In September 2010  a carbon footprint analysis was commissioned of an antique chest of drawers against its modern equivalent. The study, conducted by Carbon Clear, an independent consultancy specialising in carbon accounting, finally puts a figure on just how eco-friendly buying antiques can be: the new item had a carbon footprint 16 times higher than the antique!

The analysis compared the greenhouse gas emissions produced during the lifespan of two chest of drawers; one constructed in 1830 with an assumed lifespan of 195 years, during which time it has been restored and sold twice and, the other, a new piece of similar value available from a reputable high street retailer with an assumed lifespan of15 years. The detailed report focuses on all stages of each product’s lifecycle: from thesourcing of materials to the manufacturing processes, the transportation to the storage and finally to the disposal. For a full copy of the report visit: www.antiquesaregreen.org.

Mark Hill, co-presenter of the BBC’s Cracking Antiques and an expert on the AntiquesRoadshow comments “There has never been a better time to buy antiques – not onlydo they provide us with excellent value for money and the opportunity to create ourown individual style but they also enable us to help the environment through ‘glamorous  recycling’ as confirmed by the facts in this insightful report.”

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 days people favour a lap top over a desk top (according to the IDC, the sale of laptops overtook desktops in 2005 and the percentage of laptops sold over desktops has been rising ever since)

Because everything has been downsized, there is now less need for large desks, and what better to store all those gadgets in than a bureau (A lovely original Georgian one even better!) Most bureaus have a number of pigeon holes, ideal for keeping things tucked neatly away, mobile phones, mp3 players, cameras, sat nav etc. Many also have a number of drawers, ideal for paperwork and stationary.

The one pictured even has drawers large enough to store a lap top in. When in use, the fall can be opened, allowing enough space for the lap top to sit on, when finished it can be all shut neatly away, perfect for those of suffering from messy desk syndrome! The lock also keeps your gadgets and work safe from nosey children!

The technique of brass inlay was used occasionally by English and immigrant cabinet makers during the 18^th century, but it was during the Regency period that the technique became popular, particularly in conjunction with the use of rosewood veneer. Geometric brass inlay and  brass line or “stringing” were employed on high quality cabinet work.

Much skill was needed for laying of brass inlay; wood and metal expand and contract differently in certain climactic conditions. A skilled craftsman would angle the edges of his wood veneers to grip the brass stringing and stop it springing up. Supplements were added to the glue pot, too, to allow the glue to retain some elasticity: garlic was used, but also uric acid –  many of the old cabinetmakers were known to pee in the glue pot to achieve the required effect!

Once the brass and veneers were laid, the careful cleaning down process started, using scrapers, fine sand papers and finally abrasive powders such as jewellers rouge.

Thakeham Furniture -  Antique Dealer specialize in selling antique furniture, Victorian furniture, Georgian furniture and 18th Century antiques in Sussex.

Here at Thakeham furniture we are currently using lots of Colefax and Fowler‘s ‘Oban Plaid’… We have fallen in love with it! The quiet and eye-pleasing plaid perfectly compliments the Georgian mahogany we specialise in. Choosing fabrics to compliment antique furniture is not an easy task, and we like to steer clear of predictable traditional fabrics. We find contemporary yet not too in-your-face fabrics inject an up to date feel to our pieces without drawing attention away from the beautiful colour and patina of the timber.

Veneering consists of gluing down sheets of thinly cut decorative wood to a solid “carcase” timber. Before the introduction of machinery, all veneers were cut with a hand saw: the earlier the piece, the thicker the veneer. The carcase wood would be “toothed” with a toothing plane with a serrated iron, to achieve a good surface for the glue; while the glue dried, the veneer would be held in place by a heated caul, or block of wood. Smaller areas, such as crossbanding or inlay were often laid with the use of a veneer hammer.

The first veneered furniture used predominantly walnut, but also “oysters” of laburnam or mulberry wood; these were made from cutting cross sections of branch wood. During the 18th century “flame” or “curl” mahogany began to be used extensively as a veneer, such as seen on this lovely, small Regency breakfront bookcase. Other exotic hardwoods were employed at this time, such as rosewood and satinwood, and veneers continued to be popular throughout the Edwardian period.

Thakeham Furniture – Antique Dealer specialize in selling antique furniture, Victorian furniture, Georgian furniture and 18th Century antiques in Sussex.

The ships which worked the slave and spice trade between England, Africa and the West Indies sometimes came back to England without a cargo; however, ballast was needed to keep the ship on an even keel, and this was made up of readily available mahogany tree trunks: Swietenia mahogani, also called Spanish or Cuban mahogany.

Furniture makers had their workshops in the industrial part of town close to the docks, and seeing this timber mounting up on the quayside as a waste product, arranged for some of it to be cut. It was then discovered that not only was this timber good to work, but it was also very decorative.

Once the timber was popular it began to be brought in as a cargo, and high import duties were paid, making it very expensive; then in 1725 the tax was lifted, and for the next 150 years mahogany became the predominant cabinet timber used by makers such as Thomas Chippendale and Thomas Sheraton.

Amongst new stock this month is this lovely antique rosewood table dating from about 1850. The beautifully figured top features a boxwood banded central roundel, inlaid with intricate marquetry scrollwork designs in satinwood, and other exotic timbers. The base is of architectural form, and features further marquetry detailing on scroll brackets, with turned paterae and bun feet.

This table is typical of the Renaissance Revival style popular during the mid 19th century. The style, first popularised in architecture by Charles Barry and others, was characterised by severe, architectural forms enlivened by elaborate ornamentation in colourful contrasts of materials, and an eclectic use of decorative motifs.

This oval satinwood example, dating from about 1790, is a particularly elegant form of the design. It has square tapered legs inlaid with ebony line, and original brass castors with the typically 18th century wide wheels.

It is made in West Indian satinwood, an exotic hardwood usually imported from Guiana, and, prized for its golden colour and watery figure that resembles moiré silk, was much used for fine quality pieces during the Sheraton period. East Indian satinwood was imported from Ceylon from the 1780s and was used up until the Edwardian era.

The faded tulipwood crossbanding complements the satinwood veneer. Tulipwood, which was imported from Brazil, has an amazing pink and yellow stripe when freshly cut, and was often for decorative inlay.