Beryl’s beauties — discovering and restoring for the next generation

Just last week I took the opportunity to indulge in one of my all time favourite pastimes — perusing village charity shops. We were in the New Forest for a few days and I found myself in the village down the road from where we were staying — alone. No kids. No husband. No dog. Just me. So, while I was actually there to pick up some milk, I decided to take the opportunity to sneak a peak into a couple of the heaven sent charity shops, brimming with goodies spilling onto the pavement. But, I needed to move fast. And I did.

Within less than 5 minutes I was paying for 4 lampshades and 5 bases, plus an extra base that the lady produced from bubble wrap behind the counter whilst I was paying. It was that fresh, it hadn’t even made it out into the open. Perhaps it is a little unusual to purchase that many random light fittings within a matter of minutes, but either way it certainly got the ladies intrigued. I explained that I’m making and upcycling and having a general explore in an effort to reuse what we have vs. buying new. Her eyes lit up — “Ah-ha — you need to come to Beryl’s house clearance”.

And so you have it. 10.30am the next morning I was walking through Beryl’s memories. At first, I felt like an intruder, but I came to learn that despite Beryl having to move into a home due to her progressing dementia, the family wish was that all of her antiques would be sold off and the money would go to the local community centre which had supported Beryl for many years. This made me feel a little brighter.

I ended up contributing quite significantly to this cause — i.e. I bought a lot. All old and brown. I love brown furniture. I love the unknown stories that accompany an antique. 1 dining table, 8 chairs, 2 dressers, 2 lamps and 1 drinks cabinet later, I was frantically organising a courier. The drinks cabinet is the piece de résistance for me. We’ve been looking for one for while — but when you’re looking, you can’t find it. This one was Beryl’s pride and joy apparently and something she had bought at auction years ago. A drinks cabinet is one of those things that certainly would have some tales to tell if those key holes could talk — the cocktail parties, the glass of Christmas sherry, the cheeky night cap when no one’s looking. Likewise the dining room table, complete with a leaf insert to allow 12 to comfortably sit. Dinner parties, festive gatherings and dinner for 2 — all rich memories to feast on.

Compare this to buying new. IKEA can evoke an emotion, a desire, but can shopping at IKEA evoke a history, a sense of past, a world beyond? No, it can’t. There’s something in this sense of ‘past’ that drives me to want to refresh and repair— to give something a new lease of life — to keep things in the chain for even longer.

So now I’m busy sprucing up these treasures — with a bit of elbow grease and a whole lot of love. Someone else can then caretake these beauties for years to come and can enjoy their company just as much as Beryl did.

Read on for a great recipe for wood cleaning.

Tip: This dresser only really needed a really good clean up. A great way to remove old residue and generally refresh the wood finish is to mix equal parts in an old jam jar (with lid):

• Boiled linseed oil (must be boiled and NOT raw)
• Turpentine
• Vinegar

Give the mix a good shake and apply with a lint free cloth, rubbing into the wood. Leave on for a few minutes and then remove and buff with a clean, dry cloth. It might need a few goes to lift the mix. Then you can apply a lick of beeswax to give it a lovely shine (and an incredible smell!)

By Lizzy Stallard