expert craftsmanship Archives - Letters from EuroLux

Guide to Art Deco Furniture

by admin

Art Deco furniture is a style so timelessly chic, it’s hard to believe that a whole century has passed since the Art Deco look first burst onto the design scene. As we enter the new Roaring Twenties, let’s look back at the original 1920s and see why the sleek Art Deco style is still popular among international designers.

The Art Deco Era

The Art Deco movement became prominent in the 1920s and 1930s, when it was the perfect match for the modern thinking of the Jazz Age. After the ordeals of World War I, many people were looking to a new future, rejecting the fussy and elaborate Victorian and Art Nouveau styles of the early 20th Century. Out with elaborate shapes and ornate carvings, and in with streamlined silhouettes, metallic accents and sleek glossy lacquer surfaces, hallmarks of Art Deco design!

Amazing new technologies, materials, and methods of communications and transportation informed this brand new aesthetic too.

It was a very exciting time, and the younger generation was swept up in the energy. The “bright young things” had new ideas about society and they were forward-looking in every way.

Women started wearing knee-length skirts and dresses – this was scandalously short at the time! These women, dubbed Flappers, cut their hair short too, drove cars, smoked in public, partied and drank alcohol, and generally enjoyed themselves in ways that had previously been considered quite unladylike! They were the perfect icon for the rebellious, shiny, adventurous Roaring Twenties.

Art Deco Inspired Design

Art Deco Oval Chest by Jonathan Charles, faux macassar ebony veneer and faux shagreen with nickel handles. Based on original French designs of the 1920s.

Art Deco style was very inspired by the Age of the Machine, as the new technologies of airplanes, automobiles and transatlantic travel on cruise liners captured everyone’s imagination. This ‘streamline moderne’ look of Art Deco was very inspired by visual art, aerodynamic design, and geometric motifs. Furniture and architecture was designed with clean, dynamic, curved, and sweeping lines to create the feeling of speed.

Picture the soaring curves of the Chrysler Building in New York City and you’ll have a good idea of both the optimistic feeling of the early Art Deco era and the distinctive look of Art Deco style.

In the 1930s, more rectilinear lines and geometric shapes, including fragmented looks, were added. These reflected the Cubist influence of artist Pablo Picasso, who revolutionized modern art.

Why is it called Art Deco?

Do you know why it’s called Art Deco? It was named for the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts held in Paris in 1925. This was a showcase of exciting new design trends and the sexy new French Art Deco look made a great impact. In Paris of course the show had a French name: Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes. That’s quite a mouthful, so thankfully people picked out the “Arts Décoratifs” piece and then shortened it again to Art Deco, although the term did not become widely used until the 1960s.

Antique 1920 French Art Deco Buffet — Antique French 1920 Art Deco Buffet with mirror back, glass door and marble top, with carved flowers.

The Look of Art Deco Style Furniture

Sleek, chic and not at all meek! That’s the Art Deco look, which relies on well-defined curves and lines. Geometric designs are sharp and streamlined, and applied decoration is also important to the look, including sunbursts, geometric patterns and stylized floral designs.

Jonathan Charles Opera Art Deco style side table

Influences include the design of modern ships, trains, planes and motor cars. Ancient Egyptian, Aztec and Central American art also creeps in, while ancient Greek designs emerge in Greco Deco.

The streamlined silhouette of Art Deco style furniture is simple, but when emphasized by the use of glossy and shiny materials it looks glamorous and opulent. With the unfussy shapes and lack of ornate carvings, all the luxury comes from the materials and finishes. For example, you will often see a gorgeous slab of marble topping a sideboard, buffet, nightstand or table or Art Deco pieces made from an exotic wood like macassar ebony.

Woods are dark to add to the sense of substance and exotic woods are beautifully grained to give a surface decorative effect. Gleaming mirror and glass gave a reflective and modern feel too. Chrome finishes and marble top buffets and sideboards are typical of the era. In Art Deco land, it’s always time to shine up your chrome cocktail shaker and start the party.

Early Art Deco furniture designers used colors that were quite muted, including pastel pinks and greens, contrasted with black. But after the 1929 stock market crash in the United States, brighter colors were used for mass producing Art Deco home decor, to cheer everyone up. The popular Fiestaware dishes are a typical example with their bold yellows, reds, oranges, greens and blues. Famous Art Deco furniture designers include Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Jules LeLeu.

