Driscolls Antiques – Antique Furniture Blog

Buying antique furniture online with confidence

Buying antique furniture online can sometimes be worrying as you cannot see and touch the piece in the flesh. Antiques can be viewed for sale on many websites on the internet but how do you know if the website is trust worthy and the pieces are genuine antiques. Driscolls antiques have been established for over 30 years and now have over 8 years experience on selling antiques online. We are LAPADA members who display all our antiques on our antique website and offer secure payments you so can order direct online. We offer a two man insured delivery who will carry your furniture into any room in your home and assemble it where necessary. We offer a 28 day money back guarantee so if you are not completely happy for whatever reason you can return your antiques for a refund and this is to give you confidence to purchase from us, as we guarantee your satisfaction as if you do not like what you buy, then just send it back. We have been trading for so long online and have thousands of happy customers who have purchased from us online and lots are repeat customers, as they were so happy with the antique furniture they purchased from us. Our antiques are beautifully cleaned and restored using traditional methods, keeping the furniture as original as possible and this ensures the furniture holds the value in case you decide to sell them in the future. We update our website on a daily and the newly added stock can be seen on the left side of our website under the category antique furniture added recently. We offer wanted service where we send you pictures of suitable antiques as they arrive in stock so please email us with any requests and for worldwide deliveries use trusted antiques shippers, who package, insure and deliver to your door and we can get a no obligation quote to any destination.

If you are not comfortable buying over the net please come and view our antique furniture warehouse in clitheroe, lancashire as we have many pieces to view and it can also be a very nice day out as clitheroe has a castle, many nice shops and cafes / restaurants to eat at.

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Antique Military furniture – campaign chest

antique campaign or antique military furniture are pieces of furniture designed for military use and were made to dismantle for moving around when travelling. Some military chests have makers stamp Army & Navy CSL, which stands for The Army and Navy Co-operative Society Ltd. This was formed in the late Victorian period by a group of army and navy officers and they wanted to supply good quality furniture and other items to its members at very low cost. They supplied items such as antique furniture, antique military chest, guns and golfing equipment. There stores was worldwide and was a huge success. On occasion we get good quality antique military chests and this week we have got a stunning example. It is a late Victorian mahogany military chest with two smaller drawers over three graduating longer mahogany lined drawers. All the drawers have the original sunken brass handles and the antique chest stands on turned bun feet and splits in half for ease of removal.

antique military and campaign chests are becoming harder to find and are extremely popular so please act quick if you are looking to buy this chest as it will sell very quickly.

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Antique furniture from the Victorian periods

Antique furniture from the Victorian period is furniture that was built in Queen Victoria’s reign which was from 1837 to 1901 when she died.

This period was the time when the wealth of Britain increased massively and this lead to a huge increase in furniture production. Machines were used and mass production of antique furniture appeared in the late Victorian period but Victorian furniture was mainly constructed by hand with dovetail joints, pin hinges, turned bun feet and turned handles. Curved edges, rounded corners, glossy French polished finishes, some elaborate carved decoration was all seen in the Victorian period and mahogany, oak and rosewood were regularly used. Iron was used in the Victorian period for some table bases and Victorian beds.

Early Victorian furniture still had elements of Georgian, Regency and William IV designs with curved backs and some scrolled or reeded decoration. Antique card tables were very popular for entertaining and military furniture was very popular due to the fact that people travelled more. A good example is our antique Victorian burr walnut card table with a serpentine moulded top which swivels and unfolds to double in size. It has a beautifully carved turned central pedestal with four elegant scrolled carved legs and brass castors, very similar to the slightly earlier versions but with Victorian influences.

Mid Victorian antique furniture was more curved, shiny French polished and upholstery was a large factor in design. Turned knobs, scrolled backs and usually plain mouldings with a small amount of carved decoration was used. Like our six antique balloon back dining chairs with beautiful moulded balloon backs and central carved sections, splayed back legs and elegant cabriole front legs.

In the late Victorian period antique furniture was more chunky, some with lots of carved decoration was used and new styles appeared like Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau.
Comfort became a big factor in design with easy chairs, chesterfields, sofas and more dining chairs with padded seats. reproduction furniture was in very high demand, as Tudor, Chippendale, Tudor and Sheraton styles were copied and were copied by well known makers like Gillows of Lancaster.

