Decorating with blues....

Happy Tuesday everyone and welcome back to our decorating series!

Today's topic is decorating with blues!! Blues have become an integral part of interior design. Mixing various shades of blue has both calming and electrifying effects. We have really had a small, tiny, little baby obsession with blues this month!

Mix and match various shades of blues and different textures for an calm and elegant look!
Clockwise: Pair of American Walnut Chairs, French Mirror, Baker Glass Top Coffee Table, Georgian Three Tier Table w/ Drawer on top, Lion Head Pots (2). All other items can be found on https://www.onekingslane.com/

Thanks for reading! Now its time for more inspiration! Visit our Showroom for beautiful pieces that will take your breath away!

Decorating with antiques: Nautical influence

Happy Tuesday everyone!

This next blog series will help you visualize what you can do with antiques. The world is changing rapidly, we are adapting new habits every day. From having the world accessible at your finger tips to staying connected with family, friends, and even the guy that sat behind you in high school English, you know...what's his name...well you would never believe it but he is married with 10 kids and lives in Timbuktu. Not only is our world changing electronically and socially but in home design and comfort.

People don't just buy uncomfortable and non-functional pieces of furniture anymore...you don't want that chair that is upholstered with a tapestry from 200 years ago that no one can sit in it, for fear that it'll rip if it is disturbed. You want something that you can use, something that is one of a kind, beautiful and functional all at the same time.
Well...at Evanstonia Antiques we know this...we completely understand your frustrations, that is why we want to show you how you can incorporate beautiful antiques and family heirlooms in today's homes, which are more modern and active!

Our first theme in this series is Nautical! I love the Nautical theme, the blues and browns give any room a fresh look.

Check out this foyer design, we love the two chairs flanking a console table with various nautical aspects!

We love how our French Louis XV Rosewood Chairs paired with our Chinese console table and nautical lanterns can give the perfect nautical feel (don't forget that we can reupholster any item to make it truly yours)!

How about transforming your home office into the perfect captain's quarters...

Starting with a large library table then adding the perfect accessories like this French Empire desk chair and a great nautical boat scene can transform any basic office into one worthy of a captain!

Let's move on and continue with the living room...

Just adding a few nautical inspired pieces can really change a rooms look and feel, try these pieces in your living room and you'll know what we mean; Gold Plated Lanterns, Oak Quarter Sewn Table, and a Burr Walnut Display Cube!

I hope that you are as inspired as we are! Don't forget to peruse our virtual showroom for all of your nautical decoration needs!

Here are just a few of our other nautical inspired pieces: Oak Arts and Crafts flip top game table with cabinet,  American Octagon Center Table, Italian 17th Centurey Side Chair,  French leather arm chair, American Empire arm chair, Austrian Commode, One Pedestal Occasion Table.

Thanks for joining us and reading! Come back next time for more design tips and ideas!

What you need to know to restore your precious antiques---PART 2

Happy Wednesday everyone! So glad that you made it to our blog on this rainy day!

I'm just going to jump right in to where we left off last week, restoring antiques to make them better than ever!

I'm going to start with a before and after! One of my favorite things...

The before: 

Louis XV Oak chairs--these beautifully crafted cane chairs were a bit on the boring side so we spruced them up!

The after:

         Louis XV Oak Chairs--now with a white glaze over the original stain and a new upholstery instead of the cane--small changes, big difference.

Now that you've seen a few examples of what we do, I know what you're thinking, "why put in all of the effort to restore antiques when you can get something new and take it home right away?"  Well, the answer is easy. Old frames that were built centuries ago were crafted with better accuracy and care. Craftsmen in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries built each piece individually and by hand.  From the decorative aspects to the functionality, these expert and passionate craftsmen took pride in their work. Furthermore, building furniture by hand was an expensive and painstaking process so these craftsmen built their work to last and be passed down from generation to generation - and they were right.  To this day there are pieces that are over 100 years old and are in better shape than something that was built recently and only a few years old. 

From sturdier frames on tables, chairs, desks, to metal spring systems in chairs - craftsmen of yore built furniture to last.  Every little detail was obsessed over.  Now, I'm not saying that the furniture built today isn't as good--ok, maybe I am saying that a little bit BUT, the main reason for this is because it is just too expensive and not as productive to mass produce sturdy pieces of furniture today.

Maybe we're a little biased but we would prefer something that has stood the test of time - sometimes 100's of years! - and is still as good as it was from the first day it was built.  You can even see and feel the the unique mark of each craftsmen in each piece and sometimes it's fun to think about the story of that man and where he came from.

A look at the intricate spring system of a couch from the 19th century

Here are just a few more pieces to get your creative juices flowing!

Come by and visit our showroom, online or at our store location soon! We'd love to see and hear from you!
Mention this blog post for a great discount on your next restoration project!

Don't forget to like us on facebook!

See you soon!! 

What you need to know to restore your precious antiques---PART 1

Happy Friday Everyone!

I am so excited for todays post!

