For me, it was a pair of scissors. I spotted them across the store and bee-lined to the counter. They were everything I'd ever wanted in scissors but didn't know it: hand-forged carbonized steel blades, handsome brass handles and just enough patina to recall their Indian heritage.
Substantial yet elegant, they had enough heft to make any cutting job a breeze but still fit my small hand like a glove. When the blades closed, it was with a smooth, balanced motion and a satisfying snap.
But the price tag was...well, a lot. Enough to give me pause. It had been a particularly stressful week, finance-wise, and doubts began to quell my initial excitement. I already had scissors, many pairs of perfectly functional (albeit less pretty) scissors. I stood in that store for what seemed like an hour, my brain and heart fighting each other in the battle of the shears.
I left them there. I walked out of that store, truly believing I was doing the responsible thing, the adult thing. It may sound silly, but when someone asks me about my regrets, those scissors always pop into my mind. They've come to exemplify the idea that I should have listened to my gut, not my head. I think about that moment all the time, when I chose practicality over beauty. I understand my choice but now, looking back, I don't agree with it. My attraction was so immediate and their pull so strong that there must have been a reason. And yet, I ignored my own intuition.
Like any good tragic hero, I realized my mistake too late and, when I returned to the store, it'd gone out of business. I'd missed my chance.
What was your one that got away? When have you, for one reason or another, ignored your intuition and then regretted it? Maybe, in a fit of spring cleaning, you gave away a retro lamp that would now work perfectly with your new décor. Maybe in a thrift store, you didn't think you'd ever get around to restoring that Danish sideboard you saw for $20 and now desperately need one. Tell us your most heart breaking stories.
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An abstract sculpture in stone of a woman with long hair. It was too expensive for me but of course I didn't understand that those particular artists don't ever create the same image again (if I had, I would have bought it, I would have eaten ramen for 5 years straight). I don't even have to close my eyes and I still can see every detail of that sculpture...
For me it was a half-wrecked oil painting in an antique store. I've convinced myself it was a Stubbs, famous British painter of horses. It was a horse and jockey, very traditional, stylized. Surface was cracking and flaking and I carried it around the store for about an hour and then gave it back. I reconsidered, came back a few hours later and it was sold! I know I missed out big time.
A Texasware plastic confetti mixing bowl. The woman running the garage sale wanted $8 for it and, at the time, I thought that was too much. Sigh.
Oooh. For me it's an entire house:
http://thenestinggame.com/2011/06/28/the-one-that-got-away/
I've seen those gorgeous scissors before, though. Not sure why I would ever need them but I understand the siren's song.
A set of 12 Fire King Jadeite coffee mugs in perfect condition for $10 at a flea market back in the late '90s. Although it was early in the day, I was already carrying a bunch of stuff and didn't want to lug them around as well (they were boxed), so I decided to come back mid-day. Of course they were long gone by then. I priced them on eBay not long ago...yikes. Definitely not a bargain these days.
a vintage albino doe mount. her eyes were mauve. she was beautiful. but then reality set in: rent was due.
A sweet little cast iron Oriole stove or heater at a flea market. Two feet tall. I was in love. It was $25 and we were short on cash that week. It was the only thing the guy had on his table and I think it about it all the time. It has to be twenty years ago now. *swoon*
An Antique spinning wheel at the thrift store. I visited it many times!!! Now it's gone:(
This has happened to me a lot, especially while traveling. Limitations like money and packing space always get in the way.
At my local Goodwill I often see really cool things. There was an amazing set of wooden cube-shelves that was already sold... luckily I found a similar set a few months later. A big wardrobe with Chinese paintings all over it (also sold, and I wouldn't have anywhere to put it anyway). There was a cow skull there once that I agonized over and finally left, but then went after the next morning (it was gone). And a huge green glass jar with a cork lid. I was really drawn to it, but couldn't think of anything I could do with it. After a few days I had come up with numerous uses, but by then someone else had bought it. Sigh... There will be other cow skulls and beautiful jars in the future...
