Do You Really Need to Restore Your Antique Georgian Furniture?


picture20Because of their extreme rarity and beauty, antique furniture are meant to be cherished and well cared for. Being well over one hundred years old, antique Georgian Furniture will require steady restoration procedures as well as regular cleaning regardless of their functionality. Over time, they will need some form of restoration to spare them from irreparable harm. It’s like a surgical make-over for antique furniture.

The time-consuming task of restoration

Period furniture restoration is a painstaking task as it may be impossible to acquire most of the components required to complete the procedure. Hinges, doorknobs, chest lifts, hooks and latches are hard to find unless you happened to find a collector with an identical piece that is beyond repair. Whether parts are readily available or not, you still need to know some basic information before considering antique furniture restoration.

Restoration guidelines

•    Begin your search for available materials required for antique Georgian Furniture restoration in your home. If that fails, call nearby antique dealers and shops and then try those farther away if needed. You can also do an online search. Always look for dealers that specialize in your piece’s particular are for they can offer better results.

•    Be ready to travel to get the necessary component for your antique furniture restoration. If they are available in another country, your best option is to have the parts flown in to you. Always be prepared to take the necessary precautions to secure your investment.

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Antique Reproduction Furniture – The Beauty and Elegance of Mahogany


picture19Most of the antique furniture coming out of the 18th century England was constructed of mahogany. It was widely famous for its very attractive appearance as well as its sturdiness and long lasting attributes. Since it was not natively grown in England, it had to be shipped in from Latin America. Today, however, there are only a few mahogany furniture made because of its prohibitively high price.

Antique mahogany furniture is likewise very expensive and if you are considering to add glamor to your home, then you will want to look into the possibility of purchasing antique reproduction furniture made from mahogany.

The elegance of mahogany

Intricately carved patterns and intense coloring are features that make an antique mahogany reproduction piece truly beautiful. It will add glamor and style to any room and should be the centerpiece if bought for your home. Vintage mahogany reproduction pieces are extremely popular and can make a very big impression whether you decide to buy a piece or a whole set of furniture.

Great market demand

While you won’t see antique mahogany furniture reproductions sold in ordinary antique shops, there still exists a great market demand for it. Craftsmen that construct antique reproduction furniture made from mahogany are extremely creative artisans and imbue their handiwork with elegance and class. Because of this, a lot of antique dealers snap up the pieces as soon as they hit the market.

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Who Else Is Looking for Fine Antique Furniture Chests of Drawers?


picture18There is something greatly fascinating about antique furniture Chests of Drawers that actually draws a lot of antique aficionados to them. We seem to be possessed by a strange and irresistible emotional bond that links us to a distant past. It compels us to remember the people who lived long before us and the proof of excellent craftsmanship they left behind. No matter what the feeling is, the timeless beauty of an antique chest of drawers remains with us today to add character and accent to any bedroom, sitting room or den.

Types of antique chests

There are a lot of options when choosing the right kind of vintage furniture chest to suit your taste and purpose. There are many types of antique furniture Chests of Drawers to choose from. Perhaps you may want a vintage hope chest. Or you may prefer a tall-boy period piece. What about an old-fashioned regular chest of drawers? Whatever you pick, you can be assured that this period piece will add a touch of class and elegance in any room.

18th century antique chests

You can also base your choice on the period or era it was constructed. You can purchase a Queen Anne oak period piece out of the 18th century with its graceful lines and curves. You can also opt for a straight-detailed or an ornately carved Georgian Chippendale mahogany chest of drawers out of the same period.

19th century antique chests

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Learn How to Shop for Genuine English Antique Furniture


picture17One of the popular reasons why many antique collectors choose antique furniture pieces is because of their aesthetic value that can add a touch of class in any home or office. One can choose from a wide selection of periods and styles. While professional antique collectors have learned various ways to shop for prized items, beginners need to get more information in order to get around.

Visit single-owner antique shops

Rather than hunt for period pieces in antique shops in malls, it is better to get your English antique furniture from specialized antique stores or single-owner antique shops. They offer personalized service and may even give you a lower price.

