Hunting for treasure at auction
Found at auction, this highly polished antique dining table with leaf sits happily in a renovated property in Notting Hill. Furniture and window treatments by Daw&Co. Photo by Sebastian Böttcher
It requires a subtle alchemy to create rooms that feel like they have evolved naturally over time. One key ingredient is acquiring antique and vintage items to sit alongside a client’s existing things and anything new. This combination of 'the new' with 'the found' results in a more relaxed and layered look which feels like home as opposed to 'a show home' which can be the unintended vibe if everything is pin-new.
There is definitely treasure to be found at antiques markets and even car boot sales, but if you don't enjoy an early start and want to take a more considered approach, then auctions can be a great place to go hunting, especially if rooms need more serious antiques. As we work in and around the West London area we often look at Sloane Street or Lots Road Auctions. Although you can see the contents of upcoming sales online or in a printed catalogue, it can be valuable to visit the sale rooms in advance of the auction date to view lots in person and check the condition. Go armed with a tape measure, your room measurements and with any decorative schemes to hand and think about any access issues. This way you can bid with confidence, knowing that if you place the successful bid, the item will work with all the other elements and finishes in the room and there will be no nasty surprises like it not fitting through the door on delivery day. We suggest clients set a budget in advance and stick to it.
That being said, we have been with clients who have a strong emotional reaction to something coming up at auction and who just bid in a “heart over head” situation. With art, this often works out, as you can usually find space for a picture that you love, much more easily that a large piece of furniture. I have a client who buys at auction all the time and she sees it as sport, a competition that she is determined to win. She has a good eye and plenty of space in the country to house things when she gets a bit overzealous with the paddle.
We advise clients to look at the out-of-town auction houses such as Dreweatts, Mallums and Wooley & Wallis too, where prices can be less than in the London auction rooms, although not always.
Piecing together the George III bed and canopy frame. Photos by Daw&Co.
An exhaustive search for a four-poster bed turned up the perfect option for our clients at Dreweatts. They held their nerve and won after frenzied bidding. It later transpired they were bidding against a friend of their who is a well-known interior designer! Great minds, eh? We received a George III bed frame and canopy frame in pieces along with its original bolts. We found someone to piece it together, make some suitable slats, organised a custom size mattress and then had our curtain maker make the bed hangings and headboard. The end result was charming and unique and has been moved from house to house with our client. Beds have grown bigger and bigger in the modern era and a standard size mattress may not fit an antique bed so this can be an additional cost to consider. When looking at furniture in country house auctions, items may not suit the proportions of town houses where rooms and doorways can be less generous.