Antique Furniture: Without doubt, the two most important aspects to any antique furniture are those of colour and patination. People often think that the two are the same, but in fact both are different, as each term refers to a different aspect of the finish found in antique furniture. It is the glorious colour and surface patination that furniture develops that the buyer and collector both seek. And their presence, or at times their absence, can radically alter the value of a particular piece.
There are two main schools of thought with regard to furniture restoration: restoration and conservation. Restoring a piece of furniture is to fully renovate it to its original form, where as conserving a piece is to simply return it to a serviceable condition. There are valid arguments for both approaches but essentially each has the same purpose — to bring a piece of antique furniture back to life.
The term "conservation", while known to everyone, is a relativity new school of thought in the area of furniture restoration. Ever since furniture was first manufactured, there has been a need to repair it to counter the damage caused by accidents, negligence and everyday wear and tear. |
