Refinished & Reupholstered Antique Sofa

As you know, I love to visit antique shops to find that one antique that noone else sees or appreciates. I like to save some antiques from a certain death (junking) and watch, over a period of months, as I bring them back to life.

I found this antique sofa in a second hand furniture shop. It was a mess and under a bunch of other furniture but I knew when I saw it it was a real treasure. The sofa is about 150 years old (circa 1860) and is made of oak and mahogany wood. I believe it came from Cape May, New Jersey and was being junked. I paid $50 for it. When I was tearing it down I found a reupholstering tag from Nov 15, 1915. I did the woodworking myself and had a local upholsterer do the fabric. It really turned out nice.

Finished Antique Bookcase and Lamp

This antique bookcase is Quarter Sawn Oak. It was probably constructed around 1880 to 1890. I inherited it from my grandmother so it probably came from her mother or from my grandfather's side of the family. Once I got started it took about 4 weeks to complete. No real history that I know of other than it came from South Jersey.




As for the antique lamp, I found the lamp buried in sand in the basement of an abandoned house with the entire base nearly rotted away. I think the wood for the lamp is Mahogany and I think it too dates to the 1890's. I rebuilt the base and wired it, but kept all the original hardware, and had the shade redone. I really enjoy this antique lamp and often sit beneath it reading very old books and just imagine someone before me doing the same thing.

Antique Furniture I'm Working On