An elaborately painted 18th century sedan chair (yes, really).
I had nowhere to put it and sure didn't have the $14,000 (!!!) that it cost, but it still haunts me.
For me, it was a vintage toaster that only toasted one slice of bread.
A hammered silver vase/jar with a lovely patina and a windmill mark on the bottom, at a San Francisco garage sale. I was out of cash so skipped it, but it it was so, so lovely it keep creeping into my thoughts. I finally looked up the windmill mark online so I could maybe find one on ebay. It was a Dirk Van Erp! Not likely to find another for $20 anytime soon!
These!!!!!!!!!!! http://www.etsy.com/listing/88523678/lightolier-mid-century-1960s-eames-style
Not me, buy my mom: She was on the waiting list for Sam Maloof to produce a table back in the mid-80s. When her name was finally called in late 80s she balked at the $7,000 (or so) price and passed. Maloof lived nearby and was already internationally recognized. Regardless of what it's worth now, those tables are stunning and would have been built by a true 20th Century woodworking master.
For me, it was the Edison Chandelier from Pottery Barn. It's no longer available - didn't it know I had been waiting for MONTHS to buy it? A couple of weeks later it popped up on eBay and I snagged it quick. It's installed and it's been totally worth the trouble with its spider-y, industrial goodness: http://www.gohausgo.com/2012/02/edison-installed/
My former in laws (yes, it was the beginning of the end even then) had just shut down their business and when my ex and I were at the bar that was right next door to their old restaurant, I saw an old steel army desk in the by the back door. I was like, "Isn't that your dad's? He's throwing it away!?" I insisted that we take it (it also just so happens that we had a van with us). My then hubby said "Let's grab something to eat first and we'll come back and get it" I told him I thought someone would snag it. He said it had been there for days, trust him, it'll be there. I reluctantly agreed. You know how the story ends already, right? 25 minutes later, we're back, the desk is GONE. I never let him live it down and now we're divorced. True story.
A buttery yellow hand-made purse in super soft leather. It's been 7 years and I'm still kicking myself.
A huge gold-leafed miroir soleil -- sunburst mirror -- at the Clignancourt flea market. I found it the last day of my vacation, and the vendor would not take a credit card, and the ATM would not work!! ARGHHH! This was years ago, and though I now have a collection of sunburst mirrors on my dining room wall, none is as magnificent as that one, which I think about with regret every time I look at that wall. And even if I could find one as fabulous, the price on those things has skyrocketed in recent years, making the Paris one an insane bargain by comparison, so, double-ARGHHH! Sigh ... the one that got away ...
@Emily - I nearly had a stroke buying the Edison, but I have it (still boxed, awaiting rest of room's restoration. yes, it's been awhile ;)
The one that got away: a carved elephant cigarette dispenser - you turned the tail and a cigarette came out through a hatch in the belly. one of a kind, no doubt but too pricey for my very very young self. Alas, was gone two days later when I returned. 20 years later and still remember it!
An absolutely charming antique stone cow from India at a furniture store in SoHo. It was love at first sight and I could afford it, but I was too cheap to treat myself. When I went back to buy it it was gone, later replaced by much less attractive ones at twice the price. I still miss it.
A 1940s or 30s drawing of a man by a bridge in a stunning perspective that I could have won on eBay but didn't.
But someone is enjoying it just as much or more, I'm sure.
PS ~ just writing about this feels better!
A house.
We were just talking about it this weekend.
Not only was it the dumbest financial move on our part (based in my husband's caution), but it would have been the best reno project. Something to really sink our teeth into.
It was a beautiful 3 story brick house in central Ottawa. I fell in love with the basement -- which was solid and clean, the best looking basement I had ever seen in a house that age (and I've seen many!). The house had high ceilings, and the original plaster walls and moldings. It was a virgin, not touched by anybody's tasteless and misguided renovations. It would have been so much fun!
It was only $185,000, but at the time we gulped at the price. And I was going through chemo...
