Times are challenging for a lot of people right now, and while I’m certain there are some who have made plenty of money out of this pandemic I’m also sure there are many of us for whom times are harder than they were this time last year. Along the way a lot of you will have spent a great deal more time at home than you have in the past and I think all of us are looking at both the way we live and our houses a little differently. For me it’s become a good time to find comfort in surrounding myself with well-loved and well-worn objects, things that have a history behind them and a story to tell. I find that it doesn’t have to be an expensive antique, but perhaps something as simple as a very comfortable old chair that has seen better days, or something that just needs a bit of a makeover to give it a new lease of life. A little touch of TLC is often all that it takes to make something to keep you company for a few more decades.
I’ve often found it’s not just a quick mending with some super glue that’s needed, but sometimes something a little special, a repair or renovation that matches the value of the original workmanship of something and extends its life exponentially. I always think that’s why it pays to buy quality: both new and old. One of the first things I did during ‘lockdown’ in the spring was to repaint all of the garden furniture. Any rusty parts I first did with a coating of anti-rust paint and then I gave everything two coats of Farrow and Ball’s Exterior Eggshell in Wimborne White. I love F&B’s paints as they are eco-friendly and so lovely to use. Now this old garden furniture which has certainly seen better days should last another few decades I hope.
And if you can’t afford good quality new things, then look for second-hand.
Whatever I do, I always add a touch of vintage, a touch of nostalgia, as a nod to the past when many things were made by hand, when a pot was thrown down the road by a local artisan, and if something was bought from the other side of the country it was considered an enormously long way.
I think by surrounding ourself these things like this, it can reassure the soul and comfort the artist that resides in every human. Take, for example, a simple evening weekday meal. You’ve had a long hard day and you’re finally sitting down with your partner or children or a couple of friends. You’ve rustled up a quick supper, maybe just a hearty country vegetable soup that you made over the weekend – all you’ve had to do is heat it up and pick up a crusty baguette or country loaf of bread on the way home. Now you sit down at last, the soup is steaming in the middle of the table in an old French soupier. The bowls are classic French vintage lions head soup bowls, the flatware is heavy and amazing quality and again antique. As you swirl the red wine around in the glass you can admire the pretty crystal. Somehow everything feels right. Even this most casual of meals has an elegant tone to it.
I can’t describe it any other way, using these beautifully made items changes everything. There was a time when the best china stayed in the cupboard only to be used at Christmas or on special occasions. It gathered dust and sometimes was not even seen for a year. I know that was certainly the way in our house. Now, however, we’ve changed all of that; we use it for breakfast, and lunch, and dinner, and if it gets a crack or a chip or the glaze is covered in tiny lines known as crazing, we don’t cry we embrace it, it’s a part of the history, another story in the look book of short verses. At least we enjoyed it.
The photographs below show some of the major renovation of our garden chairs this past month. They were plastic ‘rattan’ and rather expensive, but after eight years the rattan was falling apart, literally disintegrating after so many years exposure to hot sun. However the frames were as solid as a rock, very well made and rigid and we didn’t want to just throw them out, to become another thing in the landfill. But a new pair of similar chairs would have been really expensive here in France and I couldn’t work out how to repair them. Thankfully, someone did – Roddy removed all of the old rattan and put that in the recycling so we were left with just the iron frame.
Then he set to work with some panels of treated outdoor timber fencing panels which are very inexpensive. Some were new and some had been already used for a now ended project – he never throws anything away (which although it drives me crazy, does have its eventual benefits). He took apart the panels and cut the small planks to size, one by one, attaching them directly to the frame with self-tapping screws.
And that was how he remade our chairs, which are now totally unique, bespoke garden chairs, that will hopefully last another decade or more.
I love this sort of thing, the resurrection of goods and chattels that not only reflect the original work that has gone into them, years or sometimes centuries ago, but new love and care that anyone with time and patience can put back into them, too. All of this just enriches the story behind them, and it’s the special care that we put into this resurrection that I think gives us the comfort we need in these troubling times.
I hope you are all safe and sound wherever you are, and manage to find some beauty in the little things this week! I would love to hear about what items bring you special comfort.
