Traditional Orkney Chairs

The Island of Orkney, situated off the North East of Scotland has a rich history and is the birthplace of one particular item of antique furniture - the traditional Orkney chair. These chairs are classified within the 'Scottish Vernacular Furniture' bracket, meaning furniture native to Scotland. The Orkney chair has become very popular with our customers all over the world for both their practical and decorative uses.

Trends for 'country' and rustic interiors have fuelled the demand for antique Orkney chairs, with an appealing combination of traditional craftsmanship and historical elements to them. Our range of these chairs has never been better and we're proud to say that we've shipped Orkney Chairs to customers from Colorado to Harrogate!

Victorian pine framed Orkney chair (Click image to view more details)

Originally, the Orkney chair was a straw stool devised hundreds of years ago as a simple yet practical furnishing, low to the ground to avoid the smoke from the large open fires they used to keep warm through the windy Scottish winters. The development of the straw back was a later addition and the chairs were often made from driftwood as the island of Orkney was not abundant in natural wood resources.

The later addition of the high backed design was intended to shelter the occupant from draughts by trapping heat and providing a warm protective chair. The ideal spot for one of these chairs is around an inglenook fireplace to give a traditional feel, although many admirers of these chairs simply love the design and history behind them so choose them for their hallways, landings or passageways as a decorative furnishing. These versatile chairs could also be useful as nursing chairs due to their low seat and graduated back support.

Victorian Orkney Chair with Drawer (Click image to view more details)

It is thought that the addition of a drawer beneath the seat of some Orkney chairs was designed for the man of the house to keep his belongings in,  this aspect will probably appeal to most men even now!

For those who would like to find out more, comprehensive further reading can be found within Bernard D Cotton's 'Scottish Vernacular Furniture' - this book can be bought online here

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A French Revelation

To introduce you to our newest member of staff and give her the opportunity to answer some questions about Graham Smith Antiques, this weeks blog is about Samantha Burgun. Samantha is working at Graham Smith Antiques for two months, as an intern, she is 18 years old and speaks English much better than any of us speak French!

Samantha is pictured here on the right, next to Graham (centre) and online manager Simon Phillipson on the left for an article in June's North East Times Magazine 

What course are you studying in France?

In France I am doing a two-year post-A-level course in International Trade & Business. I study in Strasbourg. 

Why did you choose to come to Graham Smith Antiques for your internship?

At first we had to choose a country and for me that was evident that I would go in a country where people speak English because I really like the language and I think that it is very important to speak good English for a career in International Business. Moreover my aunt lives in Newcastle, that's why I was looking for an Internship in Newcastle. I was looking for a business that would correspond with my internship and whilst searching the internet, I found the Graham Smith Antiques website. I read that they were experienced in shipping containers and smaller retail items worldwide and thought the business sounded very interesting. I didn't know much about antiques but I browsed the website and I found many beautiful things. That is why I sent an e-mail to Graham and he answered me very quickly, I was the first in my class to have a confirmed internship, so I was very happy about that.  

What is your favourite item in the shop or warehouse at the moment?

At the moment, there are lots of items which are very beautiful but my favourite is an 19th Victorian mahogany freestanding 9 drawer pedestal desk, which is dated from 1860. I think that it is the kind of desk for a very important person and it is very beautiful!

This is the desk Samantha loves so much - Click the picture to find out more

What do you think is the most interesting aspect of Graham Smith Antiques business?

Graham Smith Antiques business is very interesting, I have been able to learn and do lots of different things already. It's very interesting to see how Graham chooses antiques to buy and how he is always  looking for new furniture for all his customers worldwide, from an American customer to an Australian customer and so on. I think that the most interesting thing is the website because customers from everywhere in the world can look at the antiques and buy furniture to be sent to the other side of the world! The fact that Simon the Online Manager, takes so many pictures of the furniture helps the customer to be confident to buy from Australia or Hong Kong for example. So yes, for me the most interesting part of Graham Smith Antiques is how they have customers from everywhere in the world on the internet.

How do you think working at Graham Smith Antiques will help you in your future career?

I think that working here will help me in my future career because I will learn a lot about the business world, I observed a lot how staff members do theirs job as well as how to be with customers. I have always got something to do, and Graham lets me do a variety of things, so that's really great for me. Moreover it's a work experience and that will give me knowledge to build on for the future.

Thank you to Samantha for answering all these questions. To find out more about Graham Smith Antiques, you can follow us on Twitter or browse our website

Bank Holidays & The Royal Wedding

This week we are giving you a combination of practical opening hours information and news of an exclusive Royal Wedding discount!

