Examining furniture with creature features
There's something enchanting about the 'animalistic' elements that appear in various forms of furniture, don't you think? In his latest column, Furniture Detective Fred Taylor discusses these creature features.
Brass Class: Polish up your hardware knowledge
Furniture Detective Fred Taylor knows his way around furniture, and that includes hardware (drawer pulls, hinges, etc). In this column, Furniture Detective Fred explains how you can know more by knowing hardware.
Buying or selling? Avoid the ‘attribution pit’
Just because something looks like something else, or even is described as 'looking like,' or being in 'the same style as,' an authentic item, it doesn't always mean it is. Furniture Detective Fred Taylor explains the tricky attribution pit, and how to avoid it.
Current value of Empire couch is only about $150
Condition, condition, and condition. It's one of, if not in some cases, the key element in determining value of an object. Furniture Detective Fred Taylor speaks to this in regard to an Empire couch.
Slumber chair exhibits Oriental influence
World fairs and expositions introduced large numbers of people to new innovations, and that exposure went on to influence design and inventions, including the slumber chair, explains Furniture Detective Fred Taylor.
Wood grain patterns depend on cutting process
The way that wood is cut and the type of the wood itself determine how wood grains appear in sawn and cut wood.
Find the best tool for dissolving wood glue in the kitchen
In this Furniture Detective column Fred Taylor tackles three reader inquiries about dissolving wood glue, examining repair details to assess age, and modern history of Hitchcock chair design.
Just say ‘no’ to restoring piece with linseed oil
Best intentions can sometimes have disastrous affects. Case in point, using linseed oil on a turn-of-the-century chifferobe, instead of mineral spirits, advises Furniture Detective Fred Taylor.
Purpose of features aids in identifying wood chest
So often the naming conventions for items are about practicality. For example, in a response to a reader Furniture Detective Fred Taylor explains that a chest with a central compartment used to store bonnets and hats was referred to as a bonnet chest.