Antique Wheelchair Models

Author: Emmanuel Aubrey

The chair and the wheel were two of man's earliest inventions, dating back to 4000 B.C. The first evidence of combining wheels with furniture was a Greek wheeled baby-bed, built in 530 B.C. It was not until 1595 that an actual wheelchair was invented. This antique wheelchair was used by King Phillip II of Spain.
Vintage Wheelchairs

Another antique wheelchair was built by a 22-year-old paraplegic in 1655. In 1783, another wheelchair was built in Bath, England, by John Dawson. This wheelchair had two lare wheels in the back and a smaller one in front. It was used at a large scale during the 19th century.

Later on, the comfort of the handicapped persons became more important. Therefore, an 18th century antique wheelchair had adjustable footrests and a reclining back.

There's a high probability that the first bycicles were inspired by antique wheelchair models. However, the invention of bycicles had a big influence on the wheelchair development. It led to the replacement of the wooden wheels with iron wheels and to the adding of rubber tires.

The first motorized antique wheelchair was built in London in 1916.

Later on, lightweight wheelchairs made from Indian reed started to be produced. These vintage wheelchairs weighed about 58 lbs. However, the first wheelchair that looked alike the ones you can find today was built in 1932 by Henry Jennings for a paraplegic friend. This was a folding metal antique wheelchair.
Collectible Wheelchairs: The Wheelchair Foundation Gallery

This gallery, open in December 2001 at the Blackhawk Museum, displays many antique wheelchair models. The old classic pieces are displayed together with sophisticated contemporary models. The museum is seeking donations of collectible wheelchairs and other interesting mobility devices in order to enrich the gallery collection.
If your intrested in antiques the Blackhawk museum would be a great place to visit these chairs can be used for many diffrent purposes like for a prop in a movie or play if you are a collector, a chair could be worth a couple thousand dollars. When Looking to purchase an antique you should always make sure you are getting what you pay for, because you may often end up with a new model made to look old. Wheelchairs have been around for centurys but yet have changed through the years to become better and more relevant for today, this is one way of seeing how we as humans have progressed to the state that we are now. I sometimes wonder why I or others pay so much money for something so old but then i realize im holding on to the past to learn from it and to grow plus it preety cool to have something that nobody else has.If your looking for an antique wheelchair do me a favor and do the research before you buy it.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/antique-wheelchair-models-20174.html

About the Author
Emmanuel Aubrey
Antique Collector
antique wheelchair

Retro Swivel Chair

Author: R.A. Butters

The modern retro swivel chair is an enduring icon of mid-century decor. But though its many variations are all symbols of the period, they're also perfect in today's home.

The swivel chair was actually invented by in the 18th century by Thomas Jefferson, but until the 1950s it was generally used in office furniture only and rarely seen in the home. The mid century modern design aesthetic of convenience, comfort, and streamlined efficiency made the swivel style a natural, however, and retro decorating featured swivel chair for everything from lounging to dining.

Sleek lines, innovative use of materials, and streamlined design are the earmarks of retro modern design, and the swivel chairs that gained great popularity during the period are excellent examples.

Eames Lounge Chair
The swivel lounge chair created by modern furniture designers Charles and Ray Eames has become a true design classic. It has the rare distinction of being recognized by organizations like New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Design Institute of Chicago, but it also remains a consumer favorite.

When it was first introduced in the 1950s, everything about the chair was revolutionary, from its sleek modern shape to its molded wood construction. But though it was on the cutting edge of modern design, the Eames swivel lounge chair was developed with comfort and usability in mind. Charles Eames said he wanted the chair to be "a special refuge from the strains of modern living".

The shell of the classic style is made of molded wood, meticulously finished to highlight the natural grain. Cushioned with smooth and supple leather, the shape is sleek yet enveloping. The design of the Eames Lounge Chair is absolutely timeless, fitting in perfectly with today's decor.

