Nouveau Trumeau Mirror

Gotta love Craigslist!  I picked up this mirror with matching bench this summer.

It was a 40 minute drive.  When I saw I liked the shape and condition but the finish was yucky.  Hand painted flowers that were raised (relief) and would require sanding to get rid of them.  Since it wasn’t a simple “paint and done” project, I offered the seller a bit less than she was asking and that kind of put her in a snit.  She said I should have told her before.  Huh?  How could I tell her anything before I saw the piece?   In any case, I ended up getting for what I offered.  End of that.

I removed the medallion at the top part and sanded away.  (No pics – I was busy!)

All painted in ASCP Paris Grey with wood applique painted gold.  Then waxed.

 

The bench received the same love.

And….tada!

Am I Nuts?

ar·moire

ärmˈwär,ˈärmˌwär/

noun

noun: armoire; plural noun: armoires

1. a wardrobe or movable cabinet, typically one that is ornate or antique.

That’s the definition of armoire.  Sounds fancy right?

Antique = check!  Movable = check!  Fancy = possible!

With a toooooooooon of work!  Peeling veneer might just be the bane of my existance!  Sometimes I might just be my own worst enemy.

Deco Love

 

I love the soft curves of Art Deco style furniture.  When I saw this piece, I had to have it!  For me!  I thought it would be perfect a sideboard in my kitchen/dining area.

 

It could have been used ‘as is’ but there were veneer issues so I decided to deal with them and then repaint it.

 

It turned out it was too big for my kitchen and so off to the shop it went.  Boohoo!  Such a beauty.

Rrrrrrred!

I love red!  It’s one of, if not my very favorite color.  So when I picked up this sad little beauty it just screamed red.

This is one of those very rare times when the piece was taken out of the car and was being attacked in the driveway before it made it into the garage.  The translation of that would be that there were too many pieces in the garage so  I better ‘ git er done!”.
Sanded, repaired and almost ready for paint.

The finish on the top was so old that it came off pretty easily.  Perfect for staining.

The pulls & keyholes on the 2 lower drawers are original to the piece.   They were soaked and then sanded.  The top drawers got new hardware and I kind of liked the black pulls for contrast.

I love how the wood grain peeks through in the bright sunlight.

It hard to tell because of the sunlight but the top was stained a dark walnut.  I love the contrast against the red.

In just over a week this has made it’s way to the shop.  Next!

Linking to Furniture Feature Friday.

The Frumpy One

I picked up this dresser a few weeks ago.  It was rather plain and frumpy but it was good and solid.  Kind of on the masculine side and the knobs were a complete mismatch.

Tres girly!

So with a little paint, some wood appliques and glass knobs….it was looking more feminine and shabby.  Maybe not for everyone but much more to my taste.

It’s in the shop but I am somewhat tempted to bring it back home.  It would work great in the kitchen with the shallow top drawer for silverware and the two deeper ones for linens, etc.  Hmmmmm…..

Good Junk! An Oxymoron?

 

Unintentional junking is the very best kind!  It’s impossible to be disappointed!  So on Sunday I hopped in my car not sure of where I was going.  Do I turn left or do I turn right?  Left it was.

Chairs ‘n knobs ‘n mirrors.  Oh my!

First up was an estate sale.  I found the ladder and gold mirror there.  Then right around the corner was a roadside junk sale!  With loads of good junk!  Yippee!

Cast iron pulls, knobs and hooks!  An old cast iron “Letter” slot.  Weathered wood boxes.  My eyes didn’t know where to turn!

A colander and a very old (and delicate) mirror.

A gear of some kind (not sure what but I loved the patina!).  It’s marked “White Mountain Freezer” so I’m guessing it “grew up” in New Hampshire.

An old bakery basket. I’m not sure what this is made of.  I thought it was metal but it’s not.  It’s more like a rigid leather.  Not sure but it is cool!  There is very faint lettering on the side that says “Arnold” which I assume is the name of the bakery.

I’m so glad I turned “left”!

Weekend Finds

 

Since I seem to repeatedly lose or forget to take before pictures, I’m trying a new approach.  I’ll take pics of the items when I find them.  Then I’ll have a record.   Which may also serve as a way of guilting me in to dealing with things in a more timely manner.

 

A quick, last minute jaunt into thriftland on Saturday yielded these…

 

Matching deco side tables (probably part of an old vanity)

 

…..and a sweet little bench.  Love the detailing!    They’re usually pretty plain.

With the weather starting to cool, I hope to at very least deal with their ‘issues’ (like lifting veneer) soon.  Let’s see how I make out.