Archive for February, 2009

Decorating Styles Using Antiques

Saturday, February 28th, 2009
Mr.Andrew Caxton asked:


Antiques can really make a house look impressive and sophisticated if you know what you are doing. However, there is a chance that you can get it wrong so you do need to research beforehand so that you know you are getting it right and that your home will benefit.

Have you ever thought about using antiques to brighten up your home? Some people consider antiques to be a little dated and they would never think of having them in their own home; however they can add a sophisticated touch without looking too imposing.

How to Make Antiques Work for You

Antiques are generally associated with old houses. However more and more people are starting to use them in their modern homes as they find that they can really brighten up the living space. You can purchase antiques from a number of different places and it is even possible to find them at your local flea market. So what classes as an antique?

Well generally an antique is old. It may sound obvious but people do still wonder just how old something has to be before it is considered an antique. The best way to find out how old something is is to take it to a valuer. They will be able to tell you what period it is from which will tell you its age. They should also tell you how valuable it is and antiques are usually fairly valuable!

So once you start to realize what an antique is, it is then that you will be able to find various different things for your home that will add that little antique look.

The various antiques you can pick up include ones which are in perfect condition, but sometimes people prefer something which shows its age. Perhaps something with a slight missing detail to it will suit your home more? Perhaps you are looking for a antique wardrobe or an antique chest of drawers? It seems to be common these days to have an antique chair or unit to go in the living room too. You can pick these various items up from an antique auction and generally the dark wooden antiques are the ones which most people prefer.

One of the main things to keep in mind is that antiques do have the ability to look good in a modern setting, but they also have the potential to look ugly. You should never buy something just because of its antique status. If you do this you run the risk of putting an antique in your home which brings down the tone of the room. People will walk in and instantly be drawn to the ugly, antique in the corner. So, ensure that it looks good and that it will fit in with the rest of the interior design.

Overall with antiques it is easy to get it wrong but if you spend time researching you have the ability to make your home look fantastic. Spend time looking around and going to antiques fairs if you can as well as auctions. Know what is in and what isn’t and also get a feel for what would go well within your home. Antiques can look good but you do have to know what you are doing.



SANTIAGO

What are the major countries that valuable antiques come from?

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
astro15@sbcglobal.net asked:


Well, I am into finding antiques and selling them on eBay. I recentaly went to Goodwill to look for some, and saw 6 bowls and 3 Saucers. They all had a Floral design and looked antique. On the back it says Made in Poland.” I am trying to figure out with countires I should be looking for.

GERARDO

Antiques UK - Antique Shop UK - Antique Centre UK - Decorative Antique Furniture

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
Rini Brown asked:


Tudor Rose Antique Centre is a best antique shop in Petworth, UK selling all types of antiques. Tudor Rose has become well know antique centre where thirteen antique dealers come together to sell antiques UK which includes antique mirrors, antique sofas, antique chairs, antique silver and wide variety of antique furniture such as Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian.

At our beautiful Antique Shop We sell English antiques and French antiques such as antique beds, decorative antique furniture, painted furniture and antique lighting. We have wide range of antique chairs, antique armchairs, antique sofas, antique stools for comfort sitting. Then we have excellent collection of antique bookcases, antique boxes, antique chests of drawers, antique coffers,antique dressers, antique display cabinet, antique cupboards for storage. We provide best antique service to our local customers as well as abroad customers.

We are located close to London and in one of the South of England’s best antique centre, makes our antique shop an ideal venue for London’s antiques hunters to visit. We are famous for selling not only decorative antique furniture but also know as ideal antique centre for antique ceramics, antique paintings UK, antique lighting, antique metalware, antique clocks, antique mirrors and antique pictures. We also hold special stock of antique interiors & fabrics, & antique dining tables, antique occasional tables.

You can buy our antiques by either by visiting our antique shop or by online. We are happy to help both online buyers as well as personal shoppers. We arrange excellent packaging and shipping service on your purchase to anywhere in world. We use several specialist shippers experienced in the packaging, crating and shipment of large and fragile antiques. They all provide a full service shipping service and take care of customs, insurance, delivery and client notifications.

Contact us to Buy Antique Online or Visit us at our best oldest antique shop in Petworth, West Sussex, UK.