A year or so later, it came back on the market -- for $385,000. Renovated.
God, I practically burst into tears when I saw it. The people who bought it added a tacky Mexican tiled "spa" to a 3rd floor master "retreat" they created out of a former apartment. The stuck in a cheap (cheap, cheap, cheap) kitchen in, with a countertop cutting off a window. They ripped out the beautiful plaster, and slapped up wallboard. It was horrible. And so cheap looking.
I cried for the house, and for us.
And now, 12 years later, that same house would sell for around $1 million. And no way can we buy a million dollar home. But, if we had taken that risk, we could be in a position to do so.
ouch, reading some of these posts is really depressing!
For me it was a lovely honey colored dresser at the antique store. I had measurements I wanted to fit so all of my clothing would be well stored. It was just a little bit too small. I haven't been able to find one that fits my measurements and I'm so disappointed that I'll have to settle for too small and it isn't that lovely honey colored dresser. The price tag was prefect too!
Totally a pair of '70s looking brick red heeled oxfords at Brooklyn flea for $50. I didn't even try them on--because I knew I would have to buy them if they fit--and I was trying to save money before a big move. They were the most beautiful shoes though, and I'm still trying to find their equivalent.
Oof, some of these were fun to read and others truly painful!
When my dad first arrived in America, he found a set of first edition Mark Twain books at a yard sale. The whole set was just $100, but he literally didn't have a penny. He told me he actually cried because he knew how valuable they were but there was no way he could somehow make $100 appear out of thin air at that moment. Of course somebody got a real treasure.
Just the right little black purse, in Canada. The hotel we stayed at even had a 20% off coupon to their store, but the price tag was a bit too much for me since we were already spending money on the trip, and I didn't want to pay customs on it. "I'll just get it at the USA Roots store when I get home," I thought, then discovered that the US store didn't carry them at all and it was already sold out online. Gaaaahh! Still haven't found the perfect black purse and it's been 4-5 years.
I really fell in love with this pale ocean blue sofa, but at the very last minute I chickened out and ordered the same sofa in cream. It's comfortable, but I always wish I had stuck with my gut and ordered it in blue. Now I have this sofa that just won't die! I almost wish it wasn't such good quality so that I could replace it sooner. I've compensated by adding nice blue throws.
Buyer's remorse has nothing on not-buyer's remorse.
@LUCIA G I googled Texasware confetti because it sounded familiar, and I just realized that there were a bunch of their cafeteria-looking trays set out for free at my work the other day (there is a photo studio here and they are constantly clearing out their props to make room for new ones). I thought they looked kind of barfy and I don't really need trays, so I passed by on them, but now I feel kind of bad knowing that there are people out there who might actually love them.
I honestly have sort of stopped passing on objects at this point; I shop at thrift stores, so most things are cheap enough that I can just get them, and if I change my mind either return them for a refund, or return them to the donation bin. I used to have a ton of things like this that I regretted and ached for, but now I have ended up with so many things I love that any more would just be clutter. I hadn't even realized I had let go of missing out on all of the beautiful things form my past until now. Weird.
Oh Horror Vacui, you are so right.
An incredible Indonesian water table with frogs leaping from lily pads set in the perimeter. At the time, I was a busted broke student and couldn't see past my looming deficit. A Chinese antique seller's warehouse in Surabaya full of vintage toys, medical supplies, poster art, sculpture, furniture and more, that so overwhelmed me that I all I could do was wander around endlessly, visit after visit, trying to make up my mind about anything I could fit in my student's backpack and bring home when my elective was done. I most reget the vintage medical ad posters. Sigh.
A pair of thonet bentwood office chairs. I got a set of four (matching) and there were two that were the same model/stylebut from a different set and were in slightly rougher condition. I could have had six perfect chairs for a dining. I went back to get the two...but they were gone.
