FOCUS ON CLASSIC FURNITURE

Instant expert A PRIVATE collection of works by one of the finest furniture makers of his time is to be sold at auction in London this summer. Exceptional pieces of furniture like the ones on sale are always in high demand in the antiques business and will attract international interest.

Real deal EmmANuEL Beurdeley took over his family business in 1875. It was started in 1807 by his grandfather Jean Beurdeley as a curiosity shop. His father Louis Auguste had become a prominent dealer in French furniture and objets d'arts in Paris. When the business closed in 1895, most of the furniture and works of art created and collected by the Beurdeley family were sold at auction. However Emmanuel Alfred kept several of the pieces for his home in Paris. When he died in 1919 he left them to his children.Basics THE lots on offer all come from the collection of Emmanuel Alfred Beurdeley. They include a pietre dure secrtaire - a chest with a straight-fronted writing drawer - considered to be a masterpiece, which was used by Beurdeley's wife. There is also an amaranth, tulipwood and kingwood marquetry commode and a lacquer desk based on a model by Nicolas Pierre Sverin now in the Louvre.

Real deal EmmANuEL Beurdeley took over his family business in 1875. It was started in 1807 by his grandfather Jean Beurdeley as a curiosity shop. His father Louis Auguste had become a prominent dealer in French furniture and objets d'arts in Paris. When the business closed in 1895, most of the furniture and works of art created and collected by the Beurdeley family were sold at auction. However Emmanuel Alfred kept several of the pieces for his home in Paris. When he died in 1919 he left them to his children.

Fabulous finds; how expert appraiser Lee Drexler sold Wall Street's "Charging bull', found hidden treasures, and mingled with the rich & famous

Fabulous finds; how expert appraiser Lee Drexler sold Wall Street's "Charging bull', found hidden treasures, and mingled with the rich & famous.

$16.952011([c]2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR)J. Lee Drexler has been appraising fine art, furniture, jewelry, and antiques for the rich and famous for over 35 years. This book, by Drexler and co-authored by Cohen (founding member of Kleinberg, Kaplan, Wolff & Cohen law firm), presents the highlights of Drexler's career: the many fabulous pieces she appraised and the sometimes wacky characters who owned them. The authors also provide advice on buying and selling art and antiques to help readers avoid getting cheated. This book appeals to those interested in selling and purchasing antiques and furniture as well as those interested in celebrity gossip.PaperbackN8675Drexler, J. Lee and James R. Cohen.174 pages

([c]2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR)

Barry Dixon inspirations

Barry Dixon inspirations.

NK2004224 pages([c]2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR)HardcoverFull-page photos showcase the interior decorating talents of Barry Dixon written by Brian D. Coleman, a psychiatrist based in Seattle and New York who has parlayed a second career based on his love for old homes. This volume offers inspiration via projects in a variety of settings including a modern cottage at Bethany Beach, a historic rowhouse in Washington D.C., and a high rise apartment in Chicago, among others. The projects are described in text and the photos are thoroughly captioned. A resources list gives website addresses for antiques, artisans, carpets, textiles, furniture, and showrooms.$40.00Coleman, Brian D.Gibbs Smith

([c]2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR)

An Introduction to Antique Furniture Part Two

Early forms of furniture were primitive items constructed quite often out of solid pieces of timber. Though quite ornate at times they were still fairly basic items that lacked the finesse of later centuries and manufacturers.

