'Brian'- the redesigned 1950s coffee table

It is always lovely to receive an email from someone asking if I can help them source a piece of furniture that they have in mind, but just can't find! And this was why Richard got in touch- he was moving to Edinburgh and was on the look out for a mid-century coffee table for his new flat.

I actually had this one in stock, waiting patiently on it's transformation, and it turned out to be exactly what Richard was looking for. It was a simple, unfussy design but it still had potential to be reworked with a quirky edge!

As for colours, Richard was keen to stick with a retro, mid-century vibe and came across this signage for the Festival of Britain which he sent to me as inspiration. 

We decided to pick three out of the four colours and chose to go with the blue, yellow and green. 

Green for the legs, yellow for the shelf and blue for the underside of the table, so you would catch a flash of colour as the ends of the tabletop curve upwards.

Here is a snap shot of how the table was starting to shape up... drying upside down between coats! :

The wood on the table top had some really interesting patterns in it and was in great condition for it's 60 odd years! I thought it would be a nice idea to restore the wood on the top and leave it unpainted to add a further twist to the finished piece. I sanded off the original stain and varnish and used Danish oil to give it a lovely new finish.

Here is a photo mid-sanding!

And while I was updating Richard on the table's progress, he asked me who it should be named after... I couldn't help but think that it's shape was reminiscent of a surf board and so I suggested "Brian" after Brian Wilson from The Beach Boys. Richard loved the idea of having a piece of furniture named after the music icon!

And what's funny is that when I posted up on Facebook that we were looking for a name for the coffee table, one of Ziggy's followers, Louise suggested the same thing! I am glad that others see the method in my furniture-naming madness!

So here he is, 'Brian' in all his redesigned glory!

When I delivered 'Brian' to his new home, Richard had discovered that the table had been painted coincidently in the exact same colours as the cover to Brian Wilson's solo album 'Smile'!

He was obviously destined to be called Brian all along!

I really enjoyed this project and I am very happy to hear that Richard did too! Here is the lovely testimonial I received from him:

"I am delighted with the 1950s coffee table that Amy sourced, beautifully restored and reinvented for me with a fantastic paint job of mid-century colours. Amy took a piece of design inspiration I provided and came up with the perfect design based on this. It was a joy to be involved in Amy's creative process and she kept me up to date on her work at all times. The quality of her workmanship is excellent and it's clear Amy takes great pleasure in doing the very best work for her clients. I very highly recommend Ziggy Sawdust's bespoke service. Thanks Amy."

Ziggy Sawdust + Tippi: Part II

The wait is over... the 1950s kitchen cabinet is complete and Tippi is open!

So first, I'll jog your memory... Tippi's owner Anna found this old kitchen cabinet and asked if I could Ziggy-fy it for her new Vintage and Antique furniture shop opening in Bruntsfield, Edinburgh. I was over the moon as I love retro kitchen cabinets and was itching to work on one!

And with lots of TLC, a few battles with very rusty screws and my dog developing an irrational phobia towards it, the kitchen cabinet went...

FROM THIS...

    

TO THIS!!

I was able to save the original wood effect laminate, replaced all the hardware, gave it a good old scrubbing and painted the insides + outsides in violet/grey, rich teal + aqua! From looking a little bit 'past it', this retro cabinet would brighten up any kitchen now!

The cabinet was delivered to Tippi  in time for the shop opening last week. It has only been open just over a week now, but already Tippi seems to be generating a cult following, with lots of happy customers, admirers... and even a few famous faces popping in!

A few days ago, I went along for a proper look and I really have fallen in love with the place! It's full of quirky, retro, vintage and antique furniture and home accessories and it's warm, friendly and beautifully presented, so no rummaging is required! 

Anna's little dog Tippi (who, of course, the shop is named after!) gives the warmest of welcomes too! And if you've got a dog, you are welcome to bring her/him along to meet Tippi and share some of her doggy treats!

Here is the kitchen cabinet on sale! It looks fab with the retro tea sets!

Down stairs there is a lovely collection of upholstered chairs... I just love the pink nursing chair and the blue Chaise Lounge is absolutely amazing!

But I think my favourite thing in the shop at the moment is this stunning Art Deco dressing table. What a statement piece this is! It is in fantastic condition. I am in love!!

And this very vintage washing basket is an absolute bargain!! I would like it for my bedroom...

Along with this must-have mustard chair!