It is best to by in bulk especially if an antique item you are interested in is sold at greatly discounted prices. You can order directly from single-owner shops where you can talk terms about the price.

Scour the flea markets and auctions

You can also find great antique furniture at a terrific bargain in flea markets and garage antique sales. You can be alerted of upcoming antique fairs and flea market sales online where you can find a slew of information.

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How to Clean and Preserve Your Antique Furniture English Antiques


picture161An increasing number of people are choosing to invest in antique furniture because of its high market value. If you own antique furniture English antiques, you will be able to command a very high price for one piece of furniture alone.

The market value of an antique item depends on various factors related to the item itself. The workmanship, style, material used and the period in which it was constructed are some of the factors that determine an antique furniture’s value. It is, therefore, proper to properly maintain and preserve your precious investment. Here are some tips to clean and preserve antique furniture.

Clean antique furniture with care

Make cleaning antique furniture a part of your daily routine so it won’t be neglected. Dusting should be done every other day or, at he very least, once a week. Not all materials are appropriate as dusting device; they might cause some scratches. Use a soft cloth instead.

Avoid using just any kind of sprays or common furniture polish for cleaning antique furniture English antiques. The dust-repelling formulas in sprays and polishes contain harmful chemicals that may stain the antique furniture’s wood and create weak spot.

Certain polishes do a great job without damaging your period pieces. Orange oil is ideal for weekly cleaning of antique furniture. After this, you should polish it once every two months using furniture wax. Using a thin coat is enough to give it a healthy shine without bringing on wax build-up.

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Things to Look For Before Buying Antique English Furniture


picture15One of the main reasons why most antique collectors prefer period furniture pieces is because of their aesthetic value. One can choose from a wide range of period and styles. While experienced antique collectors have various techniques to recognize the originality of an item, beginners need to learn more in order to get around. If you are considering to purchase Antique English Furniture, watch out for clever fakes and reproductions.

Look at the proportion

Original antique furniture are not equally proportioned because wood, which most period pieces are built of, shrinks over time. If it is otherwise, chances are you may be looking at a counterfeit. When in doubt, examine the item from different angles in a well-lighted area.

Test for functionality

Examine if all the parts, including the decorative ones, are intact and functioning.

A good period piece should be solidly built. An antique piece ceases to have value if it loses its usefulness. How can you appreciate a Windsor chair if you cannot sit on it? Most antique dealers allow customers to test Antique English Furniture for verification. This method is highly recommended by experts.

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Popular Antique Furniture Styles Throughout The Ages


picture14The earliest recorded antique furniture styles to be officially recognized at the start of the 17th century is Gothic. Most Gothic furniture were made of oak and had simple lines but massive designs. It was directly influenced by the architectural discipline of that era, mostly straight lines with emphasis on right angles.

Gothic and Colonial furniture

France produced the most admired Gothic furniture known for their foliage themes, like leaves and vines. Rococo and baroque stood out among other Gothic styles for the remainder of the century.

A lot of the famous furniture designs sprang up from England. As Gothic pieces diminished in popularity, the Early and Late Colonial furniture styles were ushered in. With pine as its primary wood source, these heavily-decorated furniture featured square lines. A standard and popular example of this style is the Windsor chair.

Queen Anne and Georgian designs
The early 18th century saw the rising popularity of Queen Anne designs which had simple detailing and graceful curves and lines. These antique furniture styles were usually built using oak, mahogany maple, walnut and cherry.

At the end of the 18th century, four famous types of Georgian furniture style have emerged. Georgian Chippendale were famous for their ornate carvings; Georgian Adam is dominated by straight lines. Georgian Hepplewhite furniture had straight tapering legs, with a design influenced by Adam. Georgian Sheraton added more emphasis on straight detailing. All of the designs were constructed with mahogany.

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A Basic Guide in Choosing and Buying Antique Furniture for Sale


picture13If you have developed the love for collecting antiques, particularly antique furniture, and are quite new to it, your main problem will probably be finding a reputable merchant of antique furniture for sale and how to determine if a period piece is genuine or not. New collectors of antique furniture take great pride in their collection only to suffer great disappointment when a real expert tells them that most of their items are clever fakes and reproductions.

