You guys, I'm on a real roll!

Furniture, furnishings and other items of antique interest
phil
Has many leather bound books
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Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2015 6:11 pm
Location: Near Vancouver BC

Re: You guys, I'm on a real roll!

Post by phil »

Willa wrote:That's a great deal, definitely too good to pass up.

Is the current upholstery silk ?

I've been searching for an antique settee/small sofa for months now. I have ideas about the style, and my criteria is that the structure and upholstery must be in good shape. It continues to evade me, though. I have seen a few that are "perfect", for under $ 400.00 CAN but 5 - 7 hours away = dealbreaker.


I've bought quite a few chairs that need work and put them away with good intent on giving them love but the labor of restoration can easily pale in comparison to the value of the piece or some driving time. what usually happens to me is I find more that also need a little fixing and before I know It I have more projects than I can shake a stick at. It's because I'm weak in the knees when I see neat stuff that just needs a little fixing, and it's cheap, and I look at it and think oh yea I'd like to spend some time fixing that up ;-) I forget that accumulated, I can easily get a few lifetimes worth of stuff that needs love. Thats ok someone has to house these things and everything doesn't need to be restored. nothing harmful about housing it for 20 years and releasing it. If people didn't do that there wouldn't be a lot of cool projects for the future. Old house attics are supposed to be full of interesting old junque ;-)

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Corsetière
Knows where blueprints are hidden
Posts: 1056
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 1:44 pm
Location: Columbus, Ohio

Re: You guys, I'm on a real roll!

Post by Corsetière »

Willa wrote:That's a great deal, definitely too good to pass up.

Is the current upholstery silk ?

I've been searching for an antique settee/small sofa for months now. I have ideas about the style, and my criteria is that the structure and upholstery must be in good shape. It continues to evade me, though. I have seen a few that are "perfect", for under $ 400.00 CAN but 5 - 7 hours away = dealbreaker.


I think it is synthetic fabric. But I think it would be a real stunner in a deep jewel tone mohair. :) At $100, I can get some really nice nice quality fabric and I think I will also tuft the back, like it would have been originally.

Yes, I had been searching for seating for over a year! The last one I liked I got outbid on for $1200, but it turns out that it was definitely a Meeks sofa. *sigh* So probably worth somewhere between $5000-10,000....

My criteria were either:

A) Cheap, interesting, with functional upholstery

or

B) An investment piece that was $1000 or under that could need reupholstered

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Corsetière
Knows where blueprints are hidden
Posts: 1056
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 1:44 pm
Location: Columbus, Ohio

Re: You guys, I'm on a real roll!

Post by Corsetière »

phil wrote:that's a real work of art. Imagine the skill it took to do those carvings. There aren't many who could do that now. that might actually be a pretty valuable piece, maybe Al could sound in with his expertise? I know it's what the market will bear and chairs aren't necessarily of much value just because they are old but this is a nice piece.
It might be worth an appraisal or a post on an antique furniture website?

my guess is walnut because the grain has some character and usually mahogany has a pretty consistent grain but I can't be sure, rosewood ? maybe ?



I think you're right, I should get it appraised! It's not as fine as the Meeks sofa I bid on recently but it is nicer and larger than the average Victorian sofa. The seller said his family was from Boston so that might offer a clue as to the maker....

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