Citylife in Lichfield April 2021

16
A Mouseman dining table and chairs.
Tom Winterton setting up the annual
Garden Sale.
Home Sweet
Home
...............................
By Tom Winterton
Setting up your own home is one of life’s defining moments.
Securing your own space, your own floors, walls and doors for the first
time expands and redefines the old saying ‘home sweet home’.
But it also usually provides the new occupant with the ultimate blank
canvas – and that can be just as exciting or daunting whether they’re a
first-time buyer, renting anew or a serial doer-upper, repeatedly renovating
and moving in a perpetual quest for property perfection.
From painting or papering the walls to prepping the floors, there’s
always so much to do. And we haven’t even talked about the garden!
Putting one’s own stamp on a new abode can be incredibly exciting –
and financially frustrating.
Yet there is a wonderful world of furniture widely available at auction,
spelling both tremendous variety and affordability, with reasonable prices
to suit all pockets.
Plenty of antiques of course, but also mid-century design classics in teak,
up-to-the-minute modern oak and retro statement pieces.
Our furniture department is an ever-revolving Aladdin’s cave of home
and interior inspirations.
From Victorian dressers to designer dining suites, modern light oak to
much-loved mahogany, vintage vinyl settees and leather sofas to 18th
century stools, marble-topped tables to metalwork chairs, all rooms are
covered.
There’s also plenty of scope for upcycling too, reusing resources and
breathing new life into well-loved but now rather ‘distressed’ items
through restoration and renovation.
In fact, the whole concept of the wonderful world of auctions sits bang
on trend with the ethos of recycling.
Our popular Antiques & Home Sales take place at least twice a month
and the quantity and quality of furniture catalogued never ceases to amaze
me.
From 1960s and 1970s designs, with its signature clean lines by wellknown
names such as Robin Day for Hille, John and Sylvia Reid, Ib Kofod-
Larsen, McIntosh and G Plan to high quality modern reproduction style
furniture such as that crafted by Titchmarsh and Goodwin, it is, as they say,
all there.
Auctions are great place to pick up superb desks and that perfect office
chair, plus other practical equipment, if you’re working from home rather
more these days.
And of course we all have a soft spot for the fine art furniture, which
just makes you go ‘wow’ when you check out the level of work and detail.
Even ultra-modern homes can accommodate carefully chosen period
antiques from Georgian through to Victorian and Edwardian times.
Modern light oak furniture
such as this sideboard comes up
regularly at auction.
This oxblood leather
armchair sold at auction for
£210.
Just with personal interior design taste, everyone has their favourite.
It goes a little further than furniture, too – wave goodbye to those blank
walls and choose from a huge selection of pictures ranging from original
oils and limited edition prints to vintage posters and decorative art.
Whatever your vibe or colour scheme, you can find a unique piece at
auction which will make you smile every time you look at it.
Mirrors of all shapes and sizes and superb quality rugs can be picked up
reasonably at auction along with other home furnishings such as vases,
dinner services and canteens of cutlery.
In fact, pretty much anything you would find in someone’s home is being
sold at auction nowadays.
It’s a clean sweep which even covers the bathroom – one of our
auctions last month included an array of boxed vanity units, basins, taps,
sinks, shower trays and doors, panels, toilets, a roll top bath and lighting
mirrors.
We won’t be leaving out the kitchen either – we sell white goods of all
shapes and sizes, often in superb condition, including fridges, freezers,
tumble driers, washing machines, vacuum cleaners and power tools along
with other electricals such as televisions, vintage record players and
modern hi-fi sound systems. And we PAT test them all.
It’s perfectly possible to pick up a nearly new Samsung, LG or Sony LED
TV at auction for just £100.
As we’re talking entertainment, the furniture department also handles
pianos from the most prestigious grand to homely uprights.
A sale last month featured bagatelle boards and a brilliant foldaway bar
billiards; a full-size billiards table sold earlier in February and we’ve handled
games tables incorporating chess, backgammon and even a roulette wheel.
As this magazine was going to press our current auction included a
superb table football game.
And still we haven’t even talked about the garden!
Let’s step through our imaginary conservatory – yes, we handle all the
furniture you need for in there, too! – and survey the outdoors.
From maintenance of your lawn and borders to decorating the patio,
you can access it all at auction.
Although we feature outdoor items in our regular Antiques & Home
Sales throughout the year, a specialist garden sale is an annual spring event
for us.
Our last dedicated garden sale in June 2020 became what’s known as a
‘white glove sale’, meaning every single lot sold.
The 2021 Garden Sale on Monday 19th April, features 200 lots including
more than 20 lawnmowers, a ride on mower, benches, garden tables and
chairs, statues, stoneware, troughs, ladders, tools, potted external shrubs
and trees – even beehives!
So auctions really do have it all, from antiques to apiaries. After all,
there’s nothing like home sweet home!
For furniture enquiries, email tom@richardwinterton.co.uk.
The Garden Sale on Monday, April 19, starts at 11am at The Lichfield
Auction Centre, Wood End Lane, Fradley Park. If the Government’s road
map out of lockdown continues as planned, bidders will be allowed to view
outside before the sale – check www.richardwinterton.co.uk for up-todate
details, email office@richardwinterton.co.uk or telephone 01543
251081.