But back to the kitchen cabinet! I am still yet to name it after a retro icon in true Ziggy style... But I have been thinking...

• Tippi the dog is named after Tippi Hedren
• Tippi the furniture shop is named after Tippi the dog

... so why not go full circle and have a piece of furniture in the shop named after Tippi Hedren too?

So there we have it, 'Hedren' the retro redesigned kitchen cabinet, guarded by Tippi the dog!

You can visit Tippi, Tippi and 'Hedren' at:

144 Bruntsfield Place

Edinburgh 

EH10 4ER

0131 229 4422

www.facebook.com/TippiUK ♥

Ziggy + The Velvet Peach!

The wonder of Facebook never ceases to amaze me... it's entertaining, it's fun and it keeps you in touch with your friends. It can also connect you to like minded people and businesses at the other side of the world, but it can also connect you to interesting people and businesses on your door step.

It was through Facebook that Ziggy Sawdust + The Velvet Peach discovered each other! 

Devon Roberson runs a lovely plus size vintage range in Edinburgh called The Velvet Peach and loves all things vintage and retro inspired. When I posted a photo on Facebook of this cut-glass trinket box that I redesigned in time for July's DesignMarket, she snapped it up before DesignMarket even opened!

I then found out that Devon was a big fan of pink + mint as a colour combo, so this really was unknowingly made for her!

A month or so later, Devon got in touch to say that she was moving into a new flat and would love a colourful vintage desk to do all her Velvet Peach work from... I was delighted to hear from her and went out furniture hunting that very week. Devon sent me over some images of the kind of desk she was after and when I discovered this desk needing some TLC, I hoped Devon would like it... and she did!

there was life in this old desk yet!

three drawers for paperwork + craft materials!

nice Vintage detailing

The orangey stain and varnish was a bit chipped and scratched and it really dated the desk... so I couldn't wait to sand it off! And, just as I suspected, the wood was in great condition underneath.

The next mission was colour... Devon asked if it could be done in Pink + Mint, channelling a retro 50's interior vibe. I thought that was a great idea! Very fresh + pretty. To gather some inspiration, Devon created a Pink + Mint board on Pintrest which was a great resource for me + I had the colours colour matched exactly to her liking!

so pretty + retro!

When developments were underway, Devon was excited about the finished article + started to worry that she didn't have a chair worthy enough of her redesigned desk! She sent me over a few images of chairs that she liked and asked me to keep an eye out for a similar one that could be done up to match the desk. I found this chair which met Devon's requirements and was really excited to do the dynamic duo up together! 

And it seems as though Devon + I weren't the only ones excited by the project... my cat Millie couldn't get enough of the wooden chair!

Here she is tap dancing on it..

And here she is being very over protective as I was about to start sanding it!

 And she's actually sitting on my knee as I type this!

Hello!

Ok, so back to Devon's desk + chair! For the desk, we decided to paint the body + the legs of the desk pink with a mint top + mint drawer faces (and a secret touch of lilac inside the drawers!) And to tie the chair in without it detracting from the desk, we decided to keep the colour blocking bold + simple by painting the legs pink + the rest mint.

Here'e the chair doing a head stand while it's legs dry! 

And while the painting was progressing nicely, Devon picked these lovely white flower drawer handles  for the desk... a large one for the middle drawer and two small for the others.

Here they are in action while the final touch ups were being done!

And here is the dynamic duo all compete!

And here they are settling into their new home!

I had a lot of fun completing this project for Devon + The Velvet Peach and I am so glad that Devon did too! I was delighted to receive this lovely testimonial from her:

After starting my own business , The Velvet Peach Vintage, I soon realised I need a proper work space. This was when I turned to Amy/Ziggy for her expert help. I had seen Amy's work a few times in the past & totally loved it. I knew she was the best person for the job of finding me a work desk. From sourcing the perfect desk, to picking colours, constant communication through the whole process, delivery, doing a chair to match the table at the last minute- through all this Amy has been so helpful, fun, creative and most importantly enthusiastic. Its easy to see Ziggy Sawdust will be a huge success with Amy at the helm!!! Thanks Amy so much '

There really is nothing more satisfying than a happy customer :) Thank-you, Devon!

