The wishlist name can't be left blank

There is a wonderful team of people behind the scenes at Lorfords, many of which you don't get to see. What better way to introduce them than with their top picks in our Lorfords Christmas Gift Guide! From thoughtful gifts to extra seating, we're getting you ready for the festivities.

Toby Lorford, Director

Toby's top picks include a striking 19th Century Italian enfilade of a bold architectural design and a beautiful pair of 19th Century Tuscan wall sconces, decorated in traditional cream and gilt.

19th Century Italian Painted Enfilade

Pair of 19th Century Tuscan Wall Sconces

Alice Hagues, General Manager

Alice's top picks include a classic 1930's design Lloyd Loom sofa in original French grey paintwork and a stylish Modernist textile screen in the manner of Edward Bawden.

20th Century Lloyd Loom Sofa

Modernist Textile Screen

Carly Watkins, Marketing Manager

Carly's top picks include a large black-and-white image of a Roman emperor in the style of Timney Fowler and a pair of Art Deco armchairs which have recently been reupholstered in an attractive monochrome colour palette.

Large Contemporary Image of a Roman Emperor

Pair of French Art Deco Armchairs

Heidi Hadfield, Sales Manager and Accounts

Heidi's top picks include an iconic wicker Harley Davidson motorcycle designed by Tom Dixon and a charming pair of carved oak cherubs dating to circa 1880.

20th Century Tom Dixon Wicker Motorcycle

Pair of 19th Century Carved Cherubs

Robert Evans, Logistics Manager

Rob's top picks include a luxurious blue velvet armchair paired with the perfect Christmas afternoon set-up; a fabulous brass drinks trolley and a Parisian-style silverplate cocktail shaker.

Late 19th Century Blue Velvet Armchair

20th Century French Brass Drinks Trolley

Large Parisian Style Silverplate Cocktail Shaker

Jane Body, Sales

Jane's top picks include a comfortable English Country House chaise longue with hidden storage and a charming 20th Century feather-filled carpet cushion.

20th Century English Country House Chaise Longue

20th Century Feather Field Carpet Cushion

Tom Valentine, Sales

Tom's top picks include a wonderful untouched George III secretaire estate cupboard and a superb English club fender of large proportions.

George III Oak Secretaire Estate Cabinet

Large 19th Century Club Fender

Hattie Icke, Logistics Coordinator

Hattie's top picks include an original 19th Century French carpet sofa from the Napoleon III period and a charming pair of silverplate Mr and Mrs napkin rings in their original box.

19th Century French Carpet Sofa

Pair of 20th Century Madame and Monsieur Napkin Rings

Kate Williams, Sales and Stylist

Kate's top picks include a wonderfully shaped two-seat sofa featuring a scalloped back, enclosed sides and sloping armrests and a fabulous pair of 20th Century clam shells.

1960s Italian Lounge Suite

Pair of 20th Century Clam Shells

Eleanor Buonaparte, Dealer Liaison and Stock Coordinator

Eleanor's top picks include a 20th Century lacquer and gilt Chinese screen, depicting cranes and gold-painted bamboo to the reverse, and a stunning 19th Century drop-end red Chesterfield sofa.

20th Century Chinese Lacquer Screen

19th Century Red Velvet Sofa

Stephanie Ashby, Photographer

Steph's top picks include a fine early 19th Century complete circular tree seat from the Regency period, and a late 20th Century print of Liz Hurley by John Stoddart which rests on a stylish lucite and brass display tripod with adjustable blocks.

Regency Circular Wrought Iron Tree Seat

20th Century French Lucite Easel

Late 20th Century Liz Hurley Print by John Stoddart

Sophie Jones, Marketing Assistant

Sophie's top picks include a 19th Century French chaise longue in pink velvet and a beautiful framed black and white French scenic wallpaper depicting an attractive lakeside scene.

