Sally Wood

Looking for a way to add some character to that gaping blank wall? A console table may be just the solution you’ve been seeking. Versatile, functional and stylish, these pieces are staple of interior design.

Console tables in Australia come in so many styles that there is bound to be one perfect for your home. Here is how to decide between luxurious marble top or a humble antique console table.

Purpose

Consider the purpose of your console table – is it purely ornamental? Does it need to provide storage? Should it be wide enough to surface décor items? The way you intend to use your piece will narrow down your selection substantially. If you are strictly after a furnishing to add spice to a space, then you have more freedom. A narrow console table for your hallway is a popular choice that can be found in an abundance of styles.

On the other hand, it can be useful to opt for a piece that has draws for storing keys and knick knacks out of sight. You can even get your hand on a table that has built in wine-racks! Before you launch into the furniture stores, have a clear picture of where your table will sit and what it needs to achieve.

Size

While we are talking practically, we suggest digging out the tape measure. In many cases, small console tables will be required to fit into narrow passageways and hallways. Take dimensions of your space to save yourself time, money and headaches down the track. As we touched on earlier, if you know you’ll need storage, map out roughly how much.

If you’re styling a console table backing onto a couch or sofa, it should sit around the same height, or lower, than the back of the couch. Remember – if you intend to hang a mirror or artwork above your table, you will need to ensure it leaves ample wall space.

Colouring

Now that we have dimensions and features locked-in, we can get creative. The material and colouring options for your table are endless. Of course, your earlier decisions will help narrow these selections.

To make a furnishing the centre of attention in a room, go bold. A marble top console table is one of our favourite choices for contemporary opulence. Marble is also exceptionally sturdy and durable, so you’re sure to get your money’s worth out of its lifetime.

Looking to get a little more eccentric with you’re styling? Art Deco furnishings are some of the most fun and eye-catching pieces on the market. Boasting bold prints and funky finishes, this styling approach is sure to make a statement.

For smaller rooms and a more subtle integration of the furnishing, lighter wood finishes are your go-to. Similarly, you can work an antique console table into a room rich in timbers and vintage pieces for a consistent design.

The sky is the limit with your choices, so go forth and find the one that’s perfect for you!

Characterised by clean lines, sleek shapes, and optimised functionality, mid century modern furniture exploded onto the design scene back in the late 1930s. Since then, the showstopping furniture pieces have endured to become a highly sort after antique.

The good news is that mid century furniture is making a brilliant resurgence thanks to the versatility of its modern design. This means that it’s not only trendy to showcase your stunning original mid century furniture, but it’s now easier to get your hands on complementary styling pieces.

Here’s our top styling tips to incorporate your mid century furniture of Australia, into your lovely home.

Just Start Somewhere

The minimalist design of mid century furniture allows it to blend seamlessly with just about any other design style. Don’t spent to long fretting over the re-design of your whole space to incorporate a mid century furniture piece. Instead – just choose an element a run with it.

Whether you’re after an industrial inspired dining table or statement arm chair, there is a mid century piece with your name on it. Because these furnishings are more discreet in their colour range and detailing, you can choose to build upon it with complementary mid century elements or go bold with some art deco pops. 

Choose a Colour Palette

Original mid century furniture can be diverse in its colour range, whether you’re working with the deep earthy tones of the 1940s or the vibrancy of the 1950s. Try and pick one colour theme to work with across your mid-century furniture choices. This could involve timber and leather with olive accents, or perhaps brighter creams, beiges and navys.

Mid century design is yours to make your own. Simply find your statement mid century piece and build your colour palette around it to bring it to life.

Work with Textures and Finishes

There are certain attributes characteristic of mid century furnishings. Most pieces from the era were crafted from dark, natural timber, or timber veneer. However, designers gradually began exploring with plastics, acrylics and Formica. This can be a great place to springboard your interior design from.

Select the focal material on which anchor your room. This material might be a walnut timber. Then, begin crafting a space that subtly incorporates these rich timber tones. To spice things up you can even contrast with textures such as leather ottomans, velvet cushions and shag rugs. Try sourcing elements with the characteristic sleek lines, curvatures and minimalistic prints.

Remember: Less is More

As we’ve touched on, minimalism underpinned much of the mid century design trend. In order to capture the best reflection of the design style, we recommend adopting a less is more approach.

Thoughtfully space out your mid century furniture within your space. Avoid over accessorising surfaces, and opt for larger statement pieces rather than cluttered small items. Think simple, functional and natural, and you’ll find yourself immersed in your very own mid-century modern home in no time.

Welcome to the wild and wonderful world of art deco! Whether you know it as New Moderne, it’s an entirely fresh concept for you, we’re excited to bring you our tips and tricks on the best art deco furniture pieces to add character to your home.

Born in the 1920s, art deco boasts tessellated geometric prints (think great Gatsby detailing) and high contrasts in bold colours with muted nudes. Its large scale, sleek silhouetted furniture often incorporates the odd animal print.

Art deco furniture is an iconic styling element in both modern and vintage homes. It has the potential to bring an entire space to life with its bold charm.

Armchairs

Art deco armchairs could honestly make our hearts sing. Upholstered in rich hued velvets and oozing plush elegance, armchairs work beautifully in sitting rooms, bedrooms or lounge rooms.

Use them a statement reading chair in the corner of an expansive bedroom for a burst of elegance. Incorporate them into a wider lounge room layout to play with contrasting colours and shapes. Armchairs direct from the 1920s can feature anything from wooden to metallic trimmings, so there’s bound to be one fit for your desires.

Cabinets

This is where old furniture shines through the modern replicas. If you can get your hands on an authentic antique art deco cabinet or credenza in deep mahogany or cedar, your space will be transformed with rich warmth. 

