Antiques and Haliburton Forest

Those who have visited our Forest Stores will have witnessed a variety of antiques on display, among the many wood products from the Forest. We frequently are being asked how antiques relate to Haliburton Forest’s business?

Firstly, because the vast majority of what we refer to as antiques is predominantly furniture that is one, two and even three hundred years old and is made from wood. And, of course, wood is the core business of Haliburton Forest. As the name ‘antique’ already implies, antiques are always old – and age certainly relates to Haliburton Forest’s core value – sustainability. You could say:

Buy Green, Buy Antiques ! 

Antiques are also ultra-modern. If you want to engage in carbon storage in your own home – there is no better way than to live with antique, wooden furniture. Now, at a time where “reduce, reuse, recycle “ is cool, what can be cooler than using the same furniture for hundreds of years, where reduction of refuse is being minimized and reusing or recycling is not even necessary.

Additionally meaningful is the timelessness of antiques. Throughout time and over various periods of history, many of the designs, which may appear modern to us today, had already been created. The furniture and pieces of art currently produced in our woodshop are all based on traditional designs and processes. Using wood, the most green and sustainable of all commodities (versus steel, stone or plastic) the design of a chair, table or bed is limited, even though humans have been creative throughout their thousands of years of civilization. Certain antiques become modern again when we rediscover items for qualities, which our ancestors knew they had long ago. A great example is the 18th and early 19th century stand-up-writing desk, familiar to all of us through Charles Dickens’ Ebenizer Scrooge. Today, these desks are very sought after, since we now realize the health benefit of working while standing instead of crouching down in our present-day office chairs.

Finally, and this goes back to that all important term “sustainability“ again – antiques are economically sustainable. The minute you unpack that modern MDF wardrobe, the veneered TV cabinet or that reclining chair, you have lost 90% of the purchase value. These items are now simply used furniture – nothing more, nothing less. Antiques, even though they too are ‘used furniture’ – are so much more! Quality antique furniture leaves an impression, one which has lasted decades or even centuries, reflecting a style and period – and can even tell a story! Every-day used furniture can’t do anything so remarkable in comparison. This means that when you purchase an antique, you are making an investment. Instead of losing value, its monetary value increases, providing you with an economic return while you are also able to use and appreciate it. And this enjoyment, assuming it is a qenuine antique, is not only limited to your lifetime. Antiques can be handed down to, and enjoyed by generation after generation – passing yet another test of true sustainability.

But in the end it is not these theoretical mind-games which attract many of us to antiques – it is their history, style and quality. With an antique piece of furniture, you will not have to worry if it will last 5, 10 or 20 years as we tend to do with modern pieces. Antiques, by their own nature, have already proven that they have stood the test of time and will outlast us, and most likely, our following generations as well.

Because of all of these unique, important and valuable attributes, antiques are the ultimate expression of sustainable living! As such, they are a perfect fit with all that Haliburton Forest stands for: environmental stewardship and a sustainable lifestyle. As well, many of our clients share our interest and passion for antiques. Therefore, Haliburton Forest has partnered with Castle Antiques in Haliburton Ontario, a separate entity that has recently established a store show-casing our antiques in the village of Haliburton. Castle Antiques straddles the old and new worlds by bringing period, high quality antiques from Western Europe, predominantly Ireland, to Ontario. And when we talk antiques, we mean antique: our focus is on antique furniture from the Jacobean, Georgian and Regency periods, spanning the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries! These are pieces created by contemporaries of the pilgrim fathers, the Hudson Bay explorers and craftsmen who may even have worked on equipment for the various Franklin expeditions. We mix these stylish pieces with decorative items from the past century, especially Art Deco and Art Nouveau accessories. These were periods in our collective civilization when craftsmen played with colour, design and materials.

Castle Antiques has found a fitting home in one of the oldest residences in Haliburton, the old Lucas house, right beside the post office. For a trip through history or if you are searching for that unique piece of timeless craftsmanship, please visit Castle Antiques in person or on the web at www.antiques-ontario.com and don’t forget:

Buy Green, Buy Antiques !!!