EuroLux Antiques has been on Facebook for quite awhile, but now it's even easier to follow us with a fun, EuroLuxHome.com Fan Page!  Just click the big LIKE button at the top of the page in order to continue to see our posts in your Facebook newstream.

We'll post interesting articles and blogs about antiquing in Europe, such as how to get to this market in France.

We'll also tell you about life as antiques dealers in a small southern town.  For instance, today we were busy taking photos of newly arrived inventory and a couple of our charming pets decided to help out.  That's Minkey the Siamese cat sprawled out on the chair and Jake, a springer spaniel lab mix, to the right.  We're always telling them they need to get a job - I guess they took it to heart today.

We'll also let you know when we send out newsletters or coupons.  You'll be the first to find out about a sale or newly arrived inventory.  It's just a great way to stay in touch with us, and best of all, it makes it easy for you to tell us what you think!

Don't forget to go to the EuroLuxHome.com Fan Page on Facebook and LIKE us!

We would love it if you choose to leave a recommendation in the far right column so that your friends can find out about EuroLux Antiques too.

Thanks for stopping by the EuroLux Antiques Blog!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

[related_products is_auto_added="1"]

EuroLux Antiques has been on Facebook for quite awhile, but now it’s even easier to follow us with a fun, EuroLuxHome.com Fan Page!  Just click the big LIKE button at the top of the page in order to continue to see our posts in your Facebook newstream. We’ll post interesting articles and blogs about antiquing […]

My friend, Robert Summer, has been the Editor of Newberry Magazine for many years. It is a bi-monthly full color magazine about the lifestyle of folks living in Newberry, South Carolina. I love reading the bi-monthly articles about the big, beautiful homes around Newberry and especially enjoy the recipes for delicious southern cooking. He even published an article about EuroLux Antiques when we opened back in 2004. Recently Robert created a new video about Newberry to promote tourism and asked me to speak briefly about shopping for Antique Furniture on Main Street.

Visiting Downtown Newberry is a great way to spend a Saturday or an entire weekend! Go antiquing through the nine Antique galleries and two thrift shops, and don't forget to stop at one of the many specialty stores, including clothing, shoes, and gift stores. You can spend all day browsing through the shops and then enjoy lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants downtown.

Of course, don't forget to check the calendar for the Newberry Opera House so that you can catch a show while you're in town. A large variety of entertainers perform at the Newberry Opera House each year, from ballet to bluegrass, with wonderful Elvis impersonators to boot!

A visit to Newberry would be incomplete without visiting the largest indoor orchid nursery in the US at Carter and Holmes Orchids.

So the next time you're looking for a fun day trip, or wondering how to entertain out-of-town guests, come on down to Newberry, the City of Friendly Folks!

Thanks for stopping by the EuroLux Antiques blog!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

[related_products is_auto_added="1"]

My friend, Robert Summer, has been the Editor of Newberry Magazine for many years. It is a bi-monthly full color magazine about the lifestyle of folks living in Newberry, South Carolina. I love reading the bi-monthly articles about the big, beautiful homes around Newberry and especially enjoy the recipes for delicious southern cooking. He even […]

One of my favorite aspects of Chinese Antique Furniture is the use of symbols to convey specific meanings for the owner.  Symbolism has long been an important part of Chinese culture with particular animals, plants, and even geometric patterns representing ideas or concepts.

Dragons are a powerful symbol in Chinese mythology and symbolize power, authority, male vigor and fertility. They represent the "yang" force in the "yin-yang" dynamic.  A Dragon is used as decorative trim around the edge of this Chinese Antique Cabinet above and as a decorative medallion in the center of the back splat of an Antique Chinese Chair in the photo below.

Running horses symbolize imminent success in Chinese culture, as seen on this Chinese Antique Chest of Drawers below. A bat hovers above the horses, adding good luck for the owner.

Antique Chinese Decor

According to Chinese belief, bats represent good luck, as the word for bat sounds very similar to "Fu", the word for good fortune or blessing.  Two bats seen together doubles the good luck, while the representation of five bats together symbolizes the Five Blessings of life: wealth, health, virtue, a long life and a natural death.  The four bats shown together on the back splat of this Antique Chinese Armchair below will bring quadruple luck to the owner!

Many pieces of Chinese Antique Furniture or Chinese Antique Architectural Elements use multiple symbolic objects, whose meanings combine to create a richly layered and complex interpretation for the owner.  For instance, the beautifully carved Antique Chinese Doors below may have been created as a wedding gift for a new bride and groom.

