If you are passionate about your work, it shows. So it is with the team at amōnī, who have left their old profession behind and dived headlong into the world of antiques.
The two founders of the brand both worked in the corporate sector before setting up the project. When they decided to make the switch, they wanted to start something totally new, but plunging into a business of their own was still a big undertaking. Despite the difficulties, both of them harbored a passion for antiques for a long time, so it was clear that the knowledge and perspective they had cultivated would eventually come to the surface and they would take things to the next level.
“We both grew up in the countryside, surrounded by old objects and old walls and as part of our great-grandparents’ and grandparents’ heritage, we have many personal objects that we have seen in everyday use. The idea to open a reimagined antique shop was inspired by our passion and our past,” the founders recall.
The name amōnī is the result of a play on words from the Hungarian words ‘álom’ (dream) and ‘harmónia’ (harmony). When the name was coined, the founders were unaware that it was an existing word, meaning love in Latin and harmony in Haitian Creole, which makes this special-sounding name even more magical.
They work with a wealth of objects, many of which they like, but the more they encounter, the more they are drawn to rarities. They offer objects from different styles that fit their tastes and that they would love to have in their homes. They see their greatest strength in bringing objects from different eras together on a platform so that they form a harmonious whole, regardless of their style. To get to know some of the objects better, we asked them to tell us about their favorites.
“We love exciting luminaires, those that bring warmth into our homes with their diffused light. This lamp was used on ships long ago when they were lit with kerosene because its thick-walled glass bulb could withstand the greatest stress and its prismatic design carried the light far,” the founders pointed out, adding that “we recently came across the ironwork of an old church door from Baranya County. Unfortunately, the wooden door had to be replaced, but the hinges were still in quite good condition. It has just found its new owner and will continue to live on as a decorative element in the cellar of a renovated house in the Balaton Highlands. We love it when an old story continues in a new one.”
“In the old days, chandler’s stores had their own way of storing food, with biscuits, teas, coffees, and sweets all kept in separate, aesthetically pleasing containers. These pressed embossed boxes, made of cardboard and wood, came from Italy, and the salt-glazed bottles that held mineral water were made in Nassau,” they explained.
For now, they don’t have a brick-and-mortar store, they sell their items online on Instagram, but if you want to see one in person, you can visit their showroom set up in their home.
amōnī vintage | Instagram