‘Sensitive Refurbishing’ - Refurbishing furniture in keeping with its style, age and character, blending new and old.

I love that each piece of vintage furniture has its own unique style and character. It represents a time in history and has a story to tell.

We all have our individual styles when doing up furniture. For me, it is refurbishing in a way that is in keeping with it’s past. I like to accentuate the original design features, whilst giving it a modern twist. I think of this as ‘sensitive refurbishing’, blending old and new.

Before starting a new project I spend time thinking about how to style it. I look closely at the period design features, think about colours and look at wood grain and patterns. I research paints and effects to decide whether to try something new or unusual.

I recently worked on this Serpentine reproduction sideboard. A vintage mid-century piece in the popular style of the Regency period (early 19th century). The beautiful curved front and tall tapered legs form the Serpentine design. This piece had been well looked after but was scuffed and marked. The dark, high sheen mahogany veneer was dated. However it was solid and high quality, made to last. As soon as I saw it I knew it would make a stunning up-cycled piece.

I chose a dark grey paint, which I felt exuded elegance and simplicity, just like this piece would have done in its day. I used Ash Fusion Mineral Paint as it gives a lovely smooth finish and rich colour. 

The doors had the characteristic inlaid design popular with this style. I wanted to emphasise this feature, so I used it as guide to frame the doors. It was a great way to keep the original design, whilst adding an interesting focal point.

I stripped the doors and drawers right back to the original wood to expose the beautiful grain. This was previously lost under the french polish finish which seemed like such a shame. The curved design with the natural wood and grey frame brought it back to life. I waxed and polished the natural wood to give it a rich natural colour and subtle sheen.

I wanted to bring it all together with a touch of class and an air of opulence. I decided to do this with the addition of some brass detail. I loved the contrast of the brass against the dark grey and felt it brought a modern twist. I added a stencil strip to the centre of each door to give it an interesting new feature. I had planned to stencil the whole wooden section of the doors, but after starting in the middle, I decided simple was more effective and stopped there. I also added the brass to the original handles and carved detail to coordinate with the stencil.

I wanted to draw attention to the tapered legs, one of the main features of this style of furniture. I did this by adding the brass to the feet, balancing it out and bringing the whole piece together. 

As well as looking great, I want my pieces to be hard wearing and able to stand up to the stress of modern life. I do this by adding a couple of layers of wax finish varnish. I always give my buyers a little pot of paint to touch up any knocks it may get in its new home.

For me, it is ‘sensitive refurbishing’ all the way. I look at the whole piece and think about how to bring it into the modern world, whilst enhancing original features. Each piece has its own personality which needs to be nurtured. I love the furniture I up-cycle, and want my buyers to love it too.

This piece is currently for sale in my shop.