Category Archives: Auction finds

A frugalitarian at heart

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I’m just back from today’s auction and I’m so happy with this week’s finds. For once we’re not talking huge pieces of furniture, rather a couple of choice items to furnish The Little Grange.

The first is a small iron stag’s head with two hooks for hanging coats. Very country living! The second is a painted iron plant trough and stand which I plan to put by the wall of the barn near the side gates. Accounting for commission fees, the stag’s head cost £20; the trough and stand £17.

Also, yesterday, we took our garden waste to the local waste disposal and recycling site and I picked up another item that had been left for rubbish; a low, stone bird bath for £2. I think I’m becoming a master frugalitarian! SCH

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Another successful day at the auction

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But what am I going to do with all of this furniture?

This week I was lucky enough to get my hands on a seven-feet long Edwardian wind-out table that will seat ten people once the leaves are added. It is made of mahogany and weighs a ton!

It is a beautiful piece of furniture complete with turned legs on casters and will no doubt look stunning in The Little Grange (especially once we add a crisp white tablecloth and have guests sitting around it).

As to the price? It cost £156 once the auctioneer’s fee was added on. Marvellous! SCH

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Edwardian wind-out table with two leaves

More auction finds: hat stand

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Another busy Thursday at the auction looking for items for The Little Grange. Today’s find was a hat stand for the entrance hall (shown below among other items at the auction). It cost £26 and was exactly what I was looking for. There was also a box of assorted plates and cups and saucers that would have looked great in the dining room but I didn’t see them until it was too late… they went for an incredible £2! SCH

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Cream-coated wrought iron hat stand

Property update: sale agreed!

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Since visiting the house last month I have been back again for a second viewing and to also visit friends. My offer has been accepted and we are looking to sign mid-September. It is hard not to get excited this early in the process when so much could go wrong (!), but it feels good to visualise the house when building plans for the B&B.

While I was in the area I dropped into a local bric-a-brac store and picked up this little painting in an ornate frame. It isn’t particularly old but I thought it was in keeping with The Little Grange so bought it. Oh and it was only €3 so I couldn’t really resist. SCH

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Small painting in gilded frame

Brocante finds

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A couple of hours before leaving France my friend Paula took me to a brocante in Saint-Priest-Sous-Aixe (near to Limoges airport) which specialises in all things antiquey and French! There were tables, chairs and dressers galore, as well as farming machinery, old bikes and tin cans. It was an amazing collection of rooms within two large barns. Details can be found here: http://www.moulindelamie.com. While I didn’t have room in my suitcase on this particular visit, I vowed to be back as soon as I had actually bought a house to put things in! SCH

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A rubbish find

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I couldn’t believe my luck today when we went to dispose of 20 bags of garden waste having spent the morning cutting down trees and pruning shrubs. Our local waste disposal and recycling site keeps back a few ‘unwanted’ items  for other people to buy. There are areas for internal and external doors, white goods, furniture and garden goods.

As we entered the site I saw a small ‘pie crust’ table and asked the site worker how much he wanted for it; he said £5. I offered him £2 and he said ok!! I think it’s probably hit and miss what you can find but if you have to make a trip there regularly its worth keeping an eye out. SCH

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Small wooden table

More great auction finds

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In last month’s post I said I would be looking for gilded frames for The Little Grange so today it was back to our local auction to size up the bargains!

I found just what I was looking for in the shape of a set of four mirrors for £31. One was modern and not of interest but the other three were ornately carved and gilded. I’ve since cleaned up and polished the mirrors and have been thinking about how they are going to fit into the overall scheme at The Little Grange.

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Other recent finds have included a rattan/rope-effect stool with bun feet – also from the same auction house – and a terracotta plant pot from our local household waste recycling site. The stool cost £45 and will go in the barn/workshop as a coffee table; the plant pot was £1 and is already planted up with summer bulbs. SCH

Renovation of the linen press: before/after shots of pine drawers

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I decided this is the week to begin work on the linen press… the sun is shining and there is no chance of rain!

The overall condition of the wood wasn’t too bad but there were certainly bits of veneer falling off and a couple of front strips that had come off altogether (although thankfully they had been left inside the furniture). Oh, and a small case of woodworm that needed treating.

The first thing to do was give the draws and box frame a good clean with a damp cloth and a bit of elbow grease; after that I used wood glue, clamps and masking tape to fix back the veneer. Having left the glue to dry overnight, I then waxed everything so that the wood was better protected and shone.

The drawers also needed cleaning inside as there was a warn blue lining in each made of paper. I used a similar method to removing old wallpaper while trying not to make the wood too wet. I am very happy with the result; the wood has a zebra-like grain running through it which makes for an interesting effect! SCH

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Auction finds

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It hasn’t quite been a week yet since I left Dubai and already I’m feeling the excitement of having thrown away comfort and stability to start my dream project!  I feel impatient to find the right property and start putting together a schedule of courses.  My first £65 investment has bought me The Little Grange URL which means I can start to give the project an identity… take a look at the About section in this blog for what I have planned.

So over the past few days I have been back to tending my little seedlings which have done rather well over the May bank holiday weekend so we might have a good crop of fresh herbs this summer.  The tomatoes are coming on too as are the spring onions, summer bulbs and a little Chestnut sapling I’m determined to grow into a rather large tree!  I may even place it centre stage in the new garden as a symbol of these first few steps to a more fulfilling way of life.

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Fab find: two stone planters

On Thursday I went to a local auction which sells household items as well as fruit and veg and outdoor furniture/tools/equipment, etc.  Outside, I spotted two old oblong stone planters and just had to have them; I have since transferred my herbs to them.  Inside the auction house, I fell upon a huge wardrobe made of pine and covered in satinwood/walnut veneer that seemed so versatile in its function I thought it would make a great statement piece in the future barn/workshop: a chest of drawers on the bottom; slide-out linen shelves hidden by two doors on top; both flanked by thin wardrobes (one of which contained the lidded box of an old chamber pot!).  All four pieces sit on a plinth and are finished off by a decorative top panel.  Individually easy enough to transport: together a whacking piece of furniture!  Again, I just knew I had to have it!  It will need a very good clean and some work on the veneer which is peeling off, as well as a bit of woodworm treatment… just to be sure!

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The linen press on its way home

Bidding on each started at a reasonable £5 and before long I was walking away with three new prize possessions for very little money at all: x2 stone planters = £34 / x1 four-door pine satin walnut linen press = £130 (bargain).  I’ve since been online to learn more about the linen press and can’t seem to find many four-door varieties so I may have something of an original; complete with spiders and an inch of dust!

I loved the whole atmosphere and experience and will be heading to another auction soon. Next time I will be looking for old paintings with carved and gilded frames as well as board games, catering equipment, mix and match vintage china and garden tools/pots, etc.  SCH