In this post I'm going to show you how you can recreate and freshen up that old chair, dresser, table, china cabinet and more! Our posts in the past have all been about the type of merchandise and the brands that we sell in our showroom but lets go past the showroom and take a look at the magic our expert craftsmen perform. 

Where to begin?!?! This has been the hardest post for me to write...there is so much to tell you about that I don't even know what to begin with. With that being said...let's start with a quick tour of our workshop!

Now that you had a tour of where our magic happens! Let's take a look at some of the great things that come out of our workshop.


Lets begin with this lovely chair: A French Louis XV, walnut arm chair

All we did to spruce this chair up was add a white wash on the existing finish and then upholster it with a more modern fabric that turns this once drab antique into an antique that will pop in any living room!

Look at what you can do with a little bit of white wash and new fabric!

Look at these details...it's amazing what you can do with some imagination! 

Lets do another one or another two: A Pair of American Walnut Chairs 

Instead of a white wash on the existing finish we striped the finish, threw on some white paint and finished the chairs off with a glaze to give them a white vintage feel. Then we reupholstered the chairs in a modern fabric with a vibrant blue motif. 

I think that these two chairs are just incredible!

Are you having fun yet?! We sure are! Lets continue...I love looking at all of our work. I think that our craftsmen are just amazing...they can really work magic!

Moving on to our next example: Walnut English style dining chairs

For this set of 6 dining room chairs we wanted to show off the beautiful walnut wood but we had some fun with the fabric. For the front of the chair we used a handsome tweed fabric and for the back we used a new modern fabric. This fabric is recycled leather, it's a new production and we are absolutely obsessed with it.

What is recycled leather? Recycled leather is made out of a real leather backing with vinyl on top. The real leather comes from all different places but it is all recycled and usually a cow hide. The vinyl on top gives you a variety of textures and colors and it makes the leather more durable and allows it to last longer. 

The best part is that it is environmental, low cost and so much easier to maintain. 

It's really the best of everything all put into one and we absolutely love it! 

Just look at this amazing recycled leather

Thanks for reading!!

Tune in next week for Part 2--which will have more examples and ideas of restoring your antiques! We'll also explain why restoring antiques is better than buying new furniture!

Come by and visit our showroom, online or at our store location this weekend! We'd love to see and hear from you. Don't forget to like us on Facebook for great deals and events!

See you soon xoxo

Hey Everyone!

It has been a whirlwind in the store this week! Busy busy busy...which makes us happy happy happy, but because it has been so hectic our newest blog post isn't ready yet :'(
I know...it's terrible but to try to tie you over for the weekend I wanted to show you a fun DIY project!

I  know what you're saying...you're an antique and restoration store...a do it yourself project??? But bare with me...you'll love it!

Introducing: Tea cup gardens!!

These are so cute and super easy to make, you can follow my exact instructions or you can wing it and come up with your own creations! 

Materials:

-Vintage tea cup

-Plant (you can use anything, in this example we used an creeping thyme, but you can anything from herbs to flowers and succulents)

-potting soil

Step 1:  Find an awesome teacup! You can go through your grandma's attic to find old china, go to your local antique shop or flea market! Most importantly have fun...the hunt is just as fun as it is to make it :)

Step 2: Clean out your teacup--soap and water work just fine

Step 3: Find your perfect plant--we used Creeping Thyme

Step 4: Pull your plant out of the box and shake out the dirt enough to make the plant fit in the tea cup

Step 5: Place your plant in your tea cup and start packing it in

Step 6: Take extra dirt and pack it all in, make sure that your plant is in tightly 

Step 7: Voila--Enjoy your new tea cup garden!!

Extra step--Mix and match many different tea cups for a sweet vintage feel!! 

Thanks for reading! 

And don't forget to stop by on Monday (6/17/13) for our exciting post on how to restore your heirloom pieces!

Visit us this weekend and take a look at all of our inventory, stop by our online showroom at http://www.evanstoniaantiques.com/

See you soon xoxo

Chippendale

Excerpts from "The Gentleman and Cabinetmaker Director" with
a Chippendale style desk found at Evanstonia Antiques

As promised on our last post, today’s post is about Chippendale style furniture! First question that might come to mind is Why do I say Chippendale “style?” Well, when I say style I mean that the item is created in the style of Chippendale or that it’s a replica of the cabinetmaker who first invented the design. We have many different items that are “styles” for example; Louis IX style, Baker style, Hepplewhite style, and the list can go on! But let’s get back to our main topic…let me introduce to you Mr. Thomas Chippendale and his Chippendale furniture!

Thomas Chippendale was born in the 1700's and was the son of a carpenter. He worked diligently in his workshop and showroom for many years but the pinnacle of his career was when he published a book that contained his whole collection of fashionable English furniture design. His book was called Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director, and was a compilation of all of his designs adapting existing design styles to the fashion of the 18^th century.

