By Cynthia Wihardja, Beau Nash Antiques
Bath has more than its share of narrow corridors, steep staircases, low ceilings and awkward corners. Because of that, most of our stock is medium to small in scale, because a piece is no good to anyone if it can’t get up the stairs of a Georgian terrace.
Antique pieces are often better suited to small homes than modern ones, simply because can be repurposed. A chest doubles as a coffee table. A drop-leaf table opens up for guest evenings and folds flat the rest of the time. A game table becomes a lovely console after game night.
None of this is new thinking. In Georgian and Victorian homes, furniture was a status symbol, and plenty of households owned than they needed. A multipurpose piece built two centuries ago often copes with a small room far better than something designed to do only one thing.
Our advice is to choose scale over style. A gorgeous chest of drawers is a bad buy if it blocks the door. Check the height against your ceiling, the footprint against your walkway. Secondly, be honest about its potential use. In small rooms, everything needs to have a job. Decorative pieces may not be your first priority.
Common Styling Mistakes
Underestimating depth. Width gets all the attention, but depth is what actually gets you in trouble. A cabinet can look perfectly proportioned face-on, but is too deep to allow proper walking space.
Cramming too much. Mixing periods can be interesting, but every piece needs breathing room to actually be seen. Otherwise you’ve just got pieces competing with each other.
Forgetting about delivery access. It fits the room, but can you get it in? Tight staircases, low doorways, sharp turns, all of it can turn into a problem you didn’t see coming.
Find Your Piece
A small home can absolutely carry antique furniture, it just needs choosing with a bit more care than a bigger house demands. Look for pieces that are compact, genuinely useful, and well-proportioned for your home.
Have a look through our collection of medium to small pieces if you’re furnishing a smaller home and want something with a bit more character than usual.
If you’re local, we’re offer a home trial so you can see it in your room before committing. This will help you buy better and prevent buyer’s remorse. View our shop online or come see us in Brock Street.
Beau Nash Antiques
Antique Shop in Bath
28 and 31 Brock St, BA1 2
beaunashbath.com; info@beaunashbath.com; www.antiquesilver.shop
07535137808 @beaunashbath