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Antiques & Modern
Categories: Home Services Interior Design Shopping Antiques Shopping Home & Garden Furniture Stores Interior Design, Antiques, Furniture Stores [Edit]
3017 Adeline StBerkeley, CA 94703
Serving Berkeley and surrounding area
Neighborhood: South Berkeley
(510) 228-5321
- Hours:
Tue-Fri 11:30 am - 5 pm
Sat-Sun 11 am - 5 pm
- Price Range:
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$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- By Appointment Only:
- No
- Dogs Allowed:
- Yes
13 reviews for Antiques & Modern
Review Highlights
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"...narrow expandable vintage dining room table I was looking..." In 3 reviews -
"He definitely takes good care of these vintage pieces." In 3 reviews -
"...just bought a teak credenza that is unbelievably beautiful..." In 1 review
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13 reviews in English
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Review from Lee H.
2/15/2012
This is a great place if you're on the hunt for mid-century furniture. Don't let the small showroom fool you, there's a whole other dimension to Antiques & Modern in the back. The sales person will take you through the front room, out the back door and down a path leading to the backyard, which depending on the weather, may or may not be strewn with pieces of furniture on display. Once through the backyard, you will be taken into a warehouse stacked full of furniture that's in various states of repair. Some pieces are in great shape, others are in need of TLC. The owner, Chris refinishes and refurbishes everything and will quote you a price that includes the refinishing work if you're not a DIY type of person. If you're on a mission for a particular piece, they will point you in the right direction to several options in the mountain of furniture in the warehouse.
For months I had been looking for a credenza to use as a TV stand and was particular about dimensions. It seemed as though I was visiting Antiques & Modern at least four times a month and Chris was always quick to email me when he received a new shipment or came across a credenza. He and his staff are personable, helpful and easy to talk to about all things mid-century.
I didn't end up buying my credenza from Chris, but will continue to casually shop at Antiques & Modern - the unexpected oasis of mid-century furniture in South Berkeley. -
Review from Philip H.
San Francisco, CA
5/22/2012
This place has some great pieces but the service is HORRIBLE!!!!!!
Way too much attitude and not enough help.
Stuff is way over priced!
We walked out of there feeling like our money just wasn't good enough for these guys.
Here's the long and complicated story.
My partner and I were the only customer in the showroom on a rainy weekend and the owner and three other staff/friends were just sitting around on the couches chatting about who knows what. When we walked in we felt like we were rudely interrupting a gathering.
It would have been nice to hear "Welcome to our shop, if there's anything we can help you with or if you have any questions, just let us know."
But no, that wasn't the case.
It was like pulling teeth to get information out of Chris Howard (the owner) about some of the furniture. We were looking specifically for a mid century chair and told them what we were looking for, even showed them pictures, and the owner's friend was like "I have a friend with that exact chair"....and we were ecstatic, because we'd been searching for this specific antique chair to complete a set of chairs that was inherited from passed away family members for almost two years. (I told them the entire back story too)
We told them it didn't matter what they wanted for it, money was no option, because we just wanted the chair. They didn't seem too eager to help connect us with the guy they knew with the chair, which is understandable because that wasn't going to immediately lead to business for them, but how short sighted is that?!
I was picking up on his lack of interest so I confirmed that if he helped us get the chair, which we couldn't buy from him since he didn't have it to sell anyways, we would bring them our upholstery business once we got all the chairs, because we needed to have them refinished. That, and if someone goes out of their way and is really helpful, the next time you need to purchase something, there's a good chance you're going to go back to the person who was helpful and knowledgable because you inherently want to return the favor.
The owner was like "whatever" as if my several hundred dollars worth of refinishing work wasn't worth the time. WHY DO YOU OFFER SERVICES THAT YOU DON'T HAVE AN INTEREST IN SELLING?!!!!!!
He was a total queen (and I'm gay I can say that) with a snobby attitude. The more we asked about some of the larger pieces (that were way overpriced) the less interested he was in helping us....and it was like crickets in there.
He ended up telling us to email him in a week and he'd let us know what the status of the chair is. We emailed him a week later and he said he was still working on it, but didn't have much to say. We followed up a few days later and he just never responded. -
Review from Linda M.
5/18/2011
Antiques & Modern is small, but packed full of mid century furniture, some cool light fixtures and even a few pieces of art. In addition to the store, follow the gravel path to the warehouse out back to see more furniture that can be fixed up and customized with your fabric choices, etc. Cash or check only.
I'd initially found A&M through something they listed on CL, then Toni M. recommended them too, so I headed over the first weekend I could. Chris had just the narrow expandable vintage dining room table I was looking for. In the shop he had paired it with a great set of chairs in a vintage fabric (unfortunately not my color scheme). He was knowledgeable, low pressure, went out of his way to email me pics and was responsive to my emails to him. A real pleasure to work with. It's really him that gives the store that final 5th star.
He's now on the lookout for a set of chairs that will complement the two I already have to use as end chairs.Listed in: Project House
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Review from Pete H.
