Antique Vanity in Rhine River BM

I have a friend who sends me Craigslist listing by email (seriously, isn't she the greatest?  Thanks Sandy!).  I've already told you I hate the looking, contacting, picking up part of furniture, so her going through the trouble of looking for me and then sending them to me is such a huge help. :)  I was following up on a listing she sent to me (not this piece) and actually went to pick it up (I'm not kidding when I tell you I am NOT a shopper!  Ha-ha-hate it!) and when I walked into his garage I saw this sitting there!  

I asked him how much and when he told me I immediately said, "I'll take it."  (A big no-no for a bargain shoopper, but it was ALREADY a bargain so I forgave myself.)  He then tried to sell me this hideously ugly metal table set and I said, "Oh, I'm sorry, my truck is already full." (Phew!)

I absolutely love antique vanities.  And, this one had so many details (which posed me a little problem later on) and a gorgeous mirror to boot. AND...

all the drawers worked perfectly!  Woo hoo!

BEFORE

I know the pic is grainy but it had some major veneer issues on the drawers.  Lots of chips, missing pieces, and lifting.  The rest of it was in nice condition though (some chipping at the bottom of the sides, but I don't mind that). 

I've already told you I am head over heels for any shade of blue/green and I already had a color in mind for this baby.  I really hate how pics don't pick up very much of a green tint in a light shade of turquoise, but this one is yummy.  When the girl who mixed it for me opened the can she said, "Oooohhhh."  I said, "It makes you want to lick it, doesn't it."  (Yes, I do say things like that out loud...in public.)  She looked at me for a minute, then giggled, and said, "Yes!"  One more convert! :)

 AFTER

How can you not be in love with it??!!  

Ok, if you're not don't answer this question as it is rhetorical and if you are not in agreement with me I would have to seriously question your sanity.  I don't like to question people's sanity as it makes me a hypocrite (because my own is teetering on the brink).

SO...

Just say you're in love with it like I am!! <3!!!!

I had painted the groove on the bottom drawer silver at first, as well, but there was just too much going on and it kind of gave me a headache to look at it, so I painted over it, lightly distressed it, and called it good. Now you're eye just focus right down the center of the side pieces at the pops of silver.  I glazed them to warm them up a bit.   

These are still some of my favorite knobs, too. 

 I need a new camera!  This warm silver is so pretty against this muted turquoise. 

 She's sportin' gorgeous mahogany tops so I sanded them down, stained, and sealed. 

 I love this antique print paper and lined the drawers with it.  I'm still thinking of lining the back of the underneath part with it as well. 

Would love to know what you think! 

color = Rhine River by Benjamin Moore

Antique Wash Stand

Funny story.  I saw this cute antique wash stand listed on my local FB classifieds page.  I didn't see it in time and a few others had already said they would take it.  A friend of mine is the one who ended up with it and I was just a teensy bit jealous. ;)  I love these sweet little pieces.  

It was gone, but I knew it was in a good home (I was still sad I didn't get to get my grubby little paws on it though!).  Fast forward a couple of months...she messages me and asks me if I would like to do a desk and hutch for her daughter...

AND...

the cute little wash stand!  Yay! :)

She wanted to keep it neutral and I knew it would be perfect in a soft white.

BEFORE

It had been refinished once before.  The hardware that's on there isn't the original.  I found previously filled holes and the back plates were to cover them up.  Whoever refinished it also used a really light wood filler that didn't take the stain, so anywhere they had filled holes you could see it, 

 AFTER

I mixed this white a few weeks ago from some left overs and it's my new favorite.  No pink, gray, or yellow undertones.  It's soft and a little warm and I have to touch it every time I use it. 

This baby is definitely old and I love how the paint picks up all the great imperfections in the wood.  So cute!

 The top was in good condition so I sanded it down, gave it one coat of Java Gel, and a few coats of High Performance Top Coat (from General Finishes) in flat.  I never, never, never get tired of white paint with a dark top!

 Am I crazy that I love all those little holes in the top edge of the top?  

 I thought the knobs needed to contrast a little more than the white ceramic ones that were on there.  I love these antique brass ones.

