Some of us have been lucky enough to inherit a beautiful, but beaten, piece of antique reproduction furniture. It may be tempting to spruce up an old Chippendale armchair by slapping on a new coat of paint, but you may actually decrease the value of the piece in your attempt to restore it.

So how do you decide whether or not to refinish your antique furniture? There are a couple of factors you should consider before pulling out the sandpaper.

Do you like the way it looks? You shouldn’t feel compelled to sand out every scratch in an attempt to make the piece look brand new. Many collectors prefer a piece that is aged with patina and that has little imperfections, believing that bruises add to an item’s history. Some will even take a new piece of furniture and distress it by roughing it up with power tools, or by applying a special paint to give it an “antique finish.”

Do you plan on selling it for a profit, and are you aware of the piece’s history? If concerned about the potential value, ask someone in the antique business for their opinion. If it’s a large piece, take pictures of it to a dealer and ask them for their input.

Refinishing doesn’t usually destroy the value of antique furniture, and if done professionally can actually enhance it. However if the piece is extremely old or has historical significance, you’ll want to preserve its original finish.

If you’re still undecided, try giving your antique a good cleaning. It’s amazing what a little bit of soap, followed up by a good polishing can do. Just be sure to research the appropriate cleaning technique required for your particular piece of furniture. Before cleaning the whole surface, test your method out on a small area that isn’t highly visible.

While theater goers munch on their popcorn, they will view our newly famous antique reproduction furniture prominently featured in a vintage passenger ferry set in the New Mexico Territory in 1873.  In order to give the upscale ferry a more refined feel than the rough-and-tumble saloons featured elsewhere in the movie, Cowboys & Aliens producers sought out over 150 pieces from Laurel Crown’s extensive collection.

While a wide array of chairs, tables, sofas, and even mirrors were purchased, Cowboys & Aliens producers mainly focused their attention on our Chippendale and Victorian furniture collection.  Certainly, this helped lend the scene the old-world feel the producers sought.

Of course, this is not just any ferry boat.  That would be too boring.  This ferry has been picked up by an alien spacecraft and dropped upside down into the desert. Thus, our pieces appear in various states of ruin as they are scattered throughout the ferry’s cabins.  Despite this, we like to think our pieces still maintain their elegance and charm on the big screen!

In order to celebrate this other-worldly experience for Laurel Crown, all furniture featured in the movie will be on sale for the entire month of August! The featured furniture includes customer favorites such as our Chippendale Side Chair, Victorian Double-End Sofa, and Louis XV Fauteuil Armchair.  While we can’t make any guarantees, we do not think your house will be lifted into the air by an alien spacecraft if you purchase any of these big screen worthy pieces.
 

Furniture making an appearance in Cowboys & Aliens:

1. Chippendale Side Chair with Ball and Claw feet
2. Chippendale Armchair with Ball and Claw feet
3. Louis XV Fauteuil Armchair
4. Victorian Spoon-Back Three-Seater Armchair
5. Victorian Spoon-Back Two-Seater Armchair
6. Victorian Spoon-Back Armchair
7. Rococo Revival Rocaille Wall Mirror
8. Twin Pedestal Dining Table
9. Round Coffee End Table – Large
10. Round Coffee End Table – Medium
11. Chippendale Coffee Table
12. Victorian Single-End Show-Frame Sofa
13. Victorian Double-End Sofa
14. Rococo Console Table with Grape Details
15. Large Mahogany Tea Table
16. Medium Mahogany Tea Table
17. Small Mahogany Tea Table
18. Massachusetts Chippendale Armchair
19. Massachusetts Chippendale Dining Chair
20. French Country Dining Table
21. French Country Cane Arm Chair
22. French Country Cane Chair
23. French Country Bed – Queen
24. French Country Hutch
25. French Country Pine Chest of Drawers

To help eliminate some of the confusion associated with the furniture buying process, we’ve created this glossary of the ten most misunderstood terms. Familiarize yourself with these terms, and you’ll quickly find yourself marching down the path to furniture enlightenment.

Hand carved ball and claw feet

1. Ball and Claw Feet- Characteristic of Chippendale furniture, this is a hand carved styling on the foot of chairs and tables that have the appearance of an animal claw grasping a ball.

2. Escutcheon- An escutcheon is a metal plate, usually made of brass, that surrounds a key hole to prevent scratches to the surrounding wood.  They can be very ornate and add a distinct flair to certain furniture.

3. Mullion- A mullion is an architectural feature which divides window panes.  In the furniture world, mullions are commonly used to decorate the glass panes on display cabinets.

Laurel Crown's Empire Swan Chaise Lounge

4. Chaise Lounge- Disambiguated from the french word “chaise longue”, literally meaning “long chair”, this is a type of upholstered sofa that has a sloping back on only one end.  It was very popular in the 18th century and adds an old-world touch of class to any room.