Antique Chinese Doors

The Antique Chinese Doors feature a large Chinese character in a prominent position that represents health and longevity and is surrounded by four painted butterflies, which symbolize love and joy.  These symbols on the lower area of this Pair of Antique Chinese Doors, taken in combination, express a wish for a long and happy marriage based on true love.

This beautiful message is further enriched by the symbolic objects found in the upper area of these Antique Chinese Doors: pomegranates (fertility), peaches (longevity), lotus flowers (purity and perfection), and peonies (material wellbeing and also female beauty and reproduction).  Taken together, this complex interplay of symbolic meanings seems to convey warm wishes for a lifetime of marital bliss that is blessed with children.

I love how the juxtaposition of symbols on the Chinese Antique Cabinet below creates a deeper philosophical meaning for the owner.  The geometric pattern found on the upper drawers and in the large, full moon medallions on the front doors is called the Wanzi, and is also known as the Buddha's Footprint.

Wanzi Symbol

In China, the Wanzi symbol represents the infinite multiplication of happiness, wealth, and longevity and comes from the Buddhist tradition. The Wanzi should not be confused with the swastika symbol of 1930s Nazi Germany, as Hitler's swastika is inverted in the opposite direction and tipped up at an angle.

This Chinese Antique Cabinet also has carved flowers that represent the seasons of the year: Chrysanthemum (Autumn), Peony (Spring), and Lotus (Summer).

The Lotus flower also adds another layer of symbolism in that it often represents the Buddha himself. The lotus plant grows in the mud, yet the pretty bloom arises from the muck untainted, a symbol of purity and perfection, and one that represents the way of Buddhism.

The combination of symbolic objects on this charming Antique Chinese Cabinet creates a complex, multi-layered meaning that juxtaposes the fleeting nature of time (the brief life of a flower, the passing of the seasons) with that which is eternal and infinite. A nice message to ponder while enjoying a beautiful and functional piece of Chinese Antique Furniture.

Asian Furniture at EuroLuxHome.com

Whether it's a 19th century Asian sideboard, or a lacquered armoire, console table or coffee table, we think antique Asian furniture can be a great fit in many of today's homes. Perhaps a an early 20th century bookcase with a beautiful lacquer is what your space needs. Many people think of Ming dynasty Chinese furniture when they imagine this style, but there is a wide variety Japanese, Tibetan, and Korean decor out there as well. To learn more about Asian furniture, check out our post here about an antique Chinese wedding bed.

At EuroLuxHome.com, we have a vast selection of antique furniture. From Chinoiserie to storage cabinets, Art Deco to Oriental furniture, we have something for everyone.

Thanks for stopping by the EuroLux Antiques Blog!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

[related_products is_auto_added="1"]

One of my favorite aspects of Chinese Antique Furniture is the use of symbols to convey specific meanings for the owner.  Symbolism has long been an important part of Chinese culture with particular animals, plants, and even geometric patterns representing ideas or concepts. Dragons are a powerful symbol in Chinese mythology and symbolize power, authority, […]

There is a strange phenomenon in the Antique Furniture business that I cannot explain.  We may have a beautiful Antique Buffet or a striking Vintage Chandelier or an amazing Antique Clock for several months without having any email questions or phone inquiries about it, and then as soon as someone purchases that Antique Buffet or Vintage Chandelier or Antique Clock, it seems we could have sold it three times over!

That was the case with the wonderful Antique Renaissance Revival Buffet that just arrived at Pixie and Joe's house in Santa Rosa, California today.  We had several people try to buy this piece after it was sold -- if only we had three more just like it!

We often have folks ask us about our methods of shipping larger pieces of Antique Furniture.  We use a variety of blanket wrap vanline companies that specialize in moving Antique Furniture.  These companies carefully wrap the delicate areas of pieces and know how to pack the pieces in their trucks so that the items are not damaged during transit.  We do not ship via Freight companies, as Freight companies stack heavy pallets on top of one another to maximize space in the truck, and this would most certainly guarantee damage for Antique Furniture.

Our FREE SHIPPING via Vanlines for larger furniture includes "white glove delivery service," which means that your piece of Antique Furniture will be brought into your home, put together in the place where you would like it to be, and all packing materials will be removed.  We do not ship curbside, as we don't want our customers to have to struggle with moving and building heavy pieces of furniture. Our shipping companies are experts in handling and moving the pieces from their trucks and into your home, avoiding the damage that can happen when one doesn't know the best way to move a piece of Antique Furniture.  Of course, all items are fully insured just in case there is a mishap along the way.

