Interiors shopping the sustainable way: styling using the influence of the natural world
18 April 2023 More than ever people are bringing the outside world into their homes when it comes to design.
This rustic table formed from a tree root dates to the late 19t or early 20th century. The cut top is painted brown, and the piece is estimated at £300-500 at the sale of the Windsor House Antiques collection of April 25-26 at Dreweatts.
Natural materials are all the rage at the moment, part of a movement towards ‘biophilic’ design. Foliate designs, organic shapes, materials such as wood or stone and earth tones are in.
William George offers this tortoise themed planter in its April 26 auction, Ornaments & Figurines for Home & Garden. Bidding starts at £14 for the piece, which is cast in resin with a shiny finish.
One of the driving factors behind this new vogue for nature is increase interest in sustainable living. Buying used, second hand, vintage and antique works at auction are key to achieving that goal.
This mahogany framed library wing armchair in Irish Georgian style goes under the hammer at Adams’ Library Collection sale of April 26 with an estimate of €1500-2000.
A recent report commissioned by Auction Technology Group found that some of the most common pieces bought for the home represent a significant saving on CO2 emissions when purchased at auction rather than new.
Bring the sun inside with this pair of wall sconces from the studio of Piero Fronasetti (1913-88). The legacy of the Italian designer lives on and this pair of gilt sun sconces on curved metal date to 1991 and ‘93 respectively. They have an estimate of £500-800 at Lyon & Turnbull’s Modern Made sale on April 28.
For example, a dining table represents a saving of around 0.46 tonnes of CO2 emissions, an armchair 0.16, a chest of drawers 0.322, and a sofa a whopping 0.563. Sofa can even be updated sustainably. According to the same sofa, reupholstering a second-hand sofa has a footprint of around 177kg CO2e, still less than that of buying a sofa new.
Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood offers this Dutch walnut and marquetry drop leaf dining table from the late 18th century, which is decorated with birds, insects, foliage and flowers in its April 25 and 26 Spring Sale with an estimate of £200-300.
Remember to check condition reports, which can be found either online or through contacting the appropriate saleroom. Also remember when using the-saleroom.com to take into account the different locations of individual salerooms. If they aren’t within easy reach, consider your shipping options before placing a bid.
On April 28, Chiswick Auctions offers this Iznik pottery jug decorated with pomegranates and çintamani motifs. Dating to c.1570-1600, the jug has a clear glossy glaze and is of a type previously published and seen at auction before – most recently a similar example come up at Christie’s in March 2022. This example is estimated at £4000-6000.
Discover the furniture you need at auction: tables, chairs, sofas, chests of drawers.
Want to learn more? Use our handy buying guides to get the inside track on what and how to buy at auction.