Buying Antique Furniture
A Guide to Buying Antique Furniture
by Edward Reily-Collins
In the thirty years I have been in the antiques trade there has never been a better time to buy antiques than now. Since the dreadful days of 9-11, when the Americans stopped coming over to England, coinciding with the great modern trend for minimalism, the antique market has been in the doldrums. However recently people have begun to wake up to the fact that there is actually very little in the way of quality or style in the modern furniture being wholesaled through national shopping outlets. This mass produced furniture will not last more than 10 years through daily use, and the young 30 something’s who used to buy large quantities of antiques but switched to modern styles, have woken up to the fact that there is no individualism in furnishing your house as tens of thousands others do. I was talking to a prospective client recently