Etagere Rescue

Picked up this gorgeous Etagere from a local seller via Facebook Marketplace for the princely sum of £30 a few months ago.

In a pretty bad state, wobbly and unstable with a number of broken pieces and damaged carving, this lovely was just too beautiful not to try and save and still retained the original mirrored backings.

An ‘etagere’ is a piece of furniture with open shelves used for displaying ornaments or collectable Knick-knacks. These pieces became popular in the Victorian era as a way to showcase collections and decorative objects. They were often placed in drawing rooms or parlors to add elegance and sophistication to a space.

Victorian-era etageres were typically made of mahogany or other hardwoods and featured ornate carvings and details. The mirrored back enhances the display of items and adds depth to the piece. The style reflects the Victorian interest in elaborate decoration and the display of wealth and culture.

To save this beauty, I had to screw a number of the components back together and glue some of the finer pieces of carving as they were broken or snapped. Though beautiful, the piece was not well designed from a stability perspective and needed reinforcing the whole thing with batons to the back to offset the weight of the original mirror pieces.

Some filling and sanding to disguise the mended areas and so the original finish was beyond saving. A few coats of red gloss paint in a romantic claret shade and she was as good as new!

Where I know you purests out there would be disgusted that I painted it, this was not a genuine example of a carved French mahogany piece and so I don’t feel too bad about it!

Is she gorgeous?!