As to how important furniture is?Early Drawers were characterised by the thick sides or linings which were usually channelled so that they could run on bars or runners fixed to the sides of the carcase. As you can imagine these developed quite considerably as the items of furniture or drawers that they were designed to support became more and more delicate and sophisticated. From the 17th Century onwards as with other forms of furniture, the practice of just using simple pegs and runners all but died out to be replaced by more sophisticated runners being placed beneath rather than at the sides of the drawers.Well the answer primarily to all of the above questions is by and large no but as in all these cases the situation is like anything that relates to the study of History. By only correctly understanding where we have come from, how we arrived here and what we did, can we begin to have any real hope of moving forward without repeating the same mistakes over and over again.However as with all things, the prohibitive cost of craftsmanship meant that by the late 19th Century suppliers of Furniture were looking at techniques that could help bring the cost of manufacture down to more manageable and cost efficient proportions and hence the introduction of the earliest forms of machine assisted furniture.As you can imagine the earliest forms of pegs were quite primitive in their manufacture and acted more like wedges and tended to tighten the joints they were hammered into.For the purpose of this article we will be looking at Furniture from the following aspects: Pegged Construction and Drawer Construction, and then in the next article a detailed look at styles of two items of furniture, Chairs and Tables.Drawer ConstructionQuite often, as the years would go by these joints and pegs would find themselves being pushed out of shape and this is quite often an indicator of firstly, how old a piece is and secondly how well cared for an item of furniture is with the appearance of these joints.I am often asked as to why a study of furniture is so important? Will it solve the Worlds ills, can it help solve World Poverty (yes if the stuff is manufactured in the right places at the right costs but that is another matter)?Pegged ConstructionIt was during the 17th and 18th Centuries that Furniture Construction as we know more of it nowadays came into its own. With the appearance of Thomas Chippendale (1718-19) furniture manufacture became more sophisticated in its design and execution with finely executed joints and a carcase (body of the item of furniture) that was as well made as the fa�ade.Until the early 18th Century, furniture was constructed by and large using a �Pegged� or �Joined� technique using Mortise-and-Tenon joints held together held together quite often just by wooden pegs or dowels and on very rare occasions, nails.

Well what else would you sit and write on?

Leaking Hot Water Tanks And Antiques Don't Mix

Your antique furniture is swimming in hot water, and now you're really in hot water as well. All your mother's prized antique furniture, even the Louis XVI armchair, is stewing in a half-foot of cloudy water. Yesterday, each piece had survived centuries of children, insects, natural disasters, and naughty animals with surprising grace.

Advanced deodorization products help mitigate the odors from moisture, and professional-grade disinfectants kill bacteria, mildew, fungi, and other harmful organisms to ensure that the culture of your furniture remains the intangible kind.Now, less than twenty-four hours after that initial panic, it looks and smells as if your crisis was only a bad dream. Water damage restoration is best left to companies with state-of-the-art drying techniques and training. If you find yourself in over your head, there is professional help for these kinds of situations. You made the right choice, when you decided to call the experts, after all you and your paper towels wouldn't have stood a chance.You have to save it. You run from the room, ready to do everything you can to restore centuries worth of careful preservation. You grab your cherry-scented air spray, a bucket, and paper towels and have almost reached the doorway when you realize that paper towels are not going to fix this.Today, it looks like they might as well have gone down with the Titanic. It's not just the appearance, either. The smell is equally overwhelming. Bacteria and fungi have good taste, and they are very eagerly devouring the elegant furniture. This isn't water damage. It's water desolation.Professional drying equipment prevents swelling and warping of wood and other materials. Industrial grade dehumidifiers ensure that even furniture and other items that did not directly come in contact with the water do not receive secondary damage as a result. High-speed air movers accelerate evaporation by moving air quickly across carpets, walls, and surfaces.Many people don't realize that there are many types of technology that can help to remedy water damage, and that the average household does not have the capability to deal with such a disaster. It's time to enlist professional help. You might not know a lot about the restoration and cleanup industry because it's not the kind of thing you have to deal with every day. Even so, they are on call, ready to help save your beautiful furniture.

Now, less than twenty-four hours after that initial panic, it looks and smells as if your crisis was only a bad dream. Water damage restoration is best left to companies with state-of-the-art drying techniques and training. If you find yourself in over your head, there is professional help for these kinds of situations. You made the right choice, when you decided to call the experts, after all you and your paper towels wouldn't have stood a chance.

Vessel Sink Vanity Ideas

Vessel sinke are a fantastic way to dress up any bathroom design. They are available in many styles and finishes, making them a virsitile option for any color scheme or style. Vessel sinks do require special faucet and drain hardware; and that can often be found just about anywhere vessel sinks are sold.