Typical Art Deco Style Furniture Features

Inspired by the architecture of the time, a standard art deco piece features Curvilinear shapes, think sweeping curves, and rectilinear shapes, with straight lines set at angles.
The look avoids fussy curlicues and ornate silhouettes. It’s all about the clean lines to create a bold profile.
Geometric shapes and patterns, zigzags, trapezoids, chevron, nautical portholes and sunburst patterns.
Applied decoration is important. Motifs include female figures, and stylized flowers and animals such as gazelles and birds.
Glossy, smooth materials create reflective surfaces, including marble, glass, mirror, and lacquer finishes.
Polished metals were also important for the reflective look, including nickel, aluminum, stainless steel, brass, gold and especially chrome.
Dark and exotic woods created a sense of substance and luxury, often with beautiful grains to create surface pattern. Popular woods include rosewood, walnut, teak, maple, macassar ebony and zebra wood.
New man-made materials included Bakelite, plastics and other composites which were considered the bees’ knees at the time!
Neutrals are chic, while pale pastel colors including pink and green, are accented with black.
Upholstery is typically a solid color. If pattern is involved, it might be a geometric or an animal print.
Velvet and leather are popular options for upholstery.
Shagreen and leather look combined with wood and chrome.

We love the Art Deco period and our renovated 1920s vintage bungalow dates to this era. The streamlined style is a kind of interior design royalty, eternally popular because it is so striking to look at and easy to live with. It works in many types of space to create an upscale and sophisticated feel that balances retro appeal with contemporary tastes. For example, the updated “streamline moderne” Art Deco look in the Architectural Digest photo above checks all the boxes for a home today.

Whether you are looking for original antique Art Deco furniture or high-quality new Art Deco inspired pieces, Greg and I hope you have enjoyed our guide to Art Deco style furniture and that you will check out our other blog posts aboutArt Deco interior design.

Aimee owns EuroLuxHome.com with her husband and best friend, Greg. Aimee sources amazing antique furniture, vintage lighting, & high-quality reproduction furniture to help her customers decorate their homes in a unique way. She loves her 9 (you read that right) fuzzy children and is renovating a 1920s bungalow in South Carolina. Find us on Facebook or you can sign up here to receive this blog in your inbox.

English Regency V. French Regency Style Furniture

by admin

People sometimes get confused about the difference between English Regency style furniture and French Regency style furniture. That’s no surprise when they sound so alike, but they are actually quite different in the way they look. Our Guide to Regency Style Furniture tells you all about the English Regency period and its influence on interior designers. Today we’ll talk about the French Regency period too, and show you how to tell the difference between the two furniture styles. One thing is sure- both of these movements resulted in the creation of countless pieces of beautiful antique furniture.

The one thing that both English Regency and French Regency style furniture has in common is that in both countries the term Regency referred to a period when a Prince Regent stood in for the monarch. Let’s start with La Belle France!

French Regency Style Furniture

The French Regency or Régence years were in the early 18th century when King Louis XV was too young to reign and so Philippe d’Orléans governed in his place as Prince Regent. The fine furniture and decorative arts in this period were in a transitional style. It shows the shifting tastes between the previous Baroque styling that was popular during the reign of Louis XIV, and the rising Rococo look that would become fashionable during the reign of King Louis XV after he took the throne as an adult.

*Bombe shape* French Regency Chest by David Michael, with walnut inlays, rosewood, marble top

Furniture design in this transition style Régence era started to develop the curved lines and ornate feminine details that would later flourish into full-blown Rococo styling. Rococo furniture was very graceful and full of lavish carvings and sensuous shapes. Embellishments drew on the natural world, with flowery, frilly and watery carvings including swirling shells. Furniture designs were often asymmetric, which was an exciting new development at the time.

Louis XV Rococo Bed French Regency — French Regency Louis XV Rococo Bed, hand-carved, bookmatched flame mahogany

Typical French Regency Style Furniture Features

Furniture boasted curved lines and corners, and sinuous lines including bombe shapes and serpentine fronts on cabinets.
New motifs included shells, mythological beasts, and masques.
You also see a lot of flamboyant scrolls including C-shaped scrolls and S-shaped scrolls, and leafy scrolls known as foliated scrolls.
Curvy cabriole legs, and hoof feet.
Woods included walnut, rosewood and oak, often featuring beautiful surface veneers and marquetry.
The wood was accented with marble and with regally gilt bronze or gilded metal ormolu ornaments.
Seating in French furniture became much more comfortable in general, including curved backs rather than rigid straight backs. Cane chairs became popular too. It was all an invitation to encourage you to draw up a chair for some elegant conversation… and gossip!

