Archive for Antiques
Buy Vintage – Save the planet
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These days we are all being urged to go green and save the planet. Switch off lights for earth hour, use nasty low emission light bulbs ( so very dull) , buy cars with reduced fuel consumption, recycle ( so much tedious washing of containers and tins) and reuse ( yes I’ve bought re-usable supermarket bags but I keep forgetting them). All of these “Green ” things mean giving something up or they are uncomfortable, unpleasant or at the very least inconvenient. But here’s a secret you can go green and indulge in a little luxury too.
vintage glass
Think about it, we who are used to handling vintage and antique items know that there is plenty of stuff available which we could incorporate into our every day life which is wonderful, stylish, not available in the shops and ( by the way) just happens to be re-cycled too. This is not your average nasty tatty re-cycled stuff you see at car boot sales, there are lots of wonderful vintage and antiques out there which are of brilliant quality, exquisite style and quite often cheaper than new too. Whats more if you buy your vintage and antiques on-line you are saving the planet a second time as on-line shopping has a lower carbon footprint than shopping in the high street.
I am not suggesting that you throw everything you own out and replace it all with antique or vintage items. You dont have to throw out your Ikea or Next furniture and replace it with nasty tatty brown stuff thats 7o years old. Just next time you need something for yourself or your home to think about if an antique or vintage item might just be be the right thing – more stylish, more unique, quite possible cheaper and greener too. Antique and Vintage items can look great in a contemporary setting, worked in with modern items to give an eclectic look and feel or select items which tone in colour to give great interest to your surroundings.
So what are these wonderful antique and vintage items which can help us save the planet? I will be taking a look at the top 10 tomorrow here on antiquesavenue antique vintage blog.
Dealer delights in return of “old friend”
Posted by: | CommentsHere is a piece written for AntiquesAvenue by Graham Smith – a well respected member of the Antiques Trade :
cheval mirror
One of the many delights of being an antiques dealer is the likelihood of customers becoming friends because of a shared passion for good or interesting articles. Now and again I come across the opportunity to buy back an item that I have sold some time in the past – it’s always a pleasure to have such items in stock again. Recently I had just such an opportunity – a good customer of mine who lives in North Yorkshire was rearranging his life style and decided to rent out his house and move into a cottage. The phrase ‘getting a quart into a pint pot’ springs to mind as this gentleman had a habit of buying items he liked regardless of whether he had space to fit them in his home! I would describe his house as Dickensian – wonderful items everywhere but still nowhere to sit because of piles of books on every chair!
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The reigns of British Monarchs – Antique Periods
Posted by: | CommentsWhen talking about antiques, we often refer to something by the era defined by the reigning monarch. For Example – Georgian or Victorian. But when does that mean exactly? Lets take a look at when each monarch reigned to help place our antiques in time.
This starts with the Georgians as we see virtually no pre-Georgian antiques today.
Georgian:
1714-1727 George I
1727-1760 George II
1760-1820 George III
1820-1830 George IV
1830-1837 William IV
Victorian:
1837-1901 Queen Victoria
Edwardian:
1901-1910 Edward VII
20th Century:
1910- 1936 George V
1936 Edward VIII ( Jan to December)
1936 – 1952 George IV
1952- present Elizabeth II
Financial Times on Antique lighting and Chandeliers
Posted by: | CommentsTheres an interesting article on FT.com weekend pages this week all about antique lighting and chandeliers. There are candlesticks, lanterns, lamps and chandeliers both antique and 20th century modern being discussed : A heavenly glow
The picture below is a venetian glass lamp in the form of a grotesque fish dating from circa 1950s. This one is now sold and safely with it new owner but still lovely to look at
vintage venetian glass lamp