First of all, the simple details of when we will be opening over the next few bank holiday weekends;

Dates	Jesmond Shop	Benton Warehouse
Good Friday 22/04/11	Closed	Open 10am – 4pm
Saturday 23/04/11	Normal Hours (10am – 5pm)	Normal Hours (10am – 4pm)
Easter Sunday 24/04/11	Closed	Closed
Monday 25/04/11	Closed	Closed
Tuesday – Thursday 26/04/11 – 28/04/11	Normal Hours (10am – 5pm)	Normal Hours (10am -5pm)
Friday Royal Wedding 29/04/11	Closed	Closed
Saturday & Sunday 30/04/11 & 01/05/11	Normal Hours Saturday (10am – 5pm) Closed Sunday	Normal Hours Both Days (10am* – 4pm) *11am opening on Sunday

      Monday 02/05/11 - both the warehouse & shop will be closed

Next, for the exciting part; an exclusive preview of our Royal Wedding Weekend celebrations! Although we do not normally offer discounts or percentage savings, this most momentous occasion of a Royal Wedding calls for something extraordinary.

In celebration of the Royal Wedding on 29th April 2011, we are offering customers a 10%* discount either online or instore for the whole weekend (29th April - 2nd May).

The offer code is: 'royalwedding11' 

This code will be valid to use on our website on friday 29th April whilst we are closed (having our own raucous celebrations) and then all weekend in our shop and warehouse. All you have to do to take part, is either use the above discount code when progressing through the checkout of our website, or, alternatively, print this page and bring it with you to either our shop or warehouse.

CLICK TO VISIT WEBSITE NOW

*10% Discount valid on retail price for items up to the value of £2000 and only one use of the discount per customer. Please note that payment must be made at time of purchase to benefit from this discount.

Enjoy your royal wedding celebrations and don't miss out on this offer - we don't do these often, infact this is our first discount event in our 11 year history! Here's some inspiration incase you're so overwhelmed by our generosity that you don't know which room of your home to furnish with antiques first!...

 Mousey Thompson Oak Table

 George IV Mahogany Elbow Chair

Set of ten mid 19th century pan top wine glasses

This blog is brought to you by Graham Smith Antiques Ltd. For more information about our products and daily updates about antiques, follow us on twitter or visit our website www.grahamsmithantiques.com

How to Clean Antique Furniture

A question that we're asked again and again, is how to clean up antique furniture - especially really dirty neglected items that have not been used for years or stuck in a garage.

This weeks blog will aim to explain not only how to clean antique furniture but what to use and how often to do it. We're going to presume the furniture you need to clean is really dirty and dry but this technique can be used less frequently for well kept furniture too, so it stays in prime condition!

Step One

Using a clean duster or rag (which does not have loose fibres that may catch on veneers etc) dust down the item of furniture you wish to clean.

Fill a bowl with warm water and a drop or two of vinegar. Soak a good quality furniture cloth such as the one pictured below in the mixture and then ring out until almost dry.

Step Two
Using your soaked and rung out furniture cloth, wipe down the item of antique furniture until it is clean. Dark nicotine coloured residue may come off on the cloth, this is normal for a piece of furniture that has not been cleaned for a long time (or has been in a house with smokers in which case it will have more of this coloured residue).

Keep soaking and ringing out your cloth inbetween wiping down the item and continue until you are happy that it is clean. Remember that antique furniture builds up a patina on the surface, which develops over many years so don't try to scrub it down, use gentle strokes and only clean until the residue on the cloth lightens sufficiently.

Leave your item of furniture for 24 hours to dry completely (don't be tempted to rush with the polish as you will be locking the damp and moisture in the wood, which is not a good result!)

Step Three
Dust the furniture lightly with a clean rag or furniture cloth. Then, using a good quality Beeswax furniture polish (such as the one pictured below) rub plenty of wax into the furniture in small circular motions with a clean dry furniture cloth.

These traditional beeswax polishes are used on our own furniture and keep our stock looking sparkling. It's best to steer away from spray polishes as they leave a sticky residue on furniture and many even state on the can 'not to be used on french polished furniture' which many antiques are.

We sell the beeswax polish above on our website, in our shop, in the warehouse and even on our ebay shop. It has become so popular with international customers that we ship jars all over the world every week, whcih initially amazed us, but it really is the best stuff to use even if it does have to travel accross the world!

CLICK HERE TO BUY BEESWAX POLISH

Step Four
Once you've rubbed plenty of beeswax polish into the furniture, leave it for at least two hours to soak into the wood. Then, using a clean dry cloth (combined with some serious elbow grease) buff the furniture until the shine returns and the colour starts to develop in the grain again.

Although this process only needs doing when furniture is very dirty, using beeswax polish and following step three onwards can be repeated every few months to keep your antiques in the best condition. We belive it's worth investing time and effort keeping furniture clean and nourished, not only does it preserve them, it keeps furniture looking good and is much more hygenic - you wouldn't neglect to wipe your kitchen benches for six months or even years at a time would you?!

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This useful information has been brought to you by Graham Smith Antiques Ltd