Retro Ranleigh drinks trolley

Doesn’t this mirrored drinks trolley just shriek of vintage Hollywood glamour?! Bizarrely though, it was actually made in Australia by a company called Ranleigh who seem to have produced some incredible drinks trollies, including a version of this very same trolley, but with black glass – absolutely fantastic! There’s a bit of wear to the mirrors and the chrome frame, but all in all the trolley is in pretty good nick, and what minor wear there is is easily overshadowed by its great design – honestly this has to be the coolest drinks trolley I’ve ever come across! What do I love about it? Practically everything! From the curved metal frame, to the angled mirrored trays, right down to the metal covers that hide the castors – everything about this trolley was thought through, with attention to functionality and aesthetics. The crème de la crème of drinks trolley – this is going to look amazing in the right home!

P.S. I’ve seen versions of this trolley for sale for close to R4000

Dimensions: 78cm tall x 45cm wide x 78cm long

Price: R1400

Note: Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog

Retro Ranleigh drinks trolley

Retro Ranleigh drinks trolley

Detail of chrome frame

Retro Ranleigh drinks trolley with removable tray

Detail of mirror

Detail of wear and tear to frame

Detail of wear and tear to metal support

Detail of castor covers

Maker’s mark

Oregon pine bookshelf

I’m super excited!! From the moment I moved into my home I had visions of getting a floor to ceiling built-in bookcase made for the alcove in my lounge, and finally the moment has arrived when I get to do it! Thanks to the fabulous Nev & Rhenda from iKhaya, Justin and I will shortly have a fantastic record-cum-bookshelf to display all our  bits on. Cannot wait! But of course I need to make space for it (you know I’d never have left that alcove bare while I waited!) so this oregon pine bookshelf needs to go. I originally bought the bookshelf to use as open shelves for my clothes in my bedroom, but of course it didn’t take me long to find a set of matching cupboards that I just had to have, so the bookshelf moved upstairs to fulfill a more conventional role. And it’s served me well sitting in my lounge – it has loads of space for books, and it looks great with other pieces added into the mix too (I used to display my collection of ashtrays on the middle shelf). Plus if you’re stuck in the dark ages like me, the one shelf has a bit of a lip, so is perfect for storing CDs (without the lip the CDs are prone to falling off the shelf and don’t sit as neatly). It may be a wee bit cottagey, but it’s still simple enough to fit into most decor schemes, and I’d take it any day over some of the modern horrors I’ve seen out there that try to pass themselves off as bookshelves!

Dimensions: 203cm tall x 105cm wide x 33cm deep

Price: R1200

Note: Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog

Side view of oregon pine bookshelf

Detail of feet

Detail of thick shelf

Detail of imperfection in wood

Detail of naive workmanship

Retro blanket box/kist

This is one great piece of furniture! I’ve called it a blanket box because I think that it’d be perfect for storing knitted blankets or linen, but I suppose the correct term would probably be kist. The thing that’s so unusual about it is the length, which will span the width of a queen size bed. And if you like the idea of seating in your bedroom (I’ve always wanted a couch in my room!) you could very easily have a cushion made for the top so that the kist could double as a bench. Parts of the kist are veneer, but good quality veneer (i.e. veneer on wood, not veneer on chipboard), but bits are starting to lift – not that surprising though after 40 years of use! The handles on either side of the kist are also damaged and while it’s obvious when you look at them, because it sits so low it’s not that easy to spot. An absolutely fantastic piece that you’ll struggle to find again.

Dimensions: 162cm long x 34cm wide x 35cm tall

Price: R750

Note: Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog

Side view of retro blanket box/kist

Inside of blanket box/kist

Retro blanket box/kist

Detail of damage to handle

Detail of damage to veneer

Small retro display cabinet

When I first spotted this small display cabinet I couldn’t quite picture what you’d use it for, but after a few minutes I thought how great it would look with a few books on top of it, and after taking some pics I think I may have been right! There’s a bit of wear to the top of the cabinet so the books also help to disguise the slight damage, and if you’re not a big reader you could also use it as a mini hi-fi set up, or as a place to display your glass or ceramic animal collection (you think I’m joking, but it seems to be a growing trend!). The inside of the cabinet is in decent nick, as are the legs, and the cabinet is finished off with those great art deco accents on the corners. There’s a small area which could do with a bit of wood stain, but for its age, it’s probably not in terrible nick. This is a quirky piece of furniture that will need a small space to show it off at its best.

Dimensions: 66cm tall x 74cm wide x 24cm deep

Price: R390

Note: Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog

Small retro display cabinet

Top view of display cabinet

Inside of small retro display cabinet

Detail of wear and tear

Detail of ‘handle’

Detail of legs

Vintage enamel kitchen table

This enamel kitchen table is almost identical to the last one I sold, but fortunately this one is nice and sturdy! Plus it’s in pretty good nick for its age – it has the usual cuts and bumps, but no obvious wear. These tables have always been fairly collectible, but as there become fewer and fewer of them on the market, the prices for them become higher and higher, so I was delighted to find one in such good condition and reasonably priced. An all round winner! Use it on your balcony for potting plants or serving lunch, or in your kitchen as an extra work surface. Wherever you choose to use it it’s going to look great!

Dimensions: 75cm tall x 92cm long x 61cm wide

Price: R890

Note: Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog

Side view of vintage enamel kitchen table

Top view of vintage enamel kitchen table

Detail of wear and tear

Pair of Robin Day 4-4000 chairs

I’ve owned (and loved) these chairs for a couple of years now, but after storing them around the side of my house for the last two years, I realised that it was time to let them go to a more deserving home which would actually use them! Despite being made of plastic, these chairs were originally intended as lounge chairs, and I have to say after having used them in our telly room for the past few nights they’re surprisingly comfy and would probably make a good alternative to single seater couches.

