Vernacular furniture, just like vintage clothing, is attracting a new generation of people seeking out more individualistic expression in their lives.
Dressers, farmhouse tables, wall cabinets, benches, stools and chairs from the 19th century are now found in modern as well as period homes. It’s a trend, arguably driven by a nostalgia for a simpler pre-digital lifestyle and quirkier interior spaces.
“There is a growing interest in folk art and folk furniture, not just in Ireland but internationally,” says Stuart Cole from Adam’s auction rooms. Its fourth annual online vernacular furniture auction will be held on Monday, September 7th.
Cole says people are mixing pieces here and there, rather than creating a complete look with this type of furniture. Sometimes, vernacular furniture is also chosen for shared holiday homes, because its robust functionality, simplicity and casual feel can help create a more relaxed ambience.
Cole defines vernacular Irish furniture as simple and functional pieces that emerged out of the rural Irish home in the 18th century. “It embodied a heritage of self-sufficiency where locally sourced and affordable materials were used,” he says. Sometimes parts of older furniture were reused to make new pieces, and found timber such as bog oak and driftwood was incorporated into the design. “It was upcycling in its earliest form,” says Cole.
Adam’s forthcoming auction has a good range of vernacular furniture pieces, most of which will suit kitchens and livingrooms. Take for example, pinewood dressers, which historically were used to display the best crockery in the house. These dressers are now often chosen to soften the atmosphere in a kitchen with sleek fitted cabinets. Similarly, a single pinewood chair or wooden bench may be placed in a room for a decorative rather than functional purpose.
Historic blanket boxes (such as the 18th century stained pine one with a guide price of €600-€800) are very functional storage spaces for everything from bedding and tablecloths to children’s toys. And a settle bed (a bench by day and bed by night), is the original space-saving piece of furniture, although it’s unlikely to be used for sleeping in nowadays. Adam’s auction has a few for sale, including a 19th century pine settle bed, with an estimate of €800-€1,200.
An 18th century stained pine blanket box (€600-€800), Adam’s Vernacular Furniture auction 
Green painted pinewood elbow chair (€200-€300), Adam’s Vernacular Furniture auction 
Black painted pinewood kitchen dresser (€800-€1,200), Adam’s Vernacular Furniture auction
The auction also has some fine examples of Killarney Work, the furniture made from native arbutus wood, holly or yew with inlaid marquetry designs of local tourist sites and native plants. This style of furniture first became popular in the 1850s, when the new railway network attracted tourists to Co Kerry.
“There was a bit of a boom in this furniture in the 1980s and 1990s. Then it went into a hiatus, but it’s coming back into fashion now,” says Cole.
Stained oak hedge chair (€800-€1,200), Adam’s Vernacular Furniture auction 
Green painted pinewood marriage chest, traditionally used to store the bride’s household items in advance of marriage (€400-€600), Adam’s Vernacular Furniture auction 
Green painted pinewood plate rack stand (€800-€1,200), Adam’s Vernacular Furniture auction
The Killarney Work inlaid arbutus wood jewellery cabinet (€800-€1,000) and the circular arbutus wood table with inlaid marquetry (€6,000-€8,000), are good examples of the style.
Enthusiasts of Irish craft will also be interested in the small selection of ceramic bowls and vases made by John ffrench (1928-2010). The Galway-born potter set up the Ring Studio in Kilkenny with fellow potter Peter Brennan in the early 1960s. Renowned for building his pieces by hand, rather than on the potter’s wheel, ffrench later worked with Arklow pottery before moving with his wife, Primm, to the United States in 1969. They returned to live in Kinvara, Co Galway in 1992. The National Museum held a retrospective of his work in 2007.
Victor Mee’s Irish Heritage Collection online auction on Tuesday, September 15th, also has a good range of vernacular furniture, including two Co Clare pine súgán chairs with woven hemp seats (€200-€300).
The auction also has several pieces of Killarney Work arbutus wood and marquetry pieces including various-sized boxes and a writing slope.
Specialist collectors of heritage pieces will also be interested in the wide range of Irish bog oak boxes, candlesticks, Celtic crosses and harps at the Victor Mee auction. And, historic pottery enthusiasts should check out the large variety of 19th century spongeware bowls and mugs, early Belleek and Coalisland Ulster pottery.
Two County Clare pine Súgán chairs (€200-€300), Victor Mee’s Heritage Collection auction 
Killarney arbutus wood with inlaid marquetry sewing box (€150-€250), Victor Mee Heritage Collection auction
Finally, as households prepare for returns to school and college, it is a good time to think about upcycling or repairing broken items that have been lying around the house. Repair cafes are good places to bring small items of furniture or textiles for repair. There is one on today (August 29th) in the LexIcon library in Dún Laoghaire from 11am-4pm. Airfield Estate in Dundrum, Dublin, will host a repair cafe on September 26th and the Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun will host one on October 3rd.
Marianne Heaphy, aka the Revamp Tramp. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
Meanwhile, Marianne Heaphy, aka the Revamp Tramp, welcomes beginners keen to restore or renew a small piece of furniture to her upcycling workshops in Waterford (September 18th) and the Rediscovery Centre (September 26th and November 21st).
Adams.ie; victormeeauctions.ie; rediscoverycentre.ie; therevamptramp.ie
What did it sell for?
Circular mahogany table, Mullen’s online auction Circular mahogany tableEstimate: €600-€800Hammer price: €600Auction house: Mullens Laurel Park
Katie Taylor and Belfast boxer Alanna Audley by Paul MacCormaic Katie Taylor and Alanna Audley, Paul MacCormaicEstimate: €1,000-€1,500Hammer price: €1,000Auction house: Mullens Laurel Park
A Georgian mahogany snap top table, Mullen’s online auction Georgian mahogany snap top tableEstimate: €80-€120Hammer price: €120Auction house: Mullens Laurel Park
Stable Yard with Horses and Piglets, John Frederick Herring jnr (1820-1907) Stable Yard with Horses and Piglets by John Frederick Herring jnrHammer price: €2,600Auction house: Mullens Laurel Park