I Love
Wrought Iron Furniture, But My Wife Prefers Antique Wood Furniture
Both my wife and I are great fans of
antiques, so it surprises most people when they find out how much trouble we
have agreeing on furniture. You see, although we both like old fashioned
designs, we have very different choices of materials. My wife loves anything
made out of antique wood – particularly if it is rustic and rough hewn. She has
an antique farm table that she bought for the kitchen – something that, in my
opinion, was severely overpriced. She loved antique wooden chairs, mantel
pieces, and floors.
Don't get me wrong – I like wood as well, but in my opinion you can't do better
than wrought iron furniture. In my old house, we had wrought iron dining room
chairs that were the height of elegance. They had designs that were simple and
minimal, and yet they still incorporated some beautiful decorative elements.
What I like so much about wrought iron furniture is that it reduces everything
to the minimum. It is great to see such a design, consisting of clean lines that
are easily embellished with small twists, curls, or other decorative touches. In
order to decorate wood, you have to go to great lengths, carving, staining, and
bending. With iron, however, even a simple quarter turn in a rectangular piece
can improve a design tremendously.
As a result of our differing tastes, our house is an endless reflection of an
ongoing struggle for decorative power. My wrought iron furniture dominates the
study. There is a wrought iron lamp, an antique metal lamp table, and wrought
iron shelving holding the books. Although the desk is made of wood, it has metal
legs and shelves. In the kitchen, however, there is almost no wrought iron
furniture. The chairs, the table, the cabinets, and everything else is made out
of wood.
It is amazing how well the decorations mesh. As a matter of fact, most of my
friends don't even notice the ongoing war between wrought iron furniture and
antique wood furniture until I point it out. I suppose that most people aren't
as fussy as we are. To me, the whole house looks like utter chaos, but to my
friends it almost appears as if there is a unity of design. I suppose that's all
for the best. We can continue to fight it out, one piece of furniture at a time,
and no one will ever be the wiser!
Home
|
Living Room |
Dining Room
|
Family Room
|
Bedroom
|
Bathroom
|
Kitchen
|
Furniture |
Lighting |
Wall
Coverings
|
Floor
Coverings |
Window Treatments
|
Fabric |
Colors