Rococo Regence Shell Carving on Antique Cabinet — Beautiful shell carving on an antique French cabinet

English Regency Style Furniture

About a century later, across the channel in England, the English Regency era occurred in the early 19th century. During those years George IV served as Prince Regent on behalf of his father George III who wasn’t well enough to govern. But the term English Regency style usually refers to a longer time span than just those 9 years, continuing through to around 1837.

This was at the end of the Georgian period, a booming time for beautiful Georgian furniture design, created to suit the classically proportioned Regency architecture.

Jonathan Charles English Regency Sideboard Buckingham — English Regency style sideboard by Jonathan Charles for the Buckingham collection

Typical English Regency Style Furniture Features

Furniture design retained the Neoclassical look of the Georgian era, inspired by ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian design.
Straight lines and clean edges are a staple of regency period furniture.
Furniture makers in this period emphasized symmetrical and streamlined designs in contrast to the ornate flourishes and carvings of the earlier French Regency furniture.
Dark woods including mahogany and dramatic decorative veneers were the focus to create a sense of majesty and luxury, often accented by gold and metal accents.
Ornamentation such as classic decorative motifs included rosettes, laurel wreaths, acanthus leaves and lyres, which are U-shaped harps. Lion masks were another decorative accent.

Theodore Alexander Regency Armchair — Theodore Alexander Regency style Armchair with classic Greek key pattern and gold accents on ebonized wood

English Regency Versus French Regency Style Furniture

As you can see, there is quite a contrast between the clean and straight-lined Neoclassical look of English Regency style furniture versus the curvy shapes and decorative flourishes of the French Regency style. Both styles are wonderful, it just depends on your own personal taste and what works for your home and lifestyle.

An English Regency interior design scheme will work terrifically well in a dining room, where the classic and elegant style is sure to impress when you are entertaining friends. A French Regency look is perfect for a living room or seductive bedroom where the curvy lines create a sense of lavish comfort and decorative allure.

Browse our website for furniture in both styles, whether you are tempted by English Regency or French Regency furniture design.

Regency Chairs History and Style

by admin

If you’re curious about Regency chairs’ history and how to identify this style of chair, Greg and I are delighted to tell you everything you need to know. Our photos will also show you how these classic chairs continue to be an elegant choice for today’s homes. Our Guide to Regency Style Furniture tells you all about the Regency period in general, and how it inspired interior designers. Today we’ll talk specifically about Regency chairs’ history and style.

Mahogany Sheraton inspired Regency Chair — Mahogany Regency Chair inspired by Sheraton

The Regency era refers to the years 1811 – 1837 at the end of the Georgian period. It is named specifically for the 9 years before King George IV took the British throne. In those years he was Prince Regent, or acting monarch, on behalf of his father King George III who was too sick to do his duties.

These were exciting times for furniture design, and Regency chairs, tables and sideboards were the perfect match for the classically proportioned Regency architecture. Imagine the graceful rooms that you see in a Jane Austen movie and you’ll have a good idea of the look!

Regency Style Furniture

Regency style furniture included chairs for the dining room, living room and hallway and these chairs reflect the general tastes of the Regency period. Furniture design continued the Neoclassical feel of the Georgian era, drawing on ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian design.

The focus was on stately and clean-edged looks with straight lines.
The unfussy furniture designs were symmetrical and streamlined, without any ornate carved detail.
Beautiful dark woods and dramatic decorative veneers gave a sense of luxury and added to the design appeal.
Gold and metal accents were a high-quality accent against the gorgeous wood.

Regency style chair — Classic Regency style black painted and gilded chair by Jonathan Charles, based on an original of c.1820.

Regency Chairs

Typical features for Regency chairs include:

Dark woods and exotic veneers including mahogany and rosewood to create an imposing and monumental look.
Straight lines or classically rounded lines and arcs.
Gilded accents and brass or metal accents.
Classic decorative symbols such as rosettes, laurel wreaths, acanthus leaves and lyres, which are U-shaped harps. Lion masks are another decorative accent.

Lyre Back dining chair Regency Style — Lyre Back dining chair in the Regency Style.

Chair legs typically are saber legs, concave legs, turned legs, and legs with classic column looks, sometimes joined by X-shaped stretchers.
Claw and ball feet also give a majestic feel, and decorative paw-shaped feet are sometimes covered in metal.
Arms are set high on the uprights of the chair, creating a formal look.
The chair backs are often topped with broad and flat crest rails for a noble appearance.

