Good Buy: What’s In, What’s Outand What Is Quietly Heading for the Door
The estate-sale trend report for September 2026
Trends are fickle things. One minute everyone wants a teak credenza, a handmade pottery vase and enough macramé to trap a small giraffe. The next minute, buyers walk past them as if they have just spotted an ex at Trader Joe’s.
Here is what appears to be coming in, what is slipping out and what you should grab if you see it at an estate sale.
Going Out—or At Least Heading That Way
Generic Mid-Century Modern
Before Palm Springs revokes my residency, let me explain.
Mid-century modern is not dead. Great designers, exceptional construction and genuinely unusual pieces will always have buyers. But the market is flooded with ordinary MCM-style furniture. Not every brown cabinet with tapered legs is a “rare Danish credenza.” Sometimes it is simply a brown cabinet with tapered legs.
Buyers are becoming more selective. Named designers, quality materials, excellent condition and unusual forms still sell. The generic pieces—especially large dining sets, bulky hutches and mass-produced reproductions—are getting harder to move.
Handmade Pottery
Handmade pottery once sold simply because it was handmade. Now buyers want something more: a known maker, a distinctive glaze, an unusual shape or enough personality to justify giving it shelf space.
The anonymous brown pot with three stripes around the middle is struggling. We have all seen it. Many of us have owned it. Some families appear to have bred them.
Distinctive, signed and sculptural ceramics can still do very well—but “handmade” alone is no longer a magic word.
Jere-Style Wire Wall Sculptures
Metal boats, flocks of birds and sprawling wire wall hangings had a very good run. Curtis Jeré originals and particularly desirable designs may retain collector interest, but the market is tiring of the many generic metal sculptures inspired by them.
The large sailing ship made from twisted wire may be impressive, but it also requires a very large wall—and possibly its own harbor.
Clowns
Clowns remain a difficult sell. Paintings of clowns, porcelain clowns, musical clowns and clowns sitting sadly on park benches all tend to generate the same buyer response: “That’s interesting,” followed by a rapid move toward the nearest exit.
Ironically, Pinterest’s 2026 “FunHaus” trend includes circus-inspired interiors, vintage posters and playful shapes. But even the trend coverage advises leaving the clown nose behind. Circus chic may be in. A porcelain clown staring at you while you sleep is still very much out. ELLE Decor’s Pinterest trend report
Macramé Wall Hangings
The enormous cream-colored macramé hanging—with wooden beads and enough fringe to sweep the floor—is losing momentum.
Textural, handmade décor is still popular, particularly when it has cultural authenticity or strong design. But mass-produced “boho” macramé has become the farmhouse sign of the fiber world. We have seen it. We understand it. We may now release it.
What’s Hot
Art Deco and Neo Deco
Art Deco is back, but it has had a little work done. The new version mixes 1920s glamour with modern interiors: chrome, fan shapes, geometric mirrors, marble, lacquer and elegant bar carts.
Pinterest reported a 100% increase in searches for antique bar carts, while 1stDibs found growing interest in antiques and pieces from the 1920s through the 1950s. Look for cocktail cabinets, sculptural lighting, sunburst mirrors, chrome accessories and anything that suggests someone might serve a martini without first asking whether you would prefer oat milk. 1stDibs 2026 Designer Trends Survey
Chrome and Polished Steel
After years of brass, gold and more brass, cooler metals are returning. Vintage chrome lamps, cantilever chairs, barware, tubular furniture and Space Age accessories are looking fresh again.
The Asheford Institute of Antiques identifies vintage chrome and polished steel as a breakout category for 2026, particularly 1960s and 1970s lighting and furniture. Apparently, the future looks remarkably like 1974. Asheford Institute’s 2026 vintage trends
Murano and Sculptural Glass
Murano-glass lighting, mushroom lamps, opalescent glass and bold sculptural pieces are strong. Buyers are looking for color, movement and objects that catch the light.
Do check labels, signatures and construction before announcing that every colorful glass bowl was hand-carried from Venice by an Italian countess. It may have come from HomeGoods in 2007.
Brown Furniture
Yes, brown furniture is coming back.
Good mahogany, walnut and cherry pieces—especially chests, side tables, library tables and smaller cabinets—are benefiting from renewed interest in English country-house style. Buyers want warmth, patina and furniture that looks as though it has survived several generations and knows where the family secrets are buried.
This does not mean every enormous china cabinet will sell. Scale still matters. A beautiful chest of drawers can fit into modern life. A twelve-foot breakfront may require modern life to move out.
Brutalist Furniture and Sculpture
Heavy wood, rough metal, concrete, carved surfaces and dramatic sculptural forms are attracting attention. Brutalist pieces work particularly well as a single strong statement in an otherwise calm room.
Look for unusual lamps, carved cabinets, metal sculptures and furniture with texture and architectural weight. If it resembles something a stylish Bond villain might own, take a closer look.
Whimsical and Surreal Objects
Buyers increasingly want pieces that start conversations: trompe-l’oeil ceramics, animal candlesticks, strange clocks, oversized objects and décor that is clever, humorous or just slightly peculiar.
A ceramic cabbage tureen? Possibly fabulous.
A lamp shaped like a monkey holding a lightbulb? There may be a buyer.
A clown playing the accordion? Let us not get carried away.
Vintage Textiles and Quilts
Early quilts, suzani textiles, adire cloth, Berber-style rugs and distinctive woven pieces are gaining attention. They bring pattern, craftsmanship and color into rooms without requiring anyone to buy another giant piece of furniture.
Authenticity, age, workmanship and condition matter. “Vintage inspired” is not the same as vintage, no matter how enthusiastically the label uses the word heritage.
Curves, Skirts and Statement Seating
Curved furniture, unusual silhouettes, wicker, rattan and skirted chairs are all showing strength in designer surveys. A chair no longer has to expose all four legs to be fashionable. After years in exile, the furniture skirt has returned—rested, refreshed and ready to hide whatever is underneath.
The Real Rule: Buy the Best Version
Trends can help, but they are not commandments engraved on a marble cocktail table.
A wonderful mid-century chair will still beat a mediocre Art Deco reproduction. An exceptional piece of handmade pottery will outsell an ordinary chrome lamp. Quality, condition, maker, scale and price still matter.
The safest buy is something that is well made, distinctive and useful—or so gloriously strange that you cannot stop looking at it.
And if you genuinely love the macramé owl, buy it.
Just don’t tell people it is an investment.