subject: What Are The Types Of Antique Wooden Furniture Available? [print this page] The primary wood used in making furniture before the early 1700's was oak. Later furniture items, especially antique wardrobes, were made from a variety of woods. These included mahogany and walnut. Finer furniture was made with mahogany and walnut, as well as with maple and cherry.
Pine is one wood that was always used because it is plentiful and easier to work, being a softer wood. It was not as durable, so older pieces made from pine may not be in good shape. It was primarily used for more utilitarian pieces.
Antique refers to things that are really old. Many dealers consider anything fifty years old to be vintage and 100 years or more to be antiques. Dealers in finer merchandise require that the item be 150 years old or older. There are very few pieces of wooden items left from the 1600s or earlier and many items that are styled after that time period are reproductions, which would have been very pricey even as reproductions but original piece from the 1600s would be extremely valuable.
One way to tell if you have one of the genuine antique wardrobes is to look at the drawers and joinery. If the drawer front is joined using dovetails, they will be roughly cut and have variances in the cuts in terms of angles and sizes, as they would have been done by hand. A check of the bottom, sides, and back of the drawer will show nicks and cuts where it was hand-planed.
Another way to determine if a piece is genuinely from an earlier time period is to check details such as moulding, carvings, and knobs. If they are exactly symmetrical or exact duplicates, they are machine made, which indicates they were made after 1860. If they are exactly the same in size and cut, then they are more than likely a reproduction, which may be desirable as well, but usually not as valuable and the genuine original.
When dealing with older furniture, there is sometimes confusion about terms used for certain items. Armoires and wardrobes are essentially the same thing. An armoire is a type of wardrobe. They were initially designed to hold armour in medieval times. That is how they got the name. There was a rod for hanging clothes, and drawers or shelves for storing fold-able items and accessories.
The difference in these two items of furniture is mainly size. The armoire is somewhat more ornate. It is also a little larger. Wardrobes are more streamlined, were manufactured primarily in the early 1900s, and are still reasonably priced, which makes them quite popular today.
Another piece of furniture that is closely related to the wardrobe, but with a different name, is the chifforobe. This is a wardrobe attached to the side of a small chest of drawers. These usually had a mirror on top. They were designed for smaller bedrooms, which makes them highly desirable in smaller modern homes. Although they are a more modern piece of furniture overall it is still possible to find antique ones that are well made and can be very valuable.
Antique wardrobes and their variations can be truly gorgeous items to own but they will have a serious price tag if they are genuine antiques. Most modern homes will find they would lack an appropriate space to display and use these pieces and the smaller Chiforobe would probably suit a collector who does not have quite so much space. If you are buying any antique to use rather than display you must always ensure you have the space within your residence before you make the purchase.
