Mclellan Antiques

Mclellan Antiques By appointment only. Antique dealer of furniture, lighting, etc. for an estimate; please email photos with dimensions to:
[email protected]

Furniture repair, refinishing services,
Antique original finish restorations; custom colour finishes.

Here we have a cedar chest in Walnut from the 1950s. This was made by the Honderich company in Milverton, Ontario. These...
05/16/2026

Here we have a cedar chest in Walnut from the 1950s. This was made by the Honderich company in Milverton, Ontario. These were considered high-end pieces and sold widely across Canada. Comparable to the Lane cedar chests from Virginia, of which I also have restored many. These were very popular, often given as wedding presents.

However, over the last 50 years or so, they have become quite faded and scuffed, and are now often discarded. But professionally restored, you can once again see the rich walnut veneers, and the fine cabinetry ensures that they will be easily around for another 75 years.

First project since returning from my winter travels.An early century child’s rocker. My client had this 125 year old r...
04/25/2026

First project since returning from my winter travels.

An early century child’s rocker. My client had this 125 year old rocker in the family for generations, and he wished me to repaint it in the original paint color.
I listened to him, but I also heard the chair speaking to me. Far better would be to preserve the original paint as much as possible, and critically, preserve the original decal.
The honest wear on the rocker shows that many generations of children made good use of it, and very much adds to the charm of this piece…

Here we have a 1930s drum table, in Walnut.There are still many of these around in homes today, but overtime they have b...
02/22/2026

Here we have a 1930s drum table, in Walnut.
There are still many of these around in homes today, but overtime they have become faded, well worn and sadly being thrown out.
But once restored, the original beauty of the wood as well as the fine cabinetry present a piece well worth the effort of restoration.

Perhaps the restorations I enjoy the most are preserving original finishes.Primarily, I approach this with period pieces...
12/07/2025

Perhaps the restorations I enjoy the most are preserving original finishes.
Primarily, I approach this with period pieces, Georgian and early Victorian.

Sometimes, it is a family heirloom that has passed through some generations.
A client brought in this Sea chest, it was her grandfather’s from the US Navy with his name hand painted on the lid.
My job was to stabilize and preserve the remaining paint as well as applying protective finishes, which will take it through the next century one hopes.

Here we have a Victorian games table in mahogany that just went out.In the 1880s, rather than watching TV, families woul...
09/13/2025

Here we have a Victorian games table in mahogany that just went out.
In the 1880s, rather than watching TV, families would gather around their games tables and musical instruments in their parlor.

This one had seen many card and board games in over a century and a half, and there was extensive loss of veneers on the pedestal. Fortunately, I have a large and varied stock of period veneers left over from my shop, and they matched quite nicely with the original.

Here we have an Edwardian sheet music cabinet in Mahogany. I have restored many of these over my career, and they do ref...
08/24/2025

Here we have an Edwardian sheet music cabinet in Mahogany. I have restored many of these over my career, and they do refinish beautifully.
This one from 1909 cleans up quite nicely after 115 years, wouldn’t you say?

Whereas today’s living rooms features a coffee table and television, in Victorian and Edwardian times these did not exist. One would have a drawing room or parlor featuring musical instruments and gaming tables. People actually created music and interacted with one another, mostly by oil or gas lighting.

This is a Mahogany drop leaf coffee table in the Duncan Phyfe style. When I had my antique store, these were certain to ...
08/10/2025

This is a Mahogany drop leaf coffee table in the Duncan Phyfe style. When I had my antique store, these were certain to sell fast. People appreciated the small floor space they occupied, and easily extended to almost double their size. They were hard to find, but anytime my pickers would find one they knew I would take it.

Not properly an antique, as they were factory made after the turn of the century. But they were sturdy and well-made, as evidenced by the fact they are still standing almost 100 years later…

Here we have a walnut dining table from the 20s or 30s. It has been around close to a century, well used, and it shows. ...
07/20/2025

Here we have a walnut dining table from the 20s or 30s. It has been around close to a century, well used, and it shows.
Known as depression era furniture, these pieces were made from the late 20s into the early 1940s.
Frequently, antique dealers and collectors alike would look down their nose at these, as the antique trade encompassed Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian furniture.
When I first moved to Nova Scotia from California, I heard dealers refer to this era as “brown furniture”.

Although not antiques, they were very well-made, structurally more sound than antiques of earlier times. As the baby boomers die off, depression era furniture is appearing heavily in many estate sales. You can find very fine pieces at affordable prices, and far superior to most new furniture sold today.

Here we have another dramatic piece in quarter-sawn white oak.A turn of the century mission style desk. Mission furnitur...
06/28/2025

Here we have another dramatic piece in quarter-sawn white oak.
A turn of the century mission style desk.

Mission furniture; part of the arts and crafts movement and greatly popularized by Gustav Stickley in America has remained popular with collectors of antique furniture, whereas Victorian fashions have died off.

Here we have a recently completed turn of the century oak dining set.The furniture makers chose their oak skillfully, an...
06/15/2025

Here we have a recently completed turn of the century oak dining set.
The furniture makers chose their oak skillfully, and milled the boards to produce this exquisite quarter sawn oak grain pattern. Quarter sawn oak is more expensive, as there is more waste during the production, but the results can be quite striking.

I realize not everyone shares my admiration for quarter cut oak, but finished properly, it can be spectacular…

Address

Moved From 2738 Agricola Street
Halifax, NS
B3K4E1

Telephone

+19024994545

Website

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