Early 20th century furniture made in America developed its own unique style, loosely known as Colonial Revival. It turns out that the wood most frequently used in American furniture in the first half of the 20th century was gum, also known as sweet gum, red gum, hazel pine, sap gum, satin walnut and copalm balsam. Read More +
There is a body of erroneous wisdom about furniture that somehow manages to survive and even evolve from generation to generation, like an infection, in spite of repeated applications of the antibiotic — the facts. Read More +
Tall bookcase secretaries are very impressive — not to mention expensive — especially if they are old and in great condition. The same goes for those wonderful old chest on chests with lots of drawers and a great provenance. But how can you tell if the piece is “right” and not assembled from various parts of different articles? Read More +
A question that invariably pops up during the examination of an older or antique piece of furniture is “Is that the original glass?” Read More +
For the antique furniture restorer, collector and dealer a new arrow in the quiver of adhesives has joined the struggle against loose veneer and chipped corners. Read More +
We are a nation of immigrants, no discussion. Some of us have been here longer than others and some can even claim they came on the Mayflower, but that’s just a method of transportation, not a pedigree. Read More +
Old chairs very often have seating material that is – well you know – that woven stuff that comes in old chair seats. It’s not fabric, it’s not leather, it’s not cowhide, it’s what exactly? If you can’t identify the material off the top of your head, then your next move must be to determine what it is not.
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The term “Larkin desk” is a familiar one to most collectors and buyers of older and antique furniture, especially to those who favor furniture from the “Golden Oak” era around the turn of the 20th century. In fact, the phrase has become so familiar that the original meaning and source may be a little obscure. Read More +
In his scholarly (and lengthy) video “Authenticating Antique Furniture,” John Bivins presents us with the concept that studying older furniture and verifying its antiquity is, in essence, “above ground archaeology.” Read More +
Until the levitation of solid objects becomes more widespread, those of us interested in antique furniture are faced with the fact that some of this stuff is very heavy and is not very often found in a place of maximum convenience. Read More +