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Why buying vintage furniture is good for you and the environment. April 11, 2019 10:45

The trend for vintage furniture and decorative objects is still going strong. Added to this a “conscious consumption” movement which is gaining strength and a populous rediscovery of traditional craftsmanship,  it makes perfect sense to buy vintage furniture for your home or office space.

Creating an individual interior

Over the last 15 years people’s love of buying vintage or retro furniture has grown and that trend is set to continue. Buying furniture made in the past 100 years gives you the opportunity to create a unique and stylish interior decor with a strong personality and a sense of history. Whether you mix pieces from different eras, re-create an interior in the mid-century style or mix old and new it will be an individual look!

 Sheepskin stool by Kiki Voltaire

Environmentally friendly

As well as beautiful aesthetics, vintage furniture has great environmental benefits. To start with you are preventing furniture from going to landfill. It is healthier for your home – as the furniture will have finished releasing the toxic fumes present in the finishing and glues. As we are more aware, the pollutants in our homes this is not negligible. If your new piece of furniture needs restoration, use natural materials where possible or discuss this with the artisan who will restore it for you.

 Bridge Chairs restored by Kiki Voltaire

Craftsmanship

Most of the vintage furniture which is still around and in a good condition tends to be well made some from solid wood, like our collection of Bridge chairs. You can test the quality of furniture by checking for sturdy frames, woodworm (which can be treated if not too extensive), drawers which run smoothly etc. Generally vintage furniture is less expensive than buying new furniture of the same quality.

If you need to restore the furniture, you can take it on as a project with the help of a couple of self-help books, a local community class, or alternatively, seek the help of a furniture restorer or upholsterer. The latter may require a bit more investment, but either way you will end up with a unique piece of furniture and preserve its history for less than buying a similar piece new. And it will last many more years!


Bridge Chairs May 3, 2016 00:06

Kiki Voltaire has been sourcing and restoring Bridge Chairs - Fauteuil Bridge - from France for nearly 10 years. Bridge chairs were originally designed in the late 1930s for ladies of leisure for games of bridge, afternoon tea and gossiping! The chairs are stylish, of small proportions, well made and extremely comfortable. Manufacturing continued until the 1950s.

Bridge chairs have a small compact size which makes them easy to use in most rooms - suiting a bedroom, office or even to accompany a dinning table. The frame is usually constructed in beech timber and on occasion oak - typically finished in natural wood or stained.

We often take delivery of the chairs covered in bicast (artificial) leather but we have also seen several interesting covers over the years!

 

 

We remove the entire upholstery as the springs and the padding are not so comfortable after 70 years! We also restore the wood, by cleaning or even removing the existing finishing which is often very dirty! This process can take several days - a real labour of love. Then we re-upholster the chair.

 

 

The final step is to decide on the fabric to finalise the design!

If you fancy learning how to restore Bridge Chairs and practice your French at the same time, check out these classes run by by Etienne Champenois of the Stage-Tapissier in Paris and Uzes.

For additional information on Bridge Chairs, check this blog by Capella Kincheloe were you can see a pair of our very early Bridge Chairs in Pink Camira fabric.