Look at the cute sides!  I told her if she doesn't want to keep it I will take it back! :)

Desk/hutch in White

 My client picked this desk and hutch up at a rummage for $50.  Pretty good deal if you ask me! :)  It is an MDF piece but it is solid and in very good condition.  It's for her daughter's room and she wanted it white.  When I finished up the desk we were talking about how going from off white to white isn't a huge change, but a fresh coat of paint makes a world of difference!  It was a little outdated with the floral motif and the light oak top, but now it's crisp and clean looking and I love how everything just pops against it.

 I love staging with metal, wood, and organic elements and they all look great against a simple, clean background. 

BEFORE

 BEFORE

 AFTER

I love this soft green against all that white, too.  

When painting MDF if you want to be careful not to go through the material covering it.  I lightly sand with 220 until all the sheen is gone and then use a good adhesion primer.  Then two coats of paint and a top coat and it's good to go! 

 I don't know why I don't use a crisp white more often.  Yum!

Her daughter wasn't thrilled with the dark hardware so I changed it out for white and like it just as much!  (hard to photograph the white against white, it's cuter in person!)

Antique Dresser with Mirror

This dresser is part of the set my husband found for me.  I absolutely love it but went back and forth on what I wanted to do with it.  

I wanted to try something a little different with it, but couldn't decide what.  It sat in the garage for a few weeks and I finally knew it had to be 

GREEN!. 

I don't know why, because green isn't normally a color I gravitate toward.  In fact, I've done very few pieces in green (I like bluey greens!).  So, I went for it and I tried something different with the drawers.  After staring at it for a little while I knew I didn't like it and something was just off, so I did a FB poll and you all agreed with me.  So, I tweaked it a little and was so much happier with it.  BTW, "tweaking it" was a huge pain in the you know what!

BEFORE

AFTER

I love the soft white  (it's not as bright in person) against this sweet olive color (I realized I like greens with a little yellow in them). It feels classic and vintage to me.  One thing I also realized, while doing the FB poll, was realizing that we all have different ideas of what looks good and what "floats our boat", so to say.  At first, this used to bother me.  I wanted everyone to like what I did!  But, obviously, my rational mind took over and told me that is NEVER possible.  There will never be a piece that everyone loves.  I'm glad we're all different!  

I really like this classic looking pattern to break up the green.  Some suggested to paint the whole piece green, but I felt like it was too much color on such a large piece.  I added the scroll, the wished I hadn't (but, it was stuck there for good), the painted it green (instead of white), and glazed, and now I love it. 

It's got great little detail work on the corners so I highlighted them in the same soft white as the drawers. 

I still love these knobs and feel like they were meant for this piece!

This top is just to die for.  Seriously, one of the prettiest I've seen!  

I love the cup holders on the mirror!  Such a great detail!

All the insides are solid cherry and in beautiful condition (what a horrible pic! lol).

You know I love these knobs, too! ;)

I really like "alligator skin" on a piece of distressed furniture.  I love the texture it give so rubbed through the paint on all the part that had bumpy "skin".  The veneer was damaged on the bottom of the drawer, but it was still tight so I left it as is and distressed it.  I love little things like that that add character to a piece.

Brickwede Buffet

I picked this piece up at my local Habitat for Humanity.  It looked pretty rough, the finish was beat up and the pulls were missing.  The middle door was stuck pretty tight, too.  But, I couldn't pass it up.  It's a Brickwede, which manufactured furniture in Ohio from 1917-1959, and it's beautifully  made.  I love a good find!

I haven't done black in a while and it seemed like a good fit for this piece.  The door fronts have beautiful mahogany book matched veneers on them so I opted to strip them and keep them natural.  

I also received an email from Debbie from Rustic Brands Hardware and Home Decor and she asked me if I'd like to try some of their hardware.  Well, I wasn't about to say no to that offer!  Thanks so much Debbie.  I chose the black and white flower knobs in the first after pic.  The knobs looked great and they are very high quality.  I'm very happy with them.  You should stop by their website and check them out! 

 BEFORE

 AFTER (knob option 1)

 I like how these knobs give this buffet a little more feminine feel. 

 Aren't they the sweetest? 

 AFTER (knob option 2)

I also wanted to show the buffet with a little more masculine feel, so I opted for these hammered, flat black oval knobs.

 I sanded the top down and stained it Dark Walnut from Minwax and gave it 4 coats of High Performance Top Coat from General Finishes. 

Love this bold print fabric in the drawers. 

 I really like the flat black top coat over black paint.