There’s a moment at every brocante where everything blurs together.
Tables piled high. Glass, linen, silver, wood. A thousand objects competing for your attention. And if you’re not careful, it becomes overwhelming very quickly.
But sourcing well isn’t about seeing everything, it’s about knowing what to ignore.
It Starts Before I Ever Arrive
Most people think sourcing begins at the market.
It doesn’t. It begins with a very clear understanding of what I’m looking for and how I want a collection to feel as a whole. Because I’m not buying random pieces, I’m building a story.
That means I’m already filtering before I even step foot into a brocante.
The First Pass: Fast, Intuitive, and Unemotional
When I arrive, I don’t stop at every table.
I walk around at a good pace. This first pass is about scanning:
- overall quality
- visual cohesion
- anything that immediately stands out
If something pulls me in, I take note. Truth be known, I'll stop and take a look. I know it's not ideal, but I can't help myself. Though this happens ONLY when something stops me in my tracks.
Because hesitation is where overwhelm creeps in.
What I’m Always Looking For
Over time, your eye sharpens. You start to recognize pieces almost instantly.
For me, I’m always drawn to:
-
Patina
Not just age, but evidence of life. Wear that feels natural, not forced. -
Shape and silhouette
A simple object with beautiful proportions will always win over something overly ornate. -
Materials that age well
Wood, ironstone, linen, stone. Pieces that feel better with time, not worse. -
Versatility
Can it live in multiple spaces? Can it be styled in more than one way? -
Emotional pull
This one matters more than people expect. If I pause, there’s usually a reason.
And What I Always Leave Behind
This is where most people struggle.
Because buying is easy. Editing is not.
I leave behind:
- items that feel trendy rather than timeless
- pieces that are “almost right”
- anything damaged beyond reasonable restoration
- objects that don’t align with the rest of the collection
And most importantly:
I leave behind things I feel unsure about.
Uncertainty is usually your answer.
The Biggest Shift: From Scarcity to Trust
At the beginning, there’s a fear that if you don’t buy it now, you’ll never see anything like it again, and sometimes that’s true.
But more often, that mindset leads to overbuying and regret.
The real shift happens when you trust that:
- there will always be more
- better pieces will come
- and your job is to choose well, not just choose quickly
This Is What Shapes the Collection
Every piece you see in a collection has already passed through this filter.
It’s not just about what was found, it’s about what was left behind.
And that’s the part most people never see.
If you’ve ever wondered how to develop your eye or feel more confident navigating a brocante, this is exactly what I teach inside my guides and sourcing experiences.