With the best of British becoming the most popular of this season's trends for interior design, there is no better way to ensure that you are en vogue then to go in search of the original items that made the UK renowned for its style.
The country is well and truly in the midst of an antique boom, with people spending weekends rummaging through vintage stores looking for a one of a kind piece.
What's more, choosing antiques over high street products is becoming a popular investment when traditional options, such as stocks and property, are volatile.
Research by Hiscox has revealed that Brits are increasingly investing in antique books (39 per cent), musical memorabilia (33 per cent) and furniture (27 per cent).
The average British home also has some £3,555 worth of gold, £4,500 of medal collections and stamp anthologies worth over £6,000 stashed away.
According to Moneysupermarket.com people across the country are hording an estimated £4,209 worth of paintings and art, £2,819 of furs, and nearly £3,500 of antiques.
Additionally, investing in vintage pieces is becoming popular with the environmentally conscious.
Pippa Roberts, spokeswoman for LAPADA The Association of Art & Antiques Dealers, explained: "Buying antiques is the ultimate in recycling. You are buying and using things that have been crafted in a time when people still made things by hand, made things carefully and made things to last.
"That is far more environmentally sound than buying something that is made of wood from the rainforest or is mass produced by machinery."
Furthermore, antiques have a "heart", which is missing from mass produced pieces. They are also great to insert individuality and personality into the home, Ms Roberts claimed.
However, despite some 52 per cent of families claiming that they own an antique that they believe has increased in value, 57 per cent do not know the monetary value of their vintage items.
