As the weather takes a turn for the worst and the sun sets sooner in the day, hats coats and scarves are layered up over thick jumpers and try their best to keep us warm. At Reindeer antiques, the Christmas tree is up in the window and, this year, is surrounded by some of the finest Comic Art prints on Kensington Church Street.Eager to welcome back a firm favourite, we are delighted to hang many of Annie Tempest's original watercolours and prints on our walls. Full of wit and good humour and renowned for its weekly appearance in Country Life, the artwork from Tempest's series Tottering By Gently is sure to put a smile on your face.

The connections between architecture and furniture design are longstanding. Zaha Hadid, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and Robert Adam are all known to have designed both buildings and furniture and supplied inspiration and patronage to furniture makers. At Reindeer Antiques we focus on Georgian furniture and it is clear, even to an untrained eye, that there are many similarities between this period of furniture design and the classical vocabulary used for buildings. It only seems right that the interior design of great houses should marry that of their framed envelope. At Reindeer Antiques we have several pieces of furniture from the George I period (1714 – 1727), a time when great Palladian mansions such as Moor Park, Holkham, Chiswick and Houghton were built. These Kentian houses were designed like classical temples and their interiors were similarly grand. Gilded furniture incorporated architectural motifs which were theatrical and flamboyant. Side-tables and console tables had Italian marble tops and were gilt decorated with friezes worked with Vitruvian-scroll moulding. Heads of gods, sphinx, eagles, dolphins, satyrs and nymphs could be used in equal measure on both buildings and furniture. On display we presently have a pair of beautifully carved George I period giltwood wall brackets supported by Greek styled female masks. Their design bears a strong resemblance to the female masks carved on the entablature of the marble hall at Raynham Hall, Norfolk by William Kent.

City living is not an obstacle for the antique furniture lover. Even though there are certainly pieces created for grand historical homes, there is a wealth of others that can be seamlessly integrated in a more modestly sized space. There are a few key elements to take in consideration when buying antiques for a flat or pied-à-terre.  The first one is to find pieces proportional to the space available. There are beautiful pieces that are of nimbler proportions that will fulfill the purpose of bigger ones just as well. For example, this pair of Louis XV design side tables is lower and daintier than some of its counterparts. These would work well as bedside tables for lower set beds or if the distance between the wall and the bed is narrow. Highly ornate styles can also be found in smaller pieces. These mirrors may be small , but the tear shape lengthens them and the ornamentation makes a bold impression.The second one is to look for pieces that have elegant and elongated lines. These characteristics help create a sense of height, lightness and space. This spider table is a good example of this. The dark shade of mahogany and thinness of the legs create a beautiful sense of elongation and space.The third one is to find pieces that are versatile and adaptable. Tables that have flaps allow for the perfect compromise between daily need for space and hosting guests on special occasions. This gorgeous Pembroke table is a great example of this. The center is beautifully decorated with marquetry, which makes it an eye catching piece, whether or not the flaps are deployed.  The fourth one is to look for pieces with a practical shape. Ovals are better suited for wider spaces while rectangles and squares can easily be placed against a wall or in a corner to maximize space. To create even more space than with the above-pictured tripod table, the placement of the legs is also something to look at. Having swept legs or four at each corner will allow sliding a chair underneath. This will help to create more space, but can also create a small office space. For more inspiration, do not hesitate to consult our frequently updated Pinterest board dedicated to the subject or drop by our showroom.

SALLY ARNUP'A Life in Bronze'To visit Sally Arnup in her Yorkshire studio is to enter an enchanted world. The first thing you encounter is the sheer vitality of an artist who has been creating extraordinary sculptures continuously since leaving the Camberwell School of Art in the late 1950s. The second thing you encounter is the menagerie with which she shares her home, one barn owl, three Tawney owls, a long eared rabbit, a flock of sheep, a brood of chickens and an excitable English pointer called Phidias. Let there be no doubt about it, Sally Arnup adores animals and birds and it is this passion that fires her creativity and inspires her work.

An Afternoon of Georgian History and Hospitality

Eat Drink & Be Merry: History and Hospitality Combine in a New Selling Exhibition

On opening the ATG last week, I saw a double page spread of pictures of pocket watches. Unfortunately these were all photographs of watches that had been stolen from a property in London earlier this year.  This had me thinking: How would one know the difference between a real antique pocket watch, and a very good fake one? Pocket watches aren’t my field so I thought I would write a blog about spotting fakes, copies and reproductions in an area I know about: furniture.