“Brown Furniture”

“Brown furniture” (Chippendale and Sheraton from the 1700s) has been going for very low prices for about five years unless it was museum quality. But in fall 2019, several important sales saw the prices perk up. Great pieces sold for two to three times estimate and average sales pieces went up 50 percent. Buyers are treating the average furniture as decorator pieces and altering or painting them to fit in a modern home.

Chippendale (1750-1780)

Imagine being a furniture maker planning to redesign a Queen Anne chair with its narrow curved leg and solid-splat high back. The new design must be different, but not so strange that it would appear awkward or ugly. Much thought by furniture designers, plus a sense of what the public would accept and buy, led […]