Pixie and Joe are still in the middle of remodeling the room where their lovely Antique Renaissance Buffet will ultimately reside, but it will be used in a large family room on a wall adjacent to the kitchen and the back deck and will hold overflow and urgent items.  We would love to see a photo once their room is finished, but in the meantime they sent photos of the exterior of their beautiful European French Country home.

Thanks for stopping by the EuroLux Antiques blog -- please keep the photos and questions coming!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

[related_products is_auto_added="1"]

There is a strange phenomenon in the Antique Furniture business that I cannot explain.  We may have a beautiful Antique Buffet or a striking Vintage Chandelier or an amazing Antique Clock for several months without having any email questions or phone inquiries about it, and then as soon as someone purchases that Antique Buffet or […]

Of the many clock manufacturers in Germany in the 19th century, the name Gustav Becker is recognized as one of the leading producers of high-quality Antique Wall Clocks, as well as a variety of other types of clocks, including mantel clocks, anniversary clocks, and watches.  Gustav Becker (1819 - 1885) learned the clockmaking trade in Austria and Germany, eventually opening a very successful factory in Freiburg, Germany, in 1850.  He was awarded a gold medal recognizing his achievement in clock design, the Medaille d'Or, at a regional Trade Exposition held in 1852.  Gustav Becker quickly incorporated that stamp along with a Gustav Becker mark on the works of his clocks in order to establish his brand.  The Gustav Becker brand of clocks became highly celebrated, winning awards and recognition at trade shows across the world.

Antique Wall Clocks

Antique Gustav Becker Wall Clocks are synonymous with high quality craftsmanship, as Gustav Becker was able to attract the best clockmakers in Germany to work at his factory.  His clock case designs reflect a wide variety of tastes, from simple, clean lines like the weight driven Antique Gustav Becker Double Vienna Regulator Wall Clock shown above, to highly ornate, hand-carved clocks like the spring-driven Antique Gustav Becker Vienna Regulator Wall Clock shown below.  Just as the consumer public desired heavily carved Renaissance Revival furniture at the turn of the 20th century, there was also a great demand for large and highly decorated Vienna Regulator Wall Clocks.  A rising middle class that had more disposable income than ever before due to the Industrial Revolution wanted to show off their newly found wealth and prosperity, and a beautiful, high quality Gustav Becker Wall Clock was a great way to do just that.

Gustav Becker Clocks

While the founder, Gustav Becker, died in 1885, the Gustav Becker Clock Company continued to manufacture exceptional Regulator Wall Clocks bearing the Gustav Becker brand trademark until 1935, when the competitor, Junghans, purchased the company.  Below is an example of a high-quality, spring-driven Vintage Gustav Becker Wall Clock featuring a striking Art Deco design, which was one of the last Wall Clocks stamped with the Gustav Becker trademark prior to the Junghans buyout.

Gustav Becker clocks are stamped with the easily identified Gustav Becker brand trademark, which did change over time, but always prominently featured an anchor topped with a crown and the initials G and B, as shown in two marks below.

Antique Regulator Wall Clocks with the Gustav Becker brand trademark are more valuable than similar Antique Wall Clocks by other lesser-known German manufacturers and will continue to increase in value as the years go by.  An Antique Gustav Becker Wall Clock would make a wonderful addition to your collection! For more on some of our favorite clocks, check out our post here!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

[related_products is_auto_added="1"]

Of the many clock manufacturers in Germany in the 19th century, the name Gustav Becker is recognized as one of the leading producers of high-quality Antique Wall Clocks, as well as a variety of other types of clocks, including mantel clocks, anniversary clocks, and watches.  Gustav Becker (1819 – 1885) learned the clockmaking trade in […]

One of the many great reasons to buy Antique Furniture, is that you are being ecologically conscious.  By recycling an antique piece of furniture, you are choosing not to cause more trees to be cut down and are reducing the negative impact of manufacturing processes in countries like Indonesia.  You can feel good about being Green and reducing your ecologic footprint by buying Antiques!

French Antique Furniture can also be repurposed, or used in different ways than that which it was originally intended.  For instance, a new trend n kitchen design is using Antique Buffets, Antique Armoires, or Antique Sideboards as free-standing kitchen cabinets.  Our customer Gregory M. thought of a unique way to repurpose an Antique Bookcase into a beautiful Gun Rack for his lovely vacation home in Butler, Georgia.

