Driscolls Antiques – Antique Furniture Blog

Antique bow fronted furniture

Antique furniture comes in lots of different styles and ways they were constructed through the different periods. Some antique furniture was built to stand out from the usual construction to make it more desirable. Some of these pieces were antique bow fronted furniture, which basically is a piece of antique furniture which at the front is in a bow shape. We always stock good examples of antique bow fronted furniture and if you are wanting a piece which is a bit different then these items could be for you. Only this week we have had some very nice bow fronted antiques which are now available on our website.

We have a Regency mahogany antique bow front mirror which has reeded side supports with an unusual acorn finials. The lower section is bow fronted with rosewood banding and it has three oak lined drawers and small shaped bracket feet.

We also have a Regency antique mahogany chest of drawers which is cross banded and bow fronted. This antique chest has cock beaded drawers with original turned handles and again stands on bracket feet. This chest and the mirror go together really well.

We also have a pair of regency antique mahogany console tables which are bow fronted ebony banding on the bottom edge. This antique table stands on beautiful turned legs with brass cup castors.

All these items of antique furniture are good examples of bow fronted furniture and we get more antiques like this on a regular basis.

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What is the difference in solid wood or Veneered wood on antique furniture

Antique furniture comes in two main type of construction, solid wood or veneered wood. The earlier pieces of antique furniture were mainly constructed from solid wood like the period coffers or refectory tables, but as time went on, cabinet makers improved there techniques of constructing and decorating the antique furniture. This was mainly caused because of the new method of applying veneers which basically means thin pieces of wood which is cut very finely and this gives several different grain effects and is a very good cost effective way when dealing in expensive woods. It allowed the furniture cabinet maker to create different effects from the different grains and figuring of the wood for example flamed mahogany is mahogany but cut on an angle on the tree trunk..
Veneered furniture has a carcass usually made from a cheaper wood and was mainly veneered onto pine but some of the more expensive pieces were veneered onto a solid oak carcass.
veneered antique furniture was first produced in the walnut period, when the decorative effects were produced with more rare woods and fruit woods. The veneers were hand cut and were very thick which is different to the Victorian furniture veneers which were thinner.

Antique furniture can be as good quality if it is a veneered piece or a solid piece, just as long as it has good veneers used on the piece and it is still in good original condition.

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Did you know that we are LAPADA and CINOA. Members

Driscolls antiques has been established for over 30 years and are members of LAPADA and CINOA antique associations. The LAPADA and CINOA membership is only open to those antique companies who meet the Associations strict requirements so you know we are a trusted antique company. To become a LAPADA and CINOA member we had to prove we have the experience in antique furniture and have the best quality stock, we also have the knowledge of antique furniture. We became members to show our customers we have the experience, deal in the right stock and to give you the confidence to buy our antiques over the internet. Also to help give you the confidence of purchasing over the internet we offer a 28 day money back guarantee in place. If you buy antiques from Driscolls antiques Ltd you can be assured you are buying a quality antique furniture which has been cleaned and restored using traditional methods plus we deliver to your house using a two man delivery team and we also assemble where necessary.

We try to describe our items fully including old repairs etc. and we also show clear pictures and clearly show the price, but if you need any further information on any of our items then please either call us or email and a member of our staff would be glad to help.

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Antique Victorian Furniture

In the early Victorian period, antique furniture was made with comfort in mind. middle class was on the rise and therefore more antique furniture was needed. This led to new styles and more pieces of furniture being made.
Unlike earlier pieces, Victorian furniture was built more larger, rounded, and had more carving decoration, with French polished finishes. This led to some new styles like the Gothic Revival, Rococo Revival and decorative Paper Mache furniture.
The Victorians used these styles from earlier periods like Gothic, Tudor, Elizabethan and Rococo.

Mahogany, Oak and rosewood were the main woods used in constructing the furniture.
Lots of earlier designers had there designs copied in the Victorian period like Chippendale and hepplewhite designs.