5. Cartouche- This is a hand carved embellishment common in antique French and Italian furniture. It an ornately carved frame usually oval in shape and surrounded with scrollwork.

6. Mortise and Tenon Joinery- A tried and true woodworking joint that is used in many pieces of Laurel Crown furniture.  A rectangular “tongue” or “tenon” is inserted into an interlocking hole or “mortise” and to make this one of the sturdiest joints used in furniture making.

Classic Acanthus leaf pattering

7. Acanthus Leaf- This is a floral styling originating in ancient Greece that is popular in architecture and furniture design, particularly that of Thomas Chippendale’s work.

It’s hard to believe the fourth of July is already upon us.  It’s a holiday that seems to just get better with age.  Sure, fireworks are great when you’re a kid, but you’re already on summer vacation from school so the 4th just feels kind of like a formality.

When you’re older, the fun increases ten-fold.   Independence Day is a vacation from work in the middle of the summer.  A time to hit the beach, drink merrily in America’s name, and yes, watch some more fireworks.

You know what also gets better with age?  Antique furniture (how’s that for a segue?).  American carpenters have a rich tradition of making excellent furniture, so we thought we’d profile one of their most cherished styles.

American Empire Style

American furniture maker Duncan Phyfe (1768-1854) is largely credited with popularizing the American Empire style.  Common characteristics of this form of furniture include intricate carvings, clawed feet, and twisting columns.

The carvings usually contain animal themes, often featuring bird’s wings, dolphin heads, or other distinctive motifs.  This is certainly a display of American ingenuity and a flair for the dramatic that we can all be proud of.

The Red Room

American Empire style achieved its peak popularity in the early 19^th century, but its offerings still remain as a central fixtures in the annals of American furniture.  Indeed, even the Red Room of the White House (try wrapping your head around that) prominently features American Empire furnishings.  Jackie Kennedy used her exquisite taste and filled the room with lavish pieces that exemplify the trademark style.

Today, many pieces of antique reproduction furniture are influenced by the American Empire style.  The next time you see a nice settee with some clawed feet on it, shout out to your companions: “That’s American Empire!” and promptly burst into a stirring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.

Happy Fourth of July from Laurel Crown!

“As is the case today, artists of the medieval era understood how people used clothing to communicate their status and role in society,” William Griswold, director of The Morgan Library and Museum, told the news source. “As fashions evolved, illuminators followed suit in manuscripts, providing not only an illustrated record of changes in dress and social customs, but also a symbolic visual commentary on the values and morals of the people they depicted.”

Approximately 200 years of art leading up to the Renaissance is covered at the exhibition. The goal is to help viewers grasp how fashion was constantly changing throughout this period in history. The paintings depict people in costume garments and everyday ensembles alike. These often show how life was during this era in Europe.

The exhibit is split into eight sections, the first of which is titled, “Fashion Revolution, 1330-50.” It was throughout this period that people began to move from loose-fitting garments to more tighter-fitting outfits. This trend affected both men and women of the time, and several paintings at the museum display these styles.

Other portions of the exhibit examine how women changed their hairstyles throughout the centuries and how luxury was displayed through clothing. The presentation also demonstrates how situations, such as the Hundred Years’ War and the Bubonic Plague, put a halt to the development of fashion and innovation.

Italian clothing styles notably began to dominate trends in Northern Europe by the 16th century. The exhibit touches upon these influences as well, leading into a time when both fashion and art were beginning to enter the Renaissance period.

Homeowners can benefit from visiting art exhibits and gaining a better understanding of how colors complement each other. Paintings and sculptures alike provide perfect examples of how certain hues can pull together the feel of a room. By using art as accent pieces, homeowners can bring together their antique reproduction furniture and overall decor. Home and garden tours can also provide inspiration for individuals who are having trouble figuring out how to redesign their living spaces.

The Decoration of Homes (1897)

by Edith Wharton

It is inevitable that the decorator… should fare worse, especially as he makes his appearance at a time when contractors’ bills are pouring in, and the proposition to move a mantelpiece or change the dimensions of a door opens fresh vistas of expense to the client’s terrified imagination.

Classic Design Principles Outlined

Don’t let the year of publication frighten you; the principles contained within its pages are still reflected often in antique reproduction furniture. Human nature, architectural proportions, and our bodily comforts being what they are, these ideas for interior design are as relevant today as when they were written. Furthermore, this book is written with verve and wit.

Years of travel in the US and on Grand Tours of Europe, as well as personal relationships with Henry James, the Vanderbilts, the Rockefellers and others, went into observations about the mannerisms and environment of high society.  All of this ‘study’ bore fruit in Edith Wharton’s first book, The Decoration of Homes,1897, which she co-wrote with noted architect Ogden Codman Jr. This book became the standard for interior decoration.

