The Dayton House: Furniture

Furnishing and old house can be a challenge. Modern furniture often looks incongruous, while antiques can be cost prohibitive. While modern over-stuffed sofas are easy to come by and certainly very comfortable, massive furniture and well stocked rooms are not the friend of old homes with wood joists. These homes were built at a time when furniture was smaller and houses more sparsely furnished. You do not do an old home any favors by furnishing it with large reclining sofas, waterbeds and pool tables.

Most of the Dayton House is currently furnished with older solid wood pieces. Concessions were made for the sofa – a historically correct sofa is not going to be comfortable enough to watch a Sabres game on! But a small scale sectional sofa fit well into the living room without over-taking it – and a diminutive couch was not an easy thing to find.

One good example of period-appropriate furniture is the dining room set. This is a Duncan Phyfe reproduction set manufactured by Berhnardt, most likely in the mid 1900’s. This set was purchased second hand and is not in pristine condition, but it fits well with the style of the house. We intend to leave this set when we move on and hope it is kept in the house for future owners as it is perhaps the most aesthetically appropriate dining suite for the space. TLC would do it justice.

Here’s a bit of info about Duncan Phyfe

Duncan Phyfe (1768-1854) was one of nineteenth-century America’s leading furniture makers. He was born in Scotland and immigrated to Albany, NY.

Phyfe started out as a cabinetmaker’s apprentice, eventually moving to NY City to open his own shop. He became known as one of America's leading cabinetmakers by selling affordable quality furniture. Stylistically, his pieces encompassed a broad range of the classical styles popular in the late 1700’s (Empire, Sheraton, Regency, Classical French and Federal). His most enduring work is a simple style which was in opposition to the imported French designs popular at the time. It’s this simplicity that makes the style of his furniture so well suited to the high quality but simple design of the Dayton House.

Duncan Phyfe's furniture is highly collectible but not easy to find. If one were to purchase a new reproduction of his classic style drop leaf table today, it would run about $2500.00. Here’s an example:

The set currently occupying the dining room at the Dayton House could use some refinishing. The brass knobs on the hutch have been cleaned, but the same still remains to be done on the buffet. The table itself has a shaky leg that has been shored up. There is some discoloration on the table and buffet top – but in spite of this all, the set still looks right in the room: