Im delighted to bring you news on a hidden gem and sweet spots for salvaging in NI.. one day im going to create a little salvage tour map!

The Old Hen House salvage yard is my new muse.. you might have to make a few u turns until you find the lane off killoughey road just out of Donaghadee, but trust me, it’s a worthwhile treasure trail, and you have to meet it’s wonderful owner!

It’s run by Pete, a salvage enthusiast, who will go to any length to root out what you are looking for.

A lot of his wares are in the architectural salvage line, so if you are looking for that rustic door, or fabulous authentic fire place, he is your man. There’s also lots of bits and bobs to pick up for the corners of your home.

Lucy’s favourite.. gorgeous tiles

Pete’s clever display unit

Pete’s creative abilities are unending, so if you’d prefer something you see converted into a table, a pew, or a reclaimed wooden floor..  you’re in the right place. He can create custom furniture made to measure, out of well anything really!

When we moved in to ‘the manse’ or ‘the mansh’ as I’ve rephrased it, no. 1 on my wishlist was a big kitchen table. I think life really happens around a kitchen table. It’s the most central place in a house for any interaction, from secrets and giggles shared whilst hiding underneath it, to the candlelit supper with good friends.. note to self need more of those.

After quite a trawl through Ross’s and Bangor auctions, Pete came up trumps with this table complete with winder…

Obviously my mismatched chair collection were all lined up as the perfect accompaniment.

But after a while chairs get in the way, so I went on the hunt for a pew.. the perfect way to seat any number of guests, little people in a flash for play dough, outstretched papers and refilled coffee pots. Of course pete had the answer, this pew came from a family estate, called the Deloights and the name is inscribed on the end. It was then used in Donaghadee court for a number of years. You’d think I would have enough of sitting in pews but I love it.

My timescale on projects is rather slower than Salvage sis Lucy who has already mentioned the 1829 range of paint, as I donated my pot of moonstone grey to her after I did this ‘chair lift’ months ago. I started it over 2 years ago as you can see from how young my little sanding helper is!

So here is my version before and after.

The blue chair I wrote about here, and the ‘Philippe Starck Ghost Chair’ was a little house warming present to myself. Apparently you only know the desirability of these chairs if you stare at blogs in your free time, as most people look at it with a raised eyebrow and check its weight bearing credentials before sitting on the ‘plastic chair’.

It makes me smile to think of the stories shared around this table before we owned it, and how the Steen family story will be shared here, and hopefully for generations.

And here’s what was brewing in the background to share around the table while I hopped around and tried to ‘manicure’ the photos for this post.. with special thanks to Aunty Lucy for the apron!