Victorian Arts and Crafts furniture was a popular movement in the late Victorian times and was furniture handmade in traditional methods of cabinet making and they were in a country or farmhouse style. The pieces were solid built, constructed with solid wood, well constructed and had few decorative effects. The designers of the Arts and Crafts furniture promoted superiority of handmade furniture that were affordable.

In the late Victorian times England witnessed the rise of the art nouveau movement in design. A god example of late Victorian reproduction is our eight Edwardian antique mahogany ding chairs constructed in the Hepplewhite design and consists of two carvers and six dining chairs. Each chair has a shield shaped back with splayed back splats and wheat sheaf carvings.

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Furniture from the different Georgian periods

There are three main Georgian periods and antique furniture can be dated by these periods through the design and construction.

Early Georgian antique furniture was a period when cabinet makers were trying to improve earlier designs. Antique furniture was given more elaborate pediments and sturdier more chunky cabriole legs. Early Georgian furniture mainly was simple in designed and construction like the antique settles, antique corner cabinet, refectory tables and antique mule chest. The more elaborate antique furniture was mainly in walnut, like the antique chest on stand. From the early Georgian period we have a good example of a Period Oak Mule Chest that was built around the 1720s. It has beautifully carved frieze and the front has three raised fielded panels above two oak lined drawers.

In the Mid Georgian period some of the best antique furniture designers and cabinet makers like Chippendale, Adam, Hepplewhite and Sheraton and these designers made a huge impact on antique furniture design. Antique furniture started to appear with more curves, motifs and ornamentation. Antique sets of chairs chair, antique tea tables and antique bookcases were popular and were more delicate in design. Simple designs were given an edge with rococo features like our stunning antique Georgian Cuban mahogany bureau constructed around 1750 with original rococo handles and escutions.

In the late Georgian period antique furniture had inlay, veneer, light carving and marquetry in the construction and mahogany was the main wood used. Satin wood and marquetry inlay was used bow fronted, concave fronts and cylinder designs started to appear. Much larger pieces of antique furniture were being made like antique library bookcases and antique linen presses like our antique mahogany Regency linen press constructed around 1800 and has two panelled doors with five oak lined sliding linen trays. The lower section has a moulded top above two over three graduating oak lined cock beaded drawers with turned handles.

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Latest news -Art and antiques have dodged the recession

There have been several reports recently how Art and antiques have dodged the recession. It is reported that the arts and antiques prices are rising as investors look for more safer places to invest their money.

Some surveys have taken place with investors and they say silver and jewellery are the strongest sectors owing to rising scrapping values of precious metals and antique furniture due to the usability and the reasonable prices.

Contemporary art was a big winner as the prices rose in value over the last year.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said books, clocks and ceramics were the only negative areas in 2009.

In 2009 surveyors reported rising rather than falling prices of art and antiques and so far in 2010 in is looking good for this sector.

Antiques and antique furniture is a very safe place to invest because not only do you have a good investment you also have a beautiful and useable pieces. Antique furniture is solid, usable and will last many, many, more years. They are constructed from quality woods and have beautiful finished that cannot be reproduced today. Lets hope more and more people realise what a good investment antiques are and also how they are green as no trees are being cut down to make antique furniture, they have been around for over 100 years.

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Tables and Chairs to match

It is very rare to find exactly matching tables and chairs but we always get tables and chairs that go together extremely well. We have a very good example of an antique table and a set of antique chairs that go together perfectly. They came from the same house and they are the same period, the same style and are very similar in colour so fit like an exact matching set.

The antique table is an Edwardian antique walnut wind out dining table with a winding handle, winding mechanism and two central removable leaves. The top is solid walnut with moulded edges and rounded corners and the table stands on four cabriole legs with pad feet and porcelain castors.

The antique chairs are a set of 8 antique Edwardian mahogany dining chairs with tall shaped backs with a vase shaped back splat, stand on splayed back legs and elegant cabriole front legs with pad feet.

These pieces of antique furniture are stunning and would fit into most homes and have the added bonus of extending so it can be made larger at Christmas or when you next have the family around for Sunday lunch.

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The best way to care for your antique furniture

Antique furniture can last hundreds more years if looked after properly and we are giving this following care advice to do this but also so you do not ruin your antiques.

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 not taken away.

We always advise not to strip the old finish away but instead try to revive the original finish by using traditional waxing methods. Waxing antique furniture is quick and easy and gives the best results.

