It is important to understand the term craftsmanship if the current and future value of your investment in furniture is important to you. As in the 18th century, there are many furniture makers producing a wide selection of furniture forms of varying design and quality. For most collectors it is difficult to determine which of these craftsmen or pieces is better than another.

Given the information age in which we live, knowing to use “through” dovetails on a chest or to use “split wedge” construction on a Windsor chair is not a mystery. While we faithfully reproduce the finest examples of tiger maple, maple, & cherry early American furniture, like us there are many fine furniture makers who produce furniture using original joinery techniques. In most cases there is little chance that their furniture will come apart and in virtually all instances the furniture will outlast the low-grade furniture produced by most major manufacturers.

What then makes one piece of 18th Century reproduction furniture better than another? Design!

Think about the antique collector’s choice when deciding on the right piece of antique furniture to invest in. It is common to have two similar period pieces, made in the same region, in the same time frame and with the same tools and techniques but have widely disparate values. Given similar condition and provenance, which are not issues in reproductions, the piece of superior design is always more desirable and therefore more valuable. If you read one of the definitive books on antique furniture, The New Fine Points of Furniture by Albert Sack, you will discover design, proportion and finish are paramount in evaluating period furniture.

Reproduction furniture is no different.

Douglas R. Dimes has spent a lifetime making reproduction early American furniture and has been commissioned by some of the finest early American museums in the country. It is his relentless scholarship that is the foundation of his craftsmanship. Nearly forty years of study has resulted in an understanding of which pieces are the finest examples of early American furniture, and his disciplined approach to his craft insures every piece is made to his standard.

Americans have collected D.R.DIMES furniture since the mid 1960’s. Over that time, many pieces have resold for significantly more than the original purchase price. In 1995 an important private antique collection was auctioned by Christie’s of New York City. The entire collection was 18th century American decorative arts (including one piece that sold for almost 2.5 million dollars) except for a handful of reproduction pieces marked D.R.DIMES, 20th century. A D.R. DIMES Gilpin comb-back Windsor chair sold for $1,610, or 8 times its original price of $200 in 1980. Other pieces sold for five times original purchase price.

While we make no specific claim of future value, historically D.R. DIMES furniture holds its value and continues to be collected by some of the most discerning furniture connoisseurs in the country.

The D.R. DIMES brand ensures a piece of impeccable design, historical accuracy and lasting value.