Our mission is to provide a curated collection of evergreen European and garden antiques & to make antiques modern.

Modern Antiquarian® was born out of a love for antique furniture and objects and a passion that grew into a career. Margaret Schwartz developed her love of antiques over time and as that passion grew she felt a need to share it. It started when Margaret read about antiques tours on The English Room blog and it piqued her interest. She booked a one day tour not knowing what to expect. By the end of the day she had filled a 20’ container and was hooked on antiques. We understand that antiques are intimidating and can be expensive, so anyone who is diving into the antiques world is bound to need some advice along the way.

Margaret has worked hard on sharpening her eye so that Modern Antiquarian clients are only shown the best and most worthwhile investments for their homes. Up until now, Margaret has been all about the mix, showing new and antique pieces side by side. We still love mixing old antiques with new modern accessories but our motivators have shifted.

Our company hopes to help you grow your collection and your knowledge base surrounding antiques and their uses in modern design aesthetics. We want to develop and foster a conversation around antiques, the lingo, the community surrounding it, and make it a conversation we can all be a part of. So follow along to keep up with Modern Antiquarian’s newest adventures and finds.


Margaret Schwartz, Owner

Margaret began her career at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. This position played a key role in inspiring Margaret to pursue her interest in the home decor business. After leaving the company, Margaret acquired The Summer House, an antiques and home design store in New Canaan, Connecticut. Having her own brick and mortar store, Margaret was able to apply and refine her signature style and passion for home design, hand picking her favorite finds, including furniture, fine art, lighting, rugs, and antiques. Margaret believes in mixing the old with the new to create a curated and edited home tailored to the client’s specific taste.

During her 6 years owning The Summer House, Margaret's passion for antiques grew and her reputation in the antiques arena did as well. She has a vast network overseas and specializes in sourcing prized pieces for clients with exceptional requests, particularly Swedish pieces. Margaret delights in importing inventory from the finest and most well respected dealers and developing heritage collections of antiques for clients to invest in and enjoy.

In early 2018, Margaret closed the Summer House store location in New Canaan, changing her focus to center on the unique antiques she sells. The new business, Modern Antiquarian, took the Summer House space at The Antique and Artisan Gallery in Stamford, Connecticut where client’s enjoy an unparalleled shopping experience.

Margaret’s commitment to finding fine antiques has given her recognition in the field. She was named US Antiques Young Gun of the year in 2015 and joined LAPADA in 2016. LAPADA is an international organization representing over 550 antiques dealers in the UK, across Europe, and a select few in the USA. With her passion for fine antiques and traveling, Margaret has really created a collection of unique one of a kind pieces. Whether you're looking for something specific or searching for a beautiful addition to your space, Modern Antiquarian has it all.