In the late Victorian period as more machines were used to help in the construction of furniture other movements arrived, like the Arts and Crafts movement (Aesthetic movement) and the Art Nouveau movement. The idea was to come away from the mass produced furniture and construct items using hand built techniques, keeping straight lines and solid timbers.

Victorian antique furniture is a good period to collect as there are many of the same styles you can find on the market so if you want all your pieces in the Chippendale style or you want all rounded corner pieces then it should be easier to find than earlier period pieces.

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Antique Georgian Furniture

Antique Georgian furniture is becoming more and more difficult to find but we always carry a good stock of period furniture. Antique Georgian furniture is usually constructed from mahogany or oak and they are simple in design but very nice looking pieces of antique furniture. Georgian furniture is usually made from very good quality timber and is hand made, using dovetail joints or earlier pieces are pegged construction or hand made screws. Georgian furniture comes in many different designs and the best pieces were either oak or mahogany lined. The gerogian chests usually stand on bracket feet and the drawers are usually cock beaded and have swan neck or oval plate handles. Georgian tables came in several designs and we stock all varieties. This week we have several very nice pieces of antique gerorian furniture for sale and they are available on our antique furniture website.

We have an antique Georgian mahogany occasional table or also known as a spider table. It was built towards the end of the Georgian period and is ideal for use as a wine or lamp table. This antique table has a rectangular solid mahogany top above a shaped frieze and four very finely turned elegant legs with cross stretchers.
We also have an antique Georgian mahogany bureau which and the interior is stepped with several pigeon holes, small drawers and unusual column slides, a bible well. It has oak lined graduating drawers and brass handles. This beautiful Georgian desk stands on shaped bracket feet.

We have a Georgian mahogany bookcase which has a moulded cornice above two glazed doors. Again it has graduating cock beaded drawers with brass handles and brass key escutcheons. It is very rare to find such a good Georgian bookcase.

As you can see we always have very good quality Georgian furniture which has been beautifully cleaned and restored to a high standard and ready to go straight into your home.

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What is the best way to wax my furniture?

If you have antique furniture which needs some life putting back into the piece then try using our Fiddes antique furniture wax. It is easy to use and it is made from a traditional old recipe, which has been developed over many years from a company who manufacture wood finishes, waxes and French polishes.
fiddes wax is a quality beeswax polish and is used for waxing and cleaning furniture that is already polished, It is suitable for use on all antique furniture.
It is easy to apply, just use a clean cotton cloth and apply in the direction of the grain. To get the best overall colour try to buff up the furniture evenly, over the whole surface area by using a small degree of pressure when applying your wax by hand.
Leave the antique furniture wax to dry for around 10 minutes, and buff to finish with a soft clean cloth.
If you want to add additional coats this will deepen the existing colour / shade and enhance the furniture even more.

I recommend you do this one every few months and between waxing just buff up using a clean cloth and do not use any spray polishes on your antique furniture.

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Help the Ozone and Buy antique furniture not new.

If you are concerned about the planet and the affects that we mare making to our ozone then instead of buying brand new furniture why not buy Antique furniture, as it is eco friendly furniture.

We should be looking to buy environmentally friendly items and if you need furniture for your home consider antique furniture as it is basically recycled furniture with style, character and also has the bonus of being an investment.

For a piece of Antique furniture to be classed as antique it needs to be over 100 years old. Antique furniture it is constructed from quality timbers which is rare to see today, and antique furniture has charm, character and most importantly no new trees have to be cut down to make any antiques. With brand new furniture trees are being cut down for the wood to make them, which causes a huge reduction in oxygen and a huge increase in CO2 and this is not good for our planet.

Antique furniture has been around for over 100 year and will be here for many more hundreds of years if it is looked after correctly and buy buying antiques you save on the tree reduction. You are buying an investment for financial reasons and also an investment for our future and also with antique furniture you are buying quality which you do not get today.

All our Antique Furniture has been beautifully cleaned and restored to a high standard and is ready to go straight into your home. If you are worried about the effects of the ozone and the tree reduction, please have a look on our website and see if you can find a beautiful piece of furniture and the more people who learn about buying old and not new the less trees will be used so please let other people know.

