Why Buy Antique furniture?
Obviously, as a person who sells antiques for a living, I think antique furniture is wonderful and that everybody should buy it! But not everyone feels the same way. Some people like to buy exclusively ‘new’ furniture and they find the thought of having something old or second hand in their home a little difficult. Or they may not object to the idea of antique furniture but think it won’t work in their style of home. Or they may just find it easier when time and money are often tight to go to Ikea and find everything they want in one place at an affordable price.
So, what are the advantages of antique furniture?
Again, I fully admit to being biased with my views of antiques, but there are many reasons I think a piece of antique furniture is preferable to a modern piece of furniture (by which I mean mass produced pieces bought from a shop, not a bespoke piece of furniture made by a cabinetmaker), some of which are as follows:
Visual appeal. Antique furniture can be incredibly beautiful, especially when it has developed a lovely colour or patina through years of love and care. Typically it is well proportioned, and pre Victorian era pieces are often not too big so work well in todays smaller homes. In a more modern home, some items of mid century furniture can look absolutely stunning, and even in an ultra modern interior something like a very simple primitive wooden bench or table, maybe scandinavian in a lovely pale timber, can be the perfect thing to finish it all off.
Materials. Antique furniture was hand made using solid timber, sometimes overlaid with a veneer such as mahogany, depending on the style and era. While solid wood may suffer from rot in damp conditions, or woodworm, or veneer may lift or be damaged, these things can be fixed - sections can be repaired or replaced, so the piece as a whole continues to survive. Unless you are buying very high quality modern furniture (which would usually cost you far more than an antique piece) it is nearly always constructed using a combination of solid timber, chipboard and MDF, and assembled using rapid assembly fixings such as screws and wooden dowels rather than properly jointed. Which brings me on to…
Longevity. As mentioned above a typical piece of modern furniture will be made of materials and constructed in a way that doesn’t really allow it to be repaired if it gets damaged. It is designed to be made and built as quickly and cheaply as possible whilst still looking the part. The cynic in me would argue that many items are almost made to be disposable, to encourage you to go and buy a new piece periodically. Meanwhile, the antique equivalent has already survived a century or two in tact, so odds on will last another century or two with a bit of care, and the occasional sympathetic repair, maybe.
Sustainability. An antique piece of furniture is by its very nature a sustainable choice by the simple fact that you are buying a second hand rather than a new item. Then you have to consider that antique furniture was typically made locally using locally grown timber - for instance, in the 19th century there tended to be a chair maker for an area, which is why experts in antique wooden chairs can often say what area, sometimes down to the village, a chair originates from. Modern furniture is often made in the far east and shipped around the world so has a big carbon footprint - it has been calculated that a Georgian chest of drawers has one sixteenth of the carbon footprint of a modern equivalent.
Emotional attachment. I think most people probably have a mixture of antique furniture and modern furniture - I certainly do - but for me at least, it is the antiques in my home that make it my home. I could go out and buy another sofa practically identical to the one I have now if I had to, and other than being annoyed about having to buy a new sofa, I wouldn’t miss my old one in the slightest. It fits the space, it looks nice, it’s comfortable, but I have no emotional attachment to it. The antique armchair I have in my bedroom though, I would be devastated if anything happened to it. I had it upholstered in a fabric I love, and I just adore it! It might sound daft but it is more than just a piece of furniture to me (crazy lady alert - I do talk to it, but then again I talk to the furniture in our shop as well!) and I know while I could find another chair that was similar if I had to, it wouldn’t be the same.
Individuality. Why have a piece of furniture that is identical to what hundreds or thousands of people also have? Why not find something unique that only you have? Even if you have just one piece of antique or vintage furniture in your home, whether its an armchair, a little side table or a big welsh dresser, I guarantee that if you put a bit of time and effort in and find something you truly love, it will become your favourite thing, the piece you can’t resist giving a pat when you walk by. It will make your home you in a way an Ikea chest of drawers never could.
Price. Last but not least, is cost. Antique furniture has a reputation of being expensive, and it certainly can be! It all depends on the item, how rare it is, how old it is, who made it, what materials are used, where it is from, how desirable it is… But there are many pieces available that are nothing ‘special’, in that they aren’t worth a small fortune, but are still beautiful and encompass all my points above, and these can be better value than buying from the high street. The chest of drawers shown below, for example, is one we currently have for sale at £685 including UK delivery. It is big and beautiful, with some lovely design details (including three secret drawers, which is always exciting!) and will outlive you and me. To me, that seems very good value!
A beautiful 19th century mahogany chest of drawers we have in stock at present, priced at £685.00
I hope you have enjoyed reading this, and that it may encourage you to consider buying a piece of antique furniture in future, or if you are already an antique lover, buying some more!
Thank you for reading.