paulr

...in the Lincs/Yorkshire area.Specifically bedroom furniture,and *not* the flatpack Ikea/MFI stuff.Also not too keen on pine.
I know its not cheap,but can anyone recommend anywhere?

Thanks
Paul..

RON

You#ll be lucky mate, most people only want cheap crap nowadays, therefore, unless you're prepared to go 'hand-made' you ain't gonna get very far.
Ron.

sebastian

If you are in that market you are talking antiques or as mentioned above, hand built modern stuff.

I'd go for antiques and look around some dealers, but better still, once you've got the market feel, start going to auctions where you can get better prices before dealer mark ups. A lot more fun too. living in London I tend to go to the London houses but there will be excellent aution houses in the major cites in the provinces. Also, you will be making an investment as well as buying beautiful furniture.

To be honest I sold my money draining integrale evo to be able to buy antiques, art, and antiquities and have never regretted it. Mostly at auction but also at some dealers.

Get a Millers antiques guide 2002 for a good overview of the market, they also do a small intro book on furniture collecting which is an absolute must as it tells you what to look for and how to tell periods and alterations and fakes etc.

good luck!

Good luck.

cement man

Look at the Antique Trade Gazette website,that will give you all the auctions in your area by date and time.

dnb

You could try some house clearance sales. Up to the early 70s (I think) solid wooden furniture was common (some G plan items etc)

From talking to Mum, I think it was downhill from there...

There's the "Mouseman" in Kilburn (not far from Thirsk)
here Everything is solid oak. They are expensive, and there is usually a waiting list, however I know that the value of the furniture has not decreased in a good many years!

BTW I remember a very nice teak nest of tables at the ideal homes exhibition last year. (Not cheap at over £1k, but if I'd had the money, I would have bought them!) Not Lincs/Yorks tho. But could be good for some ideas.

MarkO

Our dining room furniture came from Old Charm. It's fairly expensive, but it's beautifully hand-made oak stuff which will last a lifeitme.

You might also want to look at Bylaw - they do some lovely furniture. We looked at one of their four-posters, but decided they were a tad too expensive for what we're looking for, and wouldn't have suited our current house.

Mungo

New Heights has some very nice stuff if you like modern - they've got shops in London, Cambridge and Nottingham.

Website is http://www.new-heights.co.uk/home/home.html (I still don't know how to make a clickable link )

MarkO

To make a link clickable, do it as follows:

[*url=http://www.url.com]Text for link[*/url]

You need to remove the stars though. To see examples, click on the 'edit' button for posts which have clickable links.

paulr

Ok,thanks for all the replies.
I'm not really looking for secondhand antiques,but rather something new and more modern.
Marko and Mungo,thanks for the links,Mungo especially as that looks pretty promising.Nottingham is also not that far away(ish).

Like you all say though,its pretty expensive.At least 3x the price of an equivalent Ikea item.I'm really after a three door wardrobe and a couple of chests of drawers.I'm thinking of £1200 for the wardrobe and £700 for the chests of drawers(approx).Thats about £2,600.

Any other links welcome.

Paul

paulr

From Mungo's link.This is the sort of thing.In Cherry, £790.



Btw Mungo,do you have any of their furniture?

paulr

Btw,is there anyone in the trade who can give me some tips on what to look out for.I dont mind paying for good stuff but i dont want to pay over the odds,or buy rubbish.

Thanks
Paul.

RobinSherwood

Paul,

I've come accross this company in Staverton, Northants, though they do work nationwide.

Fraser James, Hand Made Furniture. 01327 315 037 ask to speak to Peter O'Neill.

They have quoted to do my kitchen and I was pleasantly surprised at the (small) difference in cost between their work and an MDF alternative. They are happy for you to go and have a wander round their workshops as well and see how they make stuff and encourage you to go and see your furniture being built.

I'm going to get them to quote for wardrobes after they've done the kitchen.....

Hope it helps

Robin

Mungo

I'm waiting for a bed and two armchairs to arrive. When we've saved a bit more cash, we'll invest in a couple of bedside tables and a tall chest of drawers.
After that, and another bout of saving, possibly a dining table and chairs.
Like you, we got a bit sick of cheapo IKEA-style furniture. Even in some of the bigger department stores (john Lewis, etc) most of the furniture is only veneered, and still not cheap. We wanted something that will last a lifetim, and even if it takes small chips, scratches will not look tatty (veneer peeling off is nasty).

Cheers
Guy

BHORT

At the risk of sounding boring don't forget, if you have not already,to ask if the wood for your new furniture is from a sustainable source and perhaps best to avoid the tropical hardwoods.

paulr

I've also heard that its a lot cheaper in countries like Germany.Not really an option though,is it.

paulr

Just found this site



The prices seem pretty competitive,i've seen the same wardrobe for a lot more in "House of Fraser".Not sure if this one looks a bit old-fashioned though.I'm only in my 30's

Any opinions Clare

[Edited by paulr - 9/5/2002 4:15:54 PM]

paulr

Any more suggestions

father_jack

Studio One in Edinburgh is excellent for solid wood furniture - all hand made - proper dovetails joints etc. no website for you peruse though.

paulr

Any more

JackClark

Local to me rather than you but top notch stuff and they deliver.

Ercol

paulr

I know....another btt....just in case anyone missed it

paulr

Mungo......i was in Nottingham on Monday and went to one of the shops.I have to admit,the quality of the furniture is excellent,and the finish is very impressive.
Still not bought anything yet though.

Anyone else got any more links