19th Century Upholstered Pink Banquette

French Scenic Wallpaper

Piers Ingall, Stock Vetter

Piers' top picks include a fabulous pair of Italian marquetry and ormolu bedside tables and a truly outstanding 19th Century folk art diorama model of Tower Bridge, London.

Pair of Italian Marquetry Bedside Tables

19th Century Model of Tower Bridge

Dave Jeens, Restorer

Dave's top picks include a 20th Century coffee table with a drawer and its original key, a lovely example of an early 20th Century Edwardian elbow chair and a stylish 20th Century opaline glass table lamp.

Small 20th Century Coffee Table

20th Century Elbow Chair

Giant Mid-Century Style Opaline Glass Table Lamp

Jordan Anderson, Logistics

Jordan's top picks include an elegant French Meridienne sofa and in the spirit of the World Cup, a pair of 19th Century medici lions.

19th Century French Meridienne Sofa

19th Century Carved Pair Medici Lions

Chris Butterworth, Logistics

Chris' top picks include a lovely buttoned and tufted sofa of small proportions and a wonderful large-scale French zinc clock face in its original iron frame.

Small 19th Century Swedish Buttoned Sofa

French 20th Century Zinc Turret Clock Face

Cody Roberts, Logistics

Cody's top picks include a lovely English golden oak occasional table with a single drawer and a superb pair of French 18th Century Louis XV bergéres.

19th Century English Golden Oak Occasional Table

Pair of French 18th Century Louis XV Bergeres

The 20th Century was an era of innovation and flair in the lighting sphere. Two post-war periods saw an influx of new materials as well as a desire to move away from traditional designs. This was the age of the Sputnik pendant, stunning Murano glass lamps, and a host of other revolutionary lighting designs.

Iconic retro and vintage lightingHumans and lighting

For most of our history, we relied upon daylight, moonlight, and dubious candles to get by. Gaslight arrived in the 19th Century, but it was reserved for commercial and industrial settings at first and had its fair share of drawbacks.

The greatest revolution in domestic lighting came in the 1870s. Joseph Swan and Thomas Edison invented the first commercially viable incandescent light bulbs. These offered a much cleaner and safer solution than gaslighting. The National Grid rose to the challenge of roll-out, and by the end of the 1930s the number of homes wired for electricity rose from 6% in 1919 to 2/3s.

The spread of electricity in the early 20th Century set the stage for some of the most ground-breaking lighting designs in history. Today, lighting is an essential element in the interior tapestry, both in form and function. Layers are key to this, and vintage lighting, with its brilliant spectrum of design styles, can fulfill any brief.

Vintage task lighting

Lighting, perhaps more than any other interior feature, will always need optimal function as well as good looks. A major functional breakthrough came in the development of task lighting in the early 20th Century. Task lighting is designed to aid specific activities, from reading to sewing. It encompasses floor lamps, table lamps, and desk lamps. The last of these has a particularly fascinating history.

Like all great designs, social context played a big role in the development of task lighting. An early entrepreneur in this field was Curt Fischer, who ran a German metal workshop. His company, Midgard, invented its first lights in 1919. These lamps were informed by an acute study of human behaviour. Midgard was deeply inspired by Bauhaus principles and vice versa. Throughout the 20s and 30s, the driving force behind task lighting was factories and workshops. As the 20th Century progressed, they found a whole new relevance through emerging corporate work culture.

Iconic retro and vintage lightingThe Anglepoise effect

The ergonomics behind early designs responded to common human problems. Slouching over a desk for long hours has long presented side effects. With their articulated arms bending – quite literally – to the user’s will, early task lights addressed this issue.

Despite plenty of experimentation during the early 20th Century, it was one George Carwardine who invented the desk lamp as we know it today. Far from a lighting designer by trade, Carwardine specialised in car engineering. Upon observing the suspension mechanisms in vehicles he worked on, Carwardine realised the same could work for lights.

