It’s been a long number of years since i undertook a proper stripping and sanding project. And having just finished this cabinet, now i remember why.

As i started work on this latest piece earlier in the summer, i was remembering the first desk i stripped and sanded in Edinburgh. We found it on Dalkieth Road the year we got married; a beautiful traditional school desk in need of some love. I convinced Malkie to help me (those were during his days of innocence), and together we did the whole thing by hand down in the shared garden of our flat overlooking the Hibs Stadium near Easter Rd. Why on earth i hadn’t thought to buy a mouse sander back then i don’t know. Perhaps it was the gritty authenticity i was after, in those our days of young love.

I had been looking for a glass cabinet for the bathroom wall, and came across this piece in one of the many antiqueries along Causewayside. As it was in the slightly mad shop  of Alan Jackson, rather than the nice but overpriced alternatives on said street, it was a decent price at £35 (post-bargaining). The previous owner had attempted a paint effect reminiscent of the morning after several pints of vodka. Gratefully, it seems they used acrylic or some sort of hobby paint, as it came off fairly easily with the judicious use of a paint scraper and avoiding the need for chemical solvents.

I think the cabinet is oak but it seems to have been made up of a number of different bits and hence once sanded back, it was lacking coherence as the wood tones differed throughout. I therefore ended up staining it in order to bring up the natural colour. Having got pretty bored with the scraping i decided to paint the inside bright white, to coordinate with the bathroom and help the contents stand out. And save my sanity.

Weeks later, and today i finished off the job by completing the doors. The glass was in poor condition so i removed the panes, scrubbed them up, and refitted them.

Then comes the fun bit – putting pretty displays inside!

The essentials: a vintage first aid kit collection. (Hey, i am a doctor).

And more upon more tins and to put things in. Like make-up. And glass jars, for no purpose at all.

Just need to find a nice joiner to put it on the wall and we’re all good.