Oakland, CA
3/12/2012
After a bit of a speed bump and miscommunication, a gentleman called me and apologized profusely. That was a very courteous thing to do. Oversights happen. He was VERY receptive to my feedback. He also explained that in the case of Antiques and Modern, the term 'mid-century' refers exclusively to Danish furniture. I think this was a bit unclear in the Restorations section of the website. Nevertheless, something tells me that these folks are terrific at what they do. Although my furniture isn't Danish, I'd use them in a minute if it were.
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Review from Tom P.
San Francisco, CA
10/26/2011
This store has a pretty amazing selection of beautiful things. The staff are super friendly and genuine too. I just bought a teak credenza that is unbelievably beautiful at a rock-bottom price. Chris delivered the piece with a friend in-person to make sure that it fit through my tiny front door and lobby. So glad I found this place and will keep returning again and again.
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Review from Michelle W.
Danville, CA
9/9/2011
I had a wonderful experience working with Chris and the staff at Antiques & Modern.
I am in the middle of converting a playroom to a study and was in search of the most perfect desk chairs. I happened to find them at Antiques & Modern.
Chris directed me to a pair of mid-century, modern aluminum klismos. Very unique and ultra cool! I could see that with a little upholstery facelift they would be good as new. Two months later, I received them re-finished and re-upholstered. They are beautiful and well-worth the wait!
I also had 6 Scandinavian dining chairs re-upholstered in a Knoll fabric. His workroom did a fantastic job!
I'm pretty picky about having stuff like this done. Chris is incredibly professional and patient.
Truth be told, I admit I'm a little hesitant about posting this 5-star review in fear of everyone discovering one of my design resource secrets! -
Review from Toni M.
Updated - 4/30/2011
The day before we left for Europe Chris picked up our dining room table and 4 chairs to refinish them while we were gone. He and his helper returned them yesterday evening. The table looks fantastic. All the signs of abuse of the past 24 years are gone. It looks even better than it did when we bought it because he filled the dent it had when I bought it. He recommended we leave it open w/ the leaf extended so the leaf can age to the same color as the table. We'll do that when we leave on vacation, as the table is too big to leave open all the time. I think the next time we go away we'll have him refinish the table in the other dining room, which is even older and shows similar marks and rings.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/11/2011
Julian of Mid Century Møbler referred me to Chris of Antiques & Modern as someone who would do a… Read more »
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Review from Joie T.
Oakland, CA
9/19/2011
Great Service!! I had a horrible experience at another nearby store and came here after to look for small pieces of fabric to re-upholster a mid-century chair. Their service was outstanding and Chris was so helpful. He showed me just what I needed and we had a great discussion about my chairs. And when I asked about a part I needed that he didn't have in stock, he proceeded to take the parts off an old chair he had and gave those to me - for free! I will definitely become a regular to this store!
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Review from Brant O.
San Rafael, CA
9/26/2010
Great selection of fine original and refinished modern goodness. Chris and his sales staff are helpful, not pushy and eager to accommodate. We purchased two fantastic credenza's at a great price. Refinished and delivered for under $1000! We even had a cupcake to seal the deal.
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Review from AJ K.
Oakland, CA
3/1/2011
The staff here is amazing. I just got a desk, which I adore. I had some horrible experiences buying furniture elsewhere in the past and had LOTS of questions. Chris handled all of them with more than heroic patience and showed, in the process, not just the immense knowledge he has about furniture design and history but true passion and integrity in his products and business. He wants customers to be delighted with their purchase and the experience of purchasing it. They have the best mid-century furniture selection I've seen in the East Bay. It's a great store with, great people working there.
Definitely, check it out the next time you are looking for furniture, whether you think are interested in mid-century or not. You might just stumble in and find something you love, like we did, twice! Both times in the barn in the back, so definitely walk through the front store, through the yard to another the second building.
I can't recommend them highly enough. -
Review from Sarah V.
Berkeley, CA
2/23/2011
My husband and I bought our first home in July, 2010. Upon move in, we decided the space needed a very different look. Thus, all new furniture.
While shopping around, we stumbled into Antiques and Modern with no clue how trendy and at times overpriced mid century furniture has become. Chris was immediately welcoming, a good listener and reasonably priced. He is also a perfectionist when it comes to refinishing.
Since our first visit to his shop, we have searched the shops and online sites of countless mid century dealers only to discover that our first encounter with shopping for this period was and is without question the best. We have purchased almost every piece from Chris and each time is even more enjoyable than the last. -
Review from Jeff M.
Check the back out.
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Review from RO A.
San Francisco Bay Area
3/3/2010
Chris Howard's Antique & Modern shop is the place to go if you have vintage furniture needing attention. He knows the mid-century modern era well & is also able to make fabric suggestions that matches that time period while also listening to the customer's personal likes. I brought in a Danish modern sofa & chair set that needed help. He was able to bring the wood back to its original luster & created seat and back cushions for both. His workmanship is exquisite!!! He definitely takes good care of these vintage pieces. He knows how to handle them and does an awesome job restoring them! I am very happy with how they turned out.