You have several choices when it comes to vessel sink vanities. There is a wide range of designs, colors, and materials that are sure to suit any personal style. Vessel sinks are available in two major styles, and these are vessel sink vanities and bathroom vessel sinks. To get started with your remodeling or construction plans, review remodeling tips and start browsing online. Vessel sinks come in so many shapes, sizes, and styles: contemporary, antique, traditional, rustic, and more. Just remember that the vanity is the focal point of any bathroom design, so choose carefully and select your vanity first.Details of surface preparation, e.g. scraping, sanding, caulking, filling nail holes, removing switch plate covers. Will the furniture and flooring be protected? How will window treatments be managed? How many coats of paint? Will a primer be used? What quality or brand of paint and finish type will be required (e.g. flat, satin, low luster, semi-gloss)? Will the paint be applied by brush and roller or sprayed? What surfaces will be painted (ceiling, walls trim, interior of closets, etc.)? When will the job be done? How long will the job take to complete? Will clean up be done at the end of each work day? Who is responsible for moving furniture and removing pictures? Is a deposit required and when is payment due? Which payment types are accepted? How are touch ups and problems handled after the job is completed? Is there a warranty?Obtain at Least Three EstimatesIf you have not hired a painting contractor before, or within the last couple of years, obtain multiple estimates for the work you would like completed. This will help you determine the Seattle interior house painting cost range. It will also give you an opportunity to meet each contractor, ask questions and determine whether or not you think you will be comfortable working with them.Surprise number two was the ceramic tile on the walls. The ceramic tile wound up not being ceramic tile at all! It was tin tile that was glued to a masonite backing board. The backing board was itself glued to the plaster walls and nailed every eight to 10 inches. So while the tiles came down very easily using just a screwdriver, getting they masonite backing board off the plaster was a nightmare. Not only were the plaster walls full of holes from the nails, big globs of glue was smeared all over the walls. At first I tried sanding. All that did was create a cloud of dust. After two hours of creating dust clouds I had only managed in clearing off a 2' x 2' square area. I talked to a number of contractors who only shook their heads and offered me luck in removing the glue from the walls. Someone suggested I use glue remover but I didn't want the fumes in the house. Someone else suggested a strong scraper but I wasn't strong enough to remove this glue. Finally, someone suggested a heat gun. I was skeptical. How would a little heat gun remove 60 years of hard and glue? Much to my surprise, it worked! Now it didn't work easily. It was still a lot of hard work, but by working slowly, and steadily, I was able to remove all remnants of glue in about four days.

Copyright (c) 2009 Julia Ritzenthaler

Author: Julia Ritzenthaler

Seattle Interior Home Painting Cost And Options

When painting the interior of your house in Seattle, interior house painting cost and options can vary greatly from estimate to estimate. Therefore its good to keep some basic ideas in mind when interviewing perspective contractors. Not all paint jobs are created equal and here are a few guidelines to ensure that you get a good one.

Your newly designed bathroom and vessel sink vanity will be the talk of all of your guests and will look beautiful for years to come.When comparing two painting contractors, it is important to make sure you are comparing apples to apples. There are many variables in any paint job and the price will reflect differences in these variables. Ask them to include as much of this information as necessary, including:Obtain three references from each contractor who gives you an estimate. If you are seriously considering them to do the work, by all means, call the references. These people will help guarantee that what the contractor has told you is, in fact, based on real figures. Don't hesitate to ask questions about the company or their work. Most people are eager to share their experiences whether they are good or bad.Seattle interior house painting cost and options can be found by searching online. A Google search will provide you with a list of painters and painting companies to get you started. Many have websites you can browse to learn more about the company. You may even be able to find online reviews on sites such as Yahoo! and City Search. Taking the time to find a reliable, quality painting contractor can help you avoid the headaches caused by substandard results, making your experience with the contractor both professional and pleasant.Ask for a Written EstimateThe vessel sink—as the name implies—is a vessel into which a faucet dispenses water. Vessel become a work of art in the space; vessel sinks come in a variety of materials including porcelain, natural stones, cast copper and other metals, glass, and more. The design choices are numerous and the great thing is that you're able to find something unique that appears custom-made at an affordable price. Plumbing waste and supply lines are hidden in the vanity base or even exposed in a way that they still appear aesthetically pleasing and interesting.Copyright (c) 2009 Julia RitzenthalerAsk For References

Seattle interior house painting cost and options can be found by searching online. A Google search will provide you with a list of painters and painting companies to get you started. Many have websites you can browse to learn more about the company. You may even be able to find online reviews on sites such as Yahoo! and City Search. Taking the time to find a reliable, quality painting contractor can help you avoid the headaches caused by substandard results, making your experience with the contractor both professional and pleasant.

Author: Eric Sorensen