The real deal on chairs

By Good Magazine

June 2, 2017

Most new mass-produced chairs will end up on the scrap heap, while their antique counterparts are still being resold at auction or restored for generations more use, says antiques expert Ross Millar

Most new mass-produced chairs will end up on the scrap heap, while their antique counterparts are still being resold at auction or restored for generations more use, says antiques expert Ross Millar

The other day an auctioneer pointed out an attractive antique dining chair and said “that will only fetch $150”. He was concerned that he would make only $15 or so on the sale, but I was thinking What a bargain for someone!

If a chair can be used and resold a number of times over its 100-plus years of life then that’s fantastic. What a life cycle! By buying that antique chair you’d conserve our natural resources and save the carbon footprint of making a new one. In all likelihood a new chair would be made using timber from an unmanaged forest and be of lesser quality than the old one.

Chairs are one of our hardest working pieces of furniture. Mass-produced modern chairs are often made with poor-quality steel, plastics or composite wood products and in designs that make them difficult to repair. The quality workmanship in older wooden chairs and their forgiving nature can mean that many can survive huge punishment and still be restored without loss of value or practicality.

You don’t need to live in a Victorian villa to add antiques to your mix of furniture. They can be used as a contrasting element, the art of home decorating being in the balance you achieve between the various pieces of furniture. Adding antique dining chairs to a contemporary table shows that you recognise a room can be enhanced by quite individual components.

Sitting pretty

Ross Millar’s expert tips:

• How many to buy? A single antique chair is usually the least expensive on the second-hand market. The price increases exponentially with the size of a matching set. In the trade a matching set of eight or more is called a ‘long’ set. But it’s not necessary to have a complete matched set around your dining table—odd chairs in different styles can be a statement in their own right. Or find two smaller sets with similar elements that can be read as a long set.

• Honest and sympathetic restoration is acceptable; recovering upholstered chairs is fine as is the replacement of woven cane or seagrass seats. Ask your local antique dealer and auctioneers for advice on restoration or repair. They’ll know of reputable local restorers and can advise you on authenticity.

• The genuine antique is worth buying because both the item and its value will last. A reproduction will always be just that and most likely diminish in value over time. If expensive restoration is required, think about the life that is being added to the chair and the quote may not seem so bad.

Recycling & precycling

Article illustration

We all need stuff to keep our households operating – buying items made with recycled materials helps close the manufacturing loop

Precycling is one step back from recycling; it’s about picking goods with the least harmful environmental impact.

Check product labels for their percentage of recycled content (especially post-consumer content)

Look for products most likely to be made with recycled content, such as steel, aluminium, glass, egg cartons, and cereal boxes and products that can be recycled locally

Ask local retailers to stock more products made from recycled materials. If your favourite items aren’t made with recycled content, contact the manufacturer and ask them to change it

Avoid disposable and one-time use products – there are almost always reusable alternatives

Choose remanufactured products (such as toner cartridges or retreaded tires) and look for appliances at outlet stores that have been returned and mended – a great way to get a bargain!

Reader’s tips

Green giftwrap

Last Christmas we used colourful cotton tea towels tied with garden twine, colourful string or ribbon to wrap all our presents. The gifts looked beautiful under the tree and the recipients were stoked with the bonus of a new tea towel.

–Andrea Jensen

Borax solutions

I was interested to read in Good (Issue 15) of the many uses of borax and have another one to add. During many years living on a small blue water yacht it was always a challenge keeping ahead of the cockroaches which found their way onboard at each port. We found two eco solutions; one to travel south to a latitude beyond the 40’s where the cold slowed them down so much you could trap them, the other was little bait stations of borax mixed to a paste with condensed milk – a concoction which some how rendered them sterile. By controlling their reproduction we finally wiped out all our uninvited guests.

–Megan Saurat

Don’t be a tart

Apple cider vinegar is the superstar of natural cleaning and beauty products. Hardcore fans start their day by washing their hair with 1tbs baking soda and 1 cup of warm water, before conditioning with the same quantities of the vinegar and water. Rinse well, or you’ll smell a bit tangy! Splash some more vinegar around as you clean the shower floor.

Apple cider vinegar is known to lower blood sugar levels and aid digestion, so returning to the kitchen you might want to mix a teaspoonful with some honey in a glass of water for a healthy morning tonic

–Rachel Hogg

Domestic diva (ish)

I am pretty appalling at household organisation, but I do try to ensure all my cleaning products are as green as possible. I’ve made my own glass cleaner from lemon juice, a carpet spritzer of baking soda and lemon essential oil and a surface spray from diluted organic eucalyptus oil – but fulltime work and trying to enjoy time with my six year old means I can’t really concoct all my own cleaners. It’s wonderful that companies like B_E_E are leading the way with environmentally-friendly products. Now, if only the local council subsidised rain-water tanks and other eco initiatives!

–Kate Whitley

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