My last client was a woman who had the real fantasy home: every piece of furniture was antique, hand-picked by her from various vintage stores from different corners of the world, combined in the most sophisticated way possible in a manner that reflected hers and her husband’s personality. They were simply people with taste and passion for old stuff, things with a story to tell. They are the adventurous type of people who love being on the road all the time, never afraid of the world and what they may experience once they leave their home.

And smart I may say; the woman heard of me from her friend whose home I refreshed with floral wallpapers. They share the same taste in vintage stuff and are the type of women who know how they want things done: professionally, with care and trust. So when she decided to move into a new home, she gave me a call. Her antiques needed to be transferred in the new house in the safest way possible. That’s how much she loved her furniture. Although I don’t own an antique removals company, as an interior designer I know exactly how antiques should be handled during a move. So, I did my research about what qualities should a moving company offer for the smoothest and safest transfer of furniture elements of such character. Here’s the list.

The character of the goods being transferred

There’s a huge difference between the regular commercial furniture and the vintage furniture bought in specialized vintage furniture stores. The latter is a lot more valuable, it’s one of a kind and it’s more fragile, which is why it needs extra care. The antique removals you will hire for your move should know whether they have the capacity to handle your antiques; do they have the needed equipment and do they know how to prepare everything for shipping?

Packing of antiques

Packing of antique furniture elements is a story of its own; you cannot just wrap your antiques in paper and foliage, put them in boxes and pack them in the truck for transferring. As mentioned about several times already, antiques are fragile, so naturally, they should be packed in a special way. This means, a good antique removals company should prepare things in a special manner:

• Fragile elements such as porcelains and crystals that are extremely gentle, should be packed in wooden shipping crates that will be filled with staffing material, like poly chips or bubble wrap. Standard shipping crates are the best option for moving antiques because in them, the elements will be firmly fixed and therefore, well protected from impacts during the move.
• Other delicate elements should be protected with packing materials like double and triple walled cartons, a cushioning wrap, fine tissue, kraft paper and moving blankets.

Protect your valuables

Antiques are quite valuable things; some of them cost a fortune and as time goes by, their value increases significantly. If they stay in a good shape, their value increases even more. So, before you hire a moving company to handle your stuff, have them inspected and valued by a certified appraiser. It’s best that your attorney, bank officer you trust, or an insurance agent recommend you the right person for this matter. Once appraised, you should make a deal with the movers and call them liable for any damage that may occur during the move. There are different deals you can make when it comes to refunds; the company can make it up to you from a certain percentage to a full coverage of the damage, depending on the deal you previously made.

Finding the right antique removals company is a process that requires time and dedication, just like anything else you want to do with perfection: researching, reading reviews, talking to representatives from the company, and eventually making the call. The important thing to keep in mind is to look for a company that pays attention to the small details, because when it comes to antiques, details are key.