18th Century Chest of Drawers: from Les Trois Garçons

18th Century Chest of Drawers: from Les Trois Garçons

Shown here is a truly stunning piece, a Louis XVI chest of drawers, crafted in France of course circa 1790. This piece is in remarkable condition for such an item of such an age and is certainly worth a good look from the eyes of any buyer.

This chest of drawers is an incredibly beautiful piece, for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is crafted from mahogany; a hardwood which is not only renowned for its durability, mahogany consistently provides the items it graces with an absolutely gorgeous tone, here, it presents itself with a deep and nutty brownish colour which really adds a warm and inviting aesthetic appeal to the overall look of the chest. Additionally, mahogany boasts a stunning natural grain, clearly visible in the photos provided.

The design also incorporates a lavish white marble top, the presence of marble will already almost guarantee a visually impressive piece, however what sets this piece apart is how the marble creates an incredible contrast with the rich tone of the mahogany. It is this contrast that creates a real sense of visual pleasantry obvious to any onlooker. Moreover, the piece is detailed throughout with brass, this is clear with regards to the gallery which holds the marble top. The brass doesn't disturb the wonderful contrast between the mahogany and the marble; rather it simply adds another colour to impress the viewer more so. The addition of brass to mahogany is also characteristic of the regency period. 

Quite frankly it would be almost a shame to see such a fantastic piece put to practical use again; this most certainly is a piece which should be added to a collection, as it simply stands out as an impressive item. The piece is crafted with very high quality materials, including mahogany. The incorporation of mahogany means this piece will remain in its owner’s collection for a substantial length of time whilst also surviving any wear it may be subject to. Additionally the presence of high quality materials makes a statement about and adds to the richness of the collection in which the chest may find itself in. Lastly, the chest is in excellent condition for an antique of its age, an impressive factor to anyone who might have the pleasure of viewing it.

This piece is offered at a price of £3,950.00; age, excellent workmanship in terms of its crafting, obviously the incorporation of such prestigious and handsome materials and overall condition are what constitutes the price of this antique and are also the factors which would make it a formidable addition to any well established or starting collection. 

For more details on this particular item, click this link:
http://interiorboutiques.com/en/18th-century-chest-of-drawers

For more gorgeous pieces from Les Trois Garçons, click here:
http://interiorboutiques.com/en/les-trois-gar%C3%A7ons 

For more Chests of Drawers, click here:
http://interiorboutiques.com/Catalog/ShopByCategory/?q=drawers

A Rosewood Bookcase Cabinet

A Rosewood Bookcase Cabinet: from Marchand Antiques

This piece is a bookcase cabinet constructed by Robert Heritage and Archie Shine for Heals of London circa 1959. It is entirely crafted from Rosewood and features five cupboard sections with removable shelves in the top tier, a large cupboard in the middle tier as well as four small draws and a cocktail cabinet, and finally on the lower tier are two large drawers and a smaller one.

This piece is highly utilitarian, the five cupboard sections could be used for any desired purpose but ultimately provide ample space for any storage type role and the large cupboard located in the middle portion of the bookcase cabinet can easily accommodate a flat-screen TV for example or anything with similar dimensions (for this specific application the sliding door is very useful as it offers protection for the contents of the cupboard in the middle tier). Of course this piece has more to offer, right of the cupboard in the middle tier are four small drawers which again can be used for any storage type role; right of these drawers one will find a fall front cocktail cabinet featuring a mirrored rear face and glass shelf. Continuing with this idea of utility, on the lower tier we find two large drawers capable of housing shoes, clothing, a cigar box perhaps, or whatever else its owner deems fit. Finally, on the right of these we find a final smaller drawer. This vast amount of storage space makes this piece a practical addition to any home, perhaps most well suited to a living room for the reasons previously outlined. 

Onto the more aesthetic side of this piece, the first thing to mention is the wood from which it was crafted, that being rosewood.  Rosewood is a hardwood commonly used in furniture, musical instruments, mathematical tools and various other applications; this is due to the fact that it offers not only rugged durability and relatively good shock resistance (making it ideal as a wood to use for practical a purpose as it doesn't wear easily) but also bears a truly stunning natural grain which we can see tastefully adorning the forward face of the bookcase cabinet. The dark brown tone of the wood, coupled with the cocktail cabinet and the wood’s grain provide a lavish rustic looking quality to an otherwise totally utilitarian piece and give it a more vibrant characteristic.
 


This piece is offered at £2,650.00, a great price for such a practical and beautiful piece and it doesn't go without saying that though it may have been designed half a century ago it wouldn't feel out of place and would in fact make a perfect addition to any modern home.   

For more pieces from Marchand Antiques, click here:
 http://interiorboutiques.com/en/marchand-antiques

For antiques, fine art, midcentury pieces and more, click here:
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Specialist Article by Stuart Shuster - What is the Original Antique Look in Furniture?

Guest Editor - Stuart Shuster, from Church Street Antiques

Stuart has owned and run Church Street Antiques, in Marylebone's famous antiques district in London for over 30 years, and specialises in Edwardian, Victorian, English, French, 17th - 20th century furniture. Stuart has extensive expertise of this industry, and offers many services including buying, selling, restoring, commissioning and pricing pieces, as well as house clearances. He has a keen eye for antiques, particularly wooden furniture (especially mahogany, oak, beech, and kingwood), and has given us this piece about the 'antique look' - what is it? What is the most valuable? What should you do with your antique? Read on to hear Stuart's opinion on this very important topic. 