The chairs were designed in 1970 by Robin Day for Hille, a UK-based furniture company. Bizarrely named the 4-4000 Easy Chair, the chairs were aimed at a young upmarket clientele, and were for sale in Habitat. In good nick these chairs are worth a small fortune, selling for an average price of 500 quid (each!). Unfortunately though I’ve bastardised this pair by painting them brown, which through a stroke of luck is one of the two colours the chairs were originally produced in, so they’re not in their original condition, but they’re still an imposing pair and great value for money (especially when you consider how much these chairs sell for overseas). An unusual set that you’re not likely to see again anytime soon.

Notes:

• The chairs are a slightly different shade of brown to each other, and the one chair has slight brown ‘stripes’ on the back (not visible in the pics)
• The Blue denim cushions are included, but not the scatter cushions

Dimensions: Each chair measures 88cm tall x 45cm deep x 76cm wide

Price: R580 each

Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog

Pair of Robin Day 4-4000 chairs

Robin Day 4-4000 chair

Side view of Robin Day 4-4000 chair

Back of Robin Day 4-4000 chair

Robin Day 4-4000 chair without cushions

Detail of different paint colours

Retro cane magazine rack

The little plastic feet on this cane magazine rack have gone for a walk, but they’re easy enough to replace (most hardware stores stock them), and other than that this retro magazine rack-cum-coffee table is in pretty good nick! I know a lot of people will turn their nose up at the idea of cane furniture, but you get good cane and you get bad cane, and this little magazine rack is definitely the former! Just look at that beautifully designed metal frame – a nice simple design that not only looks great, but also functions well! I’d be proud to have this piece in my home – but a girl can only have so many magazine racks, and I think four’s probably the maximum!

Dimensions: 47cm wide x 34cm deep x 49cm tall

Price: R290

Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog

Top view of retro cane magazine rack

Side view of retro cane magazine rack

Detail of wear and tear to metal

Detail of metal legs

Original Zodiac stool

I loved this retro Zodiac foot stool so much that I paid top dollar for it in the hope that it would fit in with the rest of my lounge furniture. But if I’m really honest I knew that it wouldn’t – I just had to have it! When I got it home, everyone confirmed what I already knew – the only way that this chair was going to make any sense in my home was if I re-upholstered it in dark brown vinyl, which number one, would take it from being fairly expensive to really expensive and number two, would be such a waste of its original vinyl which is in great nick. So now I’m hoping that there’s someone out there who will love this piece as much as I do, and has the decor scheme to match it! Not only is this a super-stylish piece of furniture, but it also turns an ordinary lounge chair into a ridiculously comfy tv-watching chair! An all round winner that I so wish I could have held onto.

Dimensions: 40cm tall x 45 wide x 55 long

Price: R980

Note: Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog

Original Zodiac stool

Detail of seat

Detail of base

Detail of wear and tear to chrome

40 tll x 45 wide x 55 long

Vintage drinks trolley

I’m not normally a massive fan of these metal drinks trollies – don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of a small trolley that carries all sorts of wonderful cocktails and fancy whiskeys (or a pot of Earl Grey tea if that’s more up your street), but I’ve just never really liked these metal versions. But I discovered that if you throw a rose or two into the mix, I can be easily converted! It’s horribly kitsch (and a little wobbly, but most drinks trollies are), but I just love it! When I first bought it it was in a right sorry state, but Happiness has worked her magic and it practically shines now! The one wheel is missing its black stopper so if you pick the trolley up, instead of wheeling it, it could possibly come off – but on the ground (where it’s meant to be), it works fine. The wheels are the one thing that Happiness couldn’t quite save – they function perfectly well, but the metal’s a bit tarnished. A very sweet piece that will look amazing sitting fully stocked in the corner of your lounge, waiting for the party to start!

Dimensions: 72cm tall x 37cm wide x 58cm long

Price: R420

Note: Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog

Vintage drinks trolley

Detail of metal frame

Detail of print

Detail of wear and tear to wheels

Philips Solid State radiogram

This Philips radiogram has a bit of a funny tale to it! I spotted it about two years ago and had every intention of selling it on Mint, but when I saw the look on Justin’s face I knew that I didn’t stand a chance. So Justin bought it and it’s had pride of place in his flat ever since. But I was crestfallen that I wouldn’t get to show it off on Mint and so I made him sign a contract (on a paper napkin) that stated that if we ever broke up I’d get to buy it back from him at the original price (business is business!). So two years down the line and we’re renting Justin’s flat out and the lovely Japanese lass who’s renting the place doesn’t have the space for it, so it has to go. When we bought it the radio was working, but sadly something’s happened to it and it no longer plays – but the record player works perfectly! Justin’s a bit of a snob when it comes to these things and he seems to think that the sound’s pretty good (we’ve put a new cartridge in it). There’s a bit of wear to the wood, but overall it’s in pretty decent nick – and in my opinion it’s a very, very good looking piece. If we had the room at my house this is one radiogram that would be coming home with me no questions asked!

Dimensions:  140cm long x 68cm tall x 37cm deep

Price: R1700

Mint puts up four new items every weekday. The first post goes up at 07h00, the second at 08h00 and the third and fourth at 08h30. You can subscribe to our daily email which goes out at around 09h00 by clicking on the pink envelope on the right hand side of the blog

Philips Solid State radiogram

Detail of tuner

Detail of record player

Detail of wear and tear

Maker’s mark

Detail of speaker