There are two camps of antique-lovers in the world, we have found … they are both just as passionate as each other in their love of the old, but don’t quite agree on how to keep and display their antiques. In the silver corner, wearing the bright and shiny trunks, and weighing in at 142 pounds, we have the ‘New-Antiquarians … arians…arians’! These guys love old things, but also love their old things to look like new, and be nice and clean. The dirt of the ages is not what they had in mind when they started their collections! Then, in the dark and musty corner, in the mellow patinated trunks, and weighing in at 142 pounds also, we have “The Purists … purists … purists”! Many people from this corner can’t bear to clean up their old pieces too much, and believe that restoration can be akin to desecration.

We straddle both camps here – but this article is for the New Antiquarians (…arians!!), and especially those who love the ancient and historical look of pewter. It is definitely not a common metal, especially nowadays, however it does pop up in antique collections often, and many of our reproductions are available in pewter. It is an alloy composed mainly of tin, but including hardening agents like antimony, copper and lead. It was used in the very first of the great civilizations, the Egyptians and Romans, and medieval Europe also used it extensively. Did you know there was once a Worshipful Company of Pewterers, dedicated to maintaining pewter standards?!! So if the idea of a thousand years of dirt on your doorknobs doesn’t necessarily appeal to you – or you would like to keep your reproductions in a clean and respectable state, here are some methods for maintaining and restoring pewter. (more…)

All sorts of architectural salvage pieces can look great in your home – and depending on how you use them, many things can look great in any home, whether your décor is modern to dedicated antiquarian. The key things to remember are that you are not limited by a piece’s original use – you are only limited by your imagination – and just remember to check with the laws of physics records before you start! Here we’ll present for you a condensed version of the parliamentary session on laws of physics for architectural salvage: in ordinary terms, we’re going to do “Replacing Bits of Your House 101”!

It’s much easier to get your inspiration from a great, unique piece, than it is to think up a concept and then actually find something that matches the picture in your head. Browse through architectural salvage websites, especially – you can get a much better idea of what is out there, for zero kilometers traveled! Think outside the box when it comes to placement – why does a fence need to stay outside, for example? Use it as a divided between the kitchen and loungeroom, to keep kids out from under your feet when you’re cooking. And do doorknobs really have to stay on doors? They can be used as coat hooks in the entry, towel holders in the bathroom, and can keep your clothes off the floor in the bedroom.

If you have the tools and the inclination, you can also modify existing things into other things – for example, parts of wardrobes or intricately carved wood can become mirror frames or serving platters. You may have seen our blog post on the Seattle bar where the counter is made of 22 doors … lateral thinking at its best! (more…)