American Home Furniture Defined - Mixing The Old With The New

Each country creates it's own particular variety of furniture for the home, which reflects the different cultures active in that land. American folk-lore is rich in the culture of the settler, and many furniture styles reflect this old story. In those early pioneering years, comforts were few and far between. People were a hardy stock and slowly built a life a life in the beautiful wilderness. Once the house was constructed, it started to be filled with the comforts sought after by industrious settlers. The American inheritance includes the tremendous old furniture styles from different parts of the country, which represents a huge selection for the discerning buyer.

The number one conception for American home furniture makers was strength and durability. A large assortment of gorgeous woods were everywhere throughout the States, and craftsmen soon started to put to use the natural properties and beauty of the elm, walnut and oak. Other types used include Cedar and Hickory, which are still firm favorites for today's buyer. The furniture should do what it's designed to do, but is additionally an integral component of our lifestyle, so needs to be pleasant to behold and nice to use.

Anitique Kitchen Furniture

The kitchen can make or break a house sale. If you have an existing sizable kitchen, a touch of design, thought and creativity can produce a very pleasing space for the family. There are some choices to be made, not least concerning the furniture you'd like to install - perhaps antique kitchen furniture? Too many folks settle for bespoke kitchen cabinets offered as a whole kitchen installation. Even if these may be made of quality woods, it's easy to get that uncomfortable feeling that your kitchen is the same as thousands of other kitchens out there.

We can get around this somewhat by having some free standing pieces, in order to individualize it a bit. A different possibility is to purchase bespoke cabinets for the wall - after all, we have to have the space and wall cabinets make a lot of sense - and search for antique kitchen furniture to arrange around the floor space. Much the fun is in finding the old pieces. There are amazing bargains to be had in flea markets and garage sales. Hang a few old iron pots from the ceiling, install a wood burning stove and you'll create a unique kitchen.

A wood floor really beautifies any house. Wood is really lasting and it's not surprising that early home builders employed the hardest and most beautiful varieties for the floors of their houses. There's nothing more lovely than a highly burnished Walnut or Oak floor. If you have all concrete floors, then you could fit a false floor elevated just an inch or two from the concrete on wooden slats. The boarding could alternatively be Pine or Oak, or another wood that appeals to you, depending upon how deep are your pockets!

A modern trend is for the house builder to instal a wood floor with big boards fabricated from either ply, or some type of aggregate board. Typically, tiny pieces of wood pulp or sawdust are blended with liquid glue and squeezed under many tons of pressure and then dried. This kind of floor board is perfect for fitting carpets, similar a concrete floor, but it's also possible to fit wood effect squares, which are quick and simple. Some systems 'float' on the real floor and simply 'clack' together, so adhesive isn't required.


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Peter Bruce is a freelance journalist operating out of Toulouse in France. Subject covered range from american home furniture to antique kitchen furniture.