5 Steps to Collecting Victorian Furniture

Many people are not aware that the term Victorian era covers a lot of ground and is a bit of a catch-all for other styles. The Victorian age and its décor simply refers to items from the reign of Queen Victoria, who was on the throne from 1830 to 1890. However, with such a long time span, different styles of decorating came and went as well.

To design a good Victorian era collection, you should know what category within the genre you wish to collect. These categories include:

• French Restoration, which is a simpler and plainer Victorian style
• Gothic Revival, featuring mechanical parts and sharp points
• Rococo Revival, which enjoys many curves and scrolling
• Elizabethan, a soft style that highlight embroidery and painting

New collectors with limited resources should probably pick a style and set out to become an expert in it so that they can make the best choices.

As with any collecting, even for investment purposes, you should enjoy the antique furniture you collect. This not only makes your endeavor less taxing, but it also helps you show off the furniture at its best. When choosing furniture pieces, identify which period's characteristics make you happiest, and then focus on that. Look for things that fit your decorating style or that you can use and be proud of in your home.

You should also decide how you will store or display your antique hobby. If you choose a lot of items that don't bring you joy, they likely won't see the light of day in your home or office. If the items lose value, you'd suffer a double loss if you never got any emotional enjoyment from them either.

While it's a fun and exciting pastime, investing in antiques can be an expensive hobby. It's important for newer hobbyists to establish some boundaries for what they will invest and how much they are willing to risk. If you're new to the world of Victorian furniture, it may be worth your time to start small while you educate yourself about the market and the furnishings.

In addition to budgeting for purchases, don't forget to include money for proper storage facilities, insurance, repair or restoration (as needed) and appraisals.

Once you start looking at acquisitions, it can be tempting to simply buy whatever and whenever you find something you like that has potential value. But if you're serious about your collection, you'll want to come up with an overall strategy and goals for your collection. This strategy could include things like collecting the best representations of a certain furniture maker's work or collecting a specific type of furnishing (such as wash stands or chairs).

Your strategy may instead be to use a lot of small dollar purchases to build up to only a few expensive pieces. Or it could be to create vignettes, which are complete groupings of furniture and décor. Whatever your goals, it's important to understand them early on so that you can work toward them rather than waste time drifting.

As you identify your goals and make purchases, make adjustments in your collection in pursuit of those endgames. Avoid becoming so attached to all your pieces that you can't trade them for new arrivals that better meet your standards and interests. And if your taste grows along with your experience in the field, don't be afraid to adjust your goals and strategy.

No matter what your interests are, Victorian furniture collecting can be a satisfying and exciting hobby. And the antique experts and ever-changing inventory at The Antique Company Inc, Inc. are here to help you get started today.