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