. “Within a week of each other, we found the 1949 GE stove on E-Bay that matched the fridge,” says Miller. “They were the same model of appliances that were used in the exhibition house; they matched the pictures exactly. The owner even had the original instruction booklet and the appliances were in pristine condition. It was an amazing discovery.” Photo by Diana Budds.
The kitchen is one of the most unified spaces in the house, thanks to the appliances. “Within a week of each other, we found the 1949 GE stove on E-Bay that matched the fridge,” says Miller. “They were the same model of appliances that were used in the exhibition house; they matched the pictures exactly. The owner even had the original instruction booklet and the appliances were in pristine condition. It was an amazing discovery.” Photo by Diana Budds.