My friend Kristina and I had lunch at the Tea Room in the Lewisville Antique Store the other day! If you're not familiar with the Tea Rooms, there's a couple of Antique stores in the DFW area that have them! This was my first time to the Lewisville location, but I was just as impressed with my food! It's a great place for a quick, quality lunch, and a quiet relaxed atmosphere. The food is delicious... I had the chicken salad sandwich and a side of fruit... and of course, iced tea (I mean, it is a tea room!). Most adorable thing we saw... a young girl and her grandmother having a tea party, complete with old fashioned tea pot and fancy hat. Kristina and I could not stop talking about how sweet that was, and how much we still enjoy seeing children being CHILDREN and having fun, but at the same time, behaving remarkably and respectfully.
Just being in the Antique store made me think of my mom, and for perhaps the first time, I really REALLY appreciated the love of antiques that my mom has passed on. What used to be me tagging along behind her and looking at the boring "old" stuff, has now turned into me going to antique stores with my friends, browsing and admiring the gorgeous furniture. My appreciation has been growing over the years for more ornate and traditional design, and now it is stronger than ever! When I started college and began my degree, my taste was much more contemporary. I think part of me was rebelling against my mom's taste, just because I lived in her house with her style and once I was "on my own" I wanted style of my own.
But now I've come to understand the value in these antique stores. They are not just stores for older generations to shop and reminisce... it's important for my generation, and generations after me to see the value in these items... they come from an era when people cared about the work they did and the product they put forward. It was about making quality items that stand the test of time, not something that breaks every few years and you have to replace with a new one. Why is my generation so concerned with pumping out technology so fast, that nothing else matters? Why are people's eyes caught by glitz and glam instead of quality? Why are we all about a fast, to-go lunch instead of sitting with a friend or family member and really spending time together? Do you know how many people I know don't even get a lunch break at their job?! Too many.
This may not exactly be the most original post... not like no one has ever brought up this idea before... but really, does my generation care or not? Are you proud of the advances we have made or have we torn apart society where people don't even want to interact with each other and don't want to have furniture and clothing, etc that lasts? Am I truly "old-fashioned" for my ideas and likes, or is everyone else just too afraid to admit they miss when people cared? I miss people caring... I miss people having manners and being polite... I miss quality craftsmanship... I miss modesty and tradition... it wasn't THAT long ago...
It was really nice eating lunch with Kristina and browsing the store afterwards. We had our eyes on many gorgeous pieces of furniture, and I caught myself thinking how long that person spent on that piece and the love and sweat that went into it... and how unless people like me talk about this and pass on the respect we have for older generations and the beautiful labors of love they gave us, pretty soon everything will be crap that breaks. If my mom had never taught me anything about antiques and didn't proudly display them in her own home, where would my design style be today? Maybe I wouldn't have even studied interior design! My style has grown from a love of contemporary to an appreciation for eclectic design, mixing antiques and newer items. I can thank my mom for that. And I can't wait until the day when I have more space and I will begin my collection of antique furniture, just like my mom. I'd love to start with this piece, spotted at the Lewisville Antique shop on Friday... gorgeous Art Deco piece! I look forward to investing in my designs and not just filling my rooms with the design trends and redecorating every few years. Quality always wins!