Sheraton Chairs

Sheraton Arm Chair — Inspired by an 18th century original by Thomas Sheraton, this arm chair is newly crafted by Theodore Alexander.

The neoclassical furniture designs of the famous 18th century English furniture maker Thomas Sheraton became popular during the Georgian period and his timeless designs were still heavily influencing chair design during the Regency era.

The cabinet maker and chair designer Thomas Sheraton left a legacy so powerful that people still seek out his beautifully proportioned chairs today. The original antiques are very rare and expensive but we are very happy to offer many high-quality reproduction Sheraton chairs on our website.

Regency chairs are a great choice for the dining room, but they also look wonderful in any room of the house, whether as occasional seating in a bedroom or hallway or as a side chair in a living room. Interior designers love these chairs because they work well in our 21^st century homes despite their historic origins. They have a classic look that gives a sense of history and upscale traditional elegance, but also a streamlined silhouette that suits our contemporary lives.

We hope you enjoyed this post on Regency chairs’ history and styles! If you are shopping for Regency chairs then please browse our large selection at the link, with competitive prices that include free shipping!

Guide to Regency Style Furniture

by admin

Regency style furniture is an elegant choice for today’s homes. Here’s how to recognize this popular and unique style of furniture design and see why it is so timelessly appealing.

Whether you are looking for antique furniture or newly crafted antique-inspired heirloom pieces, Greg and I hope you enjoy our guide to Regency style furniture.

The English Regency Period

The Regency period is named for the time in British history when George IV served as Prince Regent, from 1811-1820. As Prince Regent, he was the acting monarch on behalf of his mentally unwell father George III. But the term Regency style has stuck to describe a longer period than the 9 years when he was Prince Regent. It continues through the decade of George IV’s own reign from 1820 to his death in 1830, and sometimes even through to 1837 during the reign of his younger brother William.

This was at the tail end of the Georgian era, which was already a flourishing time in Britain for Georgian furniture design. During the Georgian era, furniture designers such as Thomas Chippendale, Thomas Sheraton and George Hepplewhite rose to fame. The Regency period continued England’s reputation as an inspiring player in European art, architecture and aesthetics, including furniture design.

The Inspiration for Regency Furniture Design

George IV’s impact on architecture, fashion, and furniture design was huge. Dubbed as “the Prince of Pleasure” he had fine taste, championed the arts, and enjoyed living the good life. He influenced interior design through his own personal tastes and choices, as well as through his royal commissions such as the building of the Royal Pavilion and the remodel of Buckingham Palace.

The furniture crafted during the English Regency period developed the existing Neoclassical feel of the Georgian era. The Neoclassical look drew from ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian architecture and design. In some ways it was a British interpretation of the French Empire style, with its monumental look, ornate gold ormolu mounts, and classical and military motifs. But, as the Encyclopeadia Britannica points out, Regency style showed more “purity of detail and structure” than the earlier Neoclassical style or the French Empire style.

The Look of Regency Style Furniture

Imagine a period drama adaptation of a Jane Austen novel, and you have the perfect picture of a Regency style dining room, living room or other interior. The Jane Austen Society of North America tells us that Jane Austen’s famous Regency novel Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813. The air of elegance and refinement that we see in all her books and the movie adaptations of her novels are a great example of the arts and design that flourished during the era.

Jonathan Charles Regency nightstands — Jonathan Charles Regency style nightstands or side tables, newly crafted for the Buckingham collection, with mahogany veneers, crossbanding, floral marquetry and a pierced brass rail.

Regency style furniture is stately and monumental, with a streamlined and symmetrical look that is not frilly or fussy. It is not covered with heavily-carved detail. The ornamentation instead comes from beautiful and exotic woods, dramatic and decorative veneers, and gilded hardware or metal accents.

Typical Regency Style Furniture Features

Shapes and motifs inspired by ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian architecture and design. You might see Egyptian heads, images of ancient Greek and Roman gods, and mythological beasts including the Egyptian sphinx and griffins.
Clean and symmetrical profiles whether masculine straight lines or classical arches and geometric shapes.

Decorative motifs draw on classical symbols like laurel wreaths and acanthus leaves as well as lyres, which are small U-shaped harps. You will also see rosettes and masks.
Lion heads are a repeat motif, especially in brass or metal accents to give a touch of royal pomp to the furniture. Lion heads with rings also serve as handles on drawers.

