Frequently Asked Questions

Trade Services

About Trade Services

  • Rare & Respair Trade Services are for interior designers, home stagers, photographers and stylists, boutique and retail owners, event and wedding professionals, and other creative professionals seeking distinctive vintage and antique objects for their projects.

  • Trade sourcing can support residential and commercial interiors, staging projects, photography and editorial work, retail displays, events, weddings, seasonal installations, and collection development. Sourcing can be focused around a particular aesthetic, material, historical period, region, or project need.

  • Trade Services can accommodate both focused searches and broader project-based sourcing. If you have a particular object, style, material, or project need in mind, we can discuss the scope during the initial consultation.

  • Yes. Trade sourcing can support boutique and retail collection development, including selections intended for resale, display, or merchandising.

Budget, Fees, & Sourcing

  • The curatorial service fee reserves dedicated research and sourcing time for your project and compensates Rare & Respair for the professional work involved in research, sourcing, acquisition, curation, communication, and presentation.

    The fee is separate from the budget used to purchase objects and is non-refundable.

  • Before sourcing begins, the client establishes and funds an object budget. These funds are used as an acquisition reserve exclusively to purchase objects for the project.

    The object budget is separate from the curatorial service fee. Any unused balance is refunded following presentation.

  • No. During the consultation, we establish the project's aesthetic direction, parameters, timeline, and budget. Within those agreed parameters and object budget, Rare & Respair exercises independent curatorial judgment when sourcing and acquiring objects.

    If an opportunity falls outside the established parameters or would exceed the agreed upon budget, I will consult with you before proceeding.

  • Objects are presented as a collection curated specifically for your project and needs. If you choose to decline an individual object, it will remain the property of Rare & Respair. The value of any declined object will be returned to the client along with any unused object budget funds.

  • After final presentation, the cost of the objects is applied against the object budget. The value of declined objects and any remaining balance is refunded using the original payment method.

    Unused funds do not automatically carry forward to a future project, though a new sourcing project can be established by arrangement.

Deliverables

  • Object presentations take place by appointment in the Rare & Respair studio in Aldie, Virginia. The presentation provides an opportunity to consider the objects together, review their condition and material qualities, and discuss relevant historical context.

    Virtual object presentations and shipping will be considered on a case by case basis.

  • Yes. Select pieces may include object history documentation exploring historical context, maker evidence, regional traditions, construction methods, materials, and known provenance when available.

  • Object rentals for photography, events, or other temporary use are a potential Trade Service and may be available by arrangement. Please inquire with details about your project, dates, and intended use.