Art Deco Bookcase Cabinet

This solid oak cabinet is such a gorgeous shape, it has 3 fixed shelves, and an inside lock to the top and bottom of the left door.

To add further interest, I designed a faux leadlight stained glass butterfly on the glass doors using lead strips, and painted sections of the glass with custom mixed opaque glass paints. Both sides of each door have the lead strips for a more authentic look (I’ve painted the glass on the inside of the doors, only, for practicality of cleaning the outside, which will be more exposed).

Please see photos, which include a before photo so you can see the transformation. Inspiration for the whole piece was actually the little carved oranges details that were already on the doors. Because who is hugely attracted to fruit? Those beautiful butterflies, that’s who! So the design on the glass is a stylised representation of a ‘Common Blue’ butterfly. I kept the lines uncomplicated, in-keeping with the design of the piece, and the era it was originally created in.

Fun fact!: The inspiration for the artwork on the inside back-piece (which may possibly sound a little odd to some😅) came from accidentally dropping my favourite glass on the floor whilst doing the washing up! It had a gold rim and my initials in gold on the front - had it for years! Anyway, when it was scattered in pieces, the gold shards twinkled in the light and looked pretty! So, the back-piece is to represent that, and purposely designed to show through when the doors are closed as additional pattern on the butterfly wings.

The outside main body of the piece (including feet / legs and support bar) has custom mixed blues, blended to create a patinated lived in look. I like the ‘glowing’ effect this tends to create.

The little handles have been hand painted in a tortoise shell design, to create an eye catching feature of them against the matt blues.

The carved oranges and leaves details were finished in gold gilding wax over the blues, and the legs / feet have the same blended blues as the main body.

This is a real eye-catching, one of a kind piece that could really enhance an area of someone’s home :-)

Please also be aware that as the doors are made of glass, it would be the buyer’s responsibility to decide whether this piece is suitable for their home. Also, I wouldn’t advise chemical cleaning products on the ‘inside’ painted glass sections*

MEASUREMENTS:

H: 129 cm

W: 68 cm

D: 25.5cm

PROCESS HIGHLIGHTS:

🔸 Whole piece cleaned inside and out and old finish removed

🔸 Doors removed and inside frames painted

🔸 Glass cleaned and design drawn onto the glass as guidelines for the lead placement

🔸 Lead strips and soft metallic / non-metallic opaque paint very carefully applied to both doors

🔸 Inside back-piece artwork created in blended blues and gold gilding wax

🔸 Shelves and the rest of inside painted in soft black

🔸 Outside (sides, top, legs and feet) painted into several shades of blue, blended to created a patinated effect

🔸 Carved oranges had gold gilding wax gently applied over the blues to highlight, then were buffed

🔸 Doors fixed back on and the frames around the glass were painted using the same technique as the main body

🔸 Tortoise shell paint effect applied to the little knobs using high gloss, transparent solvent paints and finished with a gold gild rim

🔸 Several coats of matt sealer applied inside and out to finish

*Please also be aware that vintage/antique items I sell may have age related marks / nicks / patina, especially depending on the age and original purpose of the item. I see the beauty and history in these, so will either leave them in, or work with them to add to the overall aesthetic of particular pieces*