Brown Furniture is back in fashion

A recent article in the Telegraph explaining the benefits of using antique brown furniture in your home, and the advantages compared to mass produced things. Look for good quality woods, and quirky features that add personality. It is surprising how well old furniture can complement the contemporary when you mix them up.

And a quote from an interview with Terence Conran in “The English Home":

"I have always believed a mixture of old furnishings - either inherited, or bought in antique shops or flea markets - and modern furniture is the way forward. I think it helps to make my home more interesting and, at times, surprising. I've never been afraid of putting modern objects in traditional environments, or vice versa. It creates a wonderfully fresh atmosphere and works as well in a centuries-old country home as it does in a modern, urban apartment."

The Revival of Rattan Furniture

There is an interesting article in the Observer from a couple of weeks ago, about how hand made wicker work is becoming more popular. Rattan has always been an important part of antique and vernacular furniture, but had fallen out of favour in the last 40 years. It is good to see a new generation of expert designers and makers bringing these traditional crafts back to life.

An Arts and Crafts Approach for Today

“At the turn of the last century, the Arts and Crafts movement transformed not only how objects looked, but also how people looked at objects. It provided a framework for essential issues that are still debated today: the conflict between standardisation and individuality, the question of whether a one-of-a-kind handcrafted object is superior to a mass-produced one, and the problem of defining what kind of design most benefits society.

Britain, the most industrialised country, was also the first to generate a movement to counter what was seen as the malevolent effects of mass production. John Ruskin, William Morris, and others championed “joy in labour” - the moral and spiritual uplift that would come with the revival of making objects by hand. The improvement of working conditions, integration of art into everyday life, and an honest “aesthetic” resulting from the use of indigenous materials and native traditions were also central to the movement’s philosophy. At the end of the nineteenth century, these Arts and Crafts ideals were appropriated and adapted by the avant-garde throughout Europe and the United States.”

This is an extract from “The Arts and Crafts Movement in Europe and America” by Wendy Kaplan, introducing an exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

The philosophy is as relevant today as it was then. Most objects today are mass produced, and one-of-a-kind handcrafted items, particularly furniture, are beyond the reach of many consumers. There is a growing demand for well designed, artisan, one-of-a-kind products that are also affordable.. A viable way of meeting that demand is to find beautifully made antique and vintage furniture, and to re-purpose it for modern everyday use. The sense of creativity and individuality that comes from doing that gives real pleasure. Ruskin and Morris would have approved.

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”

— William Morris (1834-1896)