By using a new sort of spring and pivoting arms, he achieved balance without the need for counterweights. He patented the new helical spring in 1932, but he chose to outsource production to the company that supplied his springs. So, Carwardine worked on new designs whilst Herbert Terry took over the manufacture, and the Terry Anglepoise lamp was born.

The first Anglepoise model, 1227, became available to the general public in 1935. The outbreak of WWII helped rather than hindered them, as they marketed it as the ideal blackout lamp for keeping light localised. Herbert Terry continued to adapt to the zeitgeist throughout the 20th Century. For example, during the 60s and 70s the company produced lamps in an array of vibrant shades.

Setting the standard

These early designers and manufacturers were so successful that most later desk lamps have looked very similar. Articulated lamps are still much sought-after, especially in the current mode of home working. It wasn’t always about creating the most focused light possible, as Hans-Agne Jakobsson proved. The renowned Swedish designer mastered anti-glare, diffused and muted lighting. We consider these same qualities indispensable in our interiors today.

Iconic retro and vintage lighting

Italian vintage lighting

Whether you’re looking for a workshop lamp or a statement chandelier, vintage lighting is such a large pool that you cannot go wrong. If you’re after artisanal beauty, there’s one country that gets it right every time. This feels like an apt moment to quote our interview with Toma Clark-Haines, the Antiques Diva. ‘Lighting is the jewellery of the room and sets the vibe of a space. When it comes to lighting, it’s got to be Italian.’

It's not hard to see why Toma covets Italian lighting. Italy was home to the likes of Gio Ponti and Gaetano Sciolari during the 20th Century. They also had one major asset when it came to lighting design: the glassmakers of Murano. When this stunning hand-blown glass met with stylish Mid Century forms, the result was breathtaking.

Successful designers such as Gino Sarfatti treated lighting as an art form, producing reams of lamps in his lifetime. You appreciate these pieces as an art form before even thinking of them as a light, but function was never sacrificed for style.

Lamps by the likes of Carlo Nason, the famed Murano glass artist, shatter the boundaries of traditional lighting. Colour is the most mesmerising feature in any Murano glass lamp, with a dazzling array of vibrant shades.

As always, Italian manufacturers played a key role alongside these individual designers. Mazzega, for instance, started out in 1946 and still operates today under the grandson of founder Angelo Vittorio Mazzega. The company, then and now, works with the very best international lighting designers – all in the medium of gorgeous Murano glass. When you hear Mazzega, their chandeliers made up of densely packed leaves of Murano glass often spring to mind.

Iconic retro and vintage lighting

Vintage lighting legends

Explosive talent ricocheted through Europe and America in this period and shook the design world. Interior rule books were torn up and rewritten more frequently than ever before. Again, more often than not the most iconic designs speak to their historical and social context. You can almost map social developments through just a few distinctive lights and their makers.

The Sputnik chandelier

The fabulous Sputnik chandelier was influenced by a fascination with all things space-related in the Mid Century. Its origin is disputed due to the many interpretations of this pendant light, but the very first came from Gino Sarfatti – the Italian modernist designer.

As with George Carwardine, Sarfatti was not a destined lighting designer. He was an aeronautical engineer by trade but seized the opportunity for extra income when his family fell on hard times. Sarfatti called his designs ‘rational’ lights, in reference to their efficiency and simple aesthetic.

The Sputnik, with its branches pointing in all directions, was a very successful experiment in directional light. Its metal form gives it an industrial edge, but it somehow feels glamorous at the same time. This seminal design is named after the Soviet Union’s first-ever satellite, launched in 1957. Sciolari was among the designers who designed their own version of this classic.

Singular design houses shifted seamlessly with changing tastes throughout the century. A good example is Maison Jansen, the Paris-based favourite of royals and elites. They spanned traditional Louis XVI, Art Deco, and modernism in over 100 years of operation. In the 70s, their iconic palm tree and ananas floor and table lamps revived Hollywood Regency glamour with brilliant results. These brass lamps with their natural themes are still in high demand today for bringing exotic luxury to a space.

