Antique oak furniture and Its Timeless Elegance
America has its several eras that can be called, "Golden Age" where furniture flourished to be the main concern. The 18th generation witnessed great arts in isolated areas such as New York, Rhode Island and Newport. The centralized period during the 19th century saw another creative expansion of the American furniture ingenuity. Yet after all, it has become dependent on a great number of English designers.
So when was really the actual Golden Age period of America? It started in 1870's with the convergence of major events in the country. One was the rising walnut scarcity utilized for Victorian style furniture. Then there was the America's prosperity after Civil War. And there was also the occurrence of the industry of American furniture. Better-off families acquired larger houses, wanting to fill them with bigger furniture. The Renaissance revival packed that empty space for a moment through its priceless furniture, yet walnut was ceasing. So oak came out.
Oak was among the original woods used for furniture making. It was also utilized to build great quantities of ships. It did not become popular until Jacobean period during 17th century.
Most of the earliest antique oak furniture was richly hand carved and hand made by crafts masters like Robert Horner. They were also precious designs of the great George Hunzinger. Basically, the innate beauty of antique oak furniture was enhanced with the use of two methods. Usually, primary woods are white, a pale shade with little normal color. Both texture and color were enhanced through the quarter cutting process. This is the logging of the oak to show the surprising pattern of the "eyes of the tiger" in the wood. The other enhancement came through application of orange shellac that is occasionally dyed with yellow copper. This will result to the famous golden antique oak furniture look during the later part of the 19th century. This happening also led to the birth of Golden Oak era of the American furniture.
Due to high demands of oak-made pieces of furniture, manufacturers started using substitute woods such as the hickory, ash, elm and red oak as an alternative to old white oaks that grow long enough to be utilized as furniture. There also came the application of veneers to increase the production without comprising its quality.
Sine then, there was an incessant hunger for antique oak furniture. The Golden Oak may have ceased yet the zest to acquire precious antique oak furniture has never ever stopped. The antique oak furniture manufacture and collection continues and its history remains alive throughout.