If you would like to find out some more about The Velvet Peach, click here

Or you can follow Devon + TVP on Facebook, here: www.facebook.com/thevelvetpeachedinburgh

Morag's Bedside Cabinets

I recently launched Ziggy Sawdust's Bespoke Furniture Service, offering to give a new lease of life to a beloved piece of furniture by reworking it to suit the client's decor and taste... And my first commission was to redesign two bedside cabinets for a lovely lady called Morag!

Find some more information here

I went over to Morag's lovely house for an initial consultation, where we discussed colours and ideas for the redesign.

Morag is a fan of vintage furniture and acquired two very different, but equally lovely, bedside cabinets that she was keen to marry together, using colour to create a more uniform aesthetic. 

Here's the 'Before' photos of the cabinets in situ:

Both pieces were in good condition for their age, but were looking a little tired and had become a bit scratched and scuffed over the years. However, there was no denying their potential!

Lots of ideas were bounced between us and we both felt very excited about the start of the project!  Morag decided on cream, rose pink and lilac as colours for the redesign as she wanted a light, feminine and contemporary look. 

Morag has plans to redecorate her bedroom completely, so her redesigned cabinets will be the first step and inspiration for the project as a whole.

I took both pieces back to my workshop to start the makeover! The first stage was to take all doors, drawers and handles off in preparation for sanding.

Morag had told me that that the drawer face on the table-like-cabinet was a false drawer for decoration. After a quick investigation, I agreed because there seemed to be nothing behind it but I was curious as to why it had two little hinges and a key hole...

I carefully twisted a tiny screwdriver inside the key hole, and to my surprise, it opened!

The drawer flipped open to reveal a little secret compartment!

I emailed Morag to tell her of the discovery, and she couldn't believe that she had the cabinet for over 20 years and did not realise! I love how old objects have a way of surprising you!

I continued with the project- carefully sanding and cleaning every little nook and cranny of each piece in preparation for priming and painting.

Morag liked the idea of leaving either the tops of each piece or the drawer faces exposed wood, if they were in good enough condition.

All parts of each cabinet sanded back really well to leave smooth surfaces, which would look as good as new once painted, but there was a few blemishes that meant the wood wasn't quite in good enough condition to wax and expose.

However, as the secret drawer hadn't been touched in at least 20 years, it's drawer face sanded back absolutely beautifully! I wasn't sure if Morag would like it to be painted to match the other cabinet or for it to be waxed and kept as wood, so mocked up a colour blocking example and sent her a photo for her to see the progress on both pieces.

The tops of each piece were still to be painted lilac to match the handles, but taking a photo at this stage gave Morag the opportunity to make any changes and to see how the project was developing.

Together, we decided that in order to create a uniform aesthetic, it would be best to paint the secret drawer face pink to match the other cabinet. We also discussed how the side panels of the table-like-cabinet looked good pink, however as the side panels of the other cabinet were much bigger, we were concerned that this piece would have too much pink and not enough cream...

Morag came up with the idea to paint the sides of this cabinet cream but leave a little band of pink around the panel's trim to pick out the structure. What a lovely idea!

After this very valuable discussion, I continued on with the project knowing that Morag and I had the same vision for the project and that the redesign was completely tailored to suit her style and taste.

So after another few days of hard work and update emails, the project was complete!

Here's Cabinet Number 1!

Lilac top + handles, pink drawer + door faces, cream outer casing

Here's a peek at Morag's idea for the pink trim around the inlay panels!

Cream interior!

 Here's Cabinet Number 2!

Lilac top + handles, pink side inlay panels, drawer + door faces, cream outer casing

The secret drawer! I added a chain to keep it secure it opens

 And here they are back at home!

I had a lovely time working on this project with Morag and was delighted to receive this wonderful testimonial from her:

'I am absolutely thrilled with the work that Amy has done for me. She worked closely with me to take a few vague ideas I had, into a real concept for my very tired looking bedside furniture. At all times she kept me informed of progress -  sending my photos and taking on board suggestions I had into the design. Her workman ship is outstanding, with a real eye for detail resulting in a thoroughly professional and individual service at a very reasonable price. And I now have two unique, beautiful pieces of furniture to constantly admire. I am now currently in the process of identifying more work for Amy! I would highly recommend Ziggy Sawdust and the bespoke service that is offered- it truly is a wee gem'.

I really love the hands on, creative aspect of my job... but I think my favourite part is seeing happy customers! 

I am in the midst of redesigning another commission piece, so I'll be back with another story soon! 

For more information on my Bespoke Furniture Service, click here or send little email to hello@ziggysawdust.co.uk