Page 140 - The Hunt - Spring 2024

VINTAGE
Giving Treasures Some TLC
Whether family heirlooms or rare items, your collectibles deserve proper care.
“Furniture glue dries out, surfaces get crusty. We also see a fair amount
of fire and storm damage—and damages from pets.”
So says Scott Alexander, co-owner of New Life Furniture Systems in Wilmington. Since 1996, he and his brother-in-law, Robert Trent, have been helping clients take care of their vintage furniture by utilizing the three Rs:
By Roger Morris
repair, reupholster and refinish. “Every other generation needs to attend to their furniture,” Alexander says. “About every 50 years, a piece of furniture will need repair. A lot of this damage occurs when people try to shove furniture across the room for cleaning or redecoration.”
Since colonial days, the Brandywine Valley has been a magnet for fine artists and craftspeople. Many of their creations still exist
today in area museums and homes sometimes owned by families who’ve resided here for generations. In almost every family, someone
is a collector—of antiques, family heirlooms, books, furniture, automobiles, and paintings and other works of art. Often, they don’t take time to store them properly or adequately restore them if they’re damaged. There’s also the question of restoration or modernization, especially
138 THE HUNT MAGAZINE spring 2024