Regency style Lion head handles — Lion head handles on a Regency Style Scarborough House sideboard

Dark woods create a majestic and imposing feel. Mahogany wood was especially popular with furniture makers at that time, and this strong tropical hardwood was in fashion throughout the Georgian era. The woods were left with a natural and deliciously polished finish to draw attention to the beautiful grain.
Exotic wood veneers add a decorative surface effect and include rosewood and zebrawood, perhaps in classic inlay and banding designs.
Regal gold ormolu mounts and classical and military motifs.
Brass was a popular choice of metal, providing that noble and monumental look and serving as accents and inlays to contrast beautifully with the dark woods.
The styles of chair legs include turned legs, x-shaped stretchers, saber legs and legs with classic column looks.
Claw and ball feet look majestic while brass or other metal paw feet on chairs and tables also add a decorative touch.

Antique-Inspired New Regency Style Furniture

While antique English Regency style furniture is expensive to buy, many of today’s furniture makers create exquisite pieces that pay tribute to the originals. Often these pieces are scaled down in size to suit the smaller scale of today’s homes compared to the huge rooms in the stately mansions and palaces that King George IV spent time in!

Regency-dining-table — Regency style dining table in mahogany wood with brass paw feet, extending from round to oval to seat 6.

These high-quality antique-inspired pieces by exceptional furniture makers such as Jonathon Charles, Scarborough House, and Theodore Alexander might be smaller in size, but they often use the same traditional hand-craftsmanship techniques as the ones used by the Regency furniture masters 200 years ago.

Regency Style Furniture for Today’s Homes

You can see how some of our customers have added Regency style furniture to their homes in our “customer spotlight” blog posts:

Vintage Regency Style Games Table in our customer’s chateau home in Georgia.
Jonathan Charles Buckingham Console Table in our customer’s living room in Pennsylvania.

If you are shopping for Regency style furniture check out our large selection at the link. If you want the traditional appeal of Old World furniture but without excessive fussiness or heavily ornate decoration, this is a terrific choice for you. The elegant style is sure to impress with its emphasis on clean-cut lines, high-quality materials, and eternally classic silhouettes and motifs.

Reclaimed Wood Dovetail Sideboard

by admin

Mary G. found this colorful dovetail furniture sideboard made from reclaimed wood in our Houzz store. As soon as she purchased it, she let me know the owners of her high-rise apartment in Boston were very particular regarding the deliveries. It did, in fact, turn out to be quite the saga! EuroLuxHome.com hung in there, making sure this charming sideboard was safely delivered, despite the building’s highly unusual red tape, and the fact that it was finally delivered on a Friday the 13th with a full moon to boot! This particular piece features the quality design that comes with well crafted sideboards, with the additional storage space that makes it practical as well as pretty.

Dovetail Furniture Reclaimed Wood Sideboard

Mary was so pleased that she immediately wrote, “The sideboard was finally delivered today at noon. It was worth waiting for! Thank you for all your help in making my purchase happen, despite difficult circumstances.” She also included two photos of the piece in her home and I agree, it looks phenomenal!

Dovetail Furniture is awesome.

At EuroLuxHome.com, we’re big fans of Dovetail Furniture. In all of our retail experience, they’re one of our favorites. We’ve been carrying this brand on our site for a while now, and each product is created with great care, bringing showroom quality to your dining room or living room. The product design is sturdy and beautiful, 2 things that furniture retailers like us always look for in a piece. The woodworking is always stellar,and the pricing is reasonable, be it a chair, drawer, or joinery- they give the antique craftsmen from centuries ago a run for their money. If you’re wondering which brand to go to for handmade furniture, look no further than Dovetail.

Not only does Dovetail boast some of the best woodworking out there, they also are able to bring in unique materials such as textiles to give every piece a unique style. To browse more items, such as sofas, a table, and more, check out our online furniture gallery on our website here.

Because of the reclaimed wood and craftsmanship, each piece will vary from the next so that each one is a work of art. However, it seems Mary received the perfect one to match her adorable oil painting of an elderly man and woman looking very comfortable in their home, looking out of the upper floor windows over what looks like an old American town or charming European city. I especially love noticing that the color orange of the gentleman’s sweater in the painting can be found on the sideboard – along with blues, greens, and whites to tie it all together. The hand-crafted Mexican figure holding flags from Mexico and California add a further whimsical, rustic touch – and more pops of color!

If you’re interested in making a piece of Dovetail Furniture your own, we’d be happy to be of service. We’ve got a great selection of their products on our website, with recent additions every day. We select every item specifically for their elite design. Your home deserves quality woodworking. Let us set you up.

