Antique & period Welsh furniture
Furniture with a story. Sourced from Wales.
Authentic Welsh dressers, long-case clocks and Georgian oak furniture, discovered across Wales and beyond for discerning collectors and interior designers in Cheshire, South Manchester, the Wirral and further afield as requested.
- Sourced bySara McKee
- Based inCaernarfon
- Bought throughCreative Caernarfon
- Google rating4.0 stars, 4 reviews
No.01
Welsh dresser
- Timber
- Oak
- Size
- 68 in high (base 29¼ in), 57½ in wide, 18½ in deep
Price on application. Ask Sara whether it is still here.
Plate 01. Small Pot Board Welsh Oak Dresser. Ask about it or see the listing (opens in a new tab)
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Welsh furniture terms: Tridarn, three-stage press cupboard; Dresel, Welsh dresser; Deuddarn, two-stage press cupboard; Coffer-bach, small coffer; Long-case clock, hood, trunk and base; Georgian oak, 1714 to 1830; Pot board, the low shelf of a dresser base; Victorian pine, often painted when new.
§ 1Listed now
Real pieces, shown whole. Each one is one of a kind.
Each piece is shown in the photograph from its own listing, with the details the listing gives. Ask Sara for the rest: history, condition, and whether it is still available.
No.02
Coffer
- Timber
- Oak
Price on application. Ask Sara whether it is still here.
Plate 02
Period Oak Coffer
A panelled oak coffer with carved front panels and a plain lid. More detailed photographs are available from Sara on request.
No.03
Welsh dresser
- Timber
- Oak
- Period
- 18th century, as listed
Price on application. Ask Sara whether it is still here.
Plate 03
Period 18th Century Welsh Oak Dresser, Caernarfonshire
A Caernarfonshire oak dresser: open rack above a base of three drawers over panelled cupboard doors.
No.04
Welsh dresser
- Timber
- Oak
Price on application. Ask Sara whether it is still here.
Plate 04
Antique Welsh Dresser of North Wales
A North Wales oak dresser with a closed base: drawers over cupboard doors, the rack dressed with plates and jugs for display.
The next plate
Looking for something that is not shown?
Only a few pieces are photographed here. Tell Sara the form, the size it has to fit and the period you like.
§ 2The Form Index
Learn the forms. Tri means three, darn means piece.
Welsh country furniture has its own names for its own shapes. Choose a form to read it stage by stage, and to see what is worth asking before you buy one.
Welsh dresser
dreselthe Welsh word for a dresser
A rack of open shelves set on a base of drawers, cupboards or an open pot board. In many Welsh farmhouses it was the principal piece in the kitchen, built to hold and show the household's plates and jugs.
Read it in stages
- 1Cornice, the moulded top; often the first part to be replaced or cut down
- 2Rack, open plate shelves against a boarded back
- 3Base, drawers above cupboards, or legs over an open pot board
Worth asking Sara
- Did the rack and base begin life together?
- The height of the base alone, for doorways and stair turns
- Are the backboards and handles original?
Tridarn
tri + darnthree + piece: a cupboard in three stages
A tall press cupboard in three stages: a cupboard base, a recessed cupboard above it, and an open top tier under a canopy, usually carried on turned columns. The form is generally associated with North Wales.
Read it in stages
- 1Canopy tier, open display stage, canopy on turned supports
- 2Press, recessed middle cupboard
- 3Base, full-width cupboard, the heaviest stage
Worth asking Sara
- Is the open top tier original, or a later addition?
- Overall height against your ceiling, cornice included
- Do the stages separate for carrying?
Deuddarn
deu + darntwo + piece: a cupboard in two stages
A press cupboard in two stages: a recessed upper cupboard beneath a projecting canopy, often with turned pendant drops, over a full-width cupboard base. Some carry carved initials and a date on the frieze.
Read it in stages
- 1Canopy, projecting frieze, often with pendant drops
- 2Upper press, recessed cupboard with panelled doors
- 3Base, cupboard below, sometimes with drawers
Worth asking Sara
- If there is a carved date, is it thought to be original?
- Have the doors or panels been replaced?
- Width and depth, for the wall it is going on
Coffer-bach
coffer + bachcoffer + small: a little chest
A small Welsh coffer with a lifting lid, often with a drawer or two beneath. Its size suits papers, linen and smaller belongings rather than bedding.