ALPHONSO

Antique Japanese Valuables Hidden in Plain Sight

Thursday, February 19th, 2009
Gust A. Lenglet asked:


Not so long ago, it was common knowledge that one could find very old, and rare, antiques being sold in some Japanese street markets for a meager sum. At that time, there was not much of a marketplace for such relics of a bygone era, and any given collector had a fairly decent chance of picking up a considerable amount of antique Japanese valuables for a small investment.

Times change however, and today the value of Japanese antiques has skyrocketed. Instead of being a ‘bargain’ that an enthusiast or small time collector could easily afford, collecting any antique Japanese items is often a costly affair.

Still, the ever-increasing value of various items has ended up fueling the desire to unearth an antique Japanese piece that had perhaps been overlooked.

Searching for Japanese Antiques Anywhere and Everywhere

Mainly, the problem with looking for what could be in plain sight is the sheer scope of it. Ironically, that is the selfsame reason why there undoubtedly still are rare antique Japanese items that could be worth a lot but are simply unnoticed.

Very often, the first ports of call end up being antique shops. To a certain degree this does make sense, but nowadays many antique shops actually have their inventory professionally valued. Thus, the chances of finding rare Japanese antiques  that were somehow overlooked when scrutinized carefully is slim to none.

In fact, peering at an antique Japanese china plate set that may be a family heirloom which has been passed down from generation to generation would probably be more effective. Odds are that such pieces have never been really looked or thoroughly valuated by experts.

Of course, this is the very basis of finding antique Japanese valuables that are hidden in plain sight - looking at those pieces which experts haven’t had the chance to view.

For this reason, auctions that are run without having Japanese antiques valued beforehand are a treasure trove of opportunity. Many a time an unwitting seller has put up an antique piece that turned out to be extremely rare. Needless to say, the buyer who did discover such a concealed diamond would have profited immensely.

In this regard, although time has upped the ante (and value) of rare antique Japanese items, there still do exist avenues by which unknown valuable pieces can be unearthed.



MICHAEL

Antique Furniture: Oak Furniture - Country Furniture - Early Oak Antiques -english Antique Furniture

Friday, February 13th, 2009
Rini Brown asked:


Period oak Antiques, a early oak specialist in UK provides early oak antique furniture, English antique oak, early oak antiques, antique oak furniture, antique country furniture and English antique furniture.

Huge stock of period oak furniture hold by period oak antiques includes antique dressers, antique oak dressers, antique tables, antique oak tables, antique clocks, antique chests, antique coffers, antique chest of drawers, antique oak chests, antique oak chest of drawers, four poster beds, antique poster beds, antique chairs, antique oak chairs, antique cupboards, antique oak cupboards. All these oak furniture and country furniture are made of 16th century oak, 17th century oak, and 18th century oak.

Period oak antique, is best antique dealer in oak antiques, medieval oak antiques and owns about six big showrooms. All these showrooms are stock with antique oak furniture, antique country furniture and English antique furniture.

Period oak has been in this business for last 20 years selling not only early antique English oak and antique furniture, but also have huge experience in selling ;

- antique delft, English delft, delft plates, delft jars, delft vases.

- antique carvings, oak carvings, stone carvings and carved oak figures.

- antique metalware such as brass Candle Sticks, Bronze Skillets, Brass Dish, Wrought Iron Chandelier, Pricket Candle Stand

and Antique paintings, antique oil painting,antique portrait of 17th, 18th and 19th century.

Visit us at our antique shop located in lovely town of Petworth or browse us and order online.

A unique and well know antique shop in petworth selling best oak furniture, oak antiques, country furniture and fine antique furniture.



COURTNEY

What is a good website for refinishing antiques with vener damage?

Friday, February 13th, 2009
laurabuchanan01 asked:


I have a dining set with vener from the 1940’s would like to redo it as the vener iscoming off it looks terrible.

DION

Taking Care Of Your Prized Antiques

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009
Benedict Smythe asked:


Antique furniture is undoubtedly considered as a highly prized possession. Most people view it as something of great value that needs to be showcased and displayed to the eyes of the entire world while still keeping its value as high as ever. The main goal is to keep the antiques from unnecessary scratches and damages that may cause it to loose its beauty and its value in the long run. In this article you will find exactly what you need to keep your antique furniture in tip top shape.

