Elizabeth Byrne -2/5

Ever since Doc Rog first brought up the quote "antiques made to order", I have been thinking about antiques and my experience. While I was in boarding school my mom would always love driving me from my home in Long Island up to Connecticut because she could stop and look at all the antique shops on the way to school. I would go in with her and look around and some things were obviously not "antique", and looked as if they were from Ikea or Pottery Barn. Along with this seemingly contemporary items there were chests, chairs, lamps etc. with dust all of them leaving the barn type store with a musty smell. I could never understand the exact antique "look" that my mom was going for or how she knew what "antiques" were authentic or not.
I found William Benjamin's essay easier to understand than some of our other readings, however today's class got me thinking and a bit confused on how and what we classify as authentic or original. My mom recently moved to Florida, and completely re-decorated our new house with various new and old pieces of furniture. She had many bureau's and chairs passed down from her mother that were apparently very nice and good quality. My mom had the chairs recovered with a new fabric to change if from the previously New England look to the more Floridan and "beachy" look. Everything of the chair was the same except for the fabric except my mom still classifies it as an antique passed down from her mother. But the fabric is not the same so would it not be considered the original anymore? With the same chairs our dogs chewed one leg of the chair and my mom almost started crying because the chairs were so old, antique, and had sentimental value to her. I suggested that she should take it somewhere to get the chair fixed, and she didn't want to because she didn't want someone to change the way the wood was and it would take away from the authentic look. But so then why didn't the change of fabric take away from that "look"? (As I continue to write I have found myself again at a state of confusing.) I suppose I am trying to figure out why she would change the fabric and not get the wood fixed? (or is her logic off as to what is authentic or original) Yes, she kept the original chair but changed the fabric- does the fabric change take away from the authenticity of the chair?