A Scandinavian Sojourn

For a variety of favourable logistical reasons, we found ourselves on a flight to Gothenburg the other week, heading for a week of treasure-hunting.

The best time for hunting of course is summer, with the long days and plenty of barn sales (or 'loppis', as the Swedes refer to them) open for business.

From our base near Stenungsund, on the beautiful Bohuslän coast of Sweden, and despite it being the wrong end of summer (i.e. autumn!), we managed to plot a packed agenda of treasure-hunting. We revisited some of our favourite haunts, and found some fantastic new ones.

A rather picturesque lunch stop

The beautiful Bohuslän countryside

An industrial storeroom in Munkedal

The treasure that got away - not one for us!

A Swedish still-life study

Roaming the countryside definitely provided good hunting ground for treasure, but inspiration in the form of colours, design and graphics, also came in from a bit of sightseeing - both in Gothenburg and indeed the local supermarket...

Haga district, Gothenburg

He's SUCH a delightful object! (and sadly NOT for sale)

A bit of 'shabby chic', Gothenburg-style

'Fika' (coffee break) joint in Haga district, Gothenburg

Beautiful architecture in Gothenburg

Celebrating Scandi-cake style

One of many hundreds of 'pick 'n mix' offerings at the local supermarket

Those Swedes love their sweets

Vintage-style graphics

Some beautiful graphics on crispbread packaging

Within the space of five days, we accumulated chandeliers, desks, industrial side tables, rustic dining chairs, filing cabinets, vintage globes, dress mannequins, wooden children's toys, industrial anglepoise desklamps and a variety of vintage hooks and hat-racks.

Frenzied packing and organizing ensued - some of the items are already at LASSCO Ropewalk for sale (a vintage Scandinavian globe, a retro Danish chair), others are being prepared for sale at our Cornish workshop, and some of the larger items will be making their appearance on the shop floor next year.

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Globes, globes, globes (and a rather beautiful tambour-front cabinet)

At our logistics, um, depot/HQ

A giant abacus

A child's rocking horse

The Power of Patina

Patina - much sought after, impossible to reproduce.

We like our furniture to show evidence of its former lives. Frankly, the more flaky and battered that paintwork is, the better! Interior design fashions and tastes change, a much-loved piece of furniture is perhaps re-purposed and repainted - all this is reflected in these layers of paint. We like to preserve this history where we can, in most cases resisting a repaint and instead sealing the surface with a simple clear wax.

We are naturally drawn to country pine furniture retaining remnants of its original layers of external paintwork. This lovely two-door pine cupboard dates from around 1840, and appears to have had only three coats of paint over its 170 year lifetime.

 

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We have repainted the interior 'Duck-Egg Blue' to compliment the pale cream exterior. The three deep shelves would be ideal for storing bed-linen or towels.

 

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This elegant floor-standing pine cupboard retains not only some of its original external paint, but some internal as well. For such a basic and functional piece of furniture, this cupboard is beautifully proportioned.

 

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This glazed cabinet pine dresser, dating from around 1900, was found in an old barn in Cornwall where it had been relegated to the position of 'paint tin/tool storage cabinet' by its owner.

 

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We wanted to retain the fantastic original external paint, and it's 'distressed' state! We have given it a new lease of life with an interior repaint in delicious 'Georgian Green' and a simple wax to the exterior.

 

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This early 19thC West Country kitchen dresser, c.1820, retains its original 'scumbled' paintwork finish, a popular technique employed during this period to mimic the woodgrain of more expensive, better quality wood, such as oak or walnut.

 

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This large, 19th century pine cupboard is one of best, and largest, we've found. Needless to say, it has already sold, after only a month on the sales floor. A prime example of the power of patina!

 

 

 

 

 

'Any colour..., as long as it's black'

Prophetic words Mr Ford. Black-finished furniture was a popular aesthetic throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and remains a stylish choice today.

 
These ebonised hardwood bookends were perhaps brought back from Africa as souvenirs in the 1950's. Beautifully carved, and accented with resin tusks, they look like they've arrived straight from the bookshelf of an Art Deco Manhattan apartment.

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This set of collector's drawers would have been a must for your discerning Victorian naturalist, and his collection of rocks, fossils, or butterflies. With eight gradated depth drawers, this is a very elegant and practical item of furniture. Would make a very chic filing cabinet...

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Dating from the 1950's, this large Herbert Terry anglepoise lamp is an essential component to the 'vintage office' look. Although originally produced in other colours, black always looks best as it contrasts so well with the chrome fittings.

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This turned oak table has been repainted to give it a new lease of life. We think that the change of colour has given it a more turn-of-the-century 'Aesthetic' look, even though the table itself dates from the 1930's.

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The 1920s was the era for a resurgence of the 'chinoiserie' style in interiors and furniture. This traditional-lacquered hardwood screen dates from around this period.

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As timelessly stylish and functional now as it was then, the seven narrow leaves of this Art Deco screen neatly fold up for efficient and neat storage when not in use.

See more of our monochrome-inspired stock of delightful objects.

Not just for kitchens

Multifunctional furniture has always been in demand. The early 20th century kitchen presented new challenges for furniture designers; people wanted efficient ways to store both food and an expanding array of culinary contraptions.

With more and more people now having less and less domestic living space to play with, multifunctional furniture is as important as ever.

This vintage oak kitchen cabinet/larder would make a neat addition to a living room or home office. Dating from the 1930s, it's in excellent condition and still has the original enamelled work surface. It has a very useful, and compact, combination of drawers and storage cupboards, especially for the amount of floor space it occupies.

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We've also added more kitchenware to our stocklist - we've got plenty of stripes on the go at the moment...


This retro two-tone painted plywood kitchen cabinet has an array of useful storage cupboards and drawers. Dating from the 1950s it has a handy fold-down Formica work surface. A potential mini home-office?

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This formica-topped beech kitchen table has aluminium trimmed edges making it extra-classy. These tables continue to be very popular, especially for small ('bijou') London flats where space is at a premium. The drop-leaf sides allow it to be stowed into the corner of a room when not in use.

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