One piece completed and another now takes it place.

We finally finished our refurbishment of the 19th Century Oak Dresser today. It is now ready for its public debut and will be going into our bay at Lifestyle (Hitchin) tomorrow.  We also have a Facebook selling page if you would like more details at The Owl Cottage Secret Cupboard. Please take a look and we hope you will Like our Page at the same time.

The dresser needed a number of repairs including replacement inserts of new timber mouldings, so lent itself to being painted. The top was stripped of its old oak veneer and re-stained in Liberon Dark Oak Wood Dye, and finished with dark Briwax to match the oak backboard. I'm quite pleased with the result and love this dramatic shade of Antibes Green Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan.

Jacobean Oak Dresser painted in Annie Sloan
Antibes Green Chalk Paint, with Dark Wax

The rest of the day has been taken up with labelling small items to go into our bay, a time-consuming but essential part of the business, while my other half sizes up his next project, one that will definitely NOT be painted.

This beautiful 19th Century rosewood work table boasts a beautiful grain and is in good condition. However, one of the hazards of bidding in haste at auction, is repenting at leisure when one finds an important moulding is missing. Now, how is he going to get round that without incurring the expense of a professional carpenter I wonder.

I'm having a clear out of a number of chairs Ive bought over the past year, with the intention of either painting or restoring them. Today I sold 6 Ercol 20th Century Fleur de Lys chairs, and with 4 more going into our shop this week, I am gradually getting through my glut of chairs at long last.

Our van's loaded with new stock to take into Lifestyle tomorrow. All that remains is to wait in anticipation to hear what we've sold there today, when it closes at 5pm.