Hunting for Antique Pine in Europe

The alarm always seems to go off too early, but that’s part of the routine. Before most of Chester has even stirred, we’re on our way to the airport, coffee in hand, ready for another trip across to the continent.

These journeys have become second nature to us: quick flights into Holland or Germany, a hire car waiting at the other side, and a day (or two) spent chasing down antique pine treasures hidden away in barns, workshops, and family homes.

Each trip feels like a blend of business and adventure. In Holland, we’ve built relationships with local contacts who know every corner where farmhouse tables, linen presses, or wardrobes might be hiding.

Some barns are so packed you have to squeeze sideways to even get a look at the pieces. In Germany, we often meet with families who’ve held on to pine furniture for generations—armoires, chests, cupboards that have stood the test of time but now need someone new to care for them.

We never quite know what we’ll find. One week it might be a beautifully proportioned farmhouse table that just needs a little wax and polish; the next, it’s an armoire with layers of history under peeling paint, waiting for us to restore it back to the warm glow of natural pine. That thrill of discovery is what keeps us flying back, time and again.

Once the finds are secured and funds have changed hands, they’re carefully loaded, shipped back to the UK, and delivered to our Chester workshop. That’s where the transformation begins—stripping away years of dust and wear, repairing joints, and restoring the character. It’s painstaking work, but there’s nothing quite like seeing a forgotten piece brought back to life.

Every trip, every barn visit, adds another chapter to the story of antiquepineimports.co.uk. And for us, that’s the real joy: taking furniture with a history and making it ready for the next generation of homes.