Thursday 13 November 2014

As if time stood still

Not really, but let me explain. 

 I bought this beast last summer. I have no idea why except I knew it was old. It was in ROUGH shape.
 I didn't actually take the drawers out of this. I did take the drawer fronts off the top for these pics. See it came without the top three drawers, just came with the fronts.
But look at those side pillars. Aren't they pretty? 
But it was rough. Soooooooooo Rough! 
I knew it was old. I mean very old school old. 
As I was working on it I took some clues from this girl as to age. I'm such a history geek that I've done a LOT of research in to age of furniture. Every inch of this girl was hand made. Now hand made does not automatically mean old. But the materials and cuts of wood and the nails all add up. Did you know that nails can give you a pretty good guess on age? They can. And this girl was giving off plenty of clues. 
I estimate this girl to somewhere before 1790. (on the shape of the nail and nail head alone) 
She's had a lot of repair over the years. There were nails from the early 1800's then some from the mid to late 1800's. Those lasted till I found some modern nails in her. 
She was well loved. 
Now...after some more repairs. 
She is ready for more love. 
 Thankfully she only had one coat of paint on her. After all that time only one coat. Amazing!
 Obviously I added new hardware. But I picked something that not only kept it looking original, but they will also fit in with what the new owner hopes to achieve with the look of her bedroom. 

 I honestly didn't think I could bring back the natural wood top. I can't tell you how much time I spent on it. Thankfully it all paid off.

That back is made with two pieces of wood. I should have gotten a pic of the inside. The bottom is the same as the back, completely solid! 

So from this. 
To this. 
I wonder if she will last another 250 years.........I sure hope so. She's worth it :) 

Sharing: 
Miss Mustard Seed
  




5 comments:

  1. She sure looks pretty now. Great piece.

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  2. She is ready for another 250 years. Great job.
    Mary @ Orphans With Makeup

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  3. How you determined age of this old girl was very interesting to me. She's a beauty now and has been given a wonderful future.

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