Brown furniture tops the tables at Cotswolds auction

THE so-called brown furniture revival is underway in the Cotswolds, with dark furniture dominating the table of top-sellers at Moore Allen & Innocent for the first time in years.

After pieces of antique furniture took the first, second, third and fourth spot for the first time in a decade, auctioneer Philip Allwood was moved to remark that the the vogue for light, modern furniture was waning, with customers appreciating older, darker, better-made furniture that had stood the test of time.

“For more than a decade, consumers have preferred lighter wood, particularly elm and beech,” said Philip. “Older dark woods, especially hardwoods like mahogany, fell out of fashion, but it seems buyers are getting a taste for the look again.”

At the firm’s antique and general sale on Friday (September 29) an Edwardian mahogany and inlaid display cabinet, in the Sheraton revival style, achieved the top price of the day at £1,350 – well in excess of its £100 to £150 estimate.

The next lot in the catalogue, an 18th century walnut bureau with an estimate of £200 to £300, made the second-highest lot price – £1,100 – while a Victorian mahogany chest of twenty four drawers, each inscribed with letters of the alphabet, took the number four spot at £850.

Taking third place – and demonstrating a growing interest in late 20th century furniture – a 1960s teak sideboard by Søborg Møbler of Denmark achieved £980 against an estimate of £100 to £150.

Elsewhere in the furniture section, a 19th Century dark oak bureau, which was expected to achieve between £70 and £100, sold for £750 while a pair of Regency mahogany and satinwood arm chairs with red floral decorated and cream ground upholstery achieved £620.

Outside of the furniture section, a glazed and framed collection of coins, tokens and medallions made £620, thanks in the main to an 1853 1 scudo piece and an 1873 German 10 mark gold coin.

And in the musical instruments section, a Levin LN-26 acoustic guitar was plucked for £500.

In total, £50,000 worth of antiques were bought and sold on the day. For more information about buying and selling antiques at auction, visit www.mooreallen.co.uk