Iconic retro and vintage lighting

Poul Henningsen

At the other end of the spectrum, the lighting designs of Poul Henningsen are the definition of Scandi restraint. The Danish designer's motivation was akin to that of the Arts & Crafts movement – to improve people’s lives through design. His three-tiered shade designs reduced glare and distributed a soft glow throughout the room.

His first pendant, the PH lamp, was produced in 1926 by Louis Poulson and met with global acclaim. Henningsen designed his first PH Artichoke for a modernist Copenhagen restaurant in 1958. This stylish spiky pendant remains a firm favourite amongst collectors.

 

Shop the look...

The 20th Century saw perhaps the most extensive and successful range of lighting designs in history. The lighting produced in this period is indispensable to our interiors, whatever your personal taste.

The designs covered in this article don’t even scratch the surface of vintage lighting. However, they do give some idea of its sheer quality and range. Shop all our 20th Century lighting on our website, as well as our whole collection of Mid Century design.

Spark your imagination with our lookbook, ‘Iconic retro lighting

Read more on lighting...

Antique lanterns for autumn evenings

Sean Symington's top tips on lighting your home this autumn

Traditionalists have lamented the downfall of ‘brown’ furniture in popular taste for decades. But like all great things, antique dark wood is making a comeback – and for good reason.

What exactly is brown furniture?

19th Century Burr Walnut Gueridon

19th Century burr walnut gueridon.

Even the name is unfair, and frankly lazy. Brown furniture implies plainness and drudgery, when in fact it encompasses a brilliant spectrum of pattern and colour. Usually, brown furniture refers to solid dark woods like walnut, mahogany, rosewood and teak. It can also apply to any wooden furniture that has been stained dark at some point in its life. 

‘Brown’ is a weak adjective though. These quality woods often feature a whole rainbow of browns, but also red, yellow, and black hues. A beautifully figured burr walnut table looks totally different to a mellowed oak refectory table, for example. 'Brown’ sells both short.

The wood itself aside, we commonly associate brown furniture with a certain style too. The heavy-duty furniture that adorned your grandmother's home, polished twice daily and kept out of reach of grubby hands, might spring to mind.

But centuries of cabinet-making produced reams of dark wood furniture in different forms. From slender and elegant Edwardian cabinets to bold and expressive Regency tables, brown furniture critics unfairly lump a vast range of styles into one bracket.

Somewhere around the 70s, we started to turn on this furniture. The forward-thinking Mid Century Modern approach quickly made traditional antique furniture look tired and dated. Luckily, trends are always cyclical, and the brown furniture renaissance is finally here.

Why your interiors need dark wood

The main reason why you shouldn’t dismiss brown furniture is its quality. Genuine period furniture from the Victorian, Regency and Georgian eras reflects expert cabinet-making. Manufacturers like Holland & Sons and Gillows of Lancaster set a high standard for craftsmanship in their fields.

Even simple country antique furniture demonstrates impressive skill. The charming bobbin-turning on a side table or chair stiles from the pre-industrial era reflect hours of handiwork at the wooden lathe. Such features are remarkably popular in contemporary furniture right now, so sourcing an original - probably for cheaper - is a no-brainer.

Georgian mahogany chest on chest

The sturdy construction speaks for itself; antique wooden furniture has served its purpose for over 100 years. If you need extra bedroom storage, an English 18th Century commode, made from solid wood with spacious drawers and working handles, is going to do the job just fine. Dining tables that have endured perhaps thousands of different family dinners in their lifetime aren’t about to let you down now.

But the best word to describe what brown furniture bestows on an interior is gravitas. A tall Georgian chest on chest, with gleaming colour and graining and decorative brass handles, demands respect. It commands attention and authority in a room, seeming to draw all the other elements towards it. This is the power of traditional antique furniture. One or two imposing brown wood pieces will mature any interior, even the shiniest new build property.

