I was instantly in love with this rugged “well loved” box the minute i clapped eyes on it. I thought £25 was a bit of an insult to its gorgeousness but at the same time I was excites I could take her home there and then at a barg price. From the word go I had prepped the whole restoration in my mind, wall papered draws and delicate knobs! as if i was decorating my dream walk in wardrobe! It will be a home all my worldly sewing possessions!!! In a geeky way the papers i chose to line the draws with co-ordinated perfectly with my favourite rayon embroidery threads;moss green, slatey lavender, vivid turquoise and rusty orange - not all my favourite colours but they look great together.
I begun to carefully dismantle the rickety lever arms to realise what a beauty she really was. Hand crafted joints, joins and seams, old french coins dated as far back as 1920’s as washers. A true Shabby Chic no doubt from a rural french chateaux. Id love to be a fly in the box to see where shes been, having found her buried in a dusty antiques centre in sleepy Arundel UK.
I was soon stood in the B&Q paint aisle trying to choose a paint that I would like and more importantly find a shade that would do her period justice. I initially jumped for “Morris Blue” by Craig&Rose Craig&Rose Paint which was across between a chalky mid blue to a turquoise. I am a bit of Arts and Craft Movement super fan since writing my dissertation on Art Nouveau and loved the idea of a blue from a Morris floral fabric. Unfortunately on the first brush stroke i knew the colour wasn’t quite right. Begrudged at buying a whole new tin of pricey egg shell stain, I chose a new colour. I decided on a very light olive green, very similar to the sewing box’s original colour but more refreshing. I am pleased I spent the extra pennies for the better result, after all Morris blue will be perfect for another project no doubt!
With the wood sanded and stained I begun the tricky job of measuring for the paper linings. As the box is hand made, every corner was completely odd and irregular so i decided to make a stencil by folding plain paper in the space. I am not a planner I do tend to plough on through on a whim! I eventually cut my found papers to size and glued them excitedly in place. I used wallpaper paste which was great to maneuver around into place without a worry.
A Lot of thought (a lot by my standards!) went into paper choices.The first paper is actually wrapping paper i received on my birthday (thanks Zoe!) a gorgeous and colourful birdcage repeat. The paper is actually from “Paperchase” Paperchase which may seem quite commercial but you cannot deny there is some lovely and quirky design that comes out of that shop!
My favourite paper is from my favourite store “Liberty’s” http://www.liberty.co.uk/ a sweet, delicate bird sketch repeat on a vibrant teal background. Another significant choice is a wallpaper from “Biba” I love Biba because they strive to reinvent unforgettable designs. Most famous for their Art Nouveau inspiration in the 60’s with a fresh bright twist. Old patterns and designs should never be neglected, there is too much pressure to find the next phenomenon.
I forgot to mention that whilst i was sanding the individual draws down, I came across an old logo print on one. It looks as though the wood has been used from an old beer crate of some sort. Id take a wild guess the writing could be German. More charm in my eyes.
Finally Steve has adjusted some of the bolts and arms for me so the box opens out smoothly. I have left the lever arms and the knobs as they were found, i like to see the contrast. I’ll be sure to show you her in use over future projects!!! =)
