Reclamation and restoration: the considered approach
Furnishing a home well takes a particular kind of patience. The kind that comes from really looking, considering, and occasionally walking away empty-handed.
It’s an approach our stylist Eddy knows well. Rather than a shop, her starting point is often a reclamation yard or a market stall with something half-buried at the back that catches her eye.
She walks us through the quiet pleasure of that process – finding a piece with a past (on this occasion, a chest of drawers with "good bones") and bringing it back to life.
Watch it above, or read on for a little more of the story.
The joy of the search is a big part of the draw of reclamation, and particularly the feeling of finding something well-made, with plenty of potential.
"Every item has its own story," says Eddy. "Rarely do you know where something came from, or who had it before, or the life that it lived.
"Every mark, every dent you see in an object is part of its character."
And becoming part of that object’s history – by repairing and restoring it – is the other big draw for Eddy.
Upcycling a second-hand piece typically involves sanding, filling, and repainting, but the smaller details can make a real difference too.
"You might see some really beautiful handles, but some of them might be broken, or you might have one missing, and it would be nigh on impossible to find an exact match," she explains.
"Changing up the hardware is an easy thing you can do to continue that journey of giving something a new lease of life."
It’s a way of thinking we recognize – that the right details, chosen carefully, can give something a longer life.
The handles on Eddy’s chest of drawers are ours, but the piece is hers now. Another chapter in a longer story.
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