Antiques are amazing pieces of furniture and history, which is why, it is understandable that the first impulse would be to display the object for everyone to see. And what better way to showcase something than to place it in an area flushed with sunlight so that people are easily drawn to admire the object, right? Wrong! It may do wonders for the look of your antique, with the rays of sunlight highlighting its’ best features but the fact is that, direct light can damage the piece. It can lead to damage such as minute cracks and fading of color. The heat from the sunlight can also dry out the material making it prone to damage. So, keep you antique items in a shady room, not necessary a damp and dark one but at least keep it away from the reaches of the sun’s rays.

Humidity is also an important factor when taking care of antiques. The right balance of humidity and heat must be achieved to maintain the integrity of your antique objects. Just think of this: Too little humidity can cause antiques like paintings to dry up and crack, too much humidity on the other hand results in the formation of rust and mold, making a good breeding ground for insects and other critters - something you don’t ever want to see in your antiques. The degree of light and humidity can be easily measured with tools that are readily available in photography and local hardware stores. A light meter can be very helpful in monitoring the degree of light affecting your antiques, while a hygrometer, found in hardware stores, can be used to measure the humidity in the room you are keeping your items. As a rule, the amount of light should be fairly low for antiques and humidity levels should be kept at an ideal 50% to get the most “shelf life” of your antiques.

Temperature is also a very important factor for antiques. Rooms with antique objects should be generally kept at a 64 degree level. This temperature is perfect for antique objects as it is not too high and not too low. There is no need for temperature measurement here, you can go by feel. If you happen to have a room that you have observed as being cooler than the rest of the house, then you can keep your antiques there. When moving your items, move them from areas of varying temperatures gradually. Never shock them by exposing them to quick temperature changes. If you follow these steps, then you are closer to preserving the quality of your items with ease.



ABRAHAM

Antique Snowmobile Gives a Sense of How the Snowmobiles Have Changed

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


Winter as we all know is a time of cold winds, falling snow and snow covered terrain. The average vehicle needs snow chains to travel through snow covered roads but these will have trouble with deeper snow covered areas. Snowmobiles which were designed for this type of terrain began in 1916 and you can still find some of these antique snowmobile vehicles out on the snow covered ground.

Many of these antique snowmobiles have been restored by enthusiasts of these types of snowmobiles. You can often see a restored antique snowmobile at small privately owned museums that are dedicated to the many antique snowmobiles that were used in those days, as well as at the companies which created the modern snowmobile.

From these places you can ask about the history of any antique snowmobile that is on display. As you look at these antique snowmobiles you will get a sense of how people have changed the look and performance of snowmobiles as their needs over the years have changed.

Besides being on display sometimes you can see a snow race where different kinds of new and antique snowmobiles will race together. While most of the new snowmobiles are capable of going at high speeds, an antique snowmobile is capable of holding its own against these new versions.

You will probably be able to recognize some of the names that can be found on an antique snowmobile. Names such as Polaris, Ski doo, and Yamaha will be among the brands of antique snowmobiles. As you attend an antique snowmobile snow race you will be able to talk with other enthusiasts of antique snowmobiles and the various antique snowmobile snow races to display these beauties on their natural ground.

Sometimes you can find information about antique snowmobiles on the internet. From these sites you can look at the different items that will help you to restore an antique snowmobile. You can talk to others who have gone through this restoration process and find out what sort of difficulties you may encounter.

There are some sites that will inform you of the places where you can buy an antique snowmobile. You can see the type of price range that antique snowmobiles are able to command simply because they are classic vehicles.

Whilst the heyday of antique snowmobiles are over, you might still sometimes be able to see an antique snowmobile showing the new snowmobiles what they are made of. Just by watching the sheer power and beauty of an antique snowmobile you will understand why these vehicles are still in use even if they are new versions of a classic.



ARTURO

What is the best way to teach yourself about antiques?

Saturday, February 7th, 2009
Tea asked:


I love the antiques roadshow and things of that nature. I would like to learn more about antiques (NOT TO BE a PRO)!
I would just like to learn more from books or websites or whatever. I can’t go to classes because I’m kinda housebound but would still like to learn more. Thanks!
Yes I know I said I wanted to learn from books but I was hoping you could recommend some specfic ones! :)

JAMAL

What category should I ask about antiques under?

Friday, February 6th, 2009
DEE asked:


I have some antique jewelry and accessories I have questions about but I’m not sure there is a specific category I should list my questions under in Yahoo! Answers. I’ve browsed through Arts & Humanity as well as Society & Culture and their subcategories are kind of vague. Any suggestions?

LEWIS