in-Site: Factory20.com

Thanks to the popularity of shows like “Oddities” and a growing generational concern for preserving artisanal design and quasi-antiques, it’s a seller’s market in the realm of industrial home decor. Salvaged mercantile furniture, farm utensils, decaying ephemera culled from estate sales — it’s all in high demand, and at high prices. Even IKEA is selling the idea of “rustic” back to us, like they innovated it. But the best place to find rare gems will always be to go to direct to the source. Factory20.com does an excellent job selecting and curating very unique, obscure furnishings from around the world. Based quietly in Virginia, their domain operates as a subtle but powerful hub for serious collectors. Among the findings currently featured: a Winnblat Zinc drawing table from the 1880s, a Victorian double-headed bookstand, a Paul Rand cigar box, some very creepy sculpted hands. You can contact them directly for purchase or await a delivery of mystery goods to your area (for the New York City region, they do this on a semi-monthly basis). Definitely among the more unique purveyors we’ve discovered, and definitely worth browsing.