This Bible of home décor featured the idea that interior decoration is NOT merely about surface “arrangement.” Instead, Wharton and Codman observed that interiors and architectural structure are completely integrated.

It isn’t often that one can literally walk into the embodiment of an iconic book. That is precisely the case, however, with “The Mount,” Wharton’s residence in the Berkshires which was built and decorated according to the dictates of this book.

In fact, contemporary designers, such as Charlotte Moss, put this tome to work within The Mount’s walls for the Drawing Room while Michael Simon has been tabbed to recreate Edith Wharton’s bedroom suite.

Drawing Room, designed by Charlotte Moss. Photograph by David Dashiell © Edith Wharton Restorations, Inc.

The Decoration of Homes was part of a movement sweeping Victorian furniture “clutter” out of American interiors. Wharton and architect co-author Codman favored thoughtful and complex processes of design rooted in the same principles as architecture. So much so that they claimed that “interior decoration should be considered a branch of architecture,” and “the interior of a house is as much part of its organic structure as the outside.”

Even the book’s table of contents reflects this new philosophy. Beginning with the most general and proceeding to the tiniest particular, the authors sketched a genesis of architectural history, and then tackled their subject geographically– treating every element of a building as though it were a country to be learned like on a Grand Tour–proceeding through “rooms in general” before making concluding remarks.

All was to be considered: walls, doors, windows, fireplaces, ceilings and floors; entrance and vestibule; hall and stairs; the drawing room, boudoir and morning room; gala rooms: the ball-room, saloon, music-room, gallery; the library, smoking room, and “den;” the dining-room; bedrooms; the school-room and nurseries; and even the bric-à-brac! To further punctuate the seriousness of the endeavor, Wharton and Codman included both an extensive index and a bibliography going back to the year 1607.

The authors would have been the first to admit that their advocacy for unifying principles of architecture and decoration in order to create a beautiful, and altogether human environment, was a re-statement of others who had reached similar conclusions. Just over one century before, Tomas Chippendale and Robert Adam had worked together uniting principles of architecture and furnishing designs which characterized the Rococo era.

The Mount Dining Room photographed by David Dashiell, © Edith Wharton Restorations, Inc.

Indeed, many 18th century furniture designs are based upon classical architectural proportions, and both Thomas Sheraton and George Hepplewhite also employed this design vocabulary. All architects and designers depended upon antique building principles—it was a part of their most essential technical education.

The idea of using the same principles for both architecture and interior furnishing would be expressed again. Both the Arts and Crafts movement and international Modernism made similar demands for a unity of vision, and the end of fussiness associated with the mid-nineteenth century design.

Nonetheless, one must give Edith Wharton her due as the author The Decoration of Homes, as the first definitive book written in English meant specifically as an aid to interior design. In fact, such complete expression of architectural vision and control over it, was very unusual for women, even among great female art patrons.

Today, the expression of that vision, The Mount, is undergoing renovation and restoration to its glory as it was conceived and lived in by Edith Wharton, and to act as an educational and cultural center.

Note:

This entry marks the first appearance of a Laurel Crown blog featuring important and useful books that apply to today’s world. Tasteful living is easier to achieve with some knowledge of the history of furniture and interior design. Original texts can be found via reprinted editions of old and important publications.

Among the items on display were antique reproduction furniture and knickknacks that some homeowners just wanted to get off of their hands, according to WWLP-TV.

“Gas prices are high, but I think when people are interested in buying something, this is the one place you can find everything you’ve ever wanted or ever imagined,” Janice Anderson, a booth owner from Concord, told the news source.

The organizers of the event were not surprised by the turnout, but believe that much of the hype was due to one motivator: the internet.

Oftentimes, it isn’t just homeowners who travel to auctions to find the perfect Victorian sofa for their living room. Collectors come to purchase small items that would otherwise be considered “junk.” The hosts of the Brimfield Antique and Collectibles Show know that it’s because many of these worthwhile pieces can be sold for higher prices online.

“It does have an affect on especially small items; you can get them cheaper on the internet than you can get them here,” Paul Dignoti, a booth owner from Hartford. “You can still buy a lot of items here and resell them on the internet or an antiques shop so it doesn’t have as big of an effect as you might think.”

Oddly enough, Brimfield Antique and Collectibles Show organizers also believe that bad weather has a lot to do with the sales they have made over the years. When it has rained, more crowds have braved the storms, willing to spend their hard-earned cash.

“You get a lot more people ready to drop the dime instead of just lookers when it’s a nice day,” Craig Wolf, a booth owner from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, told the news source.

The reasons vary, but the Brimfield Antique and Collectibles Show returns each year with great success. The wide variety of antique reproduction furniture that booth owners bring to the event might have something to do with the overwhelming numbers of people. The show will return for six days this year during the months of July and September.

