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Our Blog - Read up on antique furniture!
How to Tell the Difference Between Wood Types
A friend of mine asked me the other day about how I distinguish different wood types. Now, I only regularly deal with a limited selection of wood types, but there are two basic facts that you need to know.
1. The first, most important thing I could say on the subject is this: there is no such thing as a "cherry finish" (to name the most popular example). This is a misnomer invented for the convenience of cheap synthetic veneers made to look like cherry (or any other wood type), and the term has simply become so popular that it has come to incorrectly apply to real and imitation cherry alike. Finishing is the process of staining and coating applied to a wood.
2. The way to identify wood is by its grain—not by its color. There is, again, no such thing as a "cherry color." Before staining, nearly all wood simply looks, in color at least, like the normal timber you'll find at any hardware store. This is why you will find, for example, oak furniture that is very light, or orange, or even black (as when it is ebonized). Some woods, however, tend to be a certain color, like yew, which tends to be orange-ish, and all woods take differently to different stains. However, the rule still stands: you identify wood by its grain.
It is difficult to explain what each grain looks like, but it is easy to show with pictures. Just see the following. (Click on the pictures for larger sizes.)
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History, or, Batman Likes Antiques
In a recent blog post for Antiques Avenue, a UK seller of vintage jewellery, I discussed the particular appeal of antique furniture, but afterward I found myself wondering about antiques in general. What is the nature of our attraction to all things old? Obviously I could cite quality, but I'm not sure that accounts for the charm that antiques hold over us. In the case of vintage antiques1, many of us who were there are still around, so it makes sense that some Baby Boomers would have a taste for the styles of their youth. Still, vintage and retro pop aesthetics have no problem thriving in today’s young community (think of the hipster clothing craze, or the continued popularity of retro adverts). So what gives?
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On the Eve of Our Independence
Tomorrow is the 233rd anniversary of our independence here in the U.S. I find it a great irony that I am writing about it here, since, after all, our furniture is English. Every now and then, we get a piece from around the time of the American Revolution, and I can't help but wonder what the original owner must have thought about the events on our side of the pond.
How would the owner of this 18th century coffer bach have felt about our independence?
I suppose these kinds of thoughts are part of what make antiques so charming to us. After all, owning a piece of furniture from the late 18th century does have a certain appeal for some of us Yankees; the idea of it exerts a nameless pull over the psyche, as if we have opened a back door somewhere to let the other side in. History that has passed long ago allows us to think this kind of thing without any of the animosity that now seems alien and unimaginable to us, absurd even, given our close ties to Great Britain. Still, having a piece of the past in the same room with you has a way of reviving history, of bringing it closer to you in a way that enriches meaning.
And so we arrive in the present. What would yesterday's ghosts think of our world? Or tomorrow's? I sometimes fear that the disposable nature of our furniture and other belongings will render our zeitgeist so ephemeral and abstract that all we will leave behind is some sort of vague, cyberspatial imprint that will seem irrelevant to the worldview of the future. Either way, barring some disaster of extraordinary scale, antiques that were there to see the first Independence Day will still be around, like visitors from the past, waving perpetually.
Georgian Furniture (1714-1820)
Anybody who knows antiques and the reproductions that follow them knows that familiarizing yourself with various furniture periods can be a big help. That's why we decided to offer our readers a few useful summaries of the major furniture periods of England, starting with one of the first. This post is the 4th in a series of 7, continued from a discussion of Queen Anne furniture.
Such was the rich, compelling character of Georgian period art and design that most English reproduction office furniture today is modeled directly after Georgian style examples. In fact, our office furniture collection owes virtually all of its designs and many of its construction techniques to the efforts of the master craftsmen of the Georgian and Victorian periods.
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Antiques - An Industry in Trouble?
Some blame eBay for paring down the retail market.
With the current economic recession, it's no surprise that most of us are feeling the effects of depressed consumer spending. The antique market, which owes its very existence to value that defies age and somehow survives each generational recession, shows its own signs of a serious slowdown. Every month that passes by, mom-and-pop operations and even established dealers and antique shows are either closing shop or teetering on the verge. Some blame eBay, while others point to the poor taste of today's young consumers, but everyone agrees that the antique industry is in trouble. The trick lies in knowing what to do about it.