A matching set of drapes to the ones I bought at one of the fleas in Paris. I wasn't sure they were going to work, and just the one pair was already incredibly heavy (velvet, and lined, and insanely long), and it was just me walking and Metro-ing it between there and home...so I bought the one pair and when I got home and realized how perfect they were I knew I had to go back for the other pair. I was at the vendor's stall as early as possible the next morning and they were gone, of course. C'est la vie.
I have two - both because I was being stingy. One was a fabulous French sofa that needed refurb. Found it on eBay, and bid and bid for it. Gave myself a limit. When I lost out, I decided that limit was ridiculous. I did the same thing bidding for a beautiful deco upright piano once. I regret both. Sometimes you just have to put the cash down.
Silver gilded candle holder made of antlers at Home Goods. It was probably 30$ but I didn't have a job at the time so I passed. Went back a week later and there were none left. I still look every time I am there even though this was 3 years ago.
Oh, le sigh.
I just had a conversation about this very thing.
A PreWay cone fireplace... for $50. FIFTY.
I knew it would cost significantly more to install in my currently fireplace-less house, and now I dream of sitting in front of those flames.
Interesting how many of these were antiques or flea market treasures...
For me there was a pristine antique paisley shawl for $25 when I was poor just out of college and couldn't justify it. I never again saw one in ANY condition under about $100, and many much much more...
Another time it was a pair of gorgeous art deco boudoir lamps with reclining female figures holding faceted "Moravian Star" style glass shades... maybe I DIDN'T have a place for them, but they haunt me anyhow...
A beautiful Damascene box at a shop in Spain (too costly) and a set of fox sculptures from a flea market in Japan (too heavy to carry around and to ship back to the US). Oh well.
A pair of Adrian Pearsall wingback chairs on ebay, acid green (my favorite), listed as local pickup only in my relatively small metro area. I thought they were overpriced, and besides, the midcentury modern stuff on Craigslist and ebay in my local area mostly just sits there, and also besides, how many people would want acid green? I figured when they didn't sell I'd make the seller an offer. They sold.
An antique copper bathtub with a walnut surround. It was only $200. I could have installed it and used it but I convinced myself it was impractical, though it turns out they are wonderful to bathe in - copper retains warmth or something.
This was probably 20 years ago, and I've kicked myself ever since.
An armoire my mother bought in Saskatchewan a long time ago and restored -- it was totally chip carved by hand. I used to imagine a Ukrainian farmer working on it through many a long prairie winter ... My mother sold it, not knowing I adored it.
The perfect house 4 years ago. Our loan application was basically thrown away because of the whole housing crash, I drove by it the other day hoping the people there would be putting in on the market sometime soon so we can have it
A cream colored '72 Toyota Land Cruiser 40 series. It was a steal at $4000. I was single at the time and it would have been the best irresponsible purchase ever. It was 12 years ago and I still think about it.
This big, beautiful dining room table. Never mind the fact that I didn't have a dining room at the time and had no where to put it. It was a rustic wood with glass overlay and through the class you could see heavy, knotted metal in a sort of Celtic but not quite design. It looked like a cross between something from a castle and something from Restoration Hardware. Loved it!
Of course it was at an antique furniture auction, so I'll never be seeing that puppy again!
A gorgeous copper floor lamp. I told myself it was too expensive, but I could have bought it. My mother visited, we went to the antique store, and she bought it out from under me. It's been almost 20 years, and I still have to look at it every time I walk into her living room. She uses an ugly glass shade, too. Damn.
Scratchboard artwork of an octopus wrapped around a man's arm. It wasn't cheap, and hadn't learned to tell the difference between "THIS IS MEANT FOR ME" and "I feel like buying something, that's cute!"
This also happened with another piece of artwork, which I rediscovered several years later for sale at a different gallery and bought instantly.
Carter wavy sectional from the 1980s. Got on Craigslist in 2006 for free in near pristine condition, just some sun damage (clearly had been sitting in a formal living room). I owned it for one year, downsized to a tiny apartment, and it had to go...
