Driscolls Antiques – Antique Furniture Blog

Handling Antique Furniture Correctly

One of the first and most basic rules of handling antique furniture is being very careful. This may seem like a very simple rule to follow, but you will be surprised how many pieces get damaged from rough handling.

Moving furniture can be one of the most strenuous so it is always best to have two people to move a piece rather than to drag the item around as this can chip the base. Never tilt back on antique chairs back legs as this can damage the joints and make the chair wobbly. Over time the chair will become un usable and will need repair.

Chairs should be picked up from under the seat and never the top of the chair as it is liable to pull off.

Always open a drawer using both handles, never only use one handle as this will open the drawer on an angle and can damage the runners and joints.

Do not lift a table from the top surface but from the lowest part of the main frame as the tops are usually screwed in and the weight of the top can pull the screws out of the base.

Don’t leave your antiques in direct sun light as this will lighten the wood only on the area the sun hits and if the heat from the sun gets too hot, the polish can blister.

This is just a few hints and tips and we have a good section on caring for your antique furniture on our website for lots more information.

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What happens when you put your foot in a robot?

I know it is a strange title for my antiques blog but I thought this would make you giggle. My two year old son decided to put his foot into his toy robot and he got it stuck. After lots of baby oil and fairy liquid we decided it was not coming off so we had to turn to the emergency services. When they asked me what was the emergency, I had to say my son has his foot stuck in a robot (rather embarrassing). The fire service arrived and told me not to worry as it is a common problem with children getting feet and hands stuck. They eventually freed him and were really great about the whole situation. Below are pictures of before and after.

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Environmental Concerns and how antiques can help

Did you know buying antiques can help the environment as you are buying recycled goods?

The world’s population is growing and consuming more and more of the natural resources and many people often forget that choosing to buy antiques and antique furniture is a way to be kind to the environment. Antique furniture already exists, so you do not need to cut down trees to make them and the pieces built to last, they have lasted over 100 years and will last for 100s of years longer if looked after correctly.

The problem with new furniture is it is usually poorly built and not made to last but people buy it because it is not so expensive to purchase. After a few years the furniture usually breaks, and is often thrown away to landfill. They will then buy more new furniture leading to more trees being chopped down. This cycle can happen many, many times in someone’s lifetime and when you add up the cost of all the replacement cheap pieces of furniture it can cost much more than if you would have just purchased an antique furniture piece in the first place. antique furniture can also hold its value and can go up in value so you also have the benefit of an investment that you have had years of use. .

The environmental benefit that antique furniture has done and will do by being passed down from family to family is enormous so should be a factor to consider when you furnish your home.

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Using Antique Furniture to Elevate the Look of your Home

Most people love to decorate their homes to add their own personal look and style. Antique furniture can really elevate the look of your home and it adds to your own personal touches as antique furniture comes with character and charm. This is why the market for vintage and antique furniture is on the rise. Antique furniture is built to last and over the years of use it comes with character marks and patina.

If you add an old masterpiece in your home it can really speaks volumes about your taste and sophistication. Vintage items enhance the look of your home and welcome the guests with high quality furniture and collectibles.

Home is a reflection of your personal style and taste. Antiques add a certain character and charm that conveys the classiness of the room beautifully. If you are inspired from the old Victorian periods, then going for antique furnishings is obvious! A reputed antique dealer like driscolls antiques will guide you to make the right choice.

You can find these lovely pieces of antique furniture with just at a click of your finger using our online website. Our antiques are a reasonable price but are very good quality and will last for hundreds of years so it is something nice to pass down to your children.

So why not add an element of style to your home by adding antique writing furniture or if you are a fan of literature and are fond of writing then having an antique bureau to use as a writing desk will make that space an ideal one for you.

Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian periods all offered quality furnishing and come with beautiful English styles that you do not see today. antique furniture is also a great investment and act as an amazing asset to you not only financially but also environmentally. Adding these beautiful antique items will convey your personality, and make your house stand out from the rest. .

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The True Value of Antique furniture

It is often said that the true value of any item purchased can be measured not only by how it serves its purpose when you bought it, but also how it carries on serving the same purpose over many years and this is how to work out value worthy of the initial investment cost. For example, modern furniture is often poorly crafted and as soon as you walk out of the shop with it, it can lose the majority of its value. It may perform its function for a couple of years but due to the poor quality and materials used they usually break or fall to pieces. This would hardly be considered good value for money. There are very few safe purchases or investments that offer any guarantees antique furniture one of the only exceptions with an extremely high level of potential. Antique furniture is constructed from quality timbers that you cannot see today and most pieces are still around after, over 100 years and still fully functional. Antique furniture also can hold good monetary value as the pieces are very saleable when you want to dispose of the item and they can also go up in value so is a good financial investment. Antique furniture comes with years of character that cannot be reproduced and very often are more reasonable to buy than the modern reproduction copies but are better built. Please check our website for our huge selection of quality antique furniture including antique chest of drawers, desks, wardrobes and many, many more pieces.

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1) What first made you fall in love with antiques?

My love of antique first started as a young boy, as my father had a second hand and antiques business in a small town called Todmorden. I used to love helping him doing house clearances and looking at all the old exciting objects but one of the main things that drew me to love antique furniture was the time me and my dad spent together and he would teach me how to restore the pieces of antique furniture ready for sale.

2) What is the best collecting advice you’ve ever received?

The best advice I have received and will always give is to only buy an item if it is of very good quality as quality always sells.

3) How did you get started as a professional dealer?

My farther fell ill with cancer when I was 18 at collage, so I gave up collage to help him with the business and this lead to my career in antiques.

4) What is your most treasured find?

It is not necessarily my find, but my dads, he was doing a house clearance, and outside in a skip was a painting, when he asked the removal men who the rubbish belonged to, it was from a derelict property that was being demolished and they said if we did not want it, it will be destroyed. So it was taken to action and sold for a few thousand pounds, not bad for a piece of rubbish.

5) What makes your company different?

We were one of the first antique dealers to sell antique furniture on the web ( www.driscollsantiques.co.uk ) and today are one of the largest dealers in quality antique furniture sold online. We ship to any destination in the world.

6) What are your particular areas of expertise?

We only specialize in quality antique furniture that we sympathetically restore using traditional methods.

7) How has the antiques business changed since you started out?

When I started out due to my dad’s illness our business was really struggling, now I have a large warehouse with quality antiques, I employ 6 people and we are a very busy company.

Where do you see the industry in five year’s time?

I can only see growth in the next five years for the antiques trade, I think people are spending their money more wisely today and are investing in usable antiques rather than the modern day poor quality equivalent.

9) If you could own any antique in the world, what would it be?

This might be a boring answer but I love all pieces of antique furniture and regularly change pieces in my home (I am in a very lucky position) so there is no particular one piece I would love to own just as long as I get to deal in beautiful antiques.

10) Do you have any advice for budding young (or old) collectors out there?

Only deal in quality antiques as the low quality pieces will be difficult to sell and you can be stuck with them for a long time.

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