By Robert Zvidza
When settlers came to
Zimbabwe between 1890-1920, they brought with them a lot of stuff, furniture, and some treasured ornaments. These items came from all over Europe on wagons
and they were their most treasured furniture and always desirable.
As years passed, these pieces of furniture were substituted as
people became dependent upon technology and the
need for constant updates. The desire for new trends has ultimately led to a
depreciation in the need for older objects, sometimes called antiques.
One reason for such a decline is that the
public, particularly younger generations, have forgotten what can make these vintage
pieces unique and more valuable than modern technology, or other trendy items.
This is why antique collectors have become
vital in preserving this history as well as serving as both educators and providers of a
wide variety of antiques and treasured items.
In Zimbabwe,
Birch Williams is passionate about preserving antiques and has been in the
business for over 30 years.
Homes &
Styles Magazine took time to visit him at his showrooms at Doon Estate in
Msasa, Harare, for an interview where he poured out his heart on his passion,
which he has also merged with his home design and arrangement talent.
“My obsession with antiques and interior design and arrangement
started at a very young age when I used to watch Roger Hamilton King
doing the display in his shop at Fife Avenue Mall. I was around 10 or 11 years
at that time. At 13, I would bunk school to attend antique sales.
“My interest in design in general is, I believe, an inherent
thing. I have never done any course or studies and yet I know naturally how
things should be arranged,” he said in an interview.
A random saunter
in his showrooms will show a variety of antique collections and other treasured
ornaments from cupboards, tables, and chairs, silverware, artwork, wall
hangings, chandeliers, and vases among others.
He has grouped
his collections in four showrooms which represent different styles. African
Baroque is largely filled with Victorian items from Europe, Halfway
House is more African in style, Orient Interiors has Asian art and
pieces and Acacia Trading is a
mixture of artifacts put together in a more contemporary way.
In Acacia
Trading, the touch of Birch’s hand in arranging and designing can be seen
as the showroom already exudes the beauty of antiques when properly arranged.
Besides
collecting and selling to customers who still see value in antiques, Birch Williams has used his talent to help customers that buy
his collection in designing their homes leaving them with a tasteful and
stylish look.
Antiques often
display fine craftsmanship that is harder to come by today and feature
intricate wood carving, marquetry, or decorative flourishes that one will not
find in run-of-the-mill modern-day furniture.
“Antiques are a drying resource and you can’t get more. Until
recently, there was really good craftsman in the world but we are getting into a
time where there is no real craftsmanship left, everything is now being mass-produced and disposable. So anybody in the future as we go along that wants
really good quality will have to buy antique things because that will be the
only good things that are left.
“Learning an interest in old things that were beautifully made
and not mass manufactured is rewarding and fulfilling especially in a world
that is so automated and devoid of most
emotion. Antiques carry with them history and life something a newly made item
will never do. Things are not likely to be made with such style and skill
again,” he says.
He also adds that as people are going for smaller and smaller places
and going for disposable decor, they literally leave everything behind when
they shift and start over again. This is environmentally unfriendly.
“Imagine how the world will be in the next 20 or 30 years to
come with piles and piles of unwanted furniture.”
In his many years in dealing in antiques, Williams has hosted a
number of famous people at his shop but the most revered include the late
Golden Globes Award winner Dana Wynter, who bought a few pieces from his shop
as well as actress Reese Witherspoon who used to find comfort in viewing
antiques at his shop during her visit to Zimbabwe.
He has also used his interior design skills to makeover Rhodes
Hotel in Nyanga in a bid to try and retain its original style.
If you are a serious antique enthusiast, then you can not look
beyond Birch Williams shops.
Doon Estate is located at Number 1, Harrow Road, Msasa, Harare.
For more on Antique Shops Call Patricia
on 0772682814
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