Susan x
Our French Oasis 
Well done Roddy! No wonder he’s been so quiet on the FB insect groups 🙂
Ah, that might also be due to a lack of insects, so he says, Susan. I don’t see him scurrying around so much in the garden with the camera at the moment, I must admit XX
If only my hubby were handy
Ah, it’s not so easy all the time, Sheree. It’s a selective ability he has, to chose the projects that are fun to do 🙂 . I think perhaps we are all like that though, so I shouldn’t really be so judgemental. I know full well I love planting something rather than raking up an autumnal pile of leaves.
😎
Those chairs look beautiful and very comfortable. Unbelievable transformation. You are a lucky lady to have such a talented husband.
See my comment above, Gwen, but yes, he does come up with some brilliant ideas, I have to admit! And yes, I know I am lucky. XX
Yes! yes to using china and silver! Yes to using those those nice soaps people give as gifts! Yes to repairing old furniture. I do love Roddy’s creation with that furniture. For future reference, you can buy materials for caning, though it would take a bit of patience and the whole family to reseat all those chairs. But if you have an old rocker or straight-backed chair…
I’m rather content with the wooden transformation, to be honest. It suits the garden here more, I think, and goes better with the stone. And I am so glad you agree with the use of old china and crockery. It never fails to give me a thrill to use it for mundane occasions. Even a salad tastes better on a 150 year-old plate! I think it’s the tint of decadence involved that makes me smile. XX
As always your story gives me inspiration and also the positive notion that the life I’ve embraced, always wished for since a child really is not odd or fanciful but the life many others choose to lead. Although no one is handy in our family I too have found a kind man who understands my vision for old things found and is willing to help me resurrect more pieces from the past. Thank you. Again!
My pleasure, Ann-Maree. And finding lost treasures is one of life’s pleasures, I agree….
I believe that there is something in our DNA that guides some of us to mismatched, chipped,or rusty objects. I remember trolling with my mother through estate sales, and flea markets, even the curbs of the streets. There is no cure…
Lovely job Roddy.
Ali
Yes – that’s what I was referring to, Ali, the artist within, as it were. I think all of us have it, but in some, the Force is a little stronger 🙂
Fantastic results! They look wonderful.
Roddy is Brilliant and very creative.
Patricia, thank you :). I shan’t tell him that yet though – I have some other little things for him to do and i’m not letting him rest on his laurels 🙂
“I think by surrounding ourself these things like this, it can reassure the soul and comfort the artist that resides in every human.”
A more poetic and true sentence was never written.
I hope so, Ellen. Not the least is the fact we have to try and pass it on, too….
If you want you can see beauty in everything but livig in such a wonderful place like you it’s easier. Beautiful table
setting and be proud of your talented husband.
Having beautiful things to play with makes setting a table very easy! Add some food and you have a visual feast for the eyes and the soul. It costs nothing to do, really, either. And yes, I am proud of him…..:)
Great job, Roddy!! In our new rental house, we have room for me to put out things I’ve had packed away since we moved to Illinois over 8 years ago. I’m also able to have glasses and dishes that are special in places where I can actually access them and thus use them. That makes me happy.
Thanks for sharing the beauty.
janet
And that is so important, Janet. There’s no point in having things in boxes, hidden away. I am so happy for you that you can get all your goodies out and revel in their beauty and character. XX
I love that you were able to save and use the iron frames of the chairs. They are works of art now! Beautiful scenes of your garden. And thank goodness for our outside spaces during the pandemic/lockdown. I started refreshing in my back yard and screened porch in March and haven’t stopped. We had the most beautiful flowers we’ve ever had back there because we had time to work in the garden and then time to enjoy it!
Lovely post. Finding comfort by surrounding beauty is the ultimate abundance. 🌞
Indeed it is, and I’m so glad you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂
What a great job. They look fab. I love upcycling and purchasing vintage items which have a history. We live in such a throw away society and your project shows that with a little imagination you can create something unique to you😊
It’s a constant battle against the throwaway society, I think. For me, it’s an important aspect of modern life to be aware of, a trend that I try to contradict at every opportunity. Roddy is with me on this, but he has also never thrown anything away, which can be quite daunting, until the moment he produces the exact solution we require. Typically it will be something he’s carefully guarded for twenty years, secure in the knowledge long ago that we’d need it one day, I admit I always smile ruefully and give thanks for a husband with foresight. The only problem we have is organising the space to store all of HIS treasure in 🙂
😁A bigger Man shed