Repurposed Hutch Top

Do you ever feel like you're in the Twilight Zone?  I'm totally a routine person.  I don't function well without one, so the beginning of summer is always a little hard for me.  I stink at transitioning from the school year to the summer routine.  And, my sweet little daughter asked me to not paint this summer so we could spend more time together and I agreed (I needed a break anyway). This piece was my last custom until school starts again.  It was originally the top to the buffet I just finished up.  

My client wanted to use the pieces separately, so she had the same cabinet maker that made the tops put legs on the hutch so it could be used as a book shelf.  I really love the idea and thought it turned out so great.  It was definitely dark and in need of a pick me up! 

 Before

 After

I love this color.  It's subtle and sophisticated, especially paired with the dark wood top.   

 *Confession:  People always ask me about glazing and I never tell them that I absolutely hate glazing.  I'm not sure why, I just do.  But, I do like the way it looks when done lightly.  

I'm not sure when you'll see me again, but I hope you're still around when I finally make another appearance!! :)

Have a terrific summer!!

Bow Front Buffet in Coco

Hello!
I'm back from our little vacay to Arizona.  We had a lot of fun and I think it was a good little get away for all of us.  Ania asked me what my favorite part was and I think climbing Camelback Mountain was it.  Which is funny because I honestly thought Flight for Life was going to have to remove me from the top.  Thank goodness coming down was easier on the ol' ticker than going up!

I have a few customs to finish up before I'm done for the summer.  I can't say, at this point, that I'm sad about that.  I'm hoping the saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder" will be applicable in September. :)

This buffet is actually the bottom of a buffet/hutch combo.  My client wanted to use them as two separate pieces so the bottom will be used as a media console and the top will be repurposed (next project so stay tuned!).  When they took the hutch off, the top of the buffet needed to be replaced which is why it looks new. :)  A good friend, who happens to make custom cabinets, made the top for my client and then she dropped it off for some TLC.  And, boy did it need it!

It's all mahogany veneers and they were in pretty rough shape in parts.  I ended up having to remove all the veneer off of one of the drawers, the edge of the top drawer, and the whole bottom strip.  I sanded it  smooth, stained it dark with java gel, then sealed with shellac before painting. 

 Before

 After

I never really jumped on the chalk paint wagon, so still pretty much use latex.  But, I do love some of ASCP colors.  This one is very close to Coco, but is really Virtual Taupe by Sherwin Williams.  I then glazed it with a dark brown glaze. I use a damp cloth when wiping the glaze off so it's not so dark (as opposed to wiping with a dry cloth) or streaky.  The only problem with this is if your paint hasn't cured you can rub it off easily.  Of course, I was too impatient and ended up having to repaint parts because I rubbed too much paint off.  You would think I would have learned by now, but nope!

One of the original pulls was missing so I replace them all with this cup pulls (my favorites) and kept the originals on the doors.  The pulls had been sitting in my garage for a while so they were pretty dusty.  When I washed them off it dried them out and they were really dry looking (which is not what I was going for), so I simply rubbed them with some vegetable oil and then wiped clean.  Good as new! 

 The top was new so was very easy to work with.  I used  Java Gel by General Finishes and then finished with 3 coats of Minwax Polyacrylic in satin. Ga-orgeous! 

I almost always paint the insides too!  

I'm still getting over some hard feelings this baby left me with so I can't quite say I love it...check back with me tomorrow. ;)

Depression Era Hutch

 I love when people contact me about furniture.  They have something they want to part with and it saves me a lot of looking!  When a friend approached me about this Depression Era hutch I knew I wanted it. :)

I don't see many of them around anymore and I just love them. This one was dark and dated and I wanted to bring out all the wonderful details.  I know there are wood lovers out there who hate what I do, but, to me, so many of the pretty parts of antiques aren't really noticeable when all the wood is so dark.  Paint really makes them pop. Not that I am justifying myself. ;)

Before

After

I desperately need to get rid of some paint, so I mixed a few colors I had on hand (ha!) to create this gorgeous, soft turquoise.  Pics just don't seem to do the blues justice (they never pick up the green in the blue, if you know what I mean).  It's a hint of blue, green, and gray...my fave!

 This is a little truer to the color.  I chose Cottage White by Behr (color matched at Sherwin Williams, of course) for the details.  I also undercoated the entire piece with it, so when I distressed the white would show through.  I love the combination of the white with the blue and the dark wood. 

 You know I adore a beautiful leg and does she have some pretty ones!!  Check those babies out!!

 I lined the drawer with the awesome fabric I had left over from Hobby Lobby and it's PeRfEcT!

 I love these oatmeal knobs.  I tried others, but they were too white.  I really like how soft these are.

 I am partial to the inside of a hutch being white. ;)

The inset in the door is amazing and I really wanted to frame it out, so I opted to keep the wood natural.  I gave it a coat of Danish Oil and then sealed it with Minwax Polyacrylic.  Yes, you can do that. Water based can go over oil based. :)

This one is

 FOR SALE