To use a good wax polish, use a good quality wax like fiddes antique furniture wax (never use modern 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 over to keep clean. The more applications you do the better the results but buff up the piece in-between waxing as this will enhances the patina and not leave it dull looking.

If the wood is very dry (no patina to the appearance), you will need to wax the piece of antique furniture several times until a good patina has developed.

For best results and keep on top of the piece to keep it looking beautiful you should use antique furniture wax polish on your piece of antique furniture every few months.

To look after your antique furniture keep it away from direct Sunlight, humidity or dry central heating as this can affect the wood by cracking or the light can cause fading. Try not to put your furniture in direct sunlight or too near a radiator or dont have the temperature too high, and always nourish the wood with antique furniture wax to make sure it does not dry out on a regular basis.

If your item of antique furniture needs some restoration then we always recommend sympathetic restoration not stripping and re polishing 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 to resore your antiques.

If the 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. Stiff drawers or doors on furniture can be eased by rubbing wax on the edges.

Be careful when moving antique furniture around your room, don’t drag pieces but lift them and not by the moulded edges. Do not lean back on a chair as this loosens joints and causes very bad damage to antique chairs. Always open a drawer using both handles as only using one can damage the drawer lining.

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We are LAPADA antique furniture dealers.

To prove we are experienced and have the knowledge in antiques read on. Did you know that Driscolls Antiques are LAPADA and CINOA Members? which basically means we have the knowledge and experience in dealing in quality antique furniture.

We have now been established for over 30 years and the membership is only open to those antique companies who meet the Associations strict requirements so you know we are a trusted antique company as we have passed these requirements so we have proved we have the experience and knowledge. We became members to show our customers we have the experience, deal in the right quality stock and to give you the confidence to buy our antiques over the internet as we are now 99 % internet based. Most of our customers buy direct over the internet or phone and we do have a show room if you would like to view our antiques in the flesh. 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 us you can be assured you are buying 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 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. Our items are real original antiques so come with the old character marks that make the pieces beautiful but we only deal in the well looked after quality pieces.

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Can you get pairs of Antique Bedside Cabinets

Antique bedside Cabinets or also are known as antique night tables first appeared in France during the 18th century. They were designed to conceal the chamber pot and hold a basin for shaving or washing.

They appeared in Britain first in the form of commodes from the 1760s and usually made of mahogany and sometimes had carrying handles above pairs of doors and shaped aprons. From the 1770s antique furniture cabinet makers such as Gillows of Lancaster made tambour fronted night tables with cross banding, ebony and boxwood lines or raised panels surrounding flamed mahogany veneers and they usually had casters. From the later Georgian period night tables became lighter in both form and colour and as a result bow fronted commodes emerged. Eventually finer pot cupboards were made and they were much narrower and this form was widely manufactured in the Victorian and Edwardian periods. They were very rarely made in pairs and it is unusual to find exact matching pairs today but we have a very rare pair of antique Victorian walnut bedside cabinets that have just come in stock. We have just put them up for sale and they have rectangular moulded tops above pull out candle stands and moulded drawers. Each cupboard has reeded sides with beautifully scrolled, turned pilasters and a central cupboard door. They stand on small turned bun feet and are stunning in colour.

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Beautiful period mahogany furniture

Driscolls Antiques always has beautiful pieces of period antique furniture for sale and we update our website daily with our new items in stock.

Period pieces are getting much harder to find these days and I personally think these items will be the best investment for the future.

We have just put up for sale three beautiful pieces of period furniture.

We have an antique period Georgian mahogany bureau with a moulded fall front with a brass key escutcheon. The interior has several pigeon holes, a cupboard door, several oak lined small drawers and two pull out slides. The lower section has four graduating oak lined drawers with brass handles and the bureau stands on chunky bracket feet.

We also have a beautiful antique Georgian mahogany chest of drawers with a moulded edge above 2 over 3 graduating cock beaded drawers with turned handles. The antique chest of drawers stands on beautifully shaped bracket feet, has original back boards, and is in very good condition.

For more chest storage we have a stunning antique Georgian mahogany chest on chest with a moulded cornice above 2 over 5 graduating cock beaded drawers, brass swan neck handles and the chest stands on beautifully shaped bracket feet.

All are stunning pieces of antique period mahogany furniture and would look fantastic in any home.

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