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Nowell’s Legacy Sale | Modern Design, Asian Antiques, Studio Ceramics & Imports

estate sale | 2 day sale | 13 days away

Locally Featured

Address

The address for this sale in Carrboro, NC 27510 will be available after 9:00am on Friday, May 29th, 2026.

Dates

Sat

May 30

9am to 2pm

Sun

May 31

10am to 2pm

We’re excited to share this special home and collection with you, and we truly appreciate your patience, kindness, and cooperation in helping everything run smoothly.
Please refer to the guidelines below before arrival.

Entry & Access
Entry to the sale will be through the back sliding door only, located up the steps past the garage.
Numbers will be handed out prior to opening to help keep entry fair, orderly, and comfortable for everyone.

Sales & Payment
All items are sold as-is, where-is, with no guarantees or warranties expressed or implied.
All sales are final — no returns, refunds, or exchanges.
Please inspect items carefully before purchasing.
We gladly accept cash, credit cards, and Venmo. Applicable processing fees for electronic payments are the responsibility of the buyer.

Shopping Guidelines
Please enjoy browsing, but kindly leave items where they are displayed and avoid rearranging objects around the home.
Large items may not be removed from their location until purchased. If you purchase a large item, we ask that you load it out of the home at least one hour before closing: by 1pm on sale days.
Sold tags are available for qualifying large items. Please see an event associate for help with your selection.
Customers are financially responsible for any items they accidentally damage.
Because of the nature of the home and collection, no food, drinks, animals, or strollers inside the house, please.
The home contains many fragile, heavy, and closely displayed items, so children should remain heavily supervised at all times, should you choose to bring them.
Please help us keep the property and neighborhood beautiful by disposing of trash properly and leaving no trace behind.

Item Removal
All purchases must be removed on the day of purchase unless other arrangements are made in advance.
Buyers are responsible for bringing adequate help, tools, blankets, straps, and vehicles for moving large or heavy items. We will not have staff to move large items.
We will have a limited amount of packing material available, but bringing your own boxes and wrapping materials is strongly encouraged.
Large furniture and oversized purchases must be picked up at least one hour before closing:
Saturday pickup cutoff: 1:00 PM
Sunday pickup cutoff: 1:00 PM

Parking & Safety
Please be courteous to neighbors and do not block driveways, mailboxes, or traffic while parking. Parking is available on residential streets nearby.
There are stairs and uneven surfaces throughout the property, so please watch your step!
Entry onto the property is at your own risk. The homeowner and sales staff are not responsible for accidents, injuries, damage to your person or personal property, or other incidents occurring on the premises.

Communication & Holds
We may not be able to respond to emails or inquiries.
No previews, pre-sales, or holds prior to opening. PLEASE NOTE: We do not have clothing at this sale.

Thank you for treating the home and collection with care. We’re looking forward to a wonderful weekend and hope you find something you love.

Privately Listed Sale

The company or individual running this sale has opted to not display their phone number.

This is the first private sale this individual/company has listed.

We are pleased to present an exciting and notable collection from the private home of longtime Triangle collectors behind the former Nowell’s Contemporary Furniture. With deep roots in North Carolina’s modernist and design community, the Nowells’ personal archive reveals decades-long relationships within the region’s furniture, fine art, and import circles.

Auction-worthy pieces available reflect an intimate and deeply personal collecting style, one in which a palpable joie de vivre is perceptible throughout! Scandinavian modern and Contemporary furnishings, Asian antiques and late Qing dynasty pieces are available. Ceramic vessels, original light sculptures, textiles, framed artwork, and joyfully collected totems gathered over a lifetime will be on display. You'll find a few Danish modern furnishings too, and a range of envy-inducing contemporary objets d’art. Whether you're a casual collector or an aficionado, there's something here for you.

Some pieces in the home were acquired through the beloved Morgan Imports or James Kennedy Antiques in Durham — fondly remembered for globally inspired furnishings, folk art, textiles, and eclectic goods — as well as through regional galleries and in personal travels. Receipts and/or provenance are available for more than a few pieces.

A modest offering of everyday kitchen and household items will also be available.

A special addition: a custom family table salvaged from a Dorothea Dix door, featuring removable art glass inserts.

Please check back frequently for updated photos and more detailed information closer to the day of sale. Thank you! We look forward to seeing you.

Highlights:

Late Qing Dynasty demilune and console tables
Opium pipe and tamp on stand
Nepalese singing bowl with puja striker and mallet
Late Qing Dynasty Chinese Beechwood Cabinet, Zhejiang Province, 19th Century
Zhejiang camphor carved window c. 1920
Late Qing Dynasty Kang Table circa 1880
carved Happy Buddha
Shanxi Province Elmwood Altar Table, China, circa 1850
Japanese Officer’s Dress Saber with Scabbard, Early 20th Century
19th Century Threshing board
19th century cast iron book press

Hans J. Wegner seating
Herman Miller Noguchi Coffee Table
Stressless recliner sets by Ekornes
Lucien Alliot Art Nouveau bronze sculptures
Tiffany-style Poppy Lamp by stained-glass artist Debi Dwyer
Scandinavian and Danish modern furnishings
Dianne Rodwell, Life-Size “Vincent Van Goat” Sculpture
George Bucquet glass bowl
Melanie Leppla lamps
Antique Singer sewing machine in cabinet
Peet Robison glass vessels
2 sculptures by Derek Weidman
Pyrex Amish Butterprint Cinderella mixing bowl complete set
Studio ceramics and pottery including pieces by Joe Sink
Scott Bisson glass snakes
Aeris Swopper stool
Satava Moon Jellyfish
Art glass and decorative objects
Contemporary and vintage framed artwork by Bob Ransley, Susan Baehmann, Dan Nelson, and more
Dorothea Dix upcycled table