Unique Gifts for Father’s Day

by admin

If you are looking for a unique gift for Father’s Day… we’ve got your back! Of course you want to give dad something special, something that says Thank You for everything he’s given you over the years. Choosing a thoughtful and unusual gift or something hand-crafted shows him how much he is appreciated. He’ll love knowing that you searched out something a bit different that would really suit his taste and interests. Don’t forget our always-free shipping on every item large or small, within the contiguous 48 United States!

If you want to give dad a big treat, our selection of beautiful antique French furniture offers lots of options including handsome antique desks. Every piece is unique because every piece was handmade more than a century ago in the era that prized fine craftsmanship.

For example, this antique French Hunting style desk which dates to around 1880. The oak desk boasts carved winged beasts that look like mythological griffins, with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. It’s a stunning choice for dad’s home office or library.

But you don’t need to splash out on a big piece to find a unique gift for Father’s Day.
OK Casting is one of our vendors of newly hand-crafted pieces and the prices are very reasonable for such high-quality pieces. Every piece is also made right here in the USA, which is another thing for dad to love!

For example, the company offers an exceptional collection of handsome bookends like these golfer bookends. Other choices include dogs, horses, wild animals, birds, golfers, polo players, fishermen, and even Chief Sitting Bull! You’ll be able to find a set of bookends to match dad’s interests and every piece is hand-cast in resin and hand-painted at the time you order it. They are crafted with incredible detail and as they are hand-painted, each one is unique. Other OK Casting options include clocks, lamps and desk accessories.

If dad loves sailing or the nautical life, one of the most unique gifts you could give him is one of the hand-crafted model ships we stock from Old Modern Handicrafts.

These model ships are hand-built to scale using traditional techniques. It can take the craftsmen hundreds of hours to build a ship. Some models are built to museum-quality level and some are exclusive editions with a unique serial number.

This is the model of the USS Constitution. also known as Old Ironsides. A legendary ship in the War of 1812, the frigate is now a national landmark, docked in Boston. The model is full of amazing detail… isn’t it terrific?

For the man who has everything, a telescope from our selection of telescopes, binoculars, magnifying glasses and opera glasses is a gift he’ll enjoy forever.

This hand-held telescope is one of our recommendations, and it is very reasonably priced at only $119 at time of writing. The telescope is made of high quality brass, with each component crafted with the finest craftsmanship. It comes safely nestled in an antique-looking leather overlay, leather carrying strap and cap on both ends of telescope.

If dad is a wine connoisseur or an elephant lover, then this wonderful new Scarborough House brass elephant wine bottle holder will be the ideal unique gift for him. The verdigris brass elephant is sure to bring a smile to his face every time he uses it, and the cheerful elephant rests on an inclined black stone inlaid base, to keep the wine bottle at just the right angle.

The elephant is beautifully crafted with every attention to realistic detail by the brass workers at Scarborough House and the verdigris effect on the brass gives an aged effect.

Whatever you choose as a unique gift for dad, we wish you and your family a very happy Father’s Day!

Aimee owns EuroLuxHome.com with her husband and best friend, Greg. Aimee sources amazing antique furniture, vintage lighting, & high-quality reproduction furniture to help her customers decorate their homes in a unique way. She loves her 8 (you read that right) fuzzy children and is renovating a 1920s bungalow in South Carolina. Find us on Facebook or connect with EuroLux on Google+. Or you can sign up here to receive this blog in your inbox.

Handcrafted Furniture Antiques and Unique New Artisan Pieces

by admin

Handcrafted furniture, home decor and gifts have been tipped as a leading trend in 2019, according to our friends at Houzz in their trend reports on recent furniture and gift markets. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise to us here at EuroLux Home! As far as we are concerned, handcrafted furniture with a unique story and personal touch are always on trend.

We sell beautiful handcrafted furniture and home decor every day and we know how much our customers appreciate these unique pieces.

The French antique furniture that we select in Europe and ship back to Europe is especially popular, even for customers who know little about antiques. Every piece of antique furniture — meaning that it is over 100 years old — is hand-crafted and unique. Our customers might not all be experts on antiques, but they know exceptional quality and craftsmanship when they see it!

For example, this antique French cabinet or buffet with its impressive hand-carvings. The walnut buffet dates to 1900 and the whimsical figure on the top cabinet door looks like a playful jester, while the ornate carvings also include two faces gazing out to keep watch over your family celebrations! A red marble counter top adds to the appeal of this amazing heirloom piece.

