Jeffrey's Journey: From Donkey to Delightful

Prologue
It's a typically wet, Cornish, autumnal afternoon. An intrepid treasure hunter (the hero of our tale) scans an industrial unit at a secret location in the Tamar Valley. It's the resting place for stuff that no-one wants anymore. In other words, the perfect hunting ground for our hero.

His eye scans the room. A smoked glass coffee table, a military history fan's collection of VHS videos, an unloved rowing machine, a crate of anonymous metal artefacts of unknown provenance, a careworn mechanical donkey with a faintly striped bottom, a 1980s 'vintage' Argos wardrobe.... hold on, a mechanical donkey with a faintly striped bottom.....

The clue is in the bottom

Introducing Jeffrey the Zebra
So the donkey was delivered back to our hero's home in Liskeard, Cornwall, where he adorned the living room for so long that he was adopted as part of the family, and was christened 'Jeffrey'.

Jeffrey dates from the late '50s/early '60s and is made of fibreglass. He was originally attached to floor-mounted machinery so that he could give gentle rides to children on their seaside holidays. At some point in his career, perhaps when his stripes became a little shabby and tired, some bright spark decided to reinvent him as a donkey (a lot easier than repainting his stripes - 'I can understand why!' our hero exclaims). A simple coat of grey paint, and the transformation was complete.

Then about ten years ago he was retired from service, usurped in children's affections by the likes of Postman Pat and Thomas the Tank Engine. So he made what he thought was his final journey to a local refuse tip here in Cornwall, destined for landfill until he was spotted by a certain someone with a discerning eye...

With a huge window space at LASSCO Ropewalk to fill, the time had clearly come for Jeffrey to be take centre stage.

The Restoration Job
After some preliminary 'zebra stripe patterning' research, and construction of the obligatory mood-board, work began on restoring Jeffrey to his former gloriously striped self. He was removed from his defunct mechanical base, and remounted onto a specially commissioned stand.
 

Step one: Get rid of boring old donkey grey 'overcoat'

Sanding and gentle scrubbing revealed Jeffrey's true zebra identity.

Step two: 'Stripe remap' and undercoat application

Some confusing layers of stripes meant a rethink and extensive 'stripe remapping' project. This resulted in both white and black stripes requiring several undercoat layers.

  

Our plucky hero wasn't phased by the challenging working conditions. Neither was Jeffrey.

 

Step Three: Overcoat

Suitable jet black and creamy white paints selected, Jeffrey was ready for his final furlong. A shiny fire engine red paint was chosen for his saddle.

Step Four: Stand back and admire

 

And so we are now at the end of Jeffrey's Journey. He is presently adorning the windows at LASSCO Ropewalk and will undoubtedly be the star at the 30th May launch of Marc Kitchen-Smith at LASSCO Ropewalk. 

But how long can the great buying public resist his charms?

'Come and see me some time.'

Marc Kitchen-Smith at LASSCO Ropewalk

41 Maltby Street,  

Bermondsey
London SE1 3PA

Twitter: @mkitchensmith

Newsletter: www.marckitchensmith.com/newsletter

There's no place like home

It's good to have things around you that just make you feel at home. A smattering of chintz and a decorative touch never did an interior any harm (no matter what a renowned Swedish homewares chain might have us believe)...

Lighting is one of THE most important things to get right in making a house (or flat) a home. We spotted this quirky-looking oil lamp at a West Country farm sale. The application of a bit of imagination repurposes what originally looked like a (slightly battered) three-legged alien lifeform into something rather more domestic.

 

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We've given it a respray, converted it to electric, and rewired it with a contrasting burgundy flex to make it look a bit more contemporary.

  

We are very choosy about the tables we buy, but this 19th century gate-leg table had all the right qualities. Made of pine, rather than the more common oak, it retains all its layers of old paint, giving it that much sought-after patina of age.

  

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This is a very practical space-saving piece of furniture, worthy of any home, old or modern.

 

'Simple yet elegant' best describes this Oxford framed mirror. Made of pitched pine, and decorated with small brass rosettes in each corner, it is nice example of the late Victorian Gothic style.

 

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It has been repainted and clear-waxed. It takes it's place in our eclectic current stocklist of mirrors.

It was the beautiful vintage fabric on this relatively simple folding three-panel screen that caught our discerning eye.

 

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The lovely printed linen features classical swags, ribbon bows, and puttis astride dolphins - very much in the 18th century style, despite dating from the late Victorian/Edwardian era. The little bits of wear to the fabric simply enhance the antique qualities of this piece of furniture. It may even earn the dreaded 'shabby chic' label. A boudoir essential!

How cute are these? A pair of vintage carved wood bookends, in the form of two patient terriers happily standing guard over your favourite set of books.

 

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Originally produced as tourist souvenir items in the Alpine/Black Forest regions of Europe, they are carefully crafted in wood with inset glass eyes. We have a few examples of these, all with slight variations in size or pose (including one set of dachshunds!).

Trunks, chests and blanket boxes are always popular, functioning as characterful storage devices or as coffee-tables or side-tables. This one is a particularly classy example of a 19th century pine blanket box, retaining its original external green-black paintwork and, remarkably, its original Victorian lock and key.

  

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We have given it a fresh coat of paint internally and clear-waxed the exterior.

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!