"It often amuses me as to what is considered ‘the original look’ in relation to antique furniture.

For instance, how do you make, say, an antique desk look original? Do you strip & polish it, so that it looks like it was when new 100 years ago? This, strictly speaking, is the original look but obviously it will look new, without a lot of character.  

 Or do you just gently clean the surface & polish over what’s there, giving the piece an older look, with loads of character?

It’s really all a question of taste.
One thing’s for sure, once the old patina has been stripped off, it can’t be replaced. Ask any period furniture dealer & they will tell you not to strip the item if it is period with good original patina, because you will not only lose all of the character but also most of the commercial value.

If the damage has already been done & the piece is devoid of character, then a very good polisher can probably French polish it in the traditional way, to give it a fairly nice look. There is nothing wrong with that & the item should look okay. But to be honest, there are not enough good polishers out there - or should I say a lot of antique dealers can’t really afford to pay for a good polishing job because the final asking price would be too high.

I suppose it’s all about offering a certain look, which will appeal to some & not to others.
I used to regularly exhibit at a very large antique fair where there was always one particular large stand with loads of genuine antique furniture - all of the pieces on this stand looked like they had been stripped with a belt sander & spray polished. Every piece of the furniture looked perfect. There were no indentations or any markings whatsoever. Everything looked new with absolutely no character. To my amazement, this stand always had a high turnover; they used to sell loads. They obviously had their own following.

Like I said, it’s all a question of taste." 

For Stuart's site, if you're searching for gorgeous Victorian furniture, especially large mahogany, oak, Burr walnut, leather pieces, Stuart has extensive and constantly-changing stock. Click here for his Interior Boutiques page to see his Boutique Shop:

http://interiorboutiques.com/en/church-street-antiques

The three featured items in this article's images are linked here:
Antique Victorian Mahogany Pedestal Desk http://interiorboutiques.com/en/antique-victorian-mahogany-pedestal-desk
Antique French Walnut Salon Taupe Armchairs http://interiorboutiques.com/en/pair-of-antique-french-walnut-salon-taupe-armchairs
Antique Burr Walnut Cocktail Drinks Cabinet http://interiorboutiques.com/en/antique-burr-walnut-cocktail-drinks-cabinet

For more items, check out Interior Boutiques advance search to search for specific items you're hunting for:
http://interiorboutiques.com/Catalog/ShopByCategory

Specialist Article by Stuart Shuster - "What Makes An Antique Attractive to a Customer?"

What Makes An Antique Attractive to a Customer?

Guest Editor - Stuart Shuster, from Church Street Antiques

Stuart has owned and run Church Street Antiques, in Marylebone's famous antiques district in London for over 30 years, and specialises in Edwardian, Victorian, English, French, 17th - 20th century furniture. As a man in the antiques business for such a long period, Stuart has expertise of this business which exceeds his years, and thus his business has flourished. He has supplied items for the world's interior designers, celebrities and businessmen, and he knows how to sell his items. He's given us this article describing his approach to his stock selection, and what he thinks is important in a piece. He's very straight-forward in discussion, and he clearly knows his stuff - have a read on to hear the man himself. 

The interesting thing about the antique business is that there are many different articles being sold at many different levels. Taking the furniture angle alone, there are many different levels at which it is being sold. In the future I will be giving you advice on different ways of finding, checking out & buying antique furniture, without having to over pay or get ripped off.

The kind of antique furniture I sell is basically affordable & functional. I'm not too bothered about datelines. The item doesn't have to be over 100 years old to be a good piece of furniture. For instance, some Victorian furniture can be very poorly made, whilst some 1950's pieces can be of amazing quality. You can buy a cheap quality inlaid mahogany Edwardian bureau bookcase for £750 or pay £1500 for a top quality 1950's example, which would be the one I would always buy.

The value of both items might go up at a similar percentage, but the 50's bureau bookcase has got to be the better investment. To be honest, most items that I sell are at the common sense buying, price level. Just compare what you would have to pay for the modern day equivalent in the stores today. Not only would you pay more for the new equivalent, but it would be far inferior in quality, with a massive loss in value as soon as you purchase it. More importantly, it won't look as good, with no character & it certainly will not last as long.

Most of the new furniture, being sold these days, is spray polished. That normally means that when scratched, the polish can just peal off & is difficult to polish over. I don't really want to get too technical right now, because I'd like to save that for another article in the future, regarding restoration & polishing. What I am really trying to say is, it's far better to buy the older piece of furniture, providing it's well made, than the new equivalent.

The only cheap reproduction furniture available these days, is the nasty overseas spray polished imports from  Far East countries. The main problem with these items is, besides being absolutely worthless as soon as they are purchased, the wood is never seasoned, so it starts splitting & warping in different room temperatures. Did you know that once the wood is cut from the tree, it needs to be left to dry out for many years, or be kiln dried; otherwise it will split & warp.

The main point I am trying to make is, wherever possible, if you have the choice, steer away from new reproduction furniture, in favor of older equivalents. As long as they are over 40 years, the quality, character & resale value will be much better.

For Stuart's site, if you're searching for gorgeous Victorian furniture, especially large mahogany, oak, Burr walnut, leather pieces, Stuart has extensive and constantly-changing stock. Click here for his site:
http://www.churchstreetantiques.net/

For Stuart's Interior Boutiques page, for a selection of his items and to see his Boutique Shop, click here:

http://interiorboutiques.com/en/church-street-antiques

For more items, check out Interior Boutiques advance search:
http://interiorboutiques.com/Catalog/ShopByCategory