Read it in stages
- 1Lid, lifts on hinges to a well inside
- 2Well, panelled front, sometimes with fielded panels
- 3Drawers, often one or two small drawers beneath
Worth asking Sara
- Do the lid hinges and lock look original?
- Have the feet been replaced or built up?
- Internal measurements of the well
Long-case clock
A pendulum clock in a tall case: hood, trunk and base. Movements are commonly either 30-hour, wound daily by pulling a rope or chain, or 8-day, wound weekly with a key. Many dials carry the name of a provincial maker, Welsh makers among them.
Read it in stages
- 1Hood, slides off to reach the dial and movement
- 2Trunk, houses the weights and pendulum behind a door
- 3Base, plinth; often worn or replaced at floor level
Worth asking Sara
- Did the case and movement start life together?
- 30-hour or 8-day, and is it running?
- Height including any finials, against your ceiling
§ 3The person behind the collection
A named dealer, and the questions worth asking her.
Life: Full Colour is Sara McKee’s business in Caernarfon. The pieces are sourced from Wales, and when you enquire, your enquiry goes to Sara.
Ask what is known about a piece and how it is known: its age, its history, its condition, what has been repaired. Where something is a best judgement rather than a certainty, ask her to say so.
Sara McKee
Life: Full Colour, Caernarfon
From enquiry to purchase
- 01
Find the piece
Browse the collection here by form, or tell Sara what you are looking for if it is not shown.
Stock is one-off. A piece photographed here may since have sold.
- 02
Ask Sara
Use the enquiry slip or call. Ask about photographs, measurements, condition and what is known of its age and history.
Ask about the parts you can't see: backs, drawer runners, the underside.
- 03
Talk through viewing and delivery
Life: Full Colour is based in Caernarfon. Whether a piece can be viewed, and how it could reach you, are questions for Sara about that piece.
Nothing is assumed. Ask before you plan a journey.
- 04
Buy through Creative Caernarfon
The purchase itself completes on Creative Caernarfon.
This site takes enquiries only. No payment is taken here.
Said of Sara’s space in Caernarfon
“Thanks Sara McKee. You've made a wonderfully welcoming, warm, creative and oh so groovy space there. It's a true joy.”
§ 4Gazetteer
From Caernarfon, along the A55, to Cheshire, the Wirral and Chester.
Life: Full Colour has no branches. These are guides for buyers in each town: the houses, the forms that suit them, and how buying from Caernarfon works. All 39 town guides
Chester and around
Wirral, the Dee side
Wirral and Merseyside
Cheshire market towns
Alderley Edge to Bowdon
South Manchester and Stockport
§ 5Glossary & questions
Before you enquire
A Tridarn is a Welsh press cupboard in three stages, from tri (three) and darn (piece): a cupboard base, a recessed cupboard above it and an open tier under a canopy at the top. The form is generally associated with North Wales.
A Deuddarn is the two-stage version: a recessed upper cupboard under a projecting canopy, over a cupboard base. Some carry carved initials and a date on the frieze, and it is always worth asking whether those are original to the piece.
Coffer-bach means small coffer. It is a little Welsh chest with a lifting lid, often with a drawer or two beneath, and its size suits papers, linen and smaller belongings rather than bedding.
At 9 Segontium Terrace, Caernarfon, LL55 2PN, North Wales. Life: Full Colour is based only in Caernarfon, and the pieces are sourced from Wales.
Find the piece here, ask Sara about it using the enquiry form or on 01286 400155, and when you are ready the purchase completes through Creative Caernarfon. This site takes enquiries only.
No. Price is a question for Sara about the specific piece. Purchases themselves complete through Creative Caernarfon.
Life: Full Colour is based in Caernarfon. Ask Sara what is possible for the piece you are interested in.
Delivery is not offered as a fixed service or area. Ask Sara about the specific piece and your address, and she can tell you what is possible.
Ask Sara what is known and what it is based on, such as construction, timber, wear and any history that came with it. Where a date is a best judgement rather than a certainty, ask her to say so.
Every antique is one of a kind, so what is shown here is never the whole story. Tell Sara the form, size and period you are after through the enquiry form.
§ 6Enquiry slip
Ask about a piece, or call Sara directly
Call
01286 400155Your message goes to Sara, who replies by email. Ask her anything about a piece.
To: Sara McKee, Life: Full ColourCaernarfon