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!

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See you soon!!