China Cabinet With Desk

This may not be an antique, but it is certainly a unique item of furniture.

Lucky for me, it didn't require a great deal of work as it was in pretty good condition when I acquired it. I replaced the makeshift wooden pegs (made out of dowels) which held the glass shelves, with metal shelf pegs. Much sturdier. I then glued soft felt to each peg to protect the glass shelves. I thought it was a unique piece of furniture, because on one side you can display collectibles and the other side was a pull down desk surface which instantly turned this flexible fine piece of furniture into convenient place to compose a letter, pay bills or use a small laptop computer to do your homework (if you're a student.)

There was a nice storage compartment inside as well as a drawer and cabinet below the desk area. I didn't much care for the wooden drawer knobs, so I replaced them with solid brass knobs which accentuated the cabinet. Since it was in such great shape, I elected not to mess with the wood and simply apply tung oil to the entire surface.

The scroll work design elements were a tad bit loose, so I used my finishing nailer and reattached them, so that nothing can get caught underneath which would eventually break the scroll work and ruin the effect. One side had a minor split which was repaired and invisible afterward. The inside of the curio part had a light which needed tightening, so after a good cleaning, replacing the shelves and adding some glass for photos, this elegant curio/desk combo was complete.