Buying Antique Furniture and Artifacts for Your Home
Antique furniture refers to pieces of furniture that are at least one hundred years old and have a certain attention to design. Their value is mainly dependent on their rarity, their quality, their condition and their origin. They are unique pieces of furniture that have been left in their original state and infuse a home with warmth and style that it otherwise would lack.
Antique furniture come in a lot of designs such as beds, chairs, benches, trunks, shelves and cabinets, dressing tables, wall clocks and desks. Antique furniture made of wood is generally done so with the finest quality of wood such as mahogany and teak that remains strong despite the test of time.
Antique storage furniture such as wardrobe doors, shelves and drawers are used to hold smaller objects such as clothes, books, china dolls and common household goods. Antique wooden trunks when layered with glass can be used as coffee tables or decorative storage pieces in the living room area of your house not forgetting mirrors with antique frames that can give the much coveted vintage look to your home decor.
Artifacts are a great buy for decorating the home to achieve a rich style that only heritage can achieve. There are artifacts from different countries in the world with their unique style due to their different inspirations and origins. You can decorate your house using artifacts from India, Egypt, Rome, Greece, Africa, Europe and Native America among others. All these are unique pieces that will give your home an interesting theme that many a guest will marvel.Top of FormBottom of Form
To prepare yourself to buy the best antiques and artifacts, you should first familiarize yourself with the styles and themes of different time periods and different places by reading on the subject or visiting antiques shops, fairs and auctions. Many dealers are usually happy to discuss and share their knowledge regarding different antique and artifact styles and the eras which they originate from especially when they are not very busy with other customers who are buying at that time.
Hunting for antiques personally is guaranteed to give you the most information about their significance. This helps you appreciate their unique qualities even when you buy them for your home.
Lots of online shops offer convenience in antiquing from the comfort of your home however, large furniture usually comes with high shipping charges. It is therefore wiser to order small pieces when shopping online or shop by location to find the shops or items closer to you when shopping for bigger pieces. Ask for additional information, detailed descriptions, exact measurements and photos from different angles to be absolutely sure about the pieces as well as the return policy in case they do not represent your expectations properly.
To spot a great piece, follow your heart since you will probably be seeing and using this daily for personal needs and personal style preferences. Take a close look to ensure it is well constructed and well cared for i.e. look out for wobbly legs, cracks, broken pieces, stains and be sure to inquire from the seller about the history of that particular piece.
Provenance refers to the proof of where a particular piece originated from. You should insist on it. This could be in form of purchase receipts, professional appraisals, documents from auction houses, historic records and photographs. Generally, this type of proof is provided for rare and high-value antiques. It is important to have this document especially if you plan to resell it later and for insurance purposes.
Revamping an old antique is also a very good idea if you are planning to incorporate it into your personal style or improve on its appearance. It can be wonderful and fulfilling to refresh an antique though you should be aware that the process of reupholstering can be costly and high-quality antiques may end up losing their value when you replace the fabrics or finishes that they originally had even when they seem to be in bad shape. However, if your budget allows, you can pimp up, polish or re-cover your antique furniture with appropriate new fabric to better represent your style.
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