Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Do You Have the Brocante Bug Too?

For the love of French Antiques

French Husband had barely parked the car at the brocante when I jumped out.

Having the brocante bug is not easy to control.

Is there a cure?

As soon as my eyes fell upon the thickly painted, white-ish grey cupboard/buffet, I knew the brocante bug would begin to boil.

Why couldn't I have the shoe bug, or the candy bug, or the magazine bug, or the makeup bug? Why do I have the furniture sized brocante bug? 

Looking over the white-ish grey cupboard/buffet piece, I knew it would fit height and length wise in the kitchen. Fit against the wall perfectly, like a silk glove on a hand, IF only there wasn't already an armoire there that is.

Have you ever done that, mentally start moving things around in your house so the something you want will work? Usually I have an utter mental gymnastic of moving every thing right, left, up, down, inside out and backwards to make thing work. Today my mental gymnastics went like this: I could sell my armoire. That was the only option.

I stared at the one of a kind beauty and whispered, "Bad bad brocante bug!"

 

French Antique Kitchen

To make matters worse, next to the cupboard/buffet piece were six dining room chairs. Caned seats, grayish color, late 1800s perfect condition.

I do not need another chair.

Now here is the ticker… the chairs all six of them cost less than one chair at Ikea.

That is the biggest pain of all: When I find antiques in good condition, lovely patina, authentic, under price and DO NOT NEED THEM, nor have room.

Wait a minute… I could fix things to the ceiling?!

My name is Corey and I am a brocante o holic.

 

I kissed the cupboard/piece and the chairs goodbye, then wished I wasn't on a stupid diet otherwise I would have had some wine and every big salty delicious thing I could find.

Comments

19 responses to “Do You Have the Brocante Bug Too?”

  1. Debra

    I mentally move peices, I physically move them, I dream of the peices I long for . . . and, often I see the dream & not the reality . . . how crazy is that?

    Reply
  2. Diogenes

    LOL, I am facing that dilemma with a pair of commode bombes coming up at an auction. Where on earth would I put them, storage?? I am still craving to own them.

    Reply
  3. jody

    oh yes, i have the bug! it is both genetic and contagious! but such a good bug to have…. except like you say, when there is already a full house. but then again…” you” could remodel, restore and decorate another apartment? you have many reader friends you know that want to come over to visit. or become our ‘buyer’, and ship it over…..um, there are lots of excuses to feed that bug!xo jody/fl

    Reply
  4. Marie

    Corey, did you ever really show us your finished kitchen?
    There have been tiny glimpses from time to time, but I would love to see how your home kitchen finally turned out.

    Reply
  5. Kit

    Oh Corey, I was shouting out loud, “Buy them for me, buy them for me!”
    If only shipping them to South Africa wouldn’t have made them way more expensive than several chairs from Ikea. I used to have the brocante bug, but have kept it under control since coming to SA on a farm, where there is no temptation, but I wouldn’t have been able to resist those chairs!

    Reply
  6. Maisouiparis

    Oh Corey- you do make me laugh! Were you at Vanves? I haven’t made it there since I have been back. I love that you found a way to display your dishtowels! Mine are all stuffed in a drawer- so unsatisfying! I’d love to come see your new digs! Message me on fb if you are up for a visit.

    Reply
  7. Kiki

    wow woman, you are STRONG…. 🙂
    I on the other hand have a Hero Husband with a mind of his own – and his is stronger than mine…. so I go the whole way of asking prices, describing how it would look so well here or there and finally giving up to the arguments of HH… (with few exceptions!!!) – but if I want to see us living in peace with each other, I often have no choice but to insist… NOT!
    Apart from that: I constantly do all of what you described – all the time – endlessly… except putting stuff physically up the ceiling – but hey, NOW you’re talking!

    Reply
  8. Cindy

    You are too much fun — and strong — what a strong woman you are! Dieting AND walking by wonderfulness at the brocante! What would happen if you got some of the chalk paint in the gray you like and re-do your armoire? I find I have a lot of fun RE-doing some of my purchases. (Glad you are back in the brocante hunt, though, so you can re-open your online shop.)

    Reply
  9. La Contessa

    Do you ever lift that GLASS DOME and use those towels???

    Reply
  10. Peggy Braswell

    I have that brocante bug also + the ceiling, now that’s an idea. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

    Reply
  11. Marjorie Sue

    Having moved many times in my lifetime, I now look at wonderful finds and ask myself if I want to pack and move them…again. Packing and moving is not my favorite thing to do, so, although I love the searching and finding, I always ask my self…”do you want to pack it”? Do you just “want it or do you need it”? Of course when I walk away and think about it for a day or two I find myself going back to it and of course it’s gone, which only means I was never meant to have it. Since I’m now 80, I think in terms of…”what if my kids have to move it?” In the end, it’s all just stuff and if it all burned (which has occurred to me recently, since the Rim Fire in Calif. was only 2 1/2 miles from my house), it’s all just stuff and the most important things in life are living beings. But, I still go look!

    Reply
  12. diane – florida

    I was wondering the same thing.

    Reply
  13. jeanie

    Ha! you aren’t alone, Corey. Many of us share that. Right now I have the nothing in unless something comes out. It’s not working for me very well!

    Reply
  14. Brenda, Walker, LA

    I move things constantly also…”If you love it it will fit somewhere”… until eventually its time to give or sell something, but all the while all your other things become like cream rising to the top, you acquire your best that way! And, NO, the bug has no cure, it must run it’s course before it is over. Over much time, it leaves you with the best of the best and you become satisfied and content! :o) I know this!

    Reply
  15. SusieQ

    OMG, Corey – you and I are “sisters from another mister” if you get my drift. So not fair to have to say goodbye to treasures like that just because we have no place for them. I feel your pain girlfriend! Right down to the pathetic diet I am on and the hankering for wine and something salty!!! We must be strong; we must be strong; we must be strong!!

    Reply
  16. Rhonda

    Well, my man always says of furniture purchases…now, what is leaving? Doesn’t he know women can make it fit?
    How in the world you walked away from those chairs is a miracle. That takes strength, that I don’t have. LOL

    Reply
  17. 24/7 in France

    I am covered with brocante bug bites, as well 🙂

    Reply
  18. Ann W

    Tongue In Cheek’s Furniture Brocante ?? I’m sure you would have a rush of Blog-readers wanting to buy. (Well I would – I dream of furnishing a house in the Brocante-Style)

    Reply
  19. Laurie SF

    I caught the Brocante Bug…
    Thanks to you…xx

    Reply

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