Decorative plaque - provided by TudorArtisans.com - USA

If you are interested in architectural and interior design of the Tudor and Elizabethan periods, or you’re looking to restore a home built in a revival of these styles, one of the primary challenges is to find appropriate materials here in the States. Eighty years ago, it was easy to source such items as plaster cornice and mouldings, fireplaces, brackets, corbels, light fixtures, hardware and furniture that would look right in a Tudor-revival home. Today, there is little available. Other than the handful of legacy remnants available from old line US suppliers like Decorators Supply or Fischer & Jirousch, almost no one makes them anymore, aside from high end custom crafters and cabinetmakers.

Today, most suppliers offer a range of classically-inspired products that would fit well into a colonial or Georgian home, but provide almost nothing that is suitable to an earlier time period. Whether it’s a chair rail moulding, a wooden mantel, or even a wooden interior door—the choices are generally limited to very common traditional designs. Think of egg-and-dart, dentil mouldings, colonial casings or the ubiquitous colonial six-panel door and you know what I mean.

Even in my own house, built in 1992, I was limited to these sort of items in terms of availability and budget. I did demand a rather chunky staircase balustrade and had a very large, custom newel post built—I also had a custom mantelpiece made for the family room that was essentially Arts & Crafts in design. Any other resulting detail items I could manage were best described as Victorian (small carved wooden brackets in the dining/living room openings, and faux-plaster ceiling medallions over the kitchen and dining room lights. My doors were six-panel colonial, since the only other affordable and easily-obtainable alternative was a plain surface hollow-core slab door.



Staircase - courtesy Distinctive Country Furniture LTD - UK

As it turned out, the result was ok; many of these items might have been found in similar combination in an “Old English” house of an earlier time—particularly here in America, where styles were often blended together. As time goes on and I embark on future projects, I may remedy this situation to some extent, as far as time and budget allow.

If one has the means to import items from the UK, the issue is not quite as severe. A better selection is available, not to mention salvage items available from both online and brick-and-mortar vendors. In addition, my Twitter feed is full of highly skilled craftsmen who work in stone, plaster, glass, iron and wood, and almost any of them can create something both appropriate and beautiful—for a commensurate price. Sadly, the exchange rate and shipping across the Atlantic remain serious considerations, but for many, this remains a worthy option.

For those who are fearless, and who possess some level of skill and imagination, the remaining alternative is to make these items yourself. If one is able to obtain at least one appropriate decorative item, it is not so hard to make a mold and cast (in plaster or resin) the additional number required. Originals can be shaped in clay, or carved from wood, if one has the patience and requisite skill. Even if one lacks the ability to do hand-work, modern technology makes it possible to model a decorative piece using 3-dimensional software and send a file to a woodshop with a CNC router that can carve the item from a block of wood in a matter of minutes. Not inexpensive, but often less costly than paying a craftsman to make it by hand.

Lovely medieval floor chest - courtesy Early Oak Reproductions - UK

Perhaps the best solution is to use a combination of all these methods when it comes to sourcing decorative items for your period home. Where common or traditional materials can be made to “fit the bill”—feel free to use them and flip the resulting savings into cash that can be used to purchase those few specialty “feature” items that will set your project apart.

Likewise, do not be afraid to try your hand at creating a decorative detail yourself. If it doesn’t turn out quite as perfect as you would have liked, you don’t have to use it in your entrance foyer; integrate it into a bedroom, a back hall, or even a basement rec room—places where any shortcomings will be slightly less visible.

Stone carved head - courtesy Nick Roberson - UK

I would also suggest that at some point you spend the money and have a craftsman build or create some feature item that you can integrate into your interior or exterior design. It may only be a single door, a carving for a fireplace, a plaster panel or a bit of iron hardware, but it will add both value and pride to your finished project. In this age of technology, traditional crafts cannot be allowed to disappear, and it is important that we support them so they will be available to future generations. Today’s best craftsmen work hard to learn their trade and spend many hours researching proper design and technique—whether it involves carving stone, building furniture or modelling in plaster. The results of this speak for themselves. Make use of them if you can.

