Furniture

Every piece of furniture has a practical purpose regardless of how simple or grand it is, even if some pieces were built more for display than function. Today, furniture remains one of the largest areas of the antiques market and items are categorised by type and period.

The term brown furniture refers to traditional pieces made from dark woods such as mahogany, while pieces made from native woods like oak and walnut are sometimes referred to as vernacular furniture.

Famous historical makers include Chippendale, Gillows, William Vile and John Cobb. More recent market trends have seen modern vintage pieces appearing in specialist design and ‘Interior’ auctions.

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Mirror result at Bonhams reflects Ralph Edwards link

07 March 2022

The George I period giltwood and gilt gesso girandole or mirror shown here belonged to art historian, connoisseur and collector Ralph Edwards (1894-1977).

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Art gallery wants your Egyptian revival expertise

28 February 2022

Norwich’s Sainsbury Centre art gallery has put a call out to the art and antiques sector for information and objects to help develop a new show.

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The web shop window: A set of 1950s Danish chairs

28 February 2022

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

Fabergé egg

Plea for help to track down stolen props from The Crown TV series

22 February 2022

The antiques trade is being asked to look out for a group of props stolen from the team behind Netflix’s The Crown that were taken from a lorry.

Truly Reclaimed label

Salvo pushes label for the Truly Reclaimed

21 February 2022

Salvo, the trade community for architectural antiques and salvage, is launching a labelling initiative to push the environmental credentials of reclaimed materials.

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Winning a Race for pair of Kangaroo chairs

21 February 2022

A pair of Kangeroo chairs were discovered in Lincoln.

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The inside track on demand for interiors during Covid lockdowns

21 February 2022

ATG asked dealers who work in the interiors trade about their recent experience. They reported burgeoning business despite – or, indeed, because of – lockdowns over the past two years.

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How much carbon emissions are saved when buying second-hand furniture?

21 February 2022

Just how green is it to buy furniture second hand these days? A new study conducted by Small World Consulting on behalf of ATG parent company Auction Technology Group set out to provide the answer.

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Catherine Southon tees off to a fine start in 2022

21 February 2022

Egyptian antiquities and Rolex are a hit in first sale of the year held at Surrey golf club

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Tale of two table cabinets in one sale

21 February 2022

Chorley’s (22.5% buyer’s premium) Fine Art & Antiques auction was topped at £28,000 by a 17th century Mughal ivory inlaid rosewood table cabinet.

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Eames furniture: The iconic Mid-century chair

21 February 2022

Determining when in the past seven decades a genuine Eames classic was made is not an exact science

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Renovation: Instagram's Man with a Hammer and his huge restoration project

21 February 2022

Greg Penn, 37, better known on Instagram as Man with a Hammer, is carrying out a major renovation of a 30-room former naval residence in Plymouth, doing the vast majority of the work himself and buying furniture online.

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Six pieces of 20th century furniture selling in Italy

21 February 2022

You can always find stylish pieces at 20th century design sales held by Italian auction houses. Here are some highlights from recent sales at Wannenes in Genoa on December 15-16 and Colasanti in Rome on October 7-8.

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Ercolani’s post-war vision lives on

21 February 2022

And why, when it comes to the secondary market for Ercol furniture, blonde is certainly more fun

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Inside stories: How new focus on improving home spaces has boosted antique and vintage items

21 February 2022

Long periods of life at home because of Covid restrictions for both lifestyle and work reasons have encouraged a trend for younger buyers in particular to target second-hand items from auction houses and dealers

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Looking for stylish interiors? Check out these items offered by dealers

21 February 2022

Nine previews of items on offer from dealers

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Collector interview: Art Deco without the clichéd theme park look

21 February 2022

Consumer journalist and broadcaster Harry Wallop, 47, and his wife decorated their Art Deco holiday home Endymion House in Cumbria with 1930s pieces befitting the property’s ‘Poirot glamour’.

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5 Questions: Rebecca and Jonny Ralfe

21 February 2022

LAPADA members Rebecca and Jonny Ralfe founded Ralfes Yard five years ago in south Somerset.

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Arne went to work on an egg

14 February 2022

Among the top sales at the winter edition of The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair last month was this 1963 Arne Jacobsen leather egg chair and ottoman.

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Range of furnishings from Dorset manor add buzz to Crewkerne auction

14 February 2022

The furniture and works of art sale at Crewkerne auction house Lawrences (25% buyer’ premium) on January 21 included a set of George II walnut seating furniture with an excellent provenance.

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