Turning a wardrobe into a pantry and secondhand scores...

Thanks so much for your lovely comments on my last post. You really are lovely people and I really appreciate you all reading and commenting.

So... the wardrobe that isn't a wardrobe.

My friend wanted a pantry cupboard for her kitchen and fell in love with this one from M&S...

Nothing special from the outside, but on the inside?

Oh yeah. Imagine all the goodies you could fit into there. It's about £1800 though. Hmm, not so attractive now. The oak bits are oak but the 'painted finish' parts will be mdf.
I love M&S furniture, I really do. But only if it's found on eBay for 90% less than it's original price. 

So anyway, my friend thought she'd look for an old wardrobe to turn into a pantry cupboard. Which is where I stepped in. I happened to have had an old wardrobe living in the kitchen, awaiting a makeover, for what? Nine months? Too long.

Here it is with the door off and the inside painted white.

The first thing I had to do was to make sure I could build strong shelves inside. The inside was an irregular shape and a tight fit but once the first one was in...

I knew it would work.

Three shelves in.

Once the shelves were in I started on the door. I removed the heavy bevelled mirror and put a piece of mdf in its place, caulking all the joins. 

I told my friend to get an F&B eggshell but she disobeyed me and got a Fired Earth eggshell.

Never again!

It was a lovely colour and a lovely paint to use but it's not what I would call an eggshell. It has a very chalky matt appearance and no resilience to marking whatsoever. Imagine matt emulsion and that's what it was like. It's going to need further protection like wax or varnish. Especially in a kitchen.

My photos aren't great because I couldn't get far enough away from it. Plus I have a wonky eye...

So here are my friends pictures...

Hopefully, what it lacks in M&S perfection and wine rackery, it makes up for with the fact that it's ALL solid oak (apart from one door panel and the shelves) and a has bit more character than modern furniture.

Beautifully accessorised with an overflowing bin. She's very happy with it and it looks much tidier than her open shelving unit. Job done.

But I know you're all only here for the secondhand eye candy. Brace yourselves people. This one will have you SALIVATING!
I found this a while ago but it's been treated for woodworm and had to dry out before it was allowed in the house as it stank. 

An old cotton reel chest from a haberdashers shop...

 I'll treasure it. It was a fleamarket find.

And this very morning I picked up a pair of these Kashmiri/Kashmiri style papier mache, twisted wood, tole lacquer painted lamps for a fiver at the boot sale. I've been trying to find out about them without much luck...

When I was a nanny in London, the lady I worked for had a pair and she told me they were valuable. I suspect these are not desperately old...

But they are attractive and unusual...

 If they're worth thousands DO let me know!

 I have plenty more cool stuff to share with you. Including a piece of taxidermy which is over 100 years old that I found on the street.
As you do.

But that will wait for another time...

I might also show you my new sofa but I'll have to tidy the room for that.
So I might not.

I've also been working on the remaining kitchen cupboards.
Yes I actually have!

So do come back next time...