Auction house joy

Hopefully my sister will be coming to stay with us for a few weeks next month. Before she comes I have some serious organizing to do with the house, something that is a little bit tricky when we don’t have enough furniture. I just need a few things to make life run more smoothly. Another bookshelf would let me clear out all the books from the spare room wardrobe, towel stands would fix our lack of towel hanging space, and so on.

Yesterday I went to the viewing day at Mitchell Road Auction House. It was full of general and estate stuff that is to be auctioned today. I’ve never been to an auction house before but it was fascinating - old stuff heaven! A lot of it was junk, but a lot of it wasn’t, and some of the items were so beautiful, so worthy of a new lease on life, that I had serious thoughts about joining a furniture restoration class. Even though we have no need or space for the items and I have no aptitude or genuine inclination towards sanding and varnishing.

The auction centre also has a shop above it for 20th Century design pieces. Visiting that was like diving into a box full of primary coloured treasure. I had a lot of fun sifting through the kitch, admiring design, coveting some egg coddlers, and just generally wishing that I’d gone there for decorator items rather than a bookshelf. Which, sadly, seemed to be the one type of furniture that was not available on either floor.

The boy had a wonderful time too. He likes old things and seemed to think that the entire auction house was a playground assembled for his own personal exploration and enjoyment. So it’s good (if potentially expensive) to know that auction house browsing can work as a family friendly way to spend a weekend.