The Egg Chair
Designed by famed Danish modern furniture creator Arne Jacobson in the late 1950s, the Egg Chair remains a classic style that has never lost its popularity. Jacobsen was known for spare, no-nonsense designs that used materials in new and exciting ways, and the Egg Chair is one of his finest and most well-known designs.

Combining the gleam and sparkle of the steel swivel base with smooth upholstery in bright eye-popping primary colors, the Egg Chair is built on a curving steel framework that gently hugs the user.

The Ball Chair
The Ball or Globe Chair is one of the most iconic of all retro modern furniture designs. Created in 1966 by Eero Aarnio, the Ball Chair takes the body-hugging design of the Eames and Egg chairs a step further. The hollow-ball shell of the chair, which is set on a swivel pedestal, completely envelops the user. The design radically expanded the concept of what furniture can be and do, by using a chair to create a private "space within a space".

The shells of the original Ball Chairs were made of fiberglass, with the inside upholstered in bright primary colors.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/furniture-articles/retro-swivel-chair-1817207.html

About the Author

Big, bold, and beautiful, retro wall clocks make a great addition to almost any decor. Find out more at Retro Modern Furniture.

Comfortable and Corporate: Leather Office Chairs

Author: Ken Marlborough

There are many choices when it comes to office chairs. Standard
office chairs are available in a wide variety of colors and
materials for a low cost. An ergonomic office chair that offers
adjustable settings and proper lumbar support has become a
standard fixture in both work and home offices. However, the
ultimate luxury in office chairs is almost always a leather
office chair.

Leather office chairs are available for purchase through a large
number of dealers. They can be purchased "standard" for under a
hundred dollars, or can even be custom designed for as much as a
few thousand dollars. Leather office chairs are frequently found
in the offices of upper management and executives. They are also
common items in executive conference and meeting rooms.

Leather office chairs are chosen for their luxurious material
and the comfort that they afford. They are available in a
variety of colors and styles. Many leather office chairs offer
special features that employ proper office ergonomics. They
offer adequate lumbar support, comfortable seating, and the
ability to swivel. Many offer pneumatic lift and height
adjustment to ensure that they are a proper fit for a variety of
individual body types.

It is important that leather office chairs look presentable and
guarantee maximum comfort when used for a long time. Most
leather office chairs are made from cowhide leather, with vinyl
on the outside surfaces to ensure maximum durability. Five-prong
swivel bases and dual-wheel, hooded castors are standard
features of most leather offices chairs. These features allow
the user to turn and glide across the floor while completing
workplace tasks.

It is recommended to try out several different leather office
chairs prior to making a selection. A chair that is ideal for
one person may be not be the best selection for another. Because
most leather office chairs carry a somewhat higher price tag
than the standard office chair, they typically come with an
extended warranty

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/comfortable-and-corporate-leather-office-chairs-3334.html

About the Author
Bird Cages Info
provides detailed information in decorative, large, custom,
acrylic, antique, wooden, and discount bird cages sale, as well
as covers and stands. Bird Cages Info is the sister site of Dog Beds Web.

Decorating Your Dining Room to Express Your Unique Sense of Style

Author: Adam Singleton

Your dining room is one of the most social spaces in your home, not to mention a room that says a lot about you. So why not decorate and equip it with items that relay your unique sense of style and character?

Whether you host plenty of dinner parties and social gatherings in your dining room, or use it primarily for yourself and your family, your dining room should be a space that you feel relaxed in. For many, that means furnishing their dining room with comfortable furniture, and sticking to certain colour schemes when choosing their wall paint and flooring materials. For others, this could mean carefully choosing their decor and dining products to convey a certain style, feel, or motif. Ultimately, comfort is what works for you in your home.

However, when decorating or equipping a dining room, there are various aspects to consider alongside comfort. For instance, many families have small children who are prone to accidentally dropping their dinner ware - which means pricey china and glass dining sets can quickly turn into partial sets. So, should families with youngsters have to compromise the style of their furniture and dinnerware due to potential mishaps?

