Featured Eastlake Style Bedroom Furniture: Is there a market?

[I'm new to Antiquers, and would like to become better informed about antiques.]

Is this an example of Eastlake style? I can tell you it is not easy to dust, but perhaps easier than some of the other styles of the 19th century. I'm guessing walnut.

I came into this furniture (bed, dresser, wardrobe) several years ago and don't have the house to properly accommodate it. It belonged to a friend who acquired it in the South and then relocated with it to the Northeast.

The wardrobe is 10' tall; the bed is 8' tall and the dresser is just under 8'. The wardrobe knocks down, aside from the base and the crown. It is all in pretty good condition, save for a crack in the wood above the mirror of the dresser, that appears to have been glued not so professionally.

What's to become of it? Is there a market for it, or do I break it down for its decorative elements and repurpose the wood.

Thank you for your advice.

 

ABSOLUTELY NOT! ! !

 

It is Eastlake in style.
Unfortunately selling may be difficult. It would be nice to keep the set together, but doubt anyone will pay for it all.
Pricing each piece individually will net you more dollars, but will probably end up breaking the set.

A lot depends on where you are, and how you intend to sell.

 

Hi,
It is a wonderful set. I would never think to break it up, I just could not do it. If I did not have four bedroom sets in a two bedroom house I would really like to add yours to mine.
greg

 

Aesthetic Movement turn of the 20thC or just after. Similar here. https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6417085_260-aesthetic-movement-bedroom-suite

 

I have seen some incredible Eastlake pieces lacquered. Yes I know - it is hard to believe someone would lacquer or chalk paint an antique but many do not like the 'wood' look and some of the outcomes are WOW!!!! At the end of the day - it is YOURS so do whatever you want!!! https://www.pinterest.com/search/pi...[]=eastlake|typed&term_meta[]=furniture|typed

 

Yep, that is exactly the problem with victorian furniture in general and why prices are in the tank for middle-market pieces, it tends to be very large and it just doesn't fit well in modern houses.

 

So beautiful!!!

There's a market for it, but you probably won't get as much as you think you should. The set's way above average in quality, is there no way you can keep it until the market is better? Please DO NOT paint it!!

 

It is above average in quality. If it must go, try posting on ebay or some other platform with national exposure. Have the buyer pick up or arrange their own shipping only. Otherwise, find an auction house with good results with furniture. Someone should want this. If you live in or near a large city, finding that someone will be easier than if you are in Podunkville.

 

Perfect for the Victorian "Bed and Breakfast" market.

 

True, however your set, as attractive as it is, is still considered "middle market" antique furniture.
The 10% at the top of the market, AKA museum-quality pieces still command big numbers and, the bottom 20% (basically junk) sells well.
It's the 70% in between those extremes that suffer in a down market which is where most antique furniture is located these days.
It's a buyers market, no getting around it.

 

Thanks for your candid and helpful responses -- they are in line with my hunches. I am fond of this furniture, but it is out of scale with my modest home -- and the wardrobe could fit only on its side! My friend originally had it in a pre-Civil War home with 12 foot ceilings. I have looked at sales on eBay recently, and such pieces are not selling, and are scarcely garnering bids. My intention is to try to find a buyer for the three pieces together, hopefully in the NYC area, Downstate or Northern NJ.

 

Liveauctioneers looks like a great resource. I know these 19th century styles are not pure, but do you believe my furniture would fit in the category of Aesthetic Movement more than Eastlake? I can certainly see a considerable difference in the quality of the linked furniture with my furniture.

 

Any thoughts on the decorative elements of the crests? There is a horizontal beam that looks an element of Japanese construction.

Although I more than likely won't paint any of it, some of the pieces on pinterest that have flatter decoration and shallow carving look awesome painted.

 

I won't -- I promise!

 

You might try Cape May, it's south Jersey but lots of large victorian houses

 

Hi Dave,
I feel your anguish. When I moved from Brooklyn I had an 1850 secretary that was 13 ft high. It broke my heart to sell it. I was moving into 8 ft ceilings besides it's size it was solid mahogany and weighted almost 8 hundred pounds.
greg

 

I'd call it more straight-up Eastlake. The crests look to have an acanthus leaf within a shell. Acanthus leaves were abundant in Renaissance Revival furniture, but were on the wane with Eastlake. The more I look at your set the more I'd date it to around 1885-90.