Brown furniture myths

This sort of furniture can alienate people, feeling too stern or formal for their tastes. However, just because this furniture was designed for Georgian or Regency townhouses doesn't mean it won't look right anywhere else. Be imaginative with your styling and you can make antiques relevant for a 21st Century setting.

There is plenty of inspiration out there, as we increasingly see brown furniture in a diverse range of interiors. Majestic antiques are finding homes in contemporary flats, apartments and loft conversions. It all comes back to contrast, the greatest interior trick in the book.

We are not defined by one style. An antique mahogany dining table looks fantastic surrounded by abstract contemporary art, for instance. If you are limited on space, a well-chosen piece of antique dark wood furniture, like a walnut bookcase, instantly creates a mature space.

If your style is more modern, incorporate antique wood furniture sparingly and don’t fear juxtaposition. A tall mahogany cabinet in the same room as a glass and chrome coffee table adds depth and interest. Taking risks is essential for creating that friction that makes an interior successful. Equally, the Mid Century take on brown wood was all sleek lined and sculptural. A teak sideboard from this era will bring the same qualities as antique examples, just with a more contemporary feel.

The colour question

18th Century Dutch Commode

Dutch 18th Century commode.

For many, colour is a major consideration when it comes to choosing furniture. Those who aren’t a fan of colour in general tend to gravitate towards whitewashed interiors. Others will match their furniture colours to other interior elements like paint. Lots of us jump to paint a piece of brown furniture to make it fit into a wider scheme.

However, it is important to remember that brown IS a colour – it is not a blank canvas. Natural timber, beautifully aged and patinated, is one of the loveliest colours you can have in an interior. It also works well with a remarkable range of colours, patterns, and textures.

With light paint and minimalist furnishings, a mahogany commode in the living room will ground the scheme and add richness. Equally, brown furniture will look brilliant within a moody scheme paired with rich dark paint. Look at the dominant hues in the wood and use paint and soft furnishings to draw out those colours.

Breathe new life

Dark wood furniture was designed to be well used and well-loved, and this should still be our approach today. Keeping it in check just requires a little TLC, as our in-house restorer Dave explains. 

Hopefully, we have convinced you to resist the urge to send that old chest of drawers you inherited to landfill or to paint over it. Instead, embrace its quality and natural aged colour and breathe new life into it.
Browse our antique cabinet furniture on our website, as well as our extensive collection of dining furniture. To find out more about creating sustainable interiors with antiques, read our latest article ‘Sustainable antiques for soulful homes.'

'Work from home.’ It’s the phrase that has defined the last ten months or so of our lives. Whether or not home has always been the natural habitat for your work, many have rushed to transform part of their house into a workspace. The Lorfords collection is full of unique pieces that will bring your dream Mid Century Modern home office to life.

The psychology of our interiorsJohn Guida fashion designs, lucite lamps, mid century furniture

Studies show that the more personal control we have over our office space, the happier we are. The ability to get creative with our workspace and have our favourite furnishings close at hand is a silver lining of the current circumstances.

One of the biggest challenges of staying at home has been drawing a line between work time and our personal lives. This gives you all the more reason to invest in your office space and create an environment you want to spend all day in, before returning to those parts of your home that you associate with relaxing.

Calm, uncluttered surroundings encourage efficiency and productivity. This can be difficult to achieve at home, but by dedicating a space for work you are halfway there, and Mid Century Modern design will do the rest.

It can be easy to feel as though you are ‘playing office’ whilst working from home, so it’s important to get creative with your space and invest in it. Stylish and useful furniture is conducive to your productivity, as well as your happiness.

A la modeMid Century side table, lucite magazine holder, chinoiserie chair

Media and popular culture have made Mid Century design an object of fascination. From the smooth teak and glass of the Mad Men office to the contemporary prints and low chairs of Miranda Priestley’s office in The Devil Wears Prada, the understated glamour of a Mid Century Modern office is well-known.

