Furniture Salvation: The 'Rock n Rest'
We rescued and restored this stunning addition to our gallery, spotted in a sad state at a mechanics workshop in Northland.
Our plans to secure a spot on the beautiful beaches in Northland over Christmas came to an end with the constant rain, wind and clouds. Like the rest of New Zealand, it was one of the worst summers we can remember.
Instead we decided to look around the Whangarei township and try out some of the local cafes. On a dash for shelter after exiting the car, we passed a local mechanics store. With only a brief sideways glance into the window of the industrial space, Dan spotted a very lonely and tired looking chair and instantly recognised it as the rare 'Rock n Rest' armchair from Danske Mobler.
This beautifully crafted, very curvaceous chair was, in it's day, a showroom centrepiece for the iconic Scandinavian store (pictured). In it's tragic state, the mechanic was more than happy to part with the 'grubby chair in the corner'. It arrived with us dusty, dirty and unloved with unfashionable upholstery but it's been a pleasure to restore such a stately chair. We've hand sanded the mahogany frame and brought back it's vibrancy with Danish oil. We've also reupholstered it in one of our favourite fabrics from James Dunlop.
The chair has now taken pride of place in the Mr. Bigglesworthy gallery. It's a very comfortable and stylish statement chair, check it out for yourself at The 40 George Street Gallery. Caution, be prepared to fall in love.
