I can't believe it's September already. Where did the summer go?! I'm just returning home from a 10 day stay at a cottage and wishing I didn't have to go back to work. We had great weather most of the week and on one of the cloudy days I got to do a little antiquing. Like many decor enthusiasts, going antiquing is one of my favourite things to do. If time allowed, I would be out at a different flea market, fair or boutique at least once a week, travelling around to various towns and cities to check out the local assortment. One of my all-time favourite places to hunt for antiques is at The Lazy Farmer Trading Post in Orillia, Ontario, a couple of hours north of Toronto on Hwy 11. It's one of my favourite places because of its great assortment, but also because the place holds good memories for me. My former family cottage of 26 years was just 40 minutes north of The Lazy Farmer and my dad loved to stop in a few times each summer on our way home from a weekend at the cottage. I can remember going there as a little kid and being enchanted by everything; my favourite items were the frail and torn centuries old piano books (I took piano lessons for most of my childhood). Adding to the enchantment of these visits is the building itself – the antique store is in a huge old barn, dimly lit by scarcely spaced pendant lights, the antique lamps for sale, and by sunlight streaming through the cracks in the barn board wall. After having a good look around the barn, my brother and I would go outside and play with the baby bunnies that the owners had roaming free on the property. My dad bought a ton of antique furniture and accessories from The Lazy Farmer and I grew up surrounded by them at our cottage and our home in the city. It's been several years since I've been back and I've been dying to go, so I took a day out of my week's vacation at a friend's cottage last week to drive down for the morning. It held the same charm for me as it did all those years ago. There were so many pieces I wanted to walk away with! However, I had neither the money nor a vehicle large enough to make any significant purchases. Instead, I bought a brass candlestick and wall sconce, and I took a ton of photographs to share.
This shot perfectly illustrates the enchanting feeling you get when you first walk in to The Lazy Farmer, sunlight streaming through the spaces between the barn boards.
This leather and iron chair was so beautiful and quite reasonably priced at $195. It was the first thing I saw upon entering the barn and I wished I could bring it, and its matching stool (below) home with me.
My iPhone photo doesn't do this room divider justice because it's hard to tell that all of the detail is hand-carved and the wood dyed to create this beautiful design.
Some lovely pink and white porcelain jugs and basins atop a pretty dresser.
This old operator switchboard is the kind of thing my dad would have purchased - completely useless but full of interesting history.
Antique writing desk, brass candlesticks, Victorian lamps, vanities and dressers...
A dentist's chair? You can find pretty much anything at The Lazy Farmer.
Piles upon piles of all kinds of chairs.
These end tables!!!! They were already sold, but if available I would have racked up a bit of debt for sure.
Massive moose head.
Another gorgeous chair, likely with its original upholstery.
Difficult to see because it was buried under and behind a lot of stuff, but this sideboard/washstand with its marble top, turned wood legs and blue and white tiles was absolutely stunning. It was priced at $400. I wish I had a bigger vehicle! And a bigger bank account. Because this would have for sure come home with me.
This juke box wasn't for sale but was filling the barn with great music to shop to.
These were interesting pieces - a coffee table and two side tables that were made out of dug up tree roots.
UPDATE: Unfortunately, this lovely antique barn has since closed since writing this post. I’m so glad I took these photos and shared them here for posterity.
