Heritage Ivory Dressing Table with Open Bookshelf Hutch

Part dressing table, part library, this piece pairs a writing-height top with an open shelved hutch whose shaped cornice is crowned by a softly gilt-toned carved flourish. The lower section keeps a clear knee-hole between a slim drawer and a panelled cabinet door, the door face carved with a delicate scrolled motif and framed by a moulded border, while carved leaf brackets fall down the front corners onto slender cabriole legs. The whole is finished in a warm ivory lacquer, with the open shelves left plain so displayed pieces read against a quiet ground.

The cornice, the door panel and the corner brackets are all carved by hand, and the lacquer is laid on and rubbed back in successive coats until the surface glows rather than gleams. Handcrafted by Brass & Wood in Egypt, it works as a dressing table with a chair drawn to the knee-hole, or as a small writing desk in a bedroom corner or guest room, keeping perfume, papers and favourite objects within reach on the shelves above.