Furniture

Oak hall/side table - £180

If you want a subtle statement piece, and that statement is "feel free to stroke me every time you pass", you can't beat an elegant bit of English oak as a starting point. This has a delightful undulating edge and swirling barley-twist legs, giving it a rhythmic tidal quality which nicely sets off the Tower House pottery fish jug*. I've sanded off its original dark stain and varnish, then finished with a low-VOC teak oil which makes the grain glow... and quietly beg to be stroked. 

*The jug is not for sale - but you can commission a similar one from Peter at The Tower House Pottery. These unique pots are made to order, and can take 6-12 months to produce. Well worth the wait though.

Rustic child's prayer chair - £125

This lovely hand-made chair was a bit sorry for itself when it came to me, with split, dry wood, mottled surfaces and signs of worm. I've given it a thorough once-over, treated and patched the wood, and gone Old School with the finish - just a dark oak stain and wax to protect and polish. It's hard to date because of its simplicity, but so well crafted, the wood looks like it was shaped by eye and axe, the seat tightly woven with skill and precision. 

Pine blanket boxes, from £200

Some people do jigsaw puzzles or line dancing. To relax and unwind, my favourite thing to do is strip a blanket box, which is especially therapeutic if it has layers and layers of paint on it. The "reveal" is always thrilling. Then out comes the sander, and as I work with the grain I decide what to do next. The simplest and most ancient of pine boxes really only need wax or oil to finish. If a ding or two requires mending in some way, I like to work with natural fillers like strips of pallet wood, sisal and jute. 

Small ash table - £220

The top of this table is olive ash - so called because there is an unexpected dark (olive coloured) stripe through the normally pale ash grain. I've sanded the top to get rid of a few coffee rings and the yellowing that can happen over time. Then I've sealed it with Osmo Polyx "Raw", which inhibits colour change and keeps the whiteness fresh. I believe the table was made locally, probably early 2000s. It would make a perfect kitchen table if you're tight for space, or a working desktop in any room. 

Scandinavian beech chair - £75

Oh my word. How minx-ish is this? It pretends to be simple and plain, but the craftsmanship is really quite virtuoso. Again, I've taken it back to the pale wood and finished with Osmo Raw to keep it from yellowing. 

Set of 5 mixed wood farmhouse chairs - £340

The legs and shoulders of these chairs are beech, the seat base and uprights are oak. Originally they were dark green, pretending to be wholly oak. But beech is a more forgiving wood for chairs, and the different grains are beautiful together. I've stripped them back and used Osmo Raw to finish, keeping the natural pale colour of both woods. They are structurally sound and very comfortable.

Pine kitchen table - £TBC

Worthy and sturdy, this pine table is modern-ish, but a darn sight chunkier than your average. I've sanded it back to a fresh pale pine, and managed to avoid yellow tones by using Osmo Polyx "Raw" to finish. Osmo is plant based, non-toxic so child-, pet- and food friendly. It's what you'd use on kitchen countertops to preserve both the wood and any living thing that might be eating straight from the surface. The legs are painted with Frenchic, erm, forgotten the colour. It might well be "Steel Teal". The picture also shows the Farmhouse Chairs (listing above). 

Mini Bureau - £140

This is a child-sized desk, made from beech, sycamore and sycamore ply. A tough, lightweight construction. It had some superbly authentic adolescent graffiti on the inside, dating it to the early 1980s. Unfortunately I couldn't preserve it because someone had later covered the graffiti with faux leather and the glue redacted much of the text. "Fame" featured large though, and several other pop icons of that era. Anyway, I've sanded it all away (I know, I know, sad face emoji), painted with a Dulux diamond satinwood (ie very hard-wearing), and on top of that used Rocktop Clearcoat (ie even more very very hard-wearing). 

Solid oak pew - £800

What a beauty! She's somehow found her way to Berwick from Birmingham where she's had a clean and polish, but with something of this age and provenance, less is more. Generations of church-going Brummie rumps have already buffed her to a satin smooth finish (the downside being the seat's a bit slippery, so maybe go steady with the Communion wine before a sit down).

Teak drop-leaf table - £195

A Tardis of a table! This elegant late-20thC solid teak dining table folds away to to the smallest footprint (measurements available on request). The gatelegs are on strong piano hinges, meaning it is sturdy and wobble-free when fully or half open. The leaves are unusually long, creating a large oval top, where you can comfortably seat 4 or 6. 

Elm dresser - £350

Neat little kitchen dresser, probably from the 1980s or 1990s. It's made of elm, which is a warm-toned wood, cinnamon-ny in colour so looks perfect with the copper. Sadly some freshening up was required, so I've painted it with Frenchic - a durable furniture paint. The top and shelves are unpainted elm, sanded clean and finished with teak oil. Dimensions available on request.

Mahogany armed chair - £240

An example of a piece that needs absolutely no help from me. It's got a sprung padded base which was probably reupholstered at some point this century - I'm guessing, and only because the floral pattern and un-grubby-ness of the material makes it seem a lot more recent than the chair itself, which has a vaguely Georgian vibe, though more likely Victorian.

Joey D Edinburgh armchair - £700

Such an inventive designer, Joey D is perhaps better known for his clothing and bags, but every so often a bespoke piece of furniture comes along. This one is made out of pallets and table legs, then upholstered in his iconic mix'n'match steampunk bonkers divert-the-curtains fashion. Plus.... so so so so comfortable, it's like sitting in a full-body hug. Not sure I want to part with it, but it's the size of a small car so it won't fit in my livingroom.

The two cushions are by another extraordinary but more local designer - Lizzie Sharpe. They are original design, knitted carpet wool. If you're from the Berwick area you might well be familiar with her distinctive jumpers. Prices to follow. 

Multi-Scuttle - £230

I do love a scuttle! They are so clever and so versatile. This one was broken and downhearted when it arrived, showing signs of abuse and neglect. I've stripped it down to the bare wood, which has mahogany tones, though there's also a bit of blond in the varied grain. I've finished with a teak oil, which feeds the wood and makes it water resistant (not waterproof). There's a galvanised steel bucket on the inside, in excellent condition, so it would be great for laundry or toilet rolls, in the kitchen for potatoes, bread, dog food, jam jars, or in the livingroom or bedroom as a side table. You choose!

Toddler's cane chair - £40

Sweet! It just needs an adorable 3-year-old with a kitten. 

Pine cubed shelving unit - £TBC

This simple piece has no feet so could sit equally well on a counter or carpet. It's a solid construction with a panelled back, in excellent good-as-new condition. 

Blue rocking chair - £150

This is an unsually neat rocker, by which I mean it doesn't take up a lot of space front to back. Quiet a low seat so shorties like myself can sit with feet on the floor and gently rock themself into a stupour. Though, to be fair, I don't need a rocking chair for that, it happens all by itself a lot of the time. It's a pine construction, painted with Dulux Diamond Eggshell, which is plenty robust enough for interactive furniture of this sort. 

Child's school desk and chair - £95

The style is "school desk" rather than it being an actual school desk. It's a handmade set, mainly beech, but using timbers that have been repurposed from something else. I suspect a clever joiner had some left-overs from other jobs and made it for his/her own wee sprat. I've stripped it and finished it would Osmo Polyx oil, which is non-toxic. The inside of the desk and chair seat are painted with a magenta furniture paint, which is hard-wearing and gives a striking contrast to the pale wood.