It’s a time for baseball, hot weather, front lawn napping, and backyard BBQs.  But no summer can kick off without a proper Father’s Day celebration.

Most people just buy their dad a nice pair of socks and mow his lawn as their sign of appreciation.  But if you really want your gift to stand on its own, try buying a nice piece of antique reproduction furniture for your dad to enjoy for years to come.

Here’s a guide on how to match the perfect piece furniture to your old man.

The Workaholic

Does your dad burn the candle at both ends?  Does he often need to wrap up a few things over the weekend from the comfort of his home?

Sometimes it’s impossible to get serious work done on the kitchen table.  Get your dad a piece of Chippendale home office furniture and let him get down to business the right way.

The Man-Caver

Does your dad spend his time away from the office spelunking down into his man cave to catch the ballgame with some buddies?

Just because it’s a man cave doesn’t mean it can’t be classy.  Up the elegance factor by providing him with a beautiful colonial TV stand to hold his flat screen.  As long as his teams are winning, it will be the gift that keeps on giving.

The Nighttime Reader

Or perhaps your father is the type that likes to read endlessly, staying up into the wee hours of the night to finish off one more chapter of his current book.

If you’ve got a bona fide bibliophile for a dad, try getting him a Chippendale nightstand.  With a lamp on top and a stack of books in the cabinet below, he’ll always have everything he needs to stay current with all his favorite authors.

No matter what type of person your old man is, they’ll be blown away by a nice piece of solid wood furniture.  From all of us here at Laurel Crown: Happy Father’s Day!

Many homeowners strive to improve their rooms by adding exotic decor to enhance the beauty of their existing reproduction furniture. Auctions are the perfect places to purchase permanent Victorian sofas and Chippendale chairs to furnish a living space, and they are also ideal for finding eye-catching accent pieces.

Kaminski proved this at his event, which featured pieces that were sold for more than $200,000, including:

• Three chairs derived from huanghuali wood were popular among bidders, and two horseshoe chairs fetched more than $80,000 each. They dated back to the 17th and 18th centuries, catching the eye of antique furniture collectors with a taste for history.

• A 19th century altar table that was originally set for $20,000 also drew a large amount of attention at the auction. A Chinese buyer from Australia ended up purchasing the piece, which had engraved designs and scrolls, for approximately $64,000.

• A folding stool was also taken off of Kaminski’s hands for a surprising $4,600, dating back to the 19th century. Vases were also a big hit at the auction – one jade vase on a stand sold for almost $5,000.

Homeowners who were looking for a way to add detail to their living spaces with wall decor were also in attendance at the show and made their presence known. Kaminski had many buyers who were solely interested in purchasing Asian paintings and drawings.

A pair of Ming period scrolls, which depicted houses and mountainous landscapes on silk, each sold for more than $30,000. Both of the scrolls measured approximately 63 inches in size and sold to the same buyer. The pieces originated from a Connecticut collection prior to being purchased by Kaminski for sale.

All of the prices of the pieces that were up for auction by Kaminski reflected the 15 percent buyer’s premium. Although Kaminski may have not predicted to make this much money from his event, the value in his antique furniture proved to be worth the trip for many collectors and homeowners.

“We believe that there is room in New York for a third event that complements the Winter and International shows,” Clinton Howell, league president, told the news source.

Approximately 65 dealers took part in the event, which drew crowds through aggressive marketing and eye-catching displays. The AADLA worked with the Art Fair Company to help the dealer-owned show attract target audiences from across the country. Both groups put in the effort to consider everything from the buyers’ demographics to current trends in the industry when putting together Spring Show NYC.

“We wanted to keep the show fresh, bright and cheerful,” Michael Franks, Art Fair Company co-operator, told the news source.

Among the pieces that made a splash at the event was miniature furniture created by Connecticut native, George Subkoff. The items he managed to sell fetched between $2,800 and $28,000 a piece.

Other big ticket items included a seascape oil painting and a depiction of a flower on canvas. The seascape by Alfred Thomas Bricher was sold for approximately $475,000, while the flower made $4,000.

Antique reproduction furniture and art notably brought in a large amount of money at Spring Show NYC as well. An 18th century Spanish tile mural attributed to Vicenete Navarro made approximately $220,000. Similar murals fetched more than $400,000 each.

An $18,000 cabinet created by Otto Schultz also drew a lot of attention. The piece, comprised of Birch wood, was eye-catching upon a Tiffany blue backdrop.

Approximately 1,500 people attended Spring Show NYC. Although the dates have not been finalized yet, the AADLA says that the next show in 2012 will be held in early May. The goal is to celebrate New York’s Arts and Antiques Week, made official by Mayor Bloomberg between April 25 and May 1 of every year. The organizers hope to double their efforts and attract even larger crowds in 2012.