The Old Vicarage B&B, Little Ouse

The unit was stripped back to bare wood and repairs carried out (several pieces were missing such as doors and an internal shelf and floor). Note the doors are new, made from reclaimed wood from the house. The reason the wood colour of the doors looks different, is that the wood needed to be reduced in thickness. Whereas, the remainder of the cabinet was stripped and lightly sanded, before being stained back to its original colour, a dark mahogany with only a hint of red. To achieve this, a Georgian mahogany was found to be the closest match. Two coats were applied and then a clear satin varnish to seal.

If the unit had been in one of the utility rooms, such as the kitchen or scullery, we would have been tempted to seal the wood with a light stain or wax and retain this stripped look. However, the unit is in a formal room where all of the other wood (internal shutter, doors, skirting etc.) is being taken back to the original colour.