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o150/rouar/DSC01672.jpg
A dress on ebay. Forever21, so not valuable or even high quality, but it hit all the right buttons for me. I was the only bidder until the last day, but I didn't bid high enough, and went to a seminar that I slept through rather than keeping an eye on the auction, so failed to bid higher when another bidder actually appeared.
What else... I guess I don't really have many lingering regrets wrt furniture!
This really creepy and almost gross looking ceramic penguin with its head pointed up and its mouth open, I guess a small vase. I think I was smart to stop bidding once that weird thing went above a hundred bucks, someone else clearly likes incredibly ugly things too! Unless it possibly (and unbelievably) had investment value, in that case double damn
A house in Japanese style here in SF East Bay. It was a foreclosure and went for $750K ( I KNOW, a LOT), but previous sale was for $1.9Mil. NO WAY we could afford that, and there were high voltage line very very nearby.... nevertheless... Three years later I still dream about it.
The most recent - Japanese Lacquered Jubako set, which was on eBay for a year or so, and when I finally braced myself to spend $300, it is GONE!
Also Japanese painted folding screen (byobu) for $60 from craigs. GONE within one day
Vintage trench coat at Salvation Army. No price tag on it = no sale AND it got sent back to "headquarters" for pricing. First time in my life I considered shoplifting. In hindsight I should have offered as much I was willing to pay for it ($100?...)
An antique oriental carpet. It was beautiful and unique, and I wish I had just snapped it up instead of hesitating about where it would go in our house. It would have made any room look lovely.
OK, this is a fun (and painful) post. I love reading that I'm not the only one...
For me, it was a stunning art deco vanity - complete with walnut and mother of pearl inlay, a voluptuously-round mirror, and the sweetest tufted matching stool. All in perfect condition. It was $85 (1989) and while it was probably negotiable down to about $75 since art deco really wasn't the "thing" in Southern Indiana at the time, there were two problems:
1. I was a student (read: broke)
2. I owned a scooter as my sole means of transport. I didn't know a soul with a truck.
3. See reason #1 (repeat aloud, with ramen noodles in hand)
It sat there for a year while I slowly saved my change (really) and debated whether it was worth buying a piece of furniture I'd have to store somewhere since it wouldn't fit in my dorm. It disappeared soon after. I still dream about that piece.
These things happen to me often, so generally I trust my gut now and snatch up something that I *NEED* immediately (even if I have to borrow money from someone). I also found the value of putting things on hold, even some antique stores will do it for you if you act really sad (haha) and using ebay saved searches. I almost made a huge mistake when I was purchasing my new dish set and bought a little bit at a time because I couldn't afford to buy it all at once, and then of course the plates sold out EVERYWHERE. I freaked out and searched online for days and finally found them for sale on a partially under construction website that looked suspicious, but I ordered them anyway and they did, in fact arrive!
Now I feel good about ignoring my boyfriends' comments of "you wont be able to ship that back to Australia" after purchasing a beautiful framed photograph at the Brooklyn flea that he assured wouldn't make it through customs. I had to guard my carry on luggage with my life and broke into a sweat as the customs official approached but it was worth it and I'd do it again!!
A two-tier small cherry wood table with cabriole legs in Goodwill that would've worked so well in my tv room. It also went so well with my other furniture. And it was just $9.99!!! I could just kick myself for being so crazy ad short-sighted.
Dana_C, for what reasons couldn't a photo possibly make it past customs? Just curious.
An Adrian Pearsall sofa priced at around $600 or $700. I actually saw him here on the Scavenger feature. He was somewhere in the Midwest, and I am in NYC. I knew that the distance wouldn't keep me from him, even with the freight shipping prices. He was long (8 feet) and wide enough to sleep on (those pretty boy couches are usually diminutive), upholstered in gray velvet and teak legs. The seller did not let our romance bloom, and sold it to someone locally (totally understand, especially with all those craigslist scammers trying to "pay" remotely). I don't regret it - I fought for him as much as I could.
Mid-century modern credenza for $60 at Goodwill. It was in perfect condition but I didn't have a way to transport it home. Makes me sad every time I see one in a house tour.