Adding Antique Elegance to Your Living Room With Carved Coffee Tables

The unmistakable richness that a classic antique carved coffee table can bring to your living room is unmatched by any modern designs. Let me tell you that it's not very easy to find the perfect piece as most of these gems are either tucked away in small town museums or still in use in someone's living room that has been passed down from generation to generation and possesses a wealth of sentimental value and heritage.

If you do come across a genuine antique carved coffee table you will immediately notice the quality in the craftsmanship as well as the richness of it's age, these are qualities that just cannot be massed produced or copied. In my opinion they are works of art comparable to that of great painting or sculptures. Back in those days it took a well trained craftsman over a year or two to produce one piece, the drying process of the wood itself took about six to eight months alone, needless to say it was not force dried by any machine or drying oven that are in use today.

This article describes the actual meaning of the word antique and not the term "Antique" that is commonly referred to the modern process of making a new coffee table look antique by means of a range of treatment and aging processes. We are talking about really old, handmade carved coffee tables that date back anything from fifty to two hundred years old. It goes without saying that these coffee tables are particularly valuable and more often than not are not even recognized as being valuable by the current owners. You sometimes find that these gems have been shipped off to the garage or attic to make space for "modern decor" furniture. So the owners are very pleasantly surprised when they find out they have a real antique carved coffee table that is far more valuable than they imagined.

There are some very clear, unmistakable identifiers that you can look out for that will tell you that you have a genuine antique carved coffee table on your hands. The first thing to look out for is the fact that it is made of real solid wood, this may seem obvious but some modern tables mask this fact very well, the weight of the table will be a sure sign of it's solid wood makeup. The second sign that needs to be observed if the fact that the carvings are real, on close inspection, you will notice that they are not perfect and clearly done by hand and not some modern machine. Thirdly, take note of it's texture and design, you should get a clear feeling that this is no modern piece. Lastly, try and follow the tables lineage, get some history on the piece this may give away valuable clues to it's authenticity. If all of these bases are covered the make contact with your local antique dealer and get the unit valued. Who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Source : ezinearticles