by Mark on March 21, 2011
You can find a wide selection of farm kitchen tables on the internet, as many of the independent furniture makers and restoration companies have started to form a strong internet presence. Depending on the kind of farmhouse table that you are after, I have listed some of the best sites to get exactly what you want.
Of course, before you buy you will need to know exactly what kind of farmhouse table you want. I’m not talking about the different sizes and shapes that you are after – your own personal taste and a measuring tape can quickly sort that out. Instead, you will need to know if you plan to go straight for an antique furniture table, a replica made out of reclaimed wood (which can often more impressive than a real antique with its modern sheen), or a straight up, no-nonsense, table from a more mainstream manufacturer.
Antique Furniture Tables
Being over a hundred years old just to qualify as being an antique, these table sets are expensive to say the least. Since the demand for these tables is so high now you will be lucky to find one yourself at local salvation shops, charitable donation outlets, and from private for sale advertisements.
Many companies have made it their sole business to obtain, renovate, and sell on these kinds of tables, and as a result good pieces are even more scarce than they were say 5 years ago. However where there is a will there is a way and if you keep on looking the chances are that you will eventually find something if you are persistent.
Take a look at the antique farmhouse table article for links to companies that may be able to help you find one of these furniture sets.
Reclaimed Wood Farm Kitchen Tables
Reclaimed wood is taken from existing buildings and fashioned into new furniture by highly skilled woodworkers. As you can imagine, this type of wood is of an extremely high quality since it has been in use and air dried for what could be decades. The farm kitchen tables made from this have plenty of character due to the age of the wood used – some would even go so far to say that tables made from reclaimed wood are superior to antique pieces.
There are none of the blemishes on these sets that you would find on true aged table. This gives the table a curious blend of old and new which fits in well with contemporary kitchen designs. More expensive are tables made from salvaged wood. What is the difference? Wood that is salvaged is still in log or timber form and yet it still dates back decades – it was never used in the construction of buildings. If you want a table set that would look just like it would when it was first handmade a century ago then these are worth consideration – if you can justify the price tag.
Mainstream Farm Kitchen Tables
Finally, there are of course plenty of stores out there that can supply machine manufactured tables. These are by far the least inexpensive option, and some of them are well made. Some companies artificially age the look of their tables through treatments. There is a great disparity between the quality of different companies so take care and make sure you see the table before buying – preferably at a showroom. You won’t quite get the perfect antique feel from these sets but it is a reasonable facsimile all the same.
by Mark on August 14, 2010
Decorating Your Kitchen In An Antique Style
If you are considering decorating your kitchen in an antique style there are a few different directions that design motif could go in. There are several different ways to go about decorating your kitchen in an antique style like going the rustic country antique style route or the formal and classic antique style direction. It is important to make this distinction in the stylistic direction of your kitchen before you begin decorating because the finished results of these two antique styles look very different from one another.
If you decide to go the rustic antique style route you will want to really play up the antique aspect of the kitchen and this can be done with old furnishings rather than antiques because the furniture you use can have a “farmhouse” or “rustic” feel. You can use an old table and give it a rustic antique finish by making it look old rather than relying on an antique table to display a perceived old age. You can just get a farmhouse table and age it with a little bit of banging up and sanding down some paint.
If you decide to go the more formal antique route you will need to look for furniture that is really authentically antique or furniture that is designed in the style of a specific antique piece of furniture. It will not do to just use something old because formal antiques have specific details and qualities about them that is specific to it’s time period. When you are designing a formal antique room you should decide on a specific time period and decorate according to that genre.
Before decorating it would be a good soure of inpiration to take out a book from the library on interior design and on the specific period of time that you are drawing decorative inspiration from. A book of photographs will supply you with a better idea of how to cohesively pull the space together with pieces that are specific to the time period. Photocopy the rooms you like in the book and take them with you when you are shopping to an antique dealer and the dealer will be able to point you in the right direction.
First decide on the direction you want to take the kitchen. Take your vision with you shopping and don’t forget to use some inspiration from the library along the way. Happy decorating!
Tagged as:
decorating,
Kitchen Looks,
rustic
by Mark on August 13, 2010
Where To Get The Best Deals On Farmhouse Kitchen Tables
If you are moving to a new home, or are just looking to purchase some new furniture and love the appeal that antiques have and their value to the interior decor of your home, then check out the local and online based places to purchase antique farmhouse kitchen tables.
When looking to purchase and antique kitchen table you have two basic methods of finding a reliable seller, one is the local route with the utilizations of pawn shops, garage sales, conventions, and of course antique shops, and the other is the online path with making use of auction style settings in auctioneer websites, as well as mass production discounts with specialty store sites.
When looking in your local area to find antique farmhouse kitchen tables you want to first start with the antique stores and shops that may be based in your area. Antique stores are great for finding a variety of aged furniture and kitchen tables of the like, as well as good for finding a connection to a supplier to help you find a specific type of antique kitchen table.
After you have checked with any antique stores that may be based in your local area, you can move on to pawn shops. While pawn shops are notorious for having a bulk inventory of miscellaneous items, they are also a great source for antiques that people have inherited and have gotten rid of.Once you have checked the store based portion of your local area, you can turn to garage sales and possible conventions that may be hosted in a gym or stadium in your town that showcase antiques for sale.
With the local approach taken note of, you can move onto the much speedier and cheaper methods of finding a farmhouse kitchen table with the internet. Starting with auctioneer websites, you can use a basic search engine search on the most popular auctioneer websites until you come across a well based one that you can use to bet on farmhouse kitchen tables. Aside from the auctioneer websites, specialty stores that sell in mass produced high number kitchen tables, can also be found with a search engine and taken a look at online. The great thing about online searching is that you can do immediate price comparisons of the various kitchen tables, and get measurements and photos emailed to you.
Overall if you are looking to add a classic farmhouse look to your kitchen, just check out the above methods for finding out who sells farmhouse kitchen tables, and where to get the best deals.
Tagged as:
best deals,
buying advice,
where to buy