Preserving Pieces of History by Collecting Antiques

By Chelsea Rose Moore

“Do you like antiques?”

That was the first question Rosanna Funiciello Smith was asked by her husband’s grandmother when they met for the first time.

She did not ask if Smith liked Virginia, the place to which she had come after uprooting her California life. She did not ask if Smith missed her California home or her family there. She did not even ask if it was an adjustment to leave Los Angeles and move to a dirt road.

Instead, she asked if Smith liked antiques, the very thing Smith’s world would grow to revolve around. As the owner of Bella Villa, an antiques and vintage rental company now based in Marshall, Smith has grown to an inventory of over 8,000 antique pieces.

Her love for antiques blossomed after she met her husband. Although she grew up with antique and vintage items around her, having spent summers with her family in southern Italy, she lacked an awareness or deep appreciation for it until she came to Virginia.

“I didn’t really know I was interested in antiques,” she said.

When she moved to Virginia, she moved into her husband’s childhood home and fell in love with the way everything had a meaningful story. Her husband Kevin would tell her about pieces in the house, from the black walnut tree that fell during a storm in the 1960s and was made into a coffee table by his father, to the fact that the street they lived on was named after his great-great grandfather. Everything around her was old and filled with interesting stories, and she wanted to learn more. (“Who are the other roads named after, and who lived there?”)

Both Kevin’s mother and grandmother were antiques collectors and had small booths in various antiques shops over the years. His mother Nancy taught Rosanna about the different styles and eras of pieces they both enjoyed collecting.

“I have a soft spot for Rustic, European-infused farmhouse,” Smith said. “I bring in a European look with vintage Italian pieces, like chandeliers. But it’s comfortable and practical and meaningful—it all tells a story.”

She began by opening a little antique store in Aldie in 2007. The next year, she tripled in size and moved next to the Aldie Peddler, where she stayed until 2017. During the store’s first eight years, it operated as a retail shop, and she rented out rooms to other antiques dealers. The last year, she ran it solely as a rental shop. Meanwhile, she was helping decorate homes, growing her inventory (“squirreling her favorite things” as she calls it), and perfecting her craft.

She chose to open her warehouse in Marshall due to its proximity to both Loudoun and Fauquier counties and easy access for clients located in Washington, D.C., as it’s near I-66. Her shop’s name—Bella Villa Antiques & Vintage Rentals—was born from her Italian heritage. Bella means “beautiful,” and villa translates to “country estate.”

“Anybody’s house, no matter how big it is or where you live, can be a beautiful home, a beautiful estate. It’s just what you make of it,” she said.

Her commitment to adding beauty to spaces is perhaps clearest in her 800-square-foot farmhouse. With oversized European armoires, artwork, chandeliers, and gold Florentine mirrors, its style differs from what is expected of a typical farmhouse.

“Everything in my house—except for the TV, computer and sofa—is old. My dishes, the stuff on the wall, and even my hole puncher is vintage,” she said. “Old stuff works better. It lasts. Old stuff is colored differently; it has different shades of paint. Old just looks better to me. It is heavier because it’s made with real wood. An old upholstered chair weighs a lot more than a new chair.”

Her raw talent for styling has opened the door to opportunities and publicity. Her first styled shoot was published in Weddings Unveiled, and her first wedding was seen in Southern Living Weddings. Her work has been featured in Green Wedding Shoes, Style Me Pretty, and on countless other wedding blogs.

With a fun and endearing personality, Smith’s enthusiasm for the pieces she collects is contagious. “I’m so excited all the time. I have to remember, you can’t be more excited than the bride,” she said. “I love the creativity of it.”

One of her favorite parts of a wedding is creating a lounge with pieces like an old, standup radio or a gramophone. “Anything that makes people remember or ponder what the ‘old days’ were like—it gets them talking about what it was like growing up, or going to a grandparent’s house,” she said. “It gets them sharing stories. I love bringing that element, that window to the past, on a day you’re looking to the future.”

To her, collecting antiques is bigger than the items themselves: It’s the story they carry, the background they hold, the history of the person who once owned and cared for them. When adding an item to her collection, she tries to learn as much as she can about it.

“I love knowing where something comes from,” she said.

One day, when exploring an abandoned house said to have provided respite for Manassas Battlefield soldiers, she discovered a discarded table that was flipped over and sitting in tall grass. She turned it over and found the legs were sturdy, and it was covered in layers of chippy paint. It was too tall for an end table and too low to eat on, but she was charmed and deeply curious about its story. Kevin grabbed his truck, and they hauled the table to their house—and she rearranged their whole house around it.

“I like things that have to do with history and nature,” she said. “I’m sentimental. The table could have been used to lay somebody on it, fix them, and [help them] live. Maybe somebody rolled out a pie on the table. Maybe they ate on it. There’s a little kid’s name on it. Who was that kid? People don’t last, but the stuff does. The memory of the people lasts through the story, and the stuff becomes a vehicle to tell the story. The area has since been redeveloped, and since not everybody values these things, the table would’ve likely been trashed. I feel like I saved a bit of history by having a ‘vehicle’ to recount the story.”

Smith’s items have been used in everything from backyard parties, to weddings, to baby and bridal showers, corporate meetings, and children’s birthday parties (including a Snoopy party). She will soon have a digital catalogue for people to browse and reserve items online.

Strong And Resilient

Stroll through her warehouse, and you’ll feel like you’re walking through an Anthropologie-esque rental company. Filled with large pieces of furniture and small pieces, like cigars and decks of vintage cards, it’s a haven for party planners, brides, stylists and photographers. Regardless of the style of party, planners in search of vintage items should easily be able to find a piece (or two – or 10!) to fit the event. You’ll also notice Smith’s incredible eye for curating. She said her secret is knowing what to leave behind, rather than knowing what to buy.

Growing up with three brothers and all their friends, Smith was a self-described Tom Boy, and she always came home dirty and scratched up from playing. But that is exactly what she looks for in furniture: pieces that show wear and tear. She doesn’t want broken items, but those that are strong and resilient.

“The story matches what I have within myself,” she said. ML