Cape Cod Antiques

As many times I've been back and forth on the highways to Cape Cod to visit Provicetown, Chatham and Martha's Vineyard, it's far enough away that I've never explored many of the towns off the highways. I still needed something for this wall of the living room so thought I'd google "Cape Cod antiques" to see if I could find a good place to check out on the way back from Provincetown.

Using my inspiration photos as a guide, I'm looking for some kind of chest, cabinet or table to anchor my convex mirror and artwork grouping. This is one I liked because it's up off the floor which takes up less visual space. Since the sofa is charcoal gray, I think I need something light in color to balance the chair on the other side of the room...

..perhaps more along the lines of the this chippy mantel. And maybe a small chair off to the right, like in the inspiration photo, would also add another seat for when guests come over.

There were quite a few listings for antiques shops but when I found the Antiques Center of Cape Cod in Dennis with four warehouses, I thought this would be a good place to start.

This particular building first caught my attention because I love all the garden and architectural salvage pieces they had outside. Once my front porch is completed, I envision a pair of antique urns flanking the front door so this is a place I'm happy to know about.

I'm not a huge fan of antique shops because they're so hit or miss. But once inside the doors of this warehouse, I might just change my opinion. This place is just packed with furniture--no dainty doo-dads, no frilly froo-froos--just furniture accessorized with rugs, lamps and artwork set up in attractive little vignettes. Let's take a closer look.

I love the chunky turned legs on these chairs. The vinyl could be replaced. And the back is attractive but I think I'd like the back to have more of a pattern that stands out against the white walls.

These chairs are quite interesting. The back has a nice neoclassical design but the arms are almost like elephant trunks that might be an interesting detail if I move toward the "Out of Africa" look. Lacquered black with something like a zebra or cow hide look might be really fun.

Here's a really handsome table. It wouldn't take up a lot of volume in the room but the curlicues on the bottom are really too chunky in scale. It's also maybe a bit too formal. I could paint it but it's been impeccably refinished and I don't think I could bring myself to do that.

Another thing that really stands out here are the reasonable prices. Here's a chest that's got a great serpentine front and it's got an incredible alligatored finish that you just can't fake. It's also up on legs with wheels. On the other hand, I think it's a little too big and maybe it feels a little too "bedroomy." But at $38, I think it's a great piece that I can use somewhere.

Here's a great little chest. The size is perfect. The black might work but I think it would look great painted white with some new black or bronze drawer pulls. The thing I don't love about it, though, is it sits right down flat on the floor and I really wanted to have something with a lighter feel, a little air under it.I'm not looking for an end table but this piece with its graceful lines and unique lower shelf is need of a weekend makeover but for $28 is a great bargain. And below, these unique lamps which have been rewired are very reasonable at $18 for the pair.
I don't know if I've found the perfect pieces for the living room but I've found some things that I can make great use of for very little money so let me figure out what I love the most and how much I can pack in the car.