Absolutely not. There are countless product manufacturers who know all about mishaps that can occur in the dining room, therefore manufacturing durable designer dining sets. Similarly, you’ll be able to find a number of furniture suppliers who design much of their furniture to withstand accidental spills - so you can invest in quality style without having to worry about what might happen to your furniture.

Alternatively, many people use their dining rooms primarily for dinner parties, ultimately hoping to make an impression on their guests. The good news is, there are countless ways for high-style enthusiasts to convey their character via decor and equipment - whether it’s in their wall decorations or their dining products. For instance, why not make your dining ware the conversation piece of the evening? Whether you choose clashing cutlery, oversized goblets, or dinnerware in bright and bold colours, you’ll have your guests admiring your decor and your taste.

So, whether you’re planning a dinner party for thirty, or an intimate dinner for two, your dining room - and everything in it - can set the mood exactly how you want it. Therefore, take the time to decorate your room to express your individuality, and make sure every dining experience is comfortable, practical, and stylish.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/interior-design-articles/decorating-your-dining-room-to-express-your-unique-sense-of-style-931201.html

About the Author

Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Oh, the Types of Leather Furniture Available Today!

Author: MJ Marks

When most people think leather furniture, they normally think leather sofas, recliners or chairs, but the true leather aficionado will not limit themselves to such meager fair! There is so much more available when it comes to leather furniture. We’re going to take a quick look at what is out there, but first, why is leather so popular?

In general, leather is great because it is tough (think kid friendly), it lasts up to four time longer than fabric upholstery, it looks great, just looking at it makes people think “quality”, it is easy to care for and you can get it in many different colors. Though some die hards believe that natural is the only way to truly enjoy and appreciate leather. It also smells good, and that is not something that can be said of man made fabrics. So, realizing that all of these great qualities applies to all types of leather furniture, lets take a look at some of the leather possibilities for your home.

First, looking at the obvious, there are the leather sofas. You can find full size sofas or two person loveseats. You can get them puffy or with straight lines. Some sofas combine with a recliner so that you get both pieces of furniture in one (called a recliner sofa or recliner loveseat). You can also find leather sofa beds.

Probably one of the most popular pieces of leather furniture is the recliner or chair. A leather recliner is the best place to sit and read to your kids. Besides a regular recliner, you can get a leather reclining chair with a separate ottoman. Other types of leather chairs includes occasional or club chairs, office chairs, leather bar stools and dining chairs.

If you own a leather chair, the next obvious piece of leather furniture is a leather ottoman. After a long day of work, being able to prop your feet up while relaxing in your chair is pure bliss. Especially if you can talk someone into a foot rub, after all, your feet are now in the ideal position!

A combination of the sofa, the chair and the ottoman is the leather chaise lounge. When I was younger, this type of furniture made me think of large hand fans and being fed grapes! When shopping around, chaise lounges are starting to appear more and more, though I personally do not know any one who owns one. But they do appear to be another great reading spot.

The next step up from any of the before mentioned leather furniture, is the sectional. In one large piece of furniture, you can get a couch, a chaise lounge, a recliner and a hide-a-bed! Luckily, these bad boys come in multiple pieces for ease of moving around.

As a society that enjoys its entertainment, more people are installing home theaters. If you have one of these luxuries, then you need leather theater seating. This is a series of two to five seats joined together. Often they are recliners or have a large ottoman. Sometimes they are curved with little tables or drink holders between the seats. I know my kids would love one of these, because three of them always end up laying on the floor when we watch movies as a family.

If you really love leather, then a leather bed is for you. Basically, this means a leather head board and foot board, though some also have leather covered side rails. And don’t think this is only for mature grown-ups because I have seen a cute twin leather bed in pink.

If you are going to have a lot of leather in your house, don’t forget the leather accents. This includes leather rimmed mirrors and clocks, benches and storage boxes.