What do antique furniture stand for?

Furniture selection follow various criteria like choice of material, type, usefulness and aesthetic value. Antique furniture, however, belong to a higher bracket with a stricter set of criteria. A period furniture piece is normally a form of decorative art. As time passed, furniture has transcended from its basic and fundamental purpose to become a symbol of social position and personal preference. Antique furniture can also stand for religious or cultural symbolism and testimony of the artisan’s woodworking skill.

It is the daunting task of choosing and buying the right antique furniture for sale that scares the wits out of new collectors. A materially oriented society dictates that you have a knowledge of your antiques and know where to get the best. As if that isn’t enough, there are a lot of clever fakes and reproductions going around in the antique marketplace. In this age of competition, how in the world will you know if the period piece you are looking at is the real deal?

Walk the walk, talk the talk

You may know of some classy and fashionable people fuss over which antique furniture should go with what in their modern homes. You here them refer to Victorian, Georgian, Edwardian or Regency period pieces but don’t know exactly what they are talking about. The best way to be with the “in” antique crowd is to acquaint yourself with their “antique lingo” by seriously reading magazines and book on the subject. Attend antique shows and auctions and familiarize yourself with popular trade terms in the process. You can also easily gather a lot of antique furniture for sale information on the internet which is a readily accessible source of knowledge.

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Antique Furniture Appraisal – How To Recognize the Real Thing


picture12Finding the piece of antique furniture you’ve always wanted in a shop, auction or yard sale can be a joyful experience. It can, however, turn into a big disappointment if you discovered that the item is a fake. Learning a few antique furniture appraisal techniques will be well worth your time. Although only a truly experienced antique appraiser can recognize the real from the fake period piece, learning a few professional secrets will give you greater confidence the next time you shop for antique furniture.

For starters, be sure to identify the particular period styles that you prefer. Are you into Victorian or would Regency pieces suit your fancy? If you are searching for specific period pieces, be sure you have familiarized yourself in the common attributes and designs of the style. This will make you readily recognize the item once you see it.

Veneering

Recognizing veneering is one practical antique furniture appraisal technique that is worth learning. The process of veneering involves constructing the main body of the furniture with less expensive wood and then covering it with thin pieces of more expensive wood. Although this may appear as some method to cut production cost, furniture manufacturers soon began using the wood’s natural grain. There are a lot of fine antique furniture works that made use of natural wood grain into their design.

Patina

Looking for the patina in antique furniture is a reliable method of antique furniture appraisal. The patina is basically the naturally occurring gloss that an antique furniture gets from decades of accumulated dirt and polish. Patina builds up naturally and is almost impossible to duplicate. The patina indicates how some period pieces have been used or handled. There may be areas of wear in the furniture where it was often handled or lifted. If you observe that the patina is unnaturally consistent and smooth, this may indicate that some imperfections in the piece have been concealed or given an aged look that doesn’t go with the furniture.

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Get the Best Period Pieces Only from Reputable Antique Furniture Dealers


picture11Antique furniture offers a touch of class and distinction in any home provided you choose the right kind. What should you consider before buying special period pieces from antique furniture dealers?

Antique furniture are classified as exceptional period pieces that are more than a hundred years old and have continued to hold its charm to collectors. Various antique furniture such as Victorian, Georgian, Edwardian and Regency period pieces provide their unique flair to match any modern home’s surrounding.

What makes period items valuable?

The scarceness of period furniture dictates the market value of antiques. The rarer the period piece, the higher it is in value. Purchase your items only from esteemed antique furniture dealers. Because the Association of Art & Antiques Dealers (LAPADA) ensures that their members observe their code of practice, you can be assured your purchased antiques are of the highest quality.

An antique furniture’s value is determined by its condition. Some items that some dealers pass as flawless period pieces are actually repaired or restored. Genuine antiques should reveal the physical effects of aging. Well-preserved antiques are best appreciated in their original state. This unretouched and well-preserved condition makes antique furniture truly valuable.

Precautions on online purchase

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