This striking Antique Bookcase was easily repurposed by adapting the existing shelves and adding a rack for the gun barrels.  The same process could convert a large Antique Bookcase or Antique Buffet into a wonderful way to store your wine collection!

We would love to see photos of Antique Furniture or Accessories from EuroLux Antiques in use in your home!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

[related_products is_auto_added="1"]

One of the many great reasons to buy Antique Furniture, is that you are being ecologically conscious.  By recycling an antique piece of furniture, you are choosing not to cause more trees to be cut down and are reducing the negative impact of manufacturing processes in countries like Indonesia.  You can feel good about being […]

Summer has arrived with a vengeance this year in South Carolina.  It was 95 degrees earlier this week while we unloaded our new container of Antique Furniture from Europe -- whew!  Greg pauses for a photo before getting to work:

It took us five hours to unload because the French Antique Furniture was so heavy -- our trusty helper, Frank, swears this was the heaviest load yet.  We brought in a quite a few Antique Sideboards, some of which took four men, straining, to carry off the container!

We have so many sets of Antique Dining Chairs that there is overflow between all five chairs racks!

Racks of smalls:  Antique Enamelware, Antique Chalkware, Antique Crucifixes, Antique Blue Delft, Antique Wall Clocks, and more!

It will take time to clean, wax, and photograph all of the French Antique Furniture, so it will be awhile before you'll see everything on the website, but feel free to stop by our Gallery if you are in South Carolina, as all of the new pieces are available for viewing in person!

Thanks for stopping by!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

[related_products is_auto_added="1"]

Summer has arrived with a vengeance this year in South Carolina.  It was 95 degrees earlier this week while we unloaded our new container of Antique Furniture from Europe — whew!  Greg pauses for a photo before getting to work: It took us five hours to unload because the French Antique Furniture was so heavy […]

Most of the Antique Furniture deliveries for EuroLux Antiques are done by professional blanket-wrap vanline companies that specialize in moving Antique Furniture. However, Greg and I sometimes make our own deliveries in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. It gives us an excuse to get out of the Gallery and meet our customers in person, as 95% of our sales happen over the Internet.

Over Memorial Day weekend, we delivered a beautiful and very high quality Antique French Hunting Buffet in oak dating to 1880 to Jerry and Rhonda's vacation home in Asheville, North Carolina. The weather was outstanding -- blue skies and 75 degrees -- and their neighborhood was filled with a canopy of lush, mature trees.

The large Antique French Buffet in the Hunting Style (on the back wall in the photo) perfectly complimented Rhonda's wildlife design scheme for the dining area of a large Great Room, just off the kitchen. The Great Room is flooded with sunlight from the large windows, which look out over a pretty patio area. A stunning, antique hand-carved sculpture of a stag in solid oak with real horns from the German Black Forest lends a stately presence to this comfortable room.

French Antique Furniture in the Hunting Style is one of our specialties at EuroLux Antiques. The Hunting Style developed during the 16th century in France under the reign of King Francis I (1515 – 1547), who is known as the great French Renaissance monarch and who ruled at the same time as Henry VIII in England. King Francis wanted an exotic way to decorate his royal hunting lodges (the chateaux of the Loire Valley).  Jerry and Rhonda's Antique French Hunting Buffet is a wonderful example of the French Hunting Style, which was very popular at the end of the 19th century.

On Antique Furniture in the Hunting Style, you will find detailed carvings of lion’s heads, winged griffins, and animal trophies, including eels, fish, rabbits, deer, boars, birds, and dogs. To further the experience of the hunt, carpenters included organic motifs with lush carvings of leaves and fruit along edges of buffets and on the backs of chairs, while table bases were often carved to represent the animals of the hunt: dogs, boars, deer, and foxes.  Notice that even the drawer pulls are carved in the shape of tree branches with leaves.

Please let me know if I can answer any questions about the French Hunting Style for you! Thanks for stopping by!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

[related_products is_auto_added="1"]

Most of the Antique Furniture deliveries for EuroLux Antiques are done by professional blanket-wrap vanline companies that specialize in moving Antique Furniture. However, Greg and I sometimes make our own deliveries in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. It gives us an excuse to get out of the Gallery and meet our customers in […]

A big shout out and huge THANKS to Joe Trainor, owner of Stokes-Trainor GM Superstore, who featured EuroLux Antiques and Downtown Newberry in his latest TV commercial for pre-owned vehicles.

