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!

Let There Be Light!

I love lamps!  I picked up a pair at a yard sale a few weeks ago.  The finish was dated but the “bones” were good.  They are nice and heavy but the finish was dated.

Nothing a little paint can’t fix.

Sprayed with grey paint. 

Then for a little more interest, I did somewhat of a whitewash with gesso.  It toned down the paint and added a little depth.

The original shades were definitely not a match for the lamps so I bought shades and added a beaded trim.

Installed in the shop!

Updating a Curio

I picked up this curio cabinet last Saturday at an estate sale on Cape Cod. 

It was in excellent condition but the golden oak had to go! 

Nothing a little white paint (Chantilly Lace) and toile can’t cure.

The original applique was kind of blah…..so I changed that too.  Something more in keeping with the with toile.

Already installed in the shop.

   Gotta love a quick flip!

Pretty in Pink

I had this deco dresser sitting in my garage without it’s partner mirror.

It was missing handles and lots of peeling veneer. 

Why oh why did they ever used veneer escapes me.  More often than not the wood underneath is every bit as nice… with a little sanding of course.  Veneer is a bugger to repair!

The back was warped so it had to be replaced. The original mirror sat in a recessed part on the top but the mirror that I chose to use with it had to sit on the top so I had to use a piece of wood to fill in the recess.

I tried Rustoleum’s new “chalky” paint on this.  Love the color!

New pulls and it’s good to go!

P.S.  The color is true in the close up not this photo.

Linking up with Making Broken Beautiful

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.

A Beastly Piece – The Toile Hutch

Sometimes I wonder what possess me to pick up pieces like this..

It was missing glass, full of worm holes, and lots of nooks and crannies to cover up that black paint.  Translation…a ton of work!

After many hours, this is the end result.

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.

Deco Style

Some people love it.  Some people hate it.  I usually like deco style. 

I thought these were pretty so I took them home and gave them a little TLC.

Grey & white paint.  A little white spray paint on the handles then highlighted with silver wax.

Good to go!

I May be Crazy!

I wasn’t even sure how to label this post.  It was a colossal amount of work.   I kinda, sorta knew what I was getting myself into when I bought it and if it hadn’t been so cheap I would run away in a heartbeat!  I thought at very least it would be an education in what NOT to do.

The appliques on the doors (which were my favorite part) had pretty much crumbled.  I glued the pieces that I had back on and then used Bondo (used for repairing auto bodies) to make the missing parts.  When that was dry (it dries very quickly) I used a blade to carve the parts to blend in.

(I don’t have any before pictures because I started working on it before Christmas last year and then it was put away for the holidays.  Then my computer died…pictures were lost….yada yada.  Plus, I needed to build my stamina to tackle this one!)

The top was a mess and rather than try to repair the veneer (been there, done that…not fun), I chose to take it all off revealing the most beautifully imperfect top.  A little dark stain called Kona (I think – it’s been a while) and the top was beautiful.

The veneer on the upper right recessed panel was bubbled so I sanded it as best I could and called it a day.  A couple of years ago I would have obsessed over it but not anymore….I‘ve learned that people embrace imperfection in beautiful old pieces.

Thankfully all of the old hardware was there and it just needed a bath. 

With that, it was off to the shop where it took up residence for a week and then sold!

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…..

Reloved Window

I’ve always had a thing for old windows.  Years ago I dragged my dad out with his pick-up truck when a local nursery had changed out their windows and there was a stack of the oldies outside.  He was always game for my nonsense and we loaded up his truck.  I hoped to one day make a greenhouse with them but dad is now gone so…. so is that dream. 

I’ve since dug into the stash and done some upcycling.  You can see some of those projects here. 

My latest project is similar to this one that I have over my bed….

I did this one for the shop……

I used waistband elastic to hold the pictures in place.  I glued two strands across each pane on the sides (you can see them below) so that the pics can be easily changed out.

NEXT!

True Confessions of a Lamp Lover

 

I have a fetish.  For lamps!  Lighting is so key to setting the feel in a room because it creates so much ambiance.  I even have a routine for when certain lamps are turned on in my house.  

 

Like furniture, old lamps can be recycled too.  The old ones are usually quite nice and solid, and heavy !  Like this one.

 

This is a big one!  For reference, that the covered BBQ in the background!

Nice lines.   Ugly finish. Nothing a little spray paint can’t handle!

 

Maybe a little sump’in else?

 

Silver Guilder’s Paste maybe?

The old shade seemed a little off scale.

 

How about a hand-tyed rag shade?

 

Despite the shadow in the pic, I like it!