Celebrating Earth Day by being green 22 Apr 2023 News Norfolk News Suffolk News

Earth Day, a day where the focus is on sustainability, protecting the earth and how we can ensure the beautiful things we have today will be here tomorrow for future generations to enjoy.

There is nothing more sustainable than buying objects at auction, giving objects that have been loved and valued by their previous owners a new lease of life and a new home. Buying at auction is always a green option whether you are looking for a fine piece of jewellery or a unique piece of furniture or artwork, this way of buying at auction is more sustainable than buying brand new as no new materials have had to be sourced to make the object. The world of antiques has been labelled by some as the ‘oldest recycling business’ however, it fits today’s outlook as being green, sustainable, re-useable and of course re-saleable!

You can buy some fine antique furniture at auction and you can find some great pieces in a variety of styles – which would fit in both the older home and even in new build homes. If you are interested in early pieces of antique furniture, you can find these at our specialist auctions such as a unique Charles II joined oak tall chest of drawers. Buying an early (circa 1660) chest of drawers not only means that it was made extremely well and lasted the test of time, it means that there will not be another one out there the same so you would own a unique and historic piece of furniture. This example was a highly unusual chest, not only in terms of its height, but it included several re-claimed 16^th to early 17^th century carved elements as part of the original construction. So this would be unique and definitely a substantial piece of furniture that would keep on giving.

Antique furniture can be used all over the house from living rooms and bedrooms to kitchens and even boot rooms. Another piece of furniture that would work in today’s home setting is a mid-17th century oak draw-leaf table, Flemish, circa 1650. This table was an early piece yet still a very useable piece in today’s busy home. This table was very well made and a very sturdy piece of furniture that can be used as part of everyday life and even something you could pass down to generations. Plus, you know that you are getting a quality made piece of furniture as it has lasted the test of time and when buying furniture such as this at auction, just think of the history behind it and who may have sat around the same table over its lifetime! You really can find all elements of the household at auction, so to go with the early Flemish example table above you can also find at auction a set of wonderful needlework upholstered backs and seats dining chairs which are George III mahogany, a set like this would compliment the oak table adding colour to the room and again they are a well made set of chairs and something that would last for future generations as well.

So that would be the furniture you are able to buy sustainably at auction, you can then add sustainable options for other areas of the house such as decorative items and paintings that will complement the home décor all of which can all be found at our specialist auctions.

Our auctions attract a range of fine art from the more modern & contemporary pieces to fine antique art. The more Modern & Contemporary pieces such as an oil on canvas from John Northcote Nash CBE, RA, (British, 1893-1977) titled ‘Bathers’ would add a splash of colour to any room. John Nash was a very popular British artist who predominantly worked in oil and watercolours. However, this bright and flavoursome piece would really suit a modern & contemporary home, with the contrasting colours against a very neutral backdrop. Another artist that produces outstanding pieces of artwork is Mary Fedden, we have seen a number of pieces of her work in our auctions. Fedden who is another prolific British Artist, her artwork is collected all over the world and one piece that stood out at our recent auction was titled ‘’Still Life, Flowers and Fruit’. It was a colourful piece that was signed and dated 1997 and was very popular as again it would suit any style of home or room and if you are a collector of artwork then adding to your collection at auction is the best place to look.

So, whatever you are looking for to make your house a home, consider buying it at auction where you will be reducing your own carbon footprint as you will be giving an old, antique piece a new lease of life and continue its story. You can find all our available lots in our auctions under the Upcoming auctions tab.

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