Frequently Asked Questions

Can I come and see your reproduction furniture, or do I have to buy on-line?

We do not have a traditional shop or showroom. Our aim is to pass on the savings we make in not having this facility, to you. All our reproduction furniture is in a warehouse, packed up and ready to send out. We have found that as the business has grown over the last few years it has become more difficult to agree mutually acceptable times to meet our customers on site. Our offices are not at the same place as the warehouse and the increased workload has meant that we have now decided to focus the business on being strictly mail order / Internet based.

How do you deliver your reproduction furniture?

All our reproduction furniture is delivered either by our own van, or by a dedicated furniture carrier. The service charged for is to the door delivery. Moving furniture into the room of choice would be at the discretion of the driver.

Can you deliver outside of the British mainland?

We can arrange delivery to many European destinations, but our web site shopping cart calculates deliveries on the British mainland only (excluding the Highlands of Scotland). We can deliver at very competitive rates to Northern Ireland and the Eire (minimum order £1500). We regret we are unable to ship outside of Europe at the moment.

What happens if the furniture doesn't fit my room when I get it?

Please make sure that the furniture you have ordered will fit into your home. We need good access for delivery, particularly for large items, and the responsibility is entirely with the customer as to the suitability of the size of the furniture once in situ. We regret we are unable to take furniture back if the size is unsuitable. Please check with us if you are unsure, as all our furniture is hand made and some minor variation in size can occur.

What is the colour of your painted furniture?

Our white furniture is finished in an antique style which picks out the detail in the carving. This gives the furniture a slightly aged appearance, rather than a dead white. The process is applied by finishing a mahogany piece of furniture which is painted white, following which a coat of antique wax is applied and polished off.

Click here to view the colour of our antique white furniture

What is the colour of your mahogany furniture?

Our mahogany furniture comes approximately in one finish/colour. This is a medium/dark honey mahogany finish. The appearance of the photographs on the web site may vary in colour due to the different conditions in which the furniture was photographed. You will also get quite a variation in appearance of the shade of colour depending on the type of monitor you use for your PC. A TFT or laptop will generally display the colours as paler than a standard CRT monitor. It is possible for you to stain down the colour if it is too light if done with care. Dark antique waxes are worth investigating for this before going down to the DIY store.

Click here to view the colour of our furniture

How do I look after my reproduction mahogany furniture?

Your furniture shouldl last for years with a light polish and occasional dust. Our furniture is sealed, so you should only need to to give it minimal attention as time goes by. We always recommend keeping it away from direct heat sources such as fires and radiators which could cause distortion of drawers, or in severe cases warping of tops. The essential thing to remember, is that it is all real timber, and with reasonable TLC the furniture will last a lifetime.

Can I put the mattress straight on the slats?

The choice is yours. We recommend using a bedbase (available from us) to improve your comfort, and to protect and prolong the lifetime of your mattress. If you decide to put the mattress straight on the slats we would always recommend a mattress protector as the slats may mark the mattress.

Can I fit my divan bed into your bed frame?

It isn't possible to fit a divan base and mattress into the bed frame because of the way the frame is designed. However, you can fit a bed base (available from us) to go between the slats and your own mattress. We would recommend this to extend the life of your mattress and for increased comfort.

Is your furniture solid wood or veneered?

Our furniture is mainly solid wood (mahogany), although in a limited number of pieces where there is a risk of warping on flat surfaces, veneered timber may be used. All the timbers are selected and kiln dried prior to manufacture by hand. Each piece will vary slightly but this adds to the unique quality of it.

What are the slats like on your beds?

Our bed slats are made of unplaned mahogany from substantial cuts of timber. They are not flexible, and are designed to provide a firm platform for either a mattress or a bedbase. With each bed we generally supply about twelve slats and two rails which run from the headboard to the footboard which support these underneath. The number of slats may vary from one design to another, but in all cases you get a very stong structure once the bed frame is assembled.

Is this rainforest mahogany?

Definately not! Our furniture is made from mahogany grown in licenced forests / plantations in Java. For some background information on timber production in Java we recommend having a look at the work of Tropical Rainforest Trust (TFT) who are actively promoting responsible and sustainable forestry management in various countries around the world.

From the Tropical Rainforest Trust website - TFT recently performed a five month study into the possibility of sourcing mahogany from small farming communities in Central Java, funded by one key Buying Member. The study found community forests to be a significant source of mahogany, and the five districts included in this study can sustainably produce commercially significant volumes of mahogany annually.

Mahogany trees (Swietenia macrophylla & Swietenia mahogani) originate in the Neotropics, but, like teak, have been cultivated in Central Java for hundreds of years. They are part of a highly complex community agro-forestry ecosystem that dominates the Central Java landscape.

This agroforestry ecosystem provides important environmental services (protecting water quality and quantity, reducing soil erosion and the risk of landslides, providing a rich living gene bank of traditional crops), as well as vital social services where communities depend on food, resources and money generated by the agroforests.

Farmers grow mahogany as a long-term investment. Currently, the main threat to mahogany sustainability in the region is that farmers perceive the market to be inadequate and are switching to the faster-growing Albizia tree (Paraserientes falcataria).

For more information on TFT visit their website at www.tropicalforesttrust.com

If you have any questions

If you have any questions not answered here please let us know by e-mailing us info@reprofurniturecompany.com