This week’s delightful guest blogger is Linsi Brownson of Inspired Design Daily.

To preface tomorrow’s post on finding cool things at flea markets I thought I would share my reasons for spending so much time shopping for “old stuff”‘.

Really, they just don’t make ‘em like they used to.  The quality of things made by hand is almost always greater than mass-production.  And while we can get artisan made goods these days, the comparative price is vastly different.  Today handcrafted products are at a premium – you have to pay to make up for the fact that they could have used a machine and made 10 times as many in the same amount of time.  In days past, people were paid a lot less for their work because they required a lot less to live comfortably.  These days it basically comes down to price vs quality.  A balance is good, but I usually vote quality.

I’m also a big fan of objects with character.  Don’t get me wrong, I love clean lines and simple layouts, but I like my home to feel lived in and show signs of age.  I like to mix old and new, to cultivate (there’s that word again) a style that’s inviting and comfortable.  A little rust or a couple scratches shows that something has a story, and I like stories.

Yes, I love old stuff.  Maybe it’s because I’m getting older..maybe I just like being around things that are older than me – like my husband (hopefully he thinks that’s funny too).  Who knows.