u/MissMarchpane

spent the past three years acquiring furniture pieces one by one, culminating in the inlaid dresser by the bed most recently. The room is not perfect, but hey, I live here and life is clutter!

(I live with two male housemates, so this is the only place in the apartment you could call a "female living space" in the strictest sense, although we've all contributed to the more general living areas of the house.)

Found this piece on Facebook marketplace about a week ago, and after a very long and wild situation trying to synch up with a seller with a combination of general flakiness and multiple negative life events, I was finally able to bring it home!

Based on my research, it's Italian and was probably made in the 19th century (the style goes back to the 16th century, but I had to take out the original locks to repair them and the markings date no earlier than 1844). It has some inlay loss, as you can see, and I think the walnut appearance is a veneer although I'm not sure what sort of wood lies underneath. I got a good deal on it, and it's functional, so I don't mind the small condition issues.

Now to vacuum all of the carpet beetle larvae skins out of the inside – no active infestation, thankfully! -Clean it, and see what I can do about those locks!

I recently purchased a beautiful antique dresser, but the original locks are… Stuck? jammed? I'm not sure, but I took them out so I could still open and close the drawers (they were stuck in the locked position originally) and when I turn the key, the mechanism just doesn't move at all. I'm hoping it's a cleaning issue and not something that requires specialist attention. I don't even know how to take them apart at this point, but I'm happy to learn how if I have to!

Any advice would be appreciated, even if the advice is "you can't DIY this; go to a professional," haha.