The Ho ho bird comes from the mythical Japanese version of the Phoenix. Although most commonly referred to as the Ho ho, the mysterious creature, with a long beak and curving neck, flowing tail, claws and crest takes on many … Continue reading
A tambour is a sliding door consisting of a series of narrow mouldings or reeds of wood glued side by side to a stout canvas backing. Once dry, the tambour is the then ‘cracked’, whereby the glue between between each … Continue reading
While ‘grain’ refers to the orientation of the fibres within timber, ‘figure’ describes the various distinctive patterns that result from this. More simply put, it is the surface pattern. Many things create and shape a wood’s figure, from the … Continue reading
Here at Thakeham Furniture we love how every item of antique furniture tells its own unique story; initials carved into the underside of a table, the faint outline of a pair of Victorian sewing scissors on a work table. Every … Continue reading
The term ‘cellaret’ came into use in c. 1750 to describe cases and receptacles to contain wine. Originally, they were placed under sideboards, which back then were in the form of side tables (lacking the cupboards below). The earliest form … Continue reading
Nowadays most of us keep our money in the safety of bank accounts and our valuables in safety deposit boxes, however these only came into existence at the turn of the nineteenth century. Up until this point, people had to … Continue reading
Faux bamboo first made an appearance in England in the 1750’s, however it reached the height of its popularity with The Royal Pavilion in Brighton, built in three stages from 1787 for Prince Regent (who became King George IV in … Continue reading
Bureaus are back! Gone are the days of bulky desk top computers. Humungous hard drives have been slimmed; fax machines replaced by email and monitors as deep as they are wide are now as little as one inch thick. These … Continue reading
Here at Thakeham Furniture we sell a lot of convex mirrors. Their compact size and versatility make them a popular antique item. They first came into popularity in the fifteenth century when they were known as an Oeil de Sorcière … Continue reading
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This months Homes and Gardens features a lovely walnut chest of drawers in the Belgium home of lighting business owner Ann Van Dessel. The chest is perfectly complimented by the the shades of ivory and soft light that fill her … Continue reading
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