October 2012 
The English Furniture Workshop Newsletter...

Au Naturale!

 

Autumn seems to be inspiring us to go back to nature, colours are earthy and designers are looking to natural materials and texture. It appears that particularly for contemporary furniture, the trend for natural unpainted wood is increasing.

 

 

The pleasure of using paint is that anything is possible when it comes to colour and finish.  I am often tempted to indulge in trying a multitude of colours for our painted pieces, however it seems that cooler and more sophisticated finishes are becoming a focus for interiors.  Natural wood looks so beautiful in its raw state, particularly in the modern shapes seen from some of our best designers such as Russell Pinch and Oona Bannon of Pinch Design Ltd. 

 

At The English Furniture Workshop our hallmark has always been in our finish, the polished antique oak alongside subtle neutral shades.  I am very pleased to be able to return to this aesthetic, after the hotter shades of last season.
 
The Linen Press in French Gray (below) is an example of where I am heading with the painted range.  I am also looking out for  interesting and beautiful early 20th Century furniture that  will be left unpainted for a new range that I am now collecting.
 
Amanda Ransom.
 
                       Oak Linen Press in French Gray
Edwardian Oak Linen PressThis elegant oak linen press is very well made and is a useful piece of furniture, providing plenty of storage. The two deep shelves within the double cupboard at the top slide out. Below the cupboard there is a chest with four drawers, two short and two long. The drawer handles are not the original and were replaced some time ago, they are however solid oak.
 
 
  
Price £850

 

 

 

  

19th Century tilt top table   

19th Century Tilt Top Table
This 19th Century Mahogany tilt-top table is known as a loo table as this style of table was designed for a game called lanterloo or loo, a 19th Century card game. The table has been painted in Fired Earth Wild Olive with an under-colour of Farrow and Ball Rectory Red.   
 
Price £325 
  
 
 

 

 

 

 

                                                                 
Oak Coffer in Wild Olive Oak Panelled Coffer
This oak coffer is neat in size and dates to the early part of the 20th Century. It is very solid and has strong panelled details to the front and sides. The oak top is a very good colour.  
 
Price £225

 
Things to see and do..
Books: Next month will see the publication of "Bespoke: Furniture from 101 International Artists"
by E. Ashley Rooney, in which we are pleased to be featured, it is available through Amazon price £35. 
 
Exhibitions: 'Seduced by Art: Photography Past and Present' at the National Gallery, focuses on contemporary photographers whose work is influenced by 19th-century images or older art traditions. October 31-January 20 (nationalgallery.org.uk)
I hope you have enjoyed reading our Newsletter this month.  If you would like to contact us please e-mail at this address or telephone 01295 780799.  All of our furniture is available to view by appointment and we are happy to show you any item at any time Monday - Saturday.  Our furniture is for sale via our website www.englishfurnitureworkshop.co.uk  Thank you for reading our October Newsletter.

Amanda Ransom