As you can see, do not be limited to sofas and chairs. If you truly love leather, branch out to some of the other leather furniture possibilities that are available.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/interior-design-articles/oh-the-types-of-leather-furniture-available-today-1080538.html

About the Author

MJ is a freelance writer for Clickshops, Inc. where you can find a great selection of leather furniture for your home at www.leatherfurniture.com.

Modern Style Of Home Decoration: Sleek And Minimal

Author: Jessica Ackerman

The classic look is always the safe choice when it comes to interior home decoration. But if you are looking for something exciting to spruce up your haven and make life a little more on the edge, you should probably think about going for a modern or contemporary style in home decoration.
Here are potent guidelines on modern home decoration to ensure that you are on the right track when designing and decorating your abode.

Get Ideas and Tips

It is great if you can read interior decoration magazines and books so that you will get ideas on how you would want your home to look like. Of course, at the end, it would be better to add personal touches to the design of the home and not make an exact copy of the photography you saw in the magazine. It is also a good idea to ask advice and suggestions from
a veteran interior designer or decorator.

Fix the Clutter

Before you can visualize your home effectively, you need to get rid of all of the distracting elements and retain only those that can be of great use for your home. Remember that modern style leans to minimalism, which means less is more.

For the things that you still need but hardly use anymore, organize and store them neatly in a storage room out of people's sight. For the things that you do not need at all, consider giving them out as donations or selling them in garage sales. The money you get from it, you can to add to your home decorating budget.

Make a Plan

Plan how you would want each room in the house to look like. The kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, patio, dining room, and the living area should all have a flowing parallel design but at the same time distinct personalities.
Now, determine the things that you need for each room to accomplish the look you want for them. It is important to remember that sometimes you do not need to buy new sets of furniture but just improve on what you already have.

Sometimes, simply reshuffling old furniture to have a larger space and minimal design can achieve the modern look you desire. Or sometimes you can simply need to add a modern wall art to get the contemporary style you want. After this, you have to make a floor plan on how the pieces of furniture in the room are going to be arranged.

More Tips

• Go for Monochromatic Color Scheme
Choosing shades that belong to the same color family make the room look bigger and brighter, which is the objective of modern style.

• Don't Forget Comfort
Comfort should not be sacrificed for style. It is important to achieve a balance between the two.

• Incorporate Metal, Stone, and Glass in the Design
These materials are commonly used for contemporary designs so make sure that you incorporate them when decorating your home.

• Avoid too Many Colorful and Fussy Prints
Plain spaces are ideal for contemporary styled homes but it is all right to have heavily printed accents on plain furniture. For example, a zebra printed pillow will look good against a black leather chair.

It is true that sleek and minimal are some of the key ingredients for a modern styled home. But this does not mean that it cannot be exciting and edgy. In fact, most modern styled homes are known for the contrasting colors of black and red, and the lasting visual impact of metal furniture, modern wall art, metal wall sculptures, and modern accessories.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/modern-style-of-home-decoration-sleek-and-minimal-760314.html

About the Author
This article was written by Jessica Ackerman and provided by WallDecorandHomeAccents.com, a site featuring unique modern wall art and wall decor sculptures.

Antique Lamps - Blanc de Chine

Author: Maurice Robertson

The interior lighting of our homes is a basic requirement to a comfortable life; but we can take yet another step and choose a style of lighting that adds to, not only our physical comfort, but our psychological comfort as well.  Blanc de Chine, with its simple lines and elegant understated style, produces, not only a sense of calm, but the perfect antique lamp,

One of the outstanding qualities of the beautiful white porcelain known to the West as “Blanc de Chine” is its unique ability to adapt to the evolution of changing styles. It always remains “modern” and completely at home in the traditional / classic, or, most contemporary interior.