A four-poster bed which was dumped in a hotel parking lot and later sold for £2,200 has been verified as once belonging to King Henry VII – and it could now be worth millions.

The intricately-carved Tudor-style bed was left outside the former Redland House Hotel in Hough Green, Chester, by builders who were renovating the property. Unaware of the bed’s value and history, construction workers dismantled the ornate example of oak furniture and left it to be picked up later by auctioneers.

Ian Coulson, a four-poster bed specialist from Northumberland, saw the item on an internet site, where is was listed as a 19th-century gothic revival piece. He managed to obtain it for just over £2,000 in 2010.

After the new 'Victorian' purchase arrived, he approached TV historian and period expert Jonathan Foyle, wondering if his new purchase may be an original, surviving Tudor bed. Over the fast four years, Mr Foyle has attempted to prove the authentic and historical nature of the bed, with recent DNA testing on the bed's timber proving that it once belonged to Henry VII.

Foyle noted that tests have confirmed the bed was constructed from European oak, “typical of the origin of the finest, slow-grown oak imported by the medieval elites”, with analysis of the historic paintwork proving its age. The medieval bed is now reportedly worth up to £20million, although it is not forr sale and is instead on public display in the Long Gallery at Hever Castle in Kent until November 22.

A four-poster bed which was dumped in a hotel parking lot and later sold for £2,200 has been verified as once belonging to King Henry VII – and it could now be worth millions.

The intricately-carved Tudor-style bed was left outside the former Redland House Hotel in Hough Green, Chester, by builders who were renovating the property. Unaware of the bed’s value and history, construction workers dismantled the ornate example of oak furniture and left it to be picked up later by auctioneers.

Ian Coulson, a four-poster bed specialist from Northumberland, saw the item on an internet site, where is was listed as a 19th-century gothic revival piece. He managed to obtain it for just over £2,000 in 2010.

After the new 'Victorian' purchase arrived, he approached TV historian and period expert Jonathan Foyle, wondering if his new purchase may be an original, surviving Tudor bed. Over the fast four years, Mr Foyle has attempted to prove the authentic and historical nature of the bed, with recent DNA testing on the bed's timber proving that it once belonged to Henry VII.

Foyle noted that tests have confirmed the bed was constructed from European oak, “typical of the origin of the finest, slow-grown oak imported by the medieval elites”, with analysis of the historic paintwork proving its age. The medieval bed is now reportedly worth up to £20million, although it is not forr sale and is instead on public display in the Long Gallery at Hever Castle in Kent until November 22.

Founded in 1970 by Richard Foreman, Tudor Oak is a specialist UK manufacturer of not only fine English Oak reproduction furniture, but also makes some selected pieces in English Cherry, Walnut and Yew wood. The company's high-quality, hand finished pieces are fully distressed and colored to simulate the warmth and character of genuine antiques. Tudor Oak also offers an very comprehensive selection, with over 350 different designs available.

One of the first examples of their work which we'd like to highlight is this excellent #472 bookcase and display unit, which features 6-pane glazed top doors, 3 panelled lower doors, highly detailed hand carving, and bun feet. It's a useful and substantial piece that - while certainly echoing Tudor designs - isn't so period-specific that you couldn't use it in many different situations.

The #5 oak chair we have pictured is a very traditional Late Tudor or Jacobean design, with an ornately-carved back panel. It's solid piece that may not be for every situation, but which would certainly deserve pride-of-place in a foyer or library.

Lastly, we've included the #105 sideboard from their Parsonage Collection, which offers something a little different from their more traditional Tudor-styled furniture designs. Produced in a lighter oak, the design of this range is less ornate and much simpler, yet the general lines we see reflect an appreciation of the arts-and-crafts period, and thus are quite appropriate for Olde English style homes as well as more contemporary interiors.

Tudor Oak can either offer standard or heavy distressing of select pieces, depending on how "old" you prefer them to appear; they can also match color at an additional cost. It's also good to know that in addition to manufacturing fine furniture, Tudor Oak also undertake specialist period architectural joinery - working closely with architects, specifiers and builders to create custom designs using their traditional skills and kiln-dried timber.

To find out more about their lines and pricing, visit Tudor Oak's website HERE.