Burnet Road store Primitives Furniture delivers rustic look with international pieces Primitives Furniture co-owner Joel Sidelnik said many of the pieces in his store are defined by the “cattle baron” look.[/caption]

It used to be that home furniture was a once-in-a-lifetime purchase, and now the trend is moving back toward buying quality furnishings that can stand the test of time, said Joel Sidelnik, owner of local furniture store Primitives Furniture.


Sidelnik’s Burnet Road showroom has been delivering just that to Austin customers since 1988, he said.


The showroom features handmade, one-of-a-kind furniture and accessories from all over the world—including Mexico, Guatemala, Morocco and Argentina.


Every other month, Sidelnik said he and his wife Alison travel for two or three weeks at a time to buy pieces for the store. They carefully curate a selection of pieces that fit a Texas “cattle baron” look, which is defined by its homage to the rustic aesthetic of the West, he said.


“The ranchers of yesteryear in Texas would travel to Mexico, Europe and Africa, and they would bring back their finds,” Sidelnik said. “It created the cattle baron look in Texas. It is a very pronounced look.”




Burnet Road store Primitives Furniture delivers rustic look with international pieces A Mexican decorative skull, known as a calavera, is on display at Primitives Furniture.[/caption]

Solid hardwoods, forged iron and full-grain leather—ensuring strength and durability of the material—are the elements that Sidelnik said Primitives is predicated on.


The store also offers gifts and accessories, such as Catrina dolls, ornate Mexican skeleton figures and other products that complement the unique furnishings in the store.


Primitives also offers to design customers’ home interiors. Sidelnik said any home decoration starts with a centerpiece that is important to the client, from which the designers and homeowner can build around.


“In today’s world [your home] really is your castle,” he said.


Sidelnik is the third generation in his family to carry the retail furniture baton.




The ‘cattle baron’ look Here is a cross-section look at “cattle baron” style furnishings. The aesthetic harks back to an earlier time when cowboys would cull cattle hides and other items for the interior of their homes—with full-grain leather and solid woods.[/caption]

Sidelnik said the furniture space has been dominated by big-box stores with mass-produced and poorly made products, but consumers are starting to recognize the importance of durability, safety and comfort.


“I think it’s going to swing back,” he said.