Driscolls Antiques – Antique Furniture Blog

Coming Soon National Antiques Week

National Antiques Day will become National Antiques Week from November 2009 and this is to promote the antiques trade throughout the u.k. This is to work along side the antiques are green campaign and will display the antiques are green symbol that I previously wrote about in one of my antique blogs. National Antiques Day in 2008 was very successful for antique dealers who promoted this to there customers and new customers by offering special offers.  BADA Association and LAPADA Association are promoting there support over this campaign and thay will be hopefully promoting this through many local newspapers.
The main aim of antiques week is for every antique dealer to encourage newcomers to the antiques world and want especially the younger generation to get involved and aware that antique furniture and antiques are excellent value to buyers.  Much has been written recently about what good value antiques offer – this is the ideal time to promote that fact.

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Regency and Georgian Side Tables

We always have very nice pieces of antique furniture for sale and we always get very nice regency and Georgian side tables of various sizes and styles. This week we have three very nice examples in stock.

We have an antique Georgian demi lune mahogany console table that is bow fronted top with reeded edge above a deep frieze and central oak lined drawer with brass handles. The antique table stands on four tapering legs with spade feet and has boxwood string inlay around the edges. We also have for sale an antique Regency mahogany tea table that has a rectangular moulded top which swivels and unfolds to double in size. The antique tea table has a half rounded moulded frieze with beautiful scrolled carved brackets and stands on an elegant turned pedestal with acanthus leaf carving. The piece has a quadriform base with scrolled carved feet and brass castors. If you are looking for a side table that tilts to take less room then we have an antique Georgian mahogany tripod supper table that has a large circular solid mahogany top which tilts and has its original brass mechanism. The table stands on a beautifully turned pedestal and has tripod splayed legs with pad feet.

These are all very nice examples of antique side tables that are quality usable pieces of antique furniture.

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Lambs Antique Cupboard

Occasionally we get some very nice pieces of antique furniture that have been made by very good antique furniture makers. This week we have a superb piece of antique furniture by Lamb of Manchester.
This superb antique cupboard was built in the Victorian period and is made from rosewood. It is stamped by the renowned maker Lamb of Manchester on the locks and sides and has a rectangular top with shaped corners above a deep moulded frieze and three moulded cupboard doors. Each interior has three small drawers above three adjustable shelves and the antique cupboard has half rounded moulded corners, stands on a moulded plinth, has original backboards and is of a superb quality. It is a top quality and is by one of the best makers so it will be a very good investment for the future and is a very usable piece of antique furniture.

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Fine Edwardian Furniture

We have always got very nice fine edwardian furniture for sale and this week we have for sale some very nice examples.

We have an antique edwardian mahogany display cabinet and it is in the Chippendale revival style. The antique display has a gadrooned edge, two astragal glazed doors and the display stands on raised legs with moulded feet and shaped brackets.

We also have a set of six antique mahogany dining chairs that are in the Hepplewhite design. Each of the antique chairs has a shaped back with pierced back splat, stand on splayed back legs, tapering front legs and all have H stretchers.

We also have an antique edwardian oval mahogany occasional table with boxwood string inlay above a frieze. The table stands on four elegant splayed legs again with boxwood string inlay and also has a smaller lower tier.

These are all very nice pieces of fine Edwardian antique furniture and we always have a good selection of other pieces so please always keep checking our website for details.

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Country Antique Georgian furniture

We get some very nice pieces of country Georgian furniture for sale in our antique furniture show room and this week we have some very nice examples. We have an antique georgian mahogany country antique bureau that has a moulded cross banded fall front and the interior has a writing insert, several small drawers, pigeon holes, secret slides and a central cupboard door. The lower section has three graduating cock beaded drawers with turned knobs with inlaid centres. The antique bureau has a shaped apron, stands on splayed bracket feet and is a very nice piece of antique country furniture.

We also have an antique georgian oak country press cupboard that has a moulded cornice above two moulded, mahogany cross banded cupboard doors with a brass handle. The press has removable shelves with hooks and the lower section has two over two graduating oak lined drawers with mahogany cross banding and brass swan neck handles. The piece stands on fine turned bun feet and is also a very nice piece of antique country furniture. antique country furniture not only has lovely character and charm but also can look beautiful in any home.

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Antiques Are Green and good for the environment

The antiques trade are currently trying to promote how antiques are green and better for the environment as you are not cutting down trees to make antique furniture and the items are in effect re cycled. There has been recently a vote on the new logo to be used to promote this new image of the antiques trade. The logo shown is the new logo to promote UK Antiques are Green campaign and has been chosen by the public and trade.

