Interior designer Nick Olsen boasts an impressive professional pedigree: in addition to landing his apartment on the cover of Domino magazine before the age of 25, he also served as the protege of uber-high-end decorator Miles Redd before launching his own design company, Nick Olsen, Inc. But it’s his down-to-earth, do-it-yourself approach to interiors that really has us charmed. As the author of an eponymous style blog (and prior to that, a column called “Deal Hunter” that he penned for Domino's website), Olsen has made it his mission to share tips and tricks for outfitting your home on the cheap—and chic. As such, he counts eBay as one of his go-to resources.
“I’m obsessed with bargains, and I’m always trying to see the potential in something,” says Olsen, who often combs eBay for items he can refurbish himself. Chairs—such as the antique, Louis XIV-style armchair he recently bought, sanded, and repainted—are a particular fixation: “I see a lot of potential in chairs with ugly upholstery but great bones,” he says. Olsen, a self-described “maximalist” who loves strong color and pattern and “tends toward traditional furniture paired with modern accessories,” says one of his most reliable search terms is “Maison Jansen,” a Parisian decorating house founded in 1880 that specialized in beautifully made reproduction pieces. “And even though I hate to admit it, “Hollywood Regency” is another good search term, since so many people tag their stuff that way,” he says, referring to the now-ubiquitous decorating style. To streamline shipping costs, Olsen suggests bookmarking favorite local sellers—you may even find one with a warehouse near you so you can inspect goods before committing to the purchase.
When it comes to tracking down hidden gems, Olsen says it helps to “train the eye of the beholder to notice a level of style and a level of refinement” by scrutinizing the furniture in auction house catalogs, shelter magazines, design books, and top-end stores. While shopping for items to rehab, “Pay attention to details like the carving on a wood chair—it’s obviously not good if they were hacked at with a hacksaw. And with a modern piece, look for clean, crisp edges,” he advises. Olsen goes on to declare, “Style comes first, construction comes second,” when he’s making eBay acquisitions. “I can always do repairs—or if I can’t, it’s not that hard to find a guy who can shore up a chair,” he says, and recommends asking around at local antiques stores or with upholsterers to get referrals for carpenters.
In addition, the avid collector looks to eBay for everything from Roman busts and sculptures of torsos, vintage magazines (“I’m desperate to find the Richard Avedon Harper’s Bazaar with Jean Shrimpton on the cover in a pink space suit,”), used cars (“I look at vintage Mercedes’ for inspiration,”) and celadon or peacock blue pottery. Artwork is also high on Olsen’s list: “I search for artists I like, like Cy Twombly, Franz Kline, or Sonya Delauney. I don’t expect to find an original, but a lot of times people advertise their work in relation to other artists.” Here, we called on the New Yorker to reveal his current favorite eBay finds, and to weigh in on what’s hot (and not!) in interior design.
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