Joe has been President of our Newberry Chamber of Commerce and continues to go the extra mile to support Newberry. Our local businesses here on Main Street greatly appreciate everything that Joe does to bring folks to town and focus the spotlight on Newberry.

Greg and I can personally attest to not only the great deal you'll find at Stokes-Trainor Chevrolet, but also the integrity, sincerity, and high-level of customer service you'll receive. Both of our EuroLux Antiques business trucks were purchased there and our family members have purchased more than a dozen cars from Stokes-Trainor GM Superstore over the years. In fact, we wouldn't go anywhere else to purchase our next vehicle and we continue to use their service department, even after our warranties have expired.

Thanks for being such a great guy, Joe Trainor!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

[related_products is_auto_added="1"]

A big shout out and huge THANKS to Joe Trainor, owner of Stokes-Trainor GM Superstore, who featured EuroLux Antiques and Downtown Newberry in his latest TV commercial for pre-owned vehicles. Joe has been President of our Newberry Chamber of Commerce and continues to go the extra mile to support Newberry. Our local businesses here on […]

As you may know, EuroLux Antiques has been a premier resource for exceptional European Antique Furniture and Accessories for nearly ten years. We have specialized in high-quality, ornately carved French Antique Furniture, hand-painted Majolica, unusual Vintage Lighting, Antique Clocks, and Antique Religious Treasures. And now we're offering Chinoserie!

Chinoserie is in the house!

Greg and I are very excited to announce the expansion of our Antiques offerings here at EuroLux Antiques with the introduction of exceptional Antique Furniture and Accessories from China!  These amazing pieces all have the same high quality and superb craftmanship that you've come to expect from EuroLux Antiques.  Our first container has just arrived and we are proud to offer these beautiful, hand-crafted pieces of Chinese Antiques.

Our friends, Mike and Anita,

(Mike is also a graduate of the University of South Carolina Moore School of Business MIBS program, like us) own a business (PassageMaker China) in Shenzhen and have lived in China for more than ten years.  Mike and Anita will now be part of the EuroLux Antiques team, scouring the Chinese countryside and hand-selecting beautiful and unique Antique Chinese Furniture and Accessories.  Anita is Chinese by birth, so her native language fluency and family connections come in handy to make sure all pieces meet our EuroLux Seal of Approval.

Late Qing Luxury

We will specialize in Late Qing (pronounced Ching) Dynasty Chinese Antiques, which date from the end of the 19th century, just like our French Antiques.  In Europe and China, the late 1800s saw a rising merchant class that for the first time, had disposable income to spend on purchasing furniture for their homes.  They chose ornately carved and richly decorated pieces in order to convey a sense of status,  showing off their newly-found prosperity.  Late Qing Dynasty Antique Furniture is often called the people's furniture, and is also known as Antique Chinese Country Furniture or Antique Chinese Vernacular Furniture.  This is not the furniture that would have been made for Imperial Palaces, but instead was used and cherished by the upper middle class in their homes, and was passed down from generation to generation.

Antique Chinese Country Furniture is made from softwoods that are native to China, such as elm, walnut, fir, and cypress.  Many of the pieces were originally painted with a natural tree lacquer, or with black or vibrant red lacquer, and were carved with symbols to convey meanings for the owner.  A scrolling cloud motif was quite common and conveyed good fortune.

If you're interested in Chinese decor, check out this post about an antique Chinese wedding bed!

Repeating and overlapping geometrical patterns were often used to convey a sense of unending prosperity and the concept of infinity and were frequently used for window screens, doors, and other architectural elements.

Chinoserie Across

The Europeans loved Chinese Furniture and Accessories too, and the craze for the Chinese style was called Chinoserie, which was extremely popular in the middle of the 18th century.  Now you can find, and mix and match, high-quality Antique Chinese Furniture and Antique French Furniture at EuroLux Antiques.  We have Chinoserie fever!  We find the combination of Chinese Antiques with European Antiques to be very exciting and visually appealing, and we hope you will enjoy it as much as we do!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

[related_products is_auto_added="1"]

As you may know, EuroLux Antiques has been a premier resource for exceptional European Antique Furniture and Accessories for nearly ten years. We have specialized in high-quality, ornately carved French Antique Furniture, hand-painted Majolica, unusual Vintage Lighting, Antique Clocks, and Antique Religious Treasures. And now we’re offering Chinoserie! Chinoserie is in the house! Greg and […]

You cannot copy content of this page