This new logo has green arrows circling a candelabra of the Lapada sign and can now be used and attached to letterheads, invoices, websites and displayed anywhere in the antiques environment to promote Antiques Are Green and good for the environment

I have done a few blogs in the past on how you can help the environment buy buying antique furniture and now it is good to see people are starting to realise this and promote it.

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Solid Oak Antique Furniture

Here at driscolls antiques we stock the finest antique furniture and we get very good quality solid oak pieces. For example this week we have put up for sale two very good solid oak pieces and they are of superb quality and are in very good original order.

We have a Victorian antique oak bookcase that has a moulded cornice above two arched glazed doors and the corners have simple carved corbels. The lower section of this stunning piece of oak furniture, has a rectangular moulded top above two oak lined frieze drawers above two cupboard doors with arched moulded panels and again simple carved corbels.

The other piece of solid oak that we have in stock is
an antique Georgian oak floor standing cross banded corner cupboard that has a moulded cornice above a deep frieze and four panelled cupboard doors with mahogany cross banding and brass handles. The interior has shaped shelves and this lovely period piece stands on shaped bracket feet.

These pieces of solid oak furniture are in good condition and are sturdy quality pieces. They are also a very nice lighter colour as some oak can look a little dark and make rooms look dark but this depends on the decor in the room.

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Antique French Furniture

We mainly deal in good quality English antique furniture but we do occasionally get some nice pieces of antique French furniture in stock. This week we have put up for sale three very nice pieces of French antique furniture and they are all of nice quality. We have an antique rosewood centre table that has a serpentine shaped moulded with two concealed central mahogany lined drawers. The antique table stands on cabriole shaped legs with brass castors and is in very nice condition.

We also have an antique French upholstered walnut antique armchair with a high back, scrolled carved arms and carved apron. To go with the chair we have an antique French circular upholstered foot stool with upholstered top with a stud trim. It stands on four cabriole legs and has a scrolled carved frame. All these items are very nice pieces of French furniture and would go well together. They also are nice and simple in design so would fit in well with English pieces of antique furniture, so do not be afraid in mixing items together in the same room as this can look very well.

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Did The Victorians Use earlier Pieces of Furniture in Their Homes?

The Victorians did use earlier pieces in their homes and unfortunately in the late Victorian times there was a fashion to carve earlier furniture to look like the modern carved pieces. Unfortunately this destroyed the main value in the pieces of antique furniture but it can still look nice and is an affordable way to buy some very early pieces of antique furniture. The Victorian era was a time when the middle class was on the rise so there was a large increase in the amounts of antique furniture being constructed and this lead to alot of the earlier pieces being destroyed or later carved. For people who could not afford the new Victorian pieces then they would carry on using their old pieces and this would happen alot in the country. This was a good thing as this is how most of the Georgian furniture survived. The larger stately homes would usually preserve there items of antique furniture and pass these down by generation to generation so this meant the good quality pieces surviving.

It is amazing how very early pieces survive from new fashions and wars etc. And this is because it was well built and was beautifully made so it still looks as good today as when it was made. The good this about this is that antique furniture will last 100s more years and only go up in value so now is the time to invest in good quality antique furniture.

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Only buy Antique furniture from reputable dealers.

Buying antique furniture can be hard especially if you do not have any knowledge about antiques. If you are not careful you can lose money from buying from dealers who sell reproduction furniture or marriages. This is why it is important that you only buy from reputable antiques dealers like us at driscolls antiques ltd. We have years of experience and are LAPADA registered dealers. But if you need advice for buying antiques then here are a few tips –
research can help alot, you can do this through books or the internet and also look into the company you are buying from. Ie. How many years of trading, how does the overall stock look in the shop, ask questions about the piece. Buy what you like the look of and make sure it is usable and sturdy. Ask is there any later additions on the antiques or later restoration on the piece. We clearly display prices, full description with condition report and show clear photos on the website. We also offer a 28 day money back guarantee so if you are not buying form us make sure these options are available else where as there is nothing worse than buying a mistake but you can not return it.
if you want quality antique furniture, from a trusted dealer who offers guarentees with the furniture then look no further as we offer all this and we deliver into your home using professional carriers.

Do not buy damaged good from auction or elsewhere as you will not be told if there is anything wrong with the item, you will then have to arrange your own carriage and you will have to arrange to have it restored. We offer you the full service including guarantees and we only deal in quality antiques.

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