You may approach the bench

Un-restored vintage work bench | H is for Home

In last Monday’s Get their Look post we featured a very nice relaxed kitchen which combined open shelving and contemporary fixtures & fittings with one-off vintage pieces. One such item was a lovely rustic work bench that took a prominent position in the space. As luck had it, we came across this old woodworking bench at auction the following day. With the potential that these items possess still firmly in our mind, we obviously couldn’t resist putting in a bid.

Vintage unrestored work bench showing the side attached vice

We already have a large work bench in our own kitchen, but you can never have too many! We’re confident that this one will look amazing after a bit of TLC. First off, it needs a good wash to remove the grime. Fortunately, there’s no horrible layers of grease, oil or tar – so that should be a very straightforward task with a bit of diluted wood wash. Then, we’ll let it dry thoroughly, make a couple of tiny repairs, then finally wax and polish. We can see that the wood has a lovely colour and grain beneath the dust and grime.

Vintage unrestored work bench showing the tool storage holes

The finished piece will be perfect for the kitchen or garden room. The holes along one edge are ideal for knives, wooden spoons or other kitchen utensils… trowels and dibbers if it ends up with a more horticultural re-purposing. There’s plenty of space underneath for boxes, baskets or sacks too. This one doesn’t have slats sitting atop the cross stretchers. We’ll probably leave as is, but they could easily be added if desired.

Here are some more examples of these old work benches given new leases of life!

Vintage workbench in a carpenter's studiocredit

Vintage wooden work bench upcycled as a sink islandcredit

Vintage wooden work bench upcycled into a kitchen islandcredit

Vintage wooden work bench repurposed into a dining tablecredit

G is for… Garden

'G is for... Garden' blog post banner

photo of our garden with vintage floral sun lounger | H is for Home

Our small Pennine garden has woken up – well, started to at least! We’ve been out at the weekend sweeping, potting up seeds, planting strawberries and some colourful annuals.

strawberries growing in our garden | H is for Home colourful annuals in our garden | H is for Home

We have lots of shady corners, so hostas and astilbes do really well.

astilbes growing in pots | H is for Home hostas growing in posts and vintage dolly tubs | H is for Home

Ferns like it here too – we’re really fond of these little ones which self-seed and sprout from the old stone walls.

ferns growing between stone bricks in a wall | H is for Home ferns growing in pots and between stone bricks in a wall | H is for Home

self seeding clover type plant | H is for Home

This is another self-seeder. It can take over a bit if left unchecked, but if it’s restricted within pots and cracks between paving it looks wonderful – the bright green leaves and pretty white flowers really lift the shaded areas… and it’s always good to get plants for free!

We have a little project for the summer, renovating this little, old greenhouse which was about to be thrown on the tip. It’s a house in the loosest sense of the word – being only about 4 feet wide. We’ll try not to lose any of its shabby charm, but if it doesn’t get some TLC soon it will fall to pieces.

vintage mini-greenhouse | H is for Home

We love these bits of metalware in the garden – old dolly tubs, buckets and watering cans.

vintage galvanised metal dolly tub | H is for Home large pottery urn | H is for Home

Also the drainpipe hoppers which look lovely when the flowers start to spill over.

old cast iron hoppers being used as plant pots | H is for Home

We’ve got our seating arrangements sorted out, picking up a Victorian cast iron bench over the winter.

Victorian garden bench | H is for Home

Also a more portable 1960s metal & plastic weave chair… and this fab 70s floral lounger.

old dandycord chair | H is for Home vintage 1970s floral sun lounger | H is for Home

The birds are well catered for…

hanging bird feeder full of peanuts | H is for Home stone bird table | H is for Home

Although its about time they started to find their own food now.

We’ve made a good start, but there’s plenty left to do… and Fudge is always happy to supervise proceedings.

Fudge the dog asleep in the garden | H is for Home

It’s nice to be able to sit back and survey work done so far though… and plan the next move from our strategic headquarters.

garden shed | H is for Home