Antique French Brittany furniture is also known for its gorgeous hand-carved detail. Every French Brittany piece tells a human story, usually of French country folk in natural settings, as you can see in this lovely antique French Brittany cabinet that has just arrived in our store by ship from France! The carved scenes of a man and a woman on the two doors of the cabinet depict good French country folk going about their rural working life. Carved ship wheels also pay tribute to Brittany’s maritime history.

Our new furniture also features hand-crafted details. We stock some marvelous furniture from modern-day artisans who replicate the craftsmanship of yesteryear.

For example, this Jonathan Charles Sheraton style Pembroke table is based on an original table from 1770 and the new table is as lovingly crafted as those old Sheraton tables were 250 years ago in England! This table has beautiful satinwood veneers and hand inlays including the radiating decorative top and the fine floral inlays on the legs.

From intricate carvings to hand-painted details to genuine hand-cut marquetry, skilled craftsmen (and women!) at Jonathan Charles Furniture use the same techniques that have traditionally been used for centuries.

Another fine furniture maker that we stock is Scarborough House. This company creates beautiful antique-inspired handcrafted furniture and the high-quality pieces are crafted using using age-old techniques. Scarborough House is especially known for its veneers using the finest crotch mahogany and burls. They also make their own brass hardware. Combined with their rich finishes on the wood, this attention to detail and great craftsmanship all adds up to heirloom quality furniture. This new Scarborough House crotch mahogany and movingue sideboard with brass handles is a terrific example. The ornamental appeal is enhanced by the lovely banding and the charming hand-created marquetry fans.

Soon I’ll share some glimpses into our favorite handcrafted home decor and gifts. Meanwhile we hope you’ve enjoyed seeing some of the handcrafted furniture old and new that is available to enhance your home and reflect your unique personality. Browse more options with many lovely close-up photos of handcrafted furniture details on our website at EuroLuxHome.com.

Aimee owns EuroLuxHome.com with her husband and best friend, Greg. Aimee sources amazing antique furniture, vintage lighting, & high-quality reproduction furniture to help her customers decorate their homes in a unique way. She loves her 8 (you read that right) fuzzy children and is renovating a 1920s bungalow in South Carolina. Find us on Facebook or connect with EuroLux on Google+. Or you can sign up here to receive this blog in your inbox.

Mountain Cabin Coffee Table

by admin

Our gorgeous antique-inspired new Glenbrook coffee table turned out to be the perfect choice for John and Mindy’s mountain cabin in Landrum, S.C.

This is the new Glenbrook coffee table, item BG-428 in our online store. It is a four-foot-wide round coffee table in solid wood with a rustic pecan hand-planed finish. It is also available with a darker rustic pecan finish and an antiqued black finish. Either way it is a beautifully sturdy coffee table with wonderful Old World appeal. So let’s meet John and Mindy…

John and Mindy have recently moved to South Carolina from Texas, and they are now nestling into their new home in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Doesn’t it look like a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the beautiful natural environment and great views?

John is a baseball and golf fanatic and he has been busy designing his “man nook” in the downstairs. With a handsome curved sectional in the corner, he and Mindy thought that a round coffee table with a bit of a rustic style fit the bill perfectly! Enter the Glenbrook table, which has just the right amount of distressing to look right at home in a mountain cabin.

To the right of the sofa is a smart display case with a black finish that proudly displays John’s collection of baseball and golf treasures and trophies, while a vintage black-framed photograph of a golfer adds to the ambiance. What a comfortable spot kick up your feet and peruse the newspaper, read a good book, or watch a baseball or golf game on TV on a Saturday afternoon! The Glenbrook coffee table fits right in! Supported by sturdy and attractively shaped legs, the round table features a shaped lower shelf that adds to the visual interest.

The table is perfect for anyone who has traditional Old World taste but lives a relaxed American lifestyle, and we hope that John enjoys it for many years to come!

Aimee owns EuroLuxHome.com with her husband and best friend, Greg. Aimee sources amazing antique furniture, vintage lighting, & high-quality reproduction furniture to help her customers decorate their homes in a unique way. She loves her 8 (you read that right) fuzzy children and is renovating a 1920s bungalow in South Carolina. Find us on Facebook or connect with EuroLux on Google+. Or you can sign up here to receive this blog in your inbox.

Hand-Painted Mantle Clock Made In America

by admin

When our customer Fredrick A. in Hartwell, GA, bought a new hand-painted mantle clock from us created by OK Casting, he didn’t just love the style of the clock, he also appreciated the fact that the clock was made in America.

