As people become increasingly conscious of the environmental impact of buying modern furniture, we have seen an increase in new buyers at our auctions who completely repurpose their purchases to suit modern living. This could be using a table to create a vanity unit in a bathroom, using a beautiful George III mahogany and brass banded wine cooler as a planter, turning a bureau, or writing desk into a drink’s cabinet, or taking an antique vase and turning it into a lamp. Often these changes can be made easily with the help of a good electrician or joiner and can help breathe new life into an old piece.
A pine table is repurposed as a kitchen island in the Cheffins x Birdie Fortescue edit
Whilst most antiques are far too beautiful to be altered, many items can be picked up at very reasonable prices from auctions. They can easily be upcycled or repurposed into something else entirely with the result costing far less than if buying a similar item at retail prices. Antique ceramic vases complete with a beautiful lampshade can make quite a statement, whilst a regency table topped with an antique bowl, or even a salvaged sink can bring a sense of grandeur to a bathroom. We have also heard about some clever projects, such as turning an old canoe into a coffee table, with the help of a piece of glass, or antique suitcases repurposed into a chest of drawers, as seen at James Plumb. Antiques are certainly popular now, and with research into how modern furniture comes with a large carbon footprint, it seems that many people are far more interested in buying old instead of new. As a result of this, buyers are getting far more adventurous in terms of what to buy and how to use it. A vintage sewing box could be a bedside table or using a plan chest or a scrubbed pine table makes the perfect kitchen island, whilst being cheaper than getting in a kitchen fitter at the same time.
An antique sewing box made an elegant side table during our shoot with Benedict Foley and Daniel Slowik
Here at Cheffins, our Saleroom manager, George Silcock, has created a kitchen island using an antique pine chest. George set about arranging a carpenter to cut the chest in half, fit a Neff oven, top it with quartz and add a hob. It’s made quite the impact in his kitchen in Cambridge, as you can see in the image below.
The plan chest, repurposed as a kitchen island
Sustainable shopping and decorating are very much of the moment. At the heart of this is not adding cheap, fast fashion, high street buys to landfill. Getting into the habit of shopping around for an antique solution when it comes to big-scale purchases is a thoroughly sustainable way to furnish a home, and creatively repurposing items also comes with a massive sense of accomplishment. Why have a fully fitted new kitchen when you can use antique dressers, glazed cabinets and trestle tables to create a free-standing set of units which you can then take with you if you move house, rather than leaving your costly investment to the whims of whoever next moves in? This is a trend which is currently popular on Instagram, with examples from designers such as Patrick Williams or Benedict Foley doing the rounds.
Long may this trend continue, and we would love to know of how any of our buyers at Cheffins have repurposed antiques which they’ve bought from our saleroom. Please do get in touch if you have any projects to share!
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