The post-war period was a new age of prosperity, and many migrated to urban and suburban areas. After the horrors of war, there was a desire for more human, organic and natural design. Inspiration was sought from America and Scandinavia, and designers eagerly embraced new materials like plywood and plastic. Manufacturers had machinery and mass production at their disposal, so luckily many fantastic pieces survive today.

Furnishing newly built homes and smaller living spaces saw design take on new priorities, and functionality was a top priority. Designers didn’t skimp on style, however, and the iconic designs they brought to life have timeless appeal.

Mid Century designersJapanned cupboard, Mid Century Modern, home office

Designers of the Mid Century Modern period wanted to make furniture accessible to everyone, not just the very wealthy. The contributors to this new democratic style were many, including Arne Jacobsen and Harry Bertoia. Ray and Charles Eames were the design power couple of their day, and it's their executive desk that graces Don Draper's office in Mad Men.

Far from dull, design in this period was full of juxtapositions. Designs were extremely varied, and you might struggle to spot what a marshmallow sofa and a teak sideboard have in common. However, there were certain principles that united these designers in their plight: fine craftsmanship, quality, and chic style.

The straight-lined silhouettes of Mid Century Modern furniture make it the perfect choice for an office. Manufacturers of the period, such as Herman Miller, focussed in on office furniture and produced desks, chairs, and savvy storage solutions. George Nelson was a key mover and shaker in Mid Century Modern design. His iconic Storagewall design captured attention far and wide and he is credited with designing the first L-Shaped desk.

Redefine 'office'Mid Century Modern, home office

There’s more to working life than a desk and a chair. Nobody wants to work amongst empty cups of tea and a teetering stack of paperwork, but many of us do. It may be a cliché, but it’s difficult to argue with the concept of ‘tidy desk, tidy mind.’

It's often unrealistic to reimagine a whole room of the home in one style, but a few key pieces will transform a space. Credenzas and sideboards were already furniture stalwarts, but they were revolutionised in this period. Fitting unobtrusively against the wall, they provide storage and a surface for display. Most importantly, a sideboard or low cabinet means you can keep stress-inducing clutter out of sight.

When it comes to designing an office space, the mood can tend towards the clinical. Mid Century Modern is the perfect antidote to monotony because designers reinterpreted basic furniture with innovation and creative flair. Designers made chairs that were lower and broader, often supported on splayed UFO-style legs. They made many office-style chairs, with reclining and swivel functions. You've got your pick when it comes to desk chairs and should indulge in a big upholstered armchair for when you need a break.

Lighting was the major triumph of Mid Century design, and designs are famous and sought-after today. From practical floor lamps to Sciolari's spectacular sputnik light, lighting is the ultimate flourish for a 20th Century home office. Maison Charles’ iconic palm standard lamps demonstrate how natural forms were embraced in this period, and they make a great statement in an office setting.

Punchy Mid Century modern accentsLucite magazine holder, Mid Century Modern, home office

20th Century design was far from solely utilitarian. Designs from this period were full of creative flair, and this should be reflected in a Mid Century Modern office. This was the heyday of faux tortoiseshell, glass, contrasting woods, bright colour, and abstract art. Adorn a brass and glass coffee table with a lucite magazine holder, or fabulous colourful glasswork by Val Saint Lambert.

There’s no point in working in a space that won’t inspire creativity and progress. Surround yourself with fabulous contemporary art and sculpture that makes you feel content and calm. Colour and character are key to boosting your mood in a long working day. This was an age of bold and pioneering design, and by surrounding yourself with examples of it you encourage the same in your work endeavours.

Whatever your personal style, there is something to love in this spectacular period of design. Mid Century Modern pieces have the power to transform a space into the perfect home office. For further inspiration, have a browse of our lookbook: Office Envy.

On the 22nd September, at 2.30pm, the autumn equinox will occur as we go about our Tuesday afternoons. Light and dark will be in balance and the new astronomical season will begin.

