Access Your Attic

There is a lot of pressure today to have a neat and stylish home. It is really good, if when you are entertaining friends and family you can have a lovely place to show off, neatly decorated with lovely furnishings. This is a great aspect of modern living as it means that you always have a really nice place to live in. There is nothing better than coming home from work and being able to relax in a neat and tidy home. Having everything stored away and clean means that you can truly relax without thinking about little jobs that need doing. It is lovely to have furniture and accessories which match in with the design of the room so that you have a theme running through the whole place. Whether you like things very plain and simple or you like some pattern on the walls, you should be able to find something modern and sophisticated to suit your taste. If you are not that good at designing yourself then you have several options available to you. You could take a look on the Internet and find out what the latest modern living trends are. There are different websites where you can find out about design and style. You can also take a look at websites selling furniture and other household items. You do not have to actually buy them, but it will give you a really good idea of what is currently available and what is in fashion so you can think about what sort of room design would suit the furnishings that you like. You can decide if you like things from a particular era or whether something classic or contemporary suits you more. Once you have decided this, then you can decorate the room to match. Or you can do it the other way around and look at wallpapers or paint colors and decide on the decoration and then buy furniture to match. If you do not have the time to do this or just are no good at matching things together, then it is a good idea to employ a designer to do the work for you. If you give them a good idea of what you like and the budget that you have, then they should be able to come up with something for you that suits your taste and budget in a stylish way. If you are doing a kitchen or bathroom then you may find that the company you buy it from or the fitters might be able to come up with a design for you. They will know what is available and practical as well as what most people like but they are not specifically designers so if you want something which looks stylish and fits in with modern living you might be better off paying a stylist or designer to do it for you. Obviously it depends on how well you know what you want and how far your budget will stretch. Make sure that you have fun doing it and think practically and you should be able to come up with a design and furnishings which suit you and your families needs, taste and budget.

It is generally considered within the UK that to qualify as an antique an item has to be at least fifty years old, however, some antique collectors and dealers will not consider anything as a true antique unless it is at least one hundred years old.

 

Although antiques are defined predominantly by their age there is an increasing fashion trend for furniture designs from the 1960s and 70s to be included and defined as antiques. These items also command very high prices and include all aspects of these eras such as clothing, furniture, jewellery and chinaware. Many antique collectors prefer to call articles from these eras as memorabilia rather than antiques.

 

Antiques from around the world are highly sought after and in general terms the older the piece the more highly sought after and valued it becomes. The condition of the article is also taken into serious consideration as to an antique’s worth and value, however, it should be realised that anything which has survived through the passages of time will inevitably have signs of wear or damage.

 

Most antique collectors and dealers will collect specific articles or articles made by specific people,  examples of this practice can be found within all areas of antique collecting such as collectors who seek Clarris Cliffe items or Lalique glassware and will travel hundreds of miles to obtain the rarest items.

 

Many people who adore antiques and chose to buy antique furniture and home furnishing items can find a whole host of very reasonable in good condition and affordable pieces from antique shops and auction houses, it is even possible to buy some pieces from places such as eBay, however, they need to be aware that there are many reproductions which are claimed to be a authentic and genuine articles are in fact reproduction or fakes. It should also be noted that unless the seller is out to deliberately deceive by making false claims it is not illegal in the UK to make and sell reproduction articles as long as the buyer is informed, it is a case of studying and looking for tell tale signs that the article is not as old as the claims. Simple checks can be made which will give an indication as to the authenticity of an item, for example with antique furniture the overall patina of the wood should show signs of age and by simply looking at the joints and types of nails or tacks used it is possible to quite accurately determine whether the item is genuine or not.

 

In order to qualify as an antique in the Untied States an item has to been at least one hundred years old and also have some historic or artistic value and interest. Buying authentic antiques requires in depth historical knowledge of the type of antique such as furniture, paintings or jewellery, particularly as rare and unusual pieces can demand very high prices.

 

Due to the vast amounts of potential or actual money which antiques can be brought and sold for there are many unscrupulous people who try and imitate and replicate antiques and try and sell these fakes as a genuine and authentic articles. The trend of forging antiques has been occurring for many hundreds of years, to such an extent that good legitimate imitations and reproductions can themselves command high prices.

 

Typically the older the antique and the better the condition the more they are valued and prized. American furniture from one of the thirteen colonies on the east coast before the revolutionary war are highly sought after and command extremely high prices. Any discernable antique collector will endeavour to add pieces from this era in American history to their collection.

 

Although furniture which is antique usually generates interest at the auction houses, furniture which was made by famous cabinet makers are more highly sought after. For example Chippendale furniture from England which is in excellent condition can fetch thousands of dollars.

 

Antique collectors and dealers will also look for articles which are in good condition and not been altered or tampered with, very old pieces which have inevitably become damaged or broken over the years will need to have been repaired and restored in a sympathetic manner in order for them to still be valuable.

 

One of the most common mistakes people make when buying antiques is to try and restore or clean them without giving consideration and care in the techniques they use. In the case of furniture one of the worst and most common errors people make is to try and remove the patina and wear which has accumulated over hundreds of years. This habit does not only devalue the antique but typically causes more damage. Restorations and repairs should be carried out by experienced and professional craftsmen and women and this should only be done when absolutely necessary.

 

Antique collectors and dealers generally specialise in one or possibly two areas of items, as such auction houses catalogue articles according to which area they fall into, this makes it far easier for the expert antique collectors to focus their attentions on their chosen specialized areas.