Sunday 17 February 2008

Selling the family furniture

I took these photos in my old flat in January 2006 of my antique furniture before it went into store. It's recently come out of storage , delivered to our new house, but I've come to the decision to sell most of it - its being auctioned next Tuesday by Chiswick Auctions.
From when my parents were first married in the late 1950's, they bought Victorian furniture as it was deeply unfashionable ( and therefore affordable) but also more to their taste than modern pieces and ironically was more in scale with the 60's bungalow we lived in. When Dad died in 1995 ( Mum died in 1987), it was valued for probate, some of the pieces were sold, my brother took some and I kept about half as it was not only lovely furniture but had lots of associations with growing up. Meals around the dining room table except Sunday high tea when we were allowed to eat watching the TV (Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop, Ski Sunday) seated at the walnut card table. I was glad to see the back of the deeply uncomfortable buttonback chairs tho'.
The furniture I chose to keep was already a bit of a squeeze in the reception room of my flat but was useful for dinner parties and displaying kanthas. However, there just isn't the room for it in the back reception of our new property and we have a far more useful larger dining table and chairs of Ian's in the front reception. I'm keeping a walnut bureau and the large mahogany chest pictured above as they're useful - I keep my quilts in the chest which dates from 1780's! And its going to have the tv on it-just like we did at home.
With the money raised I'm planning to buy some nice bookshelves ( and have already bought a glass display cabinet). I felt a bit sad when the furniture left the house but seeing it in the catalogue , even 2 pictured ( lots 336 and 632) gives me hope they'll find another good home.





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