Scavenging: savvy or scummy?!

One man's junk?

I am sure it isn't the done thing in Italy, but when I saw the guys renovating the apartment opposite ours loading up my builder's van with furniture I couldn't resist going to have a look!

A bit of garbled Italian later and look what I have!

You beauty!

I'm not sure if anyone else finds it beautiful but it's huge!  To get an ornate wooden mirror of this size in UK would have cost me at least £70, probably double that from a decent second hand furniture shop, so I'm thrilled, not least because of the story attached!

Once it's painted it'll be stunning.  And if not, it'll have cost me just a bit of time and paint!

Seeing my enthusiasm for the mirror, the guys were kind enough to invite me up to the apartment to see what else I might like!  Italian antiques are typically dark wood and immaculate so there were some stunning pieces, all sadly destined for the tip but mostly too big for our new home.

With just half an hour until I left for my flight and because everything was being thrown that day I rather impulsively rescued a few chairs.  I'll have a closer look but I suspect they'll cost too much to renew so I'm afraid this may be just a brief respite before they're dumped!

Worth the effort?

These also caught my eye.  They are not at all my usual minimalist style, but I did think if there'd been a full set I might have taken them as a sunny addition for our roof terrace kitchen.  

Nice or nasty?

I'm still surprised in retrospect at how pretty I find them.  Maybe the Italian penchant for colour and the ex-pat penchant for quaint authenticity is rubbing off on me!

Would you have taken them home?

P.S. It turned out the young guy I assumed was a worker was in fact the new owner and so for the first time I have now met a neighbour who is closer to our age than retirement.  Bonus!