It has been a trend with interior designers to revive antique furniture in order to add that timeless classy look to modern interiors.
Furniture’s producers around the world have recently even revived the mid-century style and the traditional with a modern twist and the result has been very popular.
In Lebanon, beautiful antiques don’t lack as people tend to cherish and maintain family furniture they have inherited.
However, with the passing along of these pieces from generation to generation, many end in antique stores waiting for new owners to appreciate them and give them a new home.
And here are some of these stores where you can find them in and around Beirut if you are up to the thrill of hunting for these special pieces:
#1 Basta Antiques District
Located near downtown, Basta is Beirut’s largest and oldest antique district. It is renowned for its traditional antique shops inherited by their owners from older generations.
In this interesting market district, one can find a range of antique and vintage furniture and home decor, as well as Lebanese heritage items such as old photographs and wall arts.
Many also visit that district just for the fun of it, and the thrill of looking at items that remind them of their grandparents’ homes. Interior designers also seek that souk for antiques they can renovate or repurpose for their clients.
A word of caution: not all that you might come about in that souk are authentic antiques. Some are reproduction.
#2 Original Antique – Samir Alhajjeh & Sons
Founded in 1961, Original Antique is a Beirut-based shop selling mesmerizing antique couches, Islamic-style mirrors, curios, handcraft arts, mother-pearl-encrusted furniture, and other beauties from the past.
#3 Richelieu Antiquités
A place of fancy wonders from the past, Richelieu Antiquités is located in Ashrafieh and has a wide range of furniture and decor of which some date from the 17th century and others from the 18th and 19th centuries. Paintings, sculptures, vases, chandeliers, side tables, pendulums, cabinets, and more.
#4 Hijazi Antique
Hijazi Antique has been a hub since 1995 for vintage statues, mirrors, furniture, chandeliers, and clock sets, to name a few. It is located on the Independent Street in Beirut, facing Hawed Al Wilaya park.
#5 Des Antiquités Francaises
As the name suggests, the place specializes in French antiques but has a wide selection of European antiques. From furniture and wall art, like Goblin, mirrors, and engraved copper plates, to silver cutleries, fancy china like Limoges, and even old handmade dolls.
Des Antiquités Francaises is located in Ashrafieh and has also an outlet in Habbouch Nabatiyeh.
#6 Waked Antiques
This is an antique warehouse in Chiyah in Beirut, where you can hunt for unusual pieces you can renovate, from antique furniture, ancient chandeliers, and wall scones to sculptures, wall arts, vases, and some weird artisan items for those looking for rarities.
#7 Galerie XXe Siecle
For those who love prestigious midcentury pieces, Galerie XXe Siecle on Abdel Aal street in Hamra offers a fascinating collection of modern antiques and vintage furniture as well as design objects from the 50s and 70s; a pioneer in the field launched in 2002 by design enthusiasts Souheil and Hala Hanna who also create their own designs.
#8 Hamra Vintage
Located in Makdessi Street in Hamra, this “old curiosity store”, as it likes to call itself, provides a lot of antiquities and vintage-fashioned accessories that will make you travel back in time. It is one of the more active antique shops on instagram so you can do your shopping at home.
#9 Bazar Bizzare
Located in Yaazbek Street in Beirut, near Msaytbeh, Bazar Bizzare has a lot of rare vintage items and antiques, some of which will remind you of the things you’d find in your grandma’s house, from old water irons to sewing machines. They also have a lot of accessories that will give you the feeling of antiquity.
#10 Dépôt D’Antiques
Located in Verdun, Dépôt D’Antiques is owned by a passionate collector of antiques from all over the world. From Persian and Turkish rugs, French Sevres, and ancient revolvers, to wall arts and sculptures, and more, all were collected with a refined taste for elegant antiques.
#11 D’Ailleurs
At D’Ailleurs in Ashrafieh, on Ghandour Al Saad Street, you’ll find a mix of vintage jewelry & accessories and antique dinnerware, as well as chandeliers, sconces, mirrors, and some selected pieces of furniture.
#12 Samer’s Club
An antique store with an affinity to 19th-century European items, Samer’s Club is located in Achrafieh near Albergo Hotel, and has a wide variety of classic to rare antiques worth visiting the store for.
#13 ICON GL
One-of-a-kind store in Beirut, Icon Gl is the place to go for old, exquisite Christian Icons of Russian and Greek origins. If you inherited an old Russian or Freek icon and wish to know how old it is, the store offers general advice regarding its date, as well as restoration of old icons.
Icon Gl is located in Achrafied, on Abed el Wahab Inglizi Street.
#14 Al Hakim Antiques
Located in downtown Beirut, Al Hakim is particularly known for its variety of old and rare rugs and ancient ottomans items, from furniture to rare abayas, as well as Islamic manuscripts