Towards the end of the 1920s, animal prints and mother of pearl insets began dominating the design world. This means that beyond the rich wooden cabinets, you may be able to get your hands on a truly unique storage cabinet adorned in zebra print cupboards or mother of pearl inlays.

Lighting

Art deco furniture can be overwhelming for some design tastes. But, rest assured, there are more subtle ways to incorporate its glorious detailing into your home. Allow us to introduce you to art deco lighting as the unsung hero of the era. It is is famous for exceptionally detailed designs with geometric and symmetrical patterns.

From fanned out light shades to dangling skyscraper-esque ornaments hanging from the fixture, art deco lighting always commands attention.

Art Deco Artwork

While not typically considered ‘furniture’, we simply couldn’t discuss our favourite 1920s elements without mentioning artwork. These designs bring with them an exotic sense of luxury. There really are no other art forms quite like it.

Whether you’re after a rich oil painting, entrancing graphic print or a line art that is bold yet simple – art deco artwork is one of our must haves. Keep your eye out for the trademark tessellations and geometrics with bold colour contrasts and you’ll never look back.

Did you know that your old books could hold more than just sentimental value? If you have some lying around your home, it could be worth conducting a quick check to see if you’re in possession of a valuable antiquarian specimen.

To begin with, you’ll need to familiarise yourself with the layout of your literature in order to track down the useful details. Begin by carefully opening your books to their copyright page and title page. From here you’ll be able to determine the year of publication, print edition, and any other specific, identifying details.  

You can even enter these details into an online catalogue to track down any pertinent information regarding your antique book’s scarcity or uniqueness.

Factors That Affecting The Value of Antique Books

Now that you have majority of the key information before you, it’s time to figure out how these factors impact the value of your antique book. 

Condition

The condition is usually the key determinant in your book’s value. Heavily worn books with substantial damage are going to have negligible financial value no matter how old or rare they may be. Assessing the technical quality of your book is almost an artform, with plenty of jargon used to describe certain signs of wear. It’s worth consulting an online resource to explain the signs to look for – such as staining, binding, tears, discolouration and splotching – and their exact impact on value.

Print Edition

As a general rule of thumb, the first edition of a book will hold more value than any later editions (unless there were limited edition or collector’s editions released later). If your old books contain features like a signature from the author or a rare author’s note, their value will increase further.

Dust Cover

Most old hardcover books, particularly those from the 1900s, will have been initially sold with a dustcover. If you’re still in possession of the original dustcover, you can expect to see an increase in your book’s value. Conversely, a missing dustcover can prove costly.

Scarcity

As with any collectable item, the rarity or scarcity of your publication will play into how much it can fetch. If the market is saturated with identical copies, unfortunately the value of your own piece will be considerable diminished. If you’ve consulted online catalogues and believe your book is particularly rare, it could be worth organising an expert appraisal.

Getting a Second Opinion

If you aren’t confident of your appraisal or you’d like to seek a second opinion, there are professional resources available. Heading online to an old books marketplace can often help. An online marketplace allows you to input the publication details and receive an estimate of its value. You can also browse through similar publications to gain a rough approximation on what you could receive.

Alternatively, you can take your book to an expert for a formal appraisal. Be mindful that this will typically incur a fee. So, you’ll want to be confident that your books’ value is worth the upfront costs.

Grandfather clocks make a showstopping addition to any interior design plan. Beyond being a striking timepiece, they can hold their value well if you manage to get your hands on an authentic antique grandfather clock.

So how do you weed out the duds from the genuine antique crafted clocks? There are a few key features to keep an eye out for to ensure you’re purchasing a top quality piece.

Materials

A dead giveaway for contemporary grandfather clocks is that they will often be crafted from metal or blended materials. This can provide a more polished and modern look which can be desirable in more contemporary homes. However, these particular grandfather clocks will not hold any antique value.

Authentic antique grandfather clocks will almost always be crafted from wood. If your clock happens to feature solid parts such as bronze or gold, you will find it fetches a far higher price. Solid workmanship and detailed finishes will also add value to any antique, but particularly a grandfather clock due to its functional purpose.

Accurate timing and chiming

We might seem as though we are stating the obvious here – but yes, we are suggesting your clock should be capable of telling the time. More specifically, the best antique grandfather clocks should be able to tell the time accurately.

Old clocks can sometimes begin to run slow, which in turn affects their chiming. On the flip side, grandfather clocks that have been kept in mint or excellent condition should be capable of telling the time correctly. If you want to see any return on your purchase of an antique grandfather clock, make sure you select one that isn’t chiming at obscure times.

Check its details

The benefit of identifying antiques today is the access to online resources which can help determine an item’s value. To identify your particular grandfather clock, you’ll need to find the manufacturers name, plus any trademark or copyright markings. These may be found on the dial or further inside on a prominent part of the clock.

Once you’ve identified the make of your clock, you can punch the details into an online database to get an estimation at the value and authenticity of your piece.

Identifying the type

There are three prominent European grandfather clock styles. Being aware of the distinct features of each will allow you to determine the authentic antiques from the cheap imitations.

The first is the Comtoise which is one of the earlier grandfather clock designs. It features a long cabinet with a ‘pot-belly’ centre. The second style is a Bornholm which is more rectangular and often features white wood with gold trimming. The third style, the Mora, shares similarities with the Comtoise. However, the Mora is typically more curved in its edging and top, with a substantial ‘skirt’ beneath its cabinet. Knowing your Borhnholms from your Moras will provide more insight into your purchases. Plus, sellers may be more inclined to negotiate reasonably.