Lovely new pieces available now

Apologies for the radio silence this week. As you've probably worked out by now, when I've got new projects in the workshop the blog tends to get neglected. However, the good news is that I do have some really lovely new pieces to share with you. 

I am especially excited about the fabulous vintage ladder which has an interesting provenance given it was used in the Records Office of the War Dept during the Second World War. Nice bit of history. 

Take a look at the photos below and click on the links to find more information and additional photographs, or simply visit the new arrivals page on the website at . Would love to hear your feedback as ever so please email, post on facebook or tweet me your thoughts.

Have a great weekend everyone!

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Ultimate Surfing Accessory

My pins - visit West Egg on Pinterest.

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard and if you haven't already discovered it, do pay it a visit. You can look at all sorts of inspiring boards created by people from all walks of life. West Egg has several boards including "For the Home", "West Egg loves" and "Favourite Places and Spaces". It's a simple idea but really effective and tons better than using lists of bookmarks. If you're decorating your home, planning a special event or have a list of places to visit, Pinterest is a really useful tool.

I see so many amazing ideas on design blogs and interiors websites and Pinterest lets me pin the image and revisit it at a later date. I always think I'll remember things I see. And I do. I just forget where I saw them. So for me, it's the ultimate surf accessory.

As West Egg is a relative newcomer we've only put together a few boards but I can see over time these growing and expanding into different themes and particular interiors ideas.

Visit West Egg on Pinterest by clicking here and to request an invitation to join the site simply click here.

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Top 10 Tips for Buying Antique Furniture

I get lots of emails from people who are in the market for a piece of antique furniture but don't want to get ripped off (no surprise there). Here are my top 10 tips to keep in mind when buying antiques....

• Be Prepared! If you're visiting antique fairs or auctions and have a piece of furniture in mind, say a chest of drawers, make sure you measure the area it is supposed to fit before you go. Useful things to take with you are a tape measure, camera, notebook and pen. For early morning antiques fairs you should definitely take a waterproof jacket/coat (if you don't it will rain, every time). Also a good tip is a hot flask for tea or coffee - it is very cold at 5am even in the summer months. 

• Unless a piece of furniture has been hidden away under a shroud of blankets in a country mansion for donkeys years, you should expect to see certain signs of everyday wear and tear that the hustle and bustle of life inflicts on furniture over time. Always look to see if the wear and tear on a piece of furniture is convincing and consistent - you would see normal wear on arms, legs and handles. Also, any screws, nails, handles and corners should have small patches of discolouration around them. 

• The patina and colour of a piece of furniture is acquired by a hundred years of exposure to light, daily use and regular polishing/waxing. You would expect to see marks and scratches over a long period of time, if not it may mean the surface has been stripped back and re-polished thereby losing the wonderful patina of 100+ years of use. 

• Never pick a chair up by its arms, always hold it underneath. Chairs are most liable to loose joints or broken legs so always check the joints carefully. You don't want to be left holding the leg and the rest of the chair crumbles around you. 

• Always check the proportions of a piece of furniture and ensure that each of the drawers were made in the same way and of the same wood. 

• Painted furniture was popular from the mid 18th century to the early 20th century and often pieces were repainted to reflect the fashion of the day. Fake antique painted furniture is often convincingly replicated because it incorporates a realistic distressed effect. Always closely examine the paintwork - there should be obvious layers of paint with dirt in between each layer. Dark wax is used to copy this effect and you may be able to smell it if recently applied.

• Unhappy marriages in furniture can usually be spotted straightaway by looking at any variations in construction, proportion and colour-matching. 

• From unhappy marriage to divorce! Many pieces of early antique furniture were cut down to fit a smaller room size. These pieces are more difficult to spot but always look for unusual fading or other inconsistent marks. 

• With tables always check the table top and base are made from the same wood or veneering and check there aren't any unusual marks underneath. 

• Finally, watch out for the 19th century revivals of certain styles - you can spot a reproduction piece if it has exaggerated details, is made of exotic timber or the decoration is a mixture of styles. 

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Special thank you to West Egg fans!

As a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has supported West Egg we are very pleased to offer 10% off all products.

Visit www.westegg.co.uk and simply use the code EGGS10 at the checkout to use this discount which is valid until 31 July 2011.

Have a lovely weekend everyone! See you next week!

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Join the West Egg facebook page and follow us on Twitter for all the latest news, special offers and behind the scene photos:

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