At present I am restoring a house full of furniture for a couple who are rebuilding their home. The woman was from a very large Shaughnessy family and their home was filled with beautiful furniture. They had inherited a number of pieces and the couple were aware of the delight of being surrounded by some history so had purchased beautiful antiques themselves. One of the pieces was a Victorian Honduras Mahogany dining table. This I restored and refinished for them.

I was quite surprised when they asked if I could add another leaf to the table because the previous week I had been given a piece of Honduras Mahogany by a friend. He said that he had been given the board years ago and had never found a use for it. I went over to the board with my tape measure to see if fortune was actually smiling or just smirking at my hubris and found it to be a half inch longer than needed. By the time I had squared the ends and fitted the new leaf all the was left over was sawdust. This relatively rare wood had been around for over a decade with no purpose. I got to be the instrument to give it a function.

I’m always up for a challenge, and I accepted this one enthusiastically. I admit to the slightest bit of trepidation as I made the first cut, but after that I was in my element. It was a beautiful bed, and also had sentimental value, and I was happy to be able to transform it into a smaller version of its former self to be enjoyed for years to come.

I was delighted with the end result (and I’m pleased to report that my client was too) – particularly the fact that you can’t see where the pieces were joined back together. Just another project that confirms for me I’m in the right business.