Pictured is an 18th century, Chinese, Blanc de Chine lamp of perfectly understated style. The lamp of simple “sleeve vase” shape tapering to a base of reduced diameter. The lamp with an even, creamy white glaze, typical of this beautiful 18th century, Fujian porcelain.  The lamp on an antique hand carved, Chinese hardwood stand of elegant style. Very finely carved with foliated openwork and standing on four ju’i shaped feet.  The lamp on-stand, seated in a gold plated bronze ring.  The lamp cap of gold plated bronze.

Ch'ien Lung  Reign - circa 1780         Overall height (including shade) 26" / 66cm

The term “Blanc de Chine” is always used to describe this highly translucent porcelain produced at the famous kilns at Te Hua in China's Fukien province. The area along the Fujian coast was traditionally one of the main ceramic exporting centres. Over 180 kiln sites have been identified extending in an historical time line from the Song period, 960-1279, to the present day. 

Blanc de Chine does not sound very Chinese, being French for "White of China" porcelain. But it was, of course, the French of the early 19th century who gave us the names of the beautiful Chinese coloured ceramic glazes.  Blanc de Chine is a creamy white to pure white porcelain, first produced during the latter part of the long Ming dynasty, 1368 - 1644.  On a technical note, the white color of Blanc de Chine is due to the lack of iron, (less than 0.5 percent ferric oxide), in the clay mined at Te Hua.  Rich in quartz and kaolin, seri cite and feldspar and low levels of iron, led to the production of this high quality white porcelain.

The first Blanc de Chine shapes were devotional objects such as incense burners, candlesticks, flower vases and figures of saints.  These shapes conformed to the official stipulations of the early Ming period, not only in their whiteness but also in imitating the shape of archaic ritual objects.  Blanc de Chine is especially found in the very fine devotional figures of the Buddha and of Kuan-Yin, the goddess of mercy, who was particularly revered in Fujian.

 White porcelain has always been very popular among the Chinese, who love simple, practical and traditional home decoration.  It must also be mentioned that white is the color of filial piety which has always been important to traditional Chinese culture.  These early Ming period porcelain shapes were manufactured to achieve a perfect fusion of glaze and body, traditionally referred to as ivory white and milk white.

Blanc de Chine is seen as an aesthetic style of porcelain, possibly appreciated more by the aesthetically minded collector / decorator, being completely undecorated and relying entirely upon its form, which is usually simple in style.

When Europeans discovered Chinese porcelain in the early 17th century, large quantities arrived in Europe as Chinese export porcelain and were successfully copied at Meissen and in the mid 18th century in England, at Chelsea and Bow.  Many 18th and 19th century European factories continued to reproduce porcelain in Blanc de Chine style.

When it comes to dating a piece of Blanc de Chine, it can be difficult, as contemporary reign marks were not used and dated pieces are rare.  The unchanging output over long periods and the independence of provincial kilns from court fashion does not offer many clues by way of comparison with other porcelains produced in the 17th/18th century. Most information on this beautiful Te Hua white porcelain comes to us from trading records, shipwrecks, chemical analysis and well documented European collections. This combined information allows Blanc de Chine to be dated with reasonable accuracy.

The Antique & Vintage Table Lamp Co specialise in antique lamps with a range of over 100 unique, antique and vintage table lamps on view.  Lamps are shipped ready wired for the US the UK and Australia.

For more information you are invited to visit their web site at -:

www.antiquelampshop.com

 © The Antique & Vintage Table Lamp Co 2009

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/interior-design-articles/antique-lamps-blanc-de-chine-1050214.html

About the Author

Maurice Robertson, principal of The Antique and Vintage Table Lamp Co , has had a lifetime’s association with antique porcelain and pottery,with his commercial experience spaning a period of 40 years,including as a valuer to the Australian Government’s Incentive to the Arts Scheme. His long experience with antique ceramics and glass also includes dealing with leading museums and numerous international private collections. He has extended his ceramics expertise into the quality table lamps seen on the company’s site, he is well known to local and international interior designers who have included many of his table lamps in their projects and has also supplied items of national interest to the official Sydney residence of the Australian Prime Minister.