The science and spirituality of the equinoxAntique candlesticks, Syrian dowry chest

For the Northern Hemisphere, the autumn equinox takes place in September. At the same time, the vernal equinox marks the beginning of Spring for the Southern Hemisphere.

Before the dawn of clocks for telling time, ancient cultures paid close attention to these astronomical movements and found symbolic importance in the equinox. In ancient Greek mythology, it signified the return of the goddess Persephone to the underworld where she is reunited with her husband Hades.

Chinese and Korean cultures have celebrated the full moon closest to the autumn equinox for millennia. This involved giving praise for a successful rice harvest and making offerings to the moon.

The equinox is still widely celebrated by Pagan and Wiccan communities today. They celebrate the Festival of Mabon on the equinox, Mabon being the 'Child of Light' in Welsh mythology. The symbol of Mabon is the cornucopia, the horn of plenty.

Fresh beginningsLouis XVI chair, demi lune, antique candlesticks, bleached oak mirror

The resonance of autumn is multi-faceted and very powerful. As the leaves change colour and begin to fall, we are reminded of change and impermanence. This is not a time to be morose however and the autumn is a wonderful time for self-reflection and cultivating a safe, comfortable home.

F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said, 'life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.' Harvest is about reaping what you have sown and preserving and enjoying it. The crops will begin to die and animals start to hibernate. The process then starts all over again, in a cycle of renewal. Indeed, the word 'aftermath' is used to describe a new batch of cuttings or mown crops, signifying that there is more to come.

Take the symbolism of fresh beginnings, marked by the autumn equinox, as an opportunity for change and improvement. The home should never be stagnant; just as we start dressing differently and eating differently as the seasons change, your home is ready for a refresh.

Autumnal design

Syrian dowry chest, sciolari chandelier

Fear not, it's not yet time for full winter hibernation. In fact, there's a certain frugality to autumn which stems from traditions of preservation after the harvest.

Inevitably, we begin to spend more and more time indoors during the autumn. However, it is still important to bring elements of the outdoors into the home and autumn has some of the most beautiful natural offerings.

Decoration need not be excessive. Because the changing of the seasons is as old as time, there are beautiful antiques perfect for marking the autumn equinox. Combine sculptural or ceramic representations of the cornucopia with wheat sheafs, apples and pumpkins for a seasonal display.

At this food orientated time, consider investing in some unique antique tableware and kitchenalia. We stock wonderful serving dishes, glasses, decanters and much more so that you can host with effortless style.

Don't feel constrained to a minimalist, stripped back look. Autumn signifies renewal and starting over, as well as preserving. Combine antique and contemporary trends and don't be afraid to incorporate heavy materials and bold colour. Simply crafted, heavy woods make a beautiful contrast with brass and bronze accents such as sunburst mirrors and candle sconces.

Rustic charmantique chinese hide trunk

This time of year is traditionally about food. The harvest has been brought in and its all about maximising ingredients. The kitchen should be full of warmth, food and family at this time of the year.

Bleached oak and other fresh timbers look wonderful in the kitchen, perfect for holding colourful produce and decoration. Due to the age old traditions of the equinox and harvest, here at Lorfords we have some fantastic pieces for this time of year.

Incorporate the concept of balance, so integral to the spirituality of the equinox, into your interiors. As the nights get longer, have multiple sources of soft lights with compelling light fittings.

In our collection of antique lighting, we have a wheat sheaf chandelier and a decorative harvest chandelier, which are perfect for the kitchen or dining room. Striking light fittings such as these make for an effective contrast with simple natural materials. More subtle choices, such as lanterns and wall lights, always bring effortless charm and atmosphere to interiors.

Of course, textiles always play a part in setting the perfect tone in your home. Soften minimalist rooms with upholstered furniture and soft rugs, using the fireplace or kitchen table as a focal point.

If you are stuck for inspiration, our hangars at Babdown Airfield offer two amazing showrooms filled with unique antiques that can revolutionise an interior.

Visit our lookbook, 'Shifting seasons,' to browse our autumnal antiques.