Sports Calendar

FROM A DEALER Ask as many questions as you can to verify age, check any modifications and establish an item’s history. Remember that a price ticket is merely a suggestion: what you pay is open to negotiation. Ask for the “best price”, then follow up with: “What about a further discount for cash?” Don’t ooze enthusiasm — you’re more likely to get a good deal if you play hard to get. Always obtain a receipt that includes a full item description, date, price and the contact details of the dealer. For expensive purchases, ask about a “try before you buy” scheme, whereby the item is delivered to your home so you can see how it fits in.

AT A FAIR Spend a good hour taking in all the stands and the prices. You will kick yourself if you buy the first thing you see, then spot something that’s better later on. Your advantage is that all the dealers are in competition for your attention. Check out the price variations between the stands and use this to haggle.

CAR-BOOTS SALES AND FLEA MARKETS Arrive early if you want first pick of what’s on offer. Remember to take plenty of cash in small notes and coins. Some of the best finds come from boxes beneath the tables, so be prepared to cast your eye downwards.

You are well within your rights to ask for a receipt, and it’s difficult for the seller to refuse if you have your own note pad and pen to hand.

LEARNING THE LINGO

PALE WOODS

Satinwood Smooth, fine-grained, yellowish wood, often used for veneers and decorative panels.

Fumed oak A yellow-brown oak coloured by exposure to ammonia — popular in 1930s and 1940s furniture.

Cherry The most popular fruitwood for furniture-making, varies from pinkish-yellow to red-brown.

Maple Whitish, with veins and wavy darker lines running through. Popular in the early 19th century, for veneers, and for Victorian and Edwardian bedroom suites.

Limed oak A 16th-century technique where the oak grain is filled with lime plaster, giving it a pale, weathered look.

GOLD

Ormolu Mercury-gilded bronze used for figures and decorative mounts on furniture — named after the French for “ground gold”.

Giltwood Any wood that is gilded with gold paint or gold leaf.

TRANSPARENT

Lucite A clear, glass-like acrylic used for many decorative objects, from handbags to lamps. First marketed by Du Pont in the 1930s.

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KEY STYLES

French Know your Louis: Louis XIV (1643- 1715) — lavishly decorated, modified by symmetry and classical lines, with flamboyant craftsmanship thrown in. Louis XV (roughly 1720-50) — curves abound, with plenty of asymmetrical motifs. Louis XVI (roughly 1750-89) — straighter lines and a firm reaction against the fussiness of previous styles; giltwood and painted furniture became popular. Louis Philippe (1830-48) — flamboyant curves and heavy ornamentation followed the simple lines and minimalism of the Empire style.

Swedish Also called Gustavian, it arose in the reign of King Gustav III (1771-92), an admirer of French neoclassicism — pale, painted wood and a simple classical look.

WHAT TO BUY - THE TRENDS

• The geometric look is in. Dining tables should be rectangular, with sleek, tapering legs — a refectory table from c1900 is perfect. Seating is all about curvaceous comfort, and an eclectic approach means an art-deco lounger works just as well as a 19th-century Italian sofa. On the floor, it’s 1970s deep-pile rugs with a circular motif.
• For lighting, the rule is: the longer the lines, the better. Opt for table lamps with elongated bases and elegant floor-standing lighting from the 1900s to the 1970s. Lucite is a material that’s firmly in vogue for lamp bases, and glass chandeliers from the 19th and 20th centuries add a touch of glamour.
• Outside meets inside: the fossils, bones, lumps of semiprecious stone and shells brought back by the 18th-century grand tourists are being snapped up as ornamental interior features. Specimen tables and 19th-century oriental coffee tables, topped with mother-of-pearl, reinforce the style.
• Pale woods have again become highly fashionable. Limed-oak Arts and Crafts wardrobes sit nicely with Edwardian satinwood pieces and 19th-century painted Swedish chairs. Black-lacquer, chinoiserie-style and oriental cabinets are increasingly sought-after as contrast pieces.
• Painted furniture in an unrestored state has made a comeback. Look for 19th-century bedheads and chairs in country-house colours such as buttermilk yellow and sage.
• Georgian furniture in dark wood is enjoying a revival. There’s a resurgence of interest in classic 18th-century pieces, in particular, and interiors gurus are using tallboys, kneehole desks and bookcases as focal points amid modern production-line pieces.

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