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antique, bookcase, bookshelf, chair, chairs, cherry, curator, Day, decorate, design, dining, Foo Lions, furnishings, furniture, home, imports, interior, Iron Man, Iron Man 3, mahogany, Memorial, Memorial Day, oak, pine, sale, side, style
If homes are curated collections, then antiques seem like appropriate additions to the family gallery. Antiques are pieces of furniture valued for their age and rarity. They must retain their original character and be over 100 years old as well as less than half restored while retaining original, essential character. Condition, function, and other unique features add to an antique’s collectability. At MBW we have a great selection of imports and antique furnishings.
How old for furniture and décor to be called “antiques?” The answer depends entirely on your geographic locale. In the United States, antique furniture must be at least 100 years old—the decision was ratified by a 1930 tariff. In Europe, antiques have to be handmade before 1832 and prior to the Industrial Revolution (1830 marks the beginning of mass production).
A trade agreement in the late 20th Century added to the definition: items described as antiques must be less than 50% restored or refinished as long as the piece’s “essential character” is unchanged. What about everything else? Collectibles and vintage items are those pieces made within the last hundred years—the antiques of the future.
Cleopatra Antique Cognac Dining Side Chairs (2)
Antique Solid Mahogany Victorian Bookcase
Seasoned furniture shoppers know to examine authenticity. Take out drawers to inspect corner joints and other joinery. If there are multiple dovetails cut with precision, the piece is not antique. Such old-fashioned joinery was built by hand. Instead look for large dovetails with imperfect cuts and edges; those are the hallmarks of antiques.
Remember that wood veneer and laminate are sure signs of modern construction and furniture. Different types of wood have distinctive markings. Be familiar with recognizing specific grains and colors: mahogany, cherry, oak, pine, walnut and rosewood are frequent favorites for American and English antiques. Chinese antiques are regularly made of elm.
Look for these Foo Lion statues in Iron Man 3 (now in theaters):