Various Chippendale Chair designs found at our store

 There were so many carpenters and cabinetmakers that used his designs from the book that sometimes the Chippendale name was given to all furniture built in the 18^th century. But this is we’re we get back to my initial question…Why do you call it “style?” Because of Chippendale’s amazing publication it is very hard to distinguish what was built in Chippendale’s workshop and what was actually built by Chippendale himself. Unless we know 100% that something is actually built by Mr. Chippendale himself or in his workshop we add “style” to signify that it is an adaptation or a copy of his work. 

Excerpts from the book with similar chair designs found at our store

Thomas Chippendale's famous book is filled with design ideas and measurements for craftsmen to duplicate his beautiful designs.

Close ups of the amazing detail that Chippendale was famous for

Excerpts from "The Gentleman and Cabinetmaker Directer"
show the instructions to make a chest of drawers similar to the
ones that you can find at Evanstonia Antiques

Thanks for reading!! 

 To show our appreciation we would like to offer our loyal customers 15% off on any Chippendale item in the store and showroom.  Visit our site at http://www.evanstoniaantiques.com/ , email (Evanstonia@sbcglobal.net), or stop by our showroom (4555 N. Ravenswood Chicago IL) any time this week with our special code GENTLEMAN! Hurry offer last until our next blog post!

Welcome to our first official blog post! We're excited to share with you!

We are proud to announce the Evanstonia blog – your source for information about our favorite pieces, restoration techniques, the history behind some of our antiques, and really anything we feel would be interesting to share with you, our loyal customers.  The goal is to give you an insider’s view of everything we know and love about the Antique business – tune in as we’ll have new posts every week.

THE STORY OF BAKER & COMPANY

Triple Pedestal Mahogany Dining Table with Satinwood Bending by Baker

Few names in American furniture elicit a response like the name Baker & Company.  This post will give you a very basic history of how Baker & Company got started over 100 years ago in Michigan.  I couldn’t help but think of the famous Baker & Company. 

Baker Side Chairs

The Baker story began in 1925 when President Coolidge appointed a commission to collect examples of the work of the earliest American cabinetmakers in order to “create a still deeper and more abiding interest and respect for the work of our forefathers (Burchell 8).” Coincidentally, a man by the name of Hollis S. Baker had recently become President of his father’s furniture company and, after visiting the exhibition of originals at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, jumped at the chance to recreate several small collections of American Furniture. From his newly acquired inspiration from his craftsman predecessors, he created a line of colonial furniture - a reproduction of a Duncan Phyfe Suite (an example of Duncan Phyfe pieces can be seen here on the Mets webpage) and a popular line of Pilgrim dining room pieces.

Baker Chinoiserie

  This was the beginning of the Arts and Crafts Movement, which was a result of the loss of personal craftsmanship and the bond that a craftsman felt with his work due to the booming Industrial Revolution.  The young American designers brought back the ideal of the skilled craftsman that was in complete harmony with his work. The resulting handmade pieces exuded a sense of nostalgia and appreciation for the past, replacing the repetitive and dull items persistently mass produced by machines.  This nostalgic attitude and the appreciation for early craftsmen led to a renewed interest in collecting and to the development of new areas for the collector (Burchell 10). Famous Museums such as The Met, as well as smaller institutions such as Henry Ford’s Edison Institute in Dearborn, Michigan began showing collections of fine furnishings.  This soon gave rise to new demand for the development of a refined line of reproduction furniture from America, England, and France.  This demand fueled Baker’s growth and allowed him to redefine his company and the entire history of furniture.

After 10 years of successful business, Hollis Baker’s interests shifted from personally running the business and manufacturing to the study of cabinetry and the cabinetmaker’s art.  He began to study the old techniques of furniture making, dating all the way back to ancient Egypt and Asia. Taking inspiration from all cultures and eras, he wanted to bring consumers reproductions of pieces created to mimic the way that they had been done in the past as closely as possible.  He studied all aspects of furniture building, but also studied other features of everyday life -  clothing, fashion, and social life - to better understand the functionality and aesthetic value of each piece of furniture. In doing this, Baker redefined antique reproduction techniques and ideas, giving it the foundation to produce a company that has created a lasting legacy.

Evanstonia has a fine collection of world class antiques from Baker & Company!

  What do we love about Baker & Company?

1) Chippendale style dining suites

2) Hepplewhite style dining chairs

3) Chinoiserie (French for Chinese-esque) style pieces

4)  Furniture that can withstand years and years of use

5) Furniture with functionality

6) Hollis S. Baker’s love for the history of furniture and craftsmanship

7) Baker’s Louis XV style pieces

8) Sheraton style furniture 

9) Empire style pieces

10) Furniture that has been made with love, patience and has amazing and incredible detail that     mimics the real deal

For more information about Baker & Company visit the official site! 

Tune in next week for a week a quick rundown of the Chippendale style. 

Thanks for reading! To show our appreciation we would like to offer our loyal customers 15% off on any Baker item in the store and showroom.  Visit our site at http://www.evanstoniaantiques.com/ , email (Evanstonia@sbcglobal.net), or stop by our showroom (4555 N. Ravenswood Chicago IL) any time this week with our special code HOLLISBAKER! Hurry offer last until our next blog post!