Furniture Articles

Etageres, canterburies, perches? Antique shelves and racks come in many unusual names. We’re here to help you make sense of them.

From drums to Davenports, antique desks are as widely varied as the writers who’ve sat at them. While their original purpose was to provide a stable surface for old-fashioned artistry and literacy, they’re now well-coveted pieces for modern homes and offices.

You don’t have to be a sewing expert to learn how to reupholster an antique chair. Whether you’re jazzing up a family heirloom or giving an auction find a little TLC to sell on, upholstery can be rewarding in many ways.

Recessions will come and go, tastes will change and buying habits will fluctuate. Among it all, antiques will continue to thrive. From the rise of the online antique store to shifts in interiors, dealers and collectors are stepping into the future to adapt to a more digital world. But can new-age portals ever replicate the euphoria of an in-store trawl?

Generations of owners have left their mark on antique chairs. It all adds depth and character - that heavily prized patina - which simply cannot be replicated by even the priciest modern counterparts.

Our ancestors storage and display needs were always met with grandeur. Despite being some of the most expensive furniture ever made, many antique cabinets can be found at affordable prices. Wonderfully varied, you could land upon chunky antique shop display cabinets at an auction one day followed by a slinky pair of antique bedside cabinets the next.

From portable pieces to hefty dining tables, antique tables are wildly varied in style, quality, colour and size. Which also means they come with a range of price tags. Whatever your budget, you’ll be able to find antique tables for sale at fair values at Hemswell - the largest antiques centre in Europe. But first, you’ll want a good idea of what you’re looking for. Get to know your antique tables with our handy guide.

"My second-best bed, with the furniture", William Shakespeare famously bequeathed to his wife in his last will and testament. Whatever the reason for her not inheriting the best bed (a much-debated topic), his words are proof of just how valuable today’s antique beds once were in households up until the 18th century.

Before fitted kitchens and multipurpose furniture, the sideboard was an important storage provider, designed to display the family china and silver for Sunday best. Today, whether used for storage or as a TV stand, antique sideboards are having a moment.

True collectors have a genuine love of the objects they gather. The pleasure that can derive from a rickety 18th-century rocking chair, teacup with a thousand stories or a tinkly old music box is beyond measure.