Victorian Reproductions Furniture

A tip on buying antique desks in Lancashire: just Wingett!

Wingetts also has a weekly “general” sale, which includes Victorian and Edwardian pieces. However, you’re unlikely to find an antique mahogany partners desk or Preston antique dealer there. As with salerooms in Lancashire, the antique desks and Victorian dining chairs sold in Wrexham are of variable vintage and quality. Antique dealers know that general sales are where the reproduction and Victorian mass-produced pieces will be. In fine furniture auctions, the ratio of bidders is around 80% dealers, 20% public. In the weekly household sales, the numbers are reversed.

A lot of smaller auction houses have one sale, into which everything is put. This is where it’s important to check quality. Many antique desks are “Chippendale style” – but this doesn’t mean Chippendale quality. Look out for overtly ornate factory carving (to hide poor workmanship) and clumsy finishes. With Victorian balloon backed dining chairs , remember Lancashire homes in the 19th century were far more spacious than modern builds. Ergo, reproduction dining chairs are far less generously proportioned than the originals.

The antique desks and Victorian dining chairs that Preston antique dealers buy at auction are invariably chosen wisely. It’s always best to leave decisions like that to the professionals.

Articles 20VN | Victorian Furniture Reproduction | victorian ...

The Victoria era (1837 - 1901) brought us a style of furniture which was highly decorative and elaborate. Their design ideas were not new but were stolen from the periods where excess was commonplace. Eras such as Baroque and Rococo, with their intricate work and romantic undertones, were visible in their styling, as were the bolder ideas from the Gothic period. Victorian furniture reproduction incorporates all these aspects with the added benefits of the practicalities of modern design.

Much of their furniture was very formal. Their dining rooms included straight back chairs and highly polished tables where the family would eat their meals. Discipline was paramount, especially at meal times and this is apparent in their choice of furniture in the dining rooms. The wood for the furniture would be polished on a regular basis and this would be a constant chore for the staff. Many of the households would employ upstairs and downstairs staff and a lot of their time would be spent in the upkeep of the flamboyant solid wood furniture. Modern Victorian furniture reproduction has brought with it all the stunning aesthetic aspects of this era but with the advent of modern finishes much of the hard work has been replaced by a quick spray of proprietary wood polish or sometimes even just a wipe with a damp cloth.

It is now possible to furnish your entire house with pieces that will recreate the warmth and feel of a Victorian household. The library, or study, featured highly in their homes as this would be where the man of the house spent much of his time. After a meal, the men would retire to the library, or possibly the drawing room, where they would take drinks and smoke. These would reflect a very masculine character with dark wood book shelves, desks and occasional tables. The popularity of Victorian furniture reproduction has now ensured that all these pieces can be bought at a very reasonable cost.

The furniture in the parlour, where the ladies would play cards and talk whilst their men folk indulged in smoking and drinking, would be much more feminine. For example the occasional tables would often have a single, lightweight pedestal as opposed to the heavyweight bases of the more masculine pieces. These reflect the rococo period rather than the Gothic. These are very popular pieces of Victorian furniture reproduction these days and can be easily sourced.

Victorian furniture reproduction relies heavily on veneers rather than solid wood. You will probably find that the wood from which the furniture is constructed is cheaper and sometimes softer wood. That is not to say that you cannot purchase furniture which is made to the same exacting standards as the originals. Such pieces are still readily available, they are just more costly. It may be that you do not wish to pay a large sum for furniture which may well be replaced when you decide that you would like to change the style of the room.

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