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What kind of antique furniture should I buy?

When buying antique furniture, it is always difficult to know what kind of items to look for. We always recommend only buy items you like the look of, buy useable pieces and also don’t buy pieces that have been over restored.

If you buy antique furniture you like the look of then it will go with the rest of your décor in your home. If you buy usable antique furniture then not only will you have a good investment for the future, you will also have an item that you can enjoy and use.

If you buy an item that is as original as possible then this will hold its value much better. It is ok to clean and restore your items in a sympathetic way but over restoring a piece can destroy its value. All our items of antique furniture are always sympathetically restored but not over restored so our items are in very good condition but still hold its maximum value. Take a look on our website for our beautiful antiques for sale online and if you have any queries or need any help then someone is always here to help. We can advice on which antique is a good investment or which would be a suitable piece for your requirements. We stock all antiques such as antique desks, bookcases, tables and chairs.

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Where can I buy antique furniture online

Antique furniture can be seen for sale all over the internet but how do you know if you can trust the website you are looking at. Here at driscolls antiques, we display all our stock online, offer secure payments, offer two man insured delivery and also offer a 28 day money back guarantee. We do this so you are confident to purchase from us and guarantee your satisfaction as if you do not like what you buy from us then you can send it back. We have thousands of happy customers who have bought from us over the net and they return to buy more. Our items of antiques are beautifully cleaned and restored, but not over restored as we keep our items as original as possible so they hold there value in case you decide to sell them in the future. We stock antique desks, tables, bookcases, chars and lots more and we also update our website on a daily basis so you can see our new stock as it arrives. If there is nothing suitable, we also have a wanted service where we send you pictures of suitable antiques as they arrive in stock. If you are wanting to purchase outside of the u.k we also use trusted antiques shippers, who package, insure and deliver to your door. They are antiques shippers who have years of experience so we make sure it arrives safely to you.

we also have a large show room and you are welcome to come and view our items of antiques in person so if you need any more details please do not hesitate to contact us as we are always hear to help.

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Looking after your antique furniture

If you want to look after your antique furniture so it can have years more use but also do not want to ruin your antiques then read on, as we have years of experience.

antique furniture builds up a patina and old marks over many years and this adds to the character and value so it should be preserved.

It is best not to strip the old finish away, instead try to revive the original finish by waxing. Waxing antique furniture is quick and easy and gives the best results, use a good quality wax like fiddes antique furniture wax (not spray polishes) by putting a small amount of polish on cloth and rub the piece in the direction of the grain until it shines. It is quick easy and simple to use and once done the polish will only need a dust.

If the wood is very dry, you will need to wax the piece of antique furniture several times until a good patina has developed. To keep on top of the piece and keep it looking good I recommend you should use antique furniture wax polish your item every few months but buff up the piece in-between waxing as this will enhances the patina.

Sunlight, humidity and central heating can affect the wood by cracking the wood or the light can cause fading, so try not to put your furniture in direct sunlight or if going near a radiator try not to have the temperature too high, and always nourish the wood with antique furniture wax to make sure it does not dry out.

If your item of antique furniture needs some restoration then we always recommend sympathetic restoration and still to keep the item as original as possible. You should only use a reputable professional restorer who will use the correct traditional materials like us at driscolls antiques. If your veneer is chipped or lifted you should have it repaired quickly as it is easy to loose small pieces of veneer and then it is very hard to find matching veneers in the same wood. Drawers and doors which stick can be eased by rubbing candle wax on the surface or sides or even by using fiddes wax if a candle is not available.

Antique furniture should be treated with care when moving around your room, and using. It is important not to tilt back on a chair as this loosens joints and causes very bad damage. Don’t open a drawer using only one of two handles as this can damage the drawer lining and don’t drag furniture rather than lift it as this will cause veneer to chip off the base.

If you need more advice then you can contact us or if you want to buy quality antiques ready restored then here at driscolls antiques ltd we beautifully restore all our antiques and deliver them into your house using a two man fully insured professional delivery team who will carefully handle and assemble your antique furniture.

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