A Restoration of a Restoration

This Harris Lebus chest of drawers very nearly ended up in a skip.

I rescued it from a house clearance after it had already been through 'two previous restoration attempts'. The first saw it painted completely white. The second stripped the paint back and attempted to revive the timber, but unfortunately the finish never did the piece justice, as you'll see in the before photos. Most people looked at its condition and saw firewood, not one of Britain's most sought-after furniture makers of the 1950's.

Back at the workshop, it sat for a while as I completed other projects and considered the best way forward. My initial plan was to paint it again. Years of white paint had become deeply embedded in the oak grain, and even now, if you look closely, you'll still find the occasional trace. Removing every last bit would have meant sacrificing more of the original timber than I was willing to.

Instead, I chose to let the wood speak for itself.

The restoration involved two applications of stripper, countless hours of sanding, much of it by hand to preserve the mouldings and curves, followed by two coats of finishing oil. Finally, I blended three different waxes to soften the natural colour variation between the oak veneer drawer fronts while retaining their individuality.

I'm incredibly pleased with how it has turned out. More than anything, this project reinforced something I believe is at the heart of good restoration: The best restoration isn't always the most dramatic one. Sometimes it's about knowing when to step back, respect the piece, and allow its original beauty to be seen once again.