This is the new mantle clock made by OK Casting. The clock is a classic camelback design that brings a lovely sense of nostalgia to any room. These custom-made clocks, along with other OK Casting products, are hand-made and painted at the time of order. It’s a custom-made product and each one is going to be unique! The high-quality new clock has a battery-operated quartz movement and it is cast in a resin that looks fantastically authentic.

Here you can see the mantle clock on Fredrick’s mantle. It looks so warm and inviting and we love the Christmas stockings hanging above the cozy fire! This looks like a great place to celebrate the true spirit of Christmas!

Army Veteran Fredrick said: ” The clock is absolutely beautiful. I also love the fact that the clock was made right here in America and built by Americans, I will cherish this clock for decades to come and I am super proud to display it on my mantle.”

That’s awesome! We are so delighted to hear that, Fredrick, and thank you for sending us the photo of the OK Casting clock in your wonderful home.

In addition to clocks, OK Casting offers many delightfully designed home accessories. Each hand-crafted American resin OK Casting piece is custom-made to order and they make great gifts for others or as an addition to your own home. The pieces also look far more expensive than their very reasonable price point! The collection includes candlesticks, boxes, bookends and sculptures, as well as lighting from ceiling lamps and chandeliers to table lamps, wall lamps and sconces. You can browse the entire OK Casting collection on our website at this link.

Merry Christmas, Fredrick, and we hope that your OK Casting Made-in-America mantle clock continues to bring you joy for many years to come!

Aimee owns EuroLuxHome.com with her husband and best friend, Greg. Aimee sources amazing antique furniture, vintage lighting, & high-quality reproduction furniture to help her customers decorate their homes in a unique way. She loves her 8 (you read that right) fuzzy children and is renovating a 1920s bungalow in South Carolina. Find us on Facebook or connect with EuroLux on Google+. Or you can sign up here to receive this blog in your inbox.

Tobi Fairley for Woodbridge: Designer Furniture

by admin

The many talents of Interior designer Tobi Fairley have been recruited by Woodbridge Furniture Company to create a special collection that we know our customers will love!

Tobi Fairley is an award-winning and internationally acclaimed interior designer. She focuses on chic, classic, streamlined interior designs, and then gives them a major dose of glamor. She brings the same vision to the furniture she’s designed for Woodbridge.

(She’s perched here on a lacquered blue side table that you can find for sale on our website.)

If you enjoy Hollywood Regency style, you will love the Tobi Fairley for Woodbridge collection. If you admire style icon Katherine Hepburn, you definitely have to check this collection out. I’m convinced Ms. Hepburn with her tailored but bold taste would be the first to order some of these pieces! This stunning Tobi Fairley Ellison writing table or desk is a great example. If Hepburn were filming “Woman of the Year” today, this is the desk that would be used by the the fast-talking journalist character she plays as she squabbles with Spencer Tracy!

Tobi Fairley is known for her work with color and pattern, and you can see the results here in this decadently delicious cocktail table which is crafted with a sleek blush pink lacquered top that is accented by a gold leaf design. The base is an elegant gray, a classic combination of gray and pink that was popular in Art Deco days!

Sometimes the silhouette and superb finish does all the talking, without any need for color or pattern at all. This elegant new Woodbridge Tobi Fairley Gabrielle console table or hall table earns its allure from the white lacquered top on the solid hardwood construction, combined with those seductive cabriole legs which give a little French accent to the otherwise minimalist design.

Tobi Fairley’s designs have been featured in major magazines from House Beautiful to Traditional Home to Veranda, because her sense of style is so appealing to many different people. This drop leaf Tobi Fairley dining table is a case in point. The incredibly interesting dining table stands on eight multi ringed turned posts that open out when you want to extend the drop leaves. Otherwise the cherry veneered table with brass accents closes down to a fairly narrow profile. This is great if you need a smaller footprint table when you are not entertaining! Notice the carved claw feet that hold crystal-look balls… that is exactly the kind of attention to detail that elevates the Tobi Fairley for Woodbridge furniture designs to another level.

Aimee owns EuroLuxHome.com with her husband and best friend, Greg. Aimee sources amazing antique furniture, vintage lighting, & high-quality reproduction furniture to help her customers decorate their homes in a unique way. She loves her 8 (you read that right) fuzzy children and is renovating a 1920s bungalow in South Carolina. Find us on Facebook or connect with EuroLux on Google+. Or you can sign up here to receive this blog in your inbox.