custom design on a budget

Getting free furniture as "found objects" during council cleanups, or from friends and parents etc is a wonderful and satisfying thing. Many items of the furniture in this house came to us that way. But having something custom designed just for you, that fits like a glove, is something really special. My post today is to report that it needn't come with a Grand Designs bespoke price tag.

About 4 years ago, DH was working on the site of a new university campus. Some of the surrounding work involved the demolition of an old library building. In the skip bin ready to go to the tip, were metres and metres of wide oak shelving. Thankyou very much. It's been in the garage ever since.

Until that is, Master 8 years required a workstation in his small, oddly shaped bedroom. He's been using a small plastic baby table for all of his lego, games and homework for all these years. It was time to graduate.

Enter the desk. $20 at the op shop. We couldn't make one for that price. Stripped back and lovingly fixed by DH. He had to repair the front shaped section with a piece of oak he'd cut up from council tree lopppings about 10 years ago....you never know when you'll need something! (I remember holding onto the wood as he and his dad used a makeshift thicknesser to cut large slabs of oak with a chainsaw.) It's not the same colour as the rest of the unit, but I think it looks gorgeous. He's finished the timber with feast watson furniture oil.

Then in comes the salvaged oak shelving from the uni, plus $30 worth of plywood for the backing.
Three days of construction on the verandah.
Into place.

Just in time for some evening drawing.

Cost: $50

Mostly recycled, custom built and fitted bespoke timber shelving.

Lisa x