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Queen Anne Furniture (1702-1714)
Anybody who knows antiques and the reproductions that follow them knows that familiarizing yourself with various furniture periods can be a big help. That's why we decided to offer our readers a few useful summaries of the major furniture periods of England, starting with one of the first. This post is the 3rd in a series of 7, continued from a discussion of Jacobean furniture.
Remembered most for its recurrence near the end of the 19th century in the Queen Anne Revival (c1870-c1900), Queen Anne period furniture marks an important turn in English furniture history. Like many other aspects of English culture, Queen Anne style furniture grew quite popular in America, particularly during the Revival period just after the American Federal style tapered off. Although usually characterized by stylistic developments, this time also saw the introduction of mahogany into English furniture-making, which would become quite popular later in the 18th century.
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Hand-Cut Vs. Machine-Cut Dovetails
Many people ask us how to tell the difference between dovetails that are cut by hand and those that are cut by machine. Once you know, it's fairly easy to tell. Just have a look at these pictures:
Click on the above pictures to view them in larger sizes
The picture on the left is an example of machine-cut dovetails. Note how square they are, and how many. The dovetails on the right, however, have been cut by hand, and are narrower, tapered, and fewer. Whether or not dovetails are hand-cut is one of many indicators of age when dating an antique, since machine-cut dovetails entered into prominence after the Edwardian Period.
Jacobean Furniture (1603-1625)
Anybody who knows antiques and the reproductions that follow them knows that familiarizing yourself with various furniture periods can be a big help. That's why we decided to offer our readers a few useful summaries of the major furniture periods of England, starting with one of the first. This post is the 2nd in a series of 7, continued from a discussion of Elizabethan furniture.
As a time that saw the emergence of King James I’s famous Bible as well as the Virginia colony of Jamestown and some of the finest English art ever (including Shakespeare and Milton), the Jacobean period also preceded the regicide of King Charles I and the bloody English Civil War that followed. Many of the tensions that exploded in those years mounted during King James I’s reign, and so this period represents a very important period in English history. Perhaps it is for this reason that Jacobean history has always been seen with a distinctness and clarity that other periods have seldom attained. As for Jacobean furniture style, it has survived mostly through the styles that succeeded it, particularly as a result of 19th century Eclectic Revivalism.
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New Furniture Container
This month's container arrived a few days ago and we thought we'd share a couple of our favourite items with you.
When we found the grandfather clock in England, we knew we had to bring it home. The clock dates back all the way to the Georgian period, around 1815, and is made of quartersawn oak and flame mahogany. This particular clock is unusual because it is in near perfect condition, with very few nicks and a new French polish.
The cane-backed armchair is one of a set of 6 that arrived in excellent condition, which is unusual for cane furniture. They date from c1920.
The adorable little side table, made with flame mahogany, is a c1920 reproduction of a Georgian Period antique.
List of Furniture Directories
In a recent post we discussed where to look for furniture and after some thought we realized that one of the best places to find furniture websites is in online directories. So, to help you find your way, we've compiled a list of a few of our favourites, which we may update from time to time. If you have any suggestions, please let us know!
Collectible Directory
DecorateIndex.com
Dharoo.net - A shopping resource
Furniture Store Directory
The Furniture Machine
Furniture Web Sites
Recent Posts
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Antique Furniture
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Rothwell Style Four Seat Leather Chesterfield Sofa Couch
$3,530$2,825 -
Queen Anne Style Leather Arm Chair
$1,420$1,135 -
Directors Style Leather Swivel Desk Chair
$1,455$1,160 -
Captains Style Leather Swivel Desk Chair
$1,200$960 -
Gainsborough Style Swivel Leather Desk Chair
$1,305$1,040 -
Durham Style English Leather Four Seat Chesterfield Sofa
$3,530$2,825 -
Churchill Style Leather Three Seat Chesterfield Sofa Couch
$3,175$2,540 -
Lancaster Style Four Seat Leather Chesterfield Sofa
$3,530$2,825 -
Windsor Style Three Seat Leather Chesterfield Sofa
$3,175$2,540 -
$2,005$1,605
