The Evolution of the Writing Desk
Trace writing furniture from portable boxes and bureaux to pedestal, roll-top and modern desks, with practical evidence for construction, dating and alteration.
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Antique History & Styles
68 published guides on repair, care and the stories behind well-made things.
What Makes Furniture Antique? Age, Authenticity, Dating and Description
Understand the 100-year customs definition, antique versus vintage and reproduction, and how construction, restoration, provenance and attribution establish authenticity.
Read guideHow Tea Changed Furniture: Tables, Caddies, Chests and Social History
Explore how tea reshaped British interiors through tripod and fold-over tables, caddies, chests, tea poys and stands, with practical identification and dating advice.
Read guideBritish Country Furniture: Regional Making and Use
Identify British country furniture through local woods, workshop construction, regional forms, surface and use—without confusing honest vernacular work with later rustic revival.
Read guideThe Dining Chair: History, Construction, Sets and Identification
Trace dining chairs from joined oak and Georgian sets to Victorian and modern production, with practical guidance on construction, dating, repairs and set integrity.
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Why Victorian Furniture Includes So Many Different Styles
A clear guide to Victorian furniture's Gothic, Rococo, Renaissance, Aesthetic and Arts and Crafts strands, and how to describe them.
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Neoclassical Furniture: Order, Antiquity and Elegant Proportion
Understand Neoclassical furniture, its classical sources, signature forms and the evidence needed to separate period work from revivals.
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Baroque and Rococo Furniture: How to Tell the Styles Apart
Compare Baroque and Rococo furniture through shape, ornament, scale and historical context, with cautions for dating revival pieces.
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