Antique Dresser

I was fortunate enough to buy this dresser along with the vanity I posted yesterday.  You can imagine how giddy I was to bring them home.  

When I listed the vanity yesterday I had a client say that she loved it and only wished it was a dresser.  I said, "Oh?  I happen to have the dresser, too!"  She said she wanted it refinished the same as the vanity and I was very happy about that.  They are truly stunning together. 

The vanity is still available and if it doesn't sell by the end of the week I think I am going to keep it! 

BEFORE

 AFTER

I just have to stop and stare. lol

I had to sand the top of this one down as there were deep scratches in it.  Instead of staining it and sealing it with poly (my normal routine) I stained it and finished it with Minwax Antiquing Oil.  I love the soft luster it gives.  Poly has the tendency to look "cold" and oil brings out the warmth in the wood.  I think it might be my new go-to.

The detail is so striking.  I love this deep neutral behind all that creamy white. 

There isn't any part of this dresser that isn't amazing. 

The burled maple was lighter on this piece than it was on the vanity and I didn't like it with the white, so I sanded it down and then gave it two coats of Danish Oil in Dark Walnut. 

I sanded the bejeebers out of the drawers so the finish is like silk.  

Antique Vanity

I almost don't want to say anything about this vanity.  It really is one of those pieces that you only get your hands on once in a lifetime (although I pray that's not the case!).  It's a beautiful piece and it was in very good condition (just some minor veneer issues on the inside panel). 

I was so excited to get to work on it that I forgot to take a before!  I can't believe I did that! 

The wood was beautiful.  It's made of mahogany, walnut, and maple.  I wanted to keep as much of it as possible, but still help all that detail stand out. 

I had a very hard time deciding what to do with it, so chose to keep it neutral.

 AFTER

The top was in such beautiful condition that I chose not to refinish it.  I used Minwax Antique Oil to revive and protect it. 

Same with these burled maple drawer fronts.  Just a little bit of oil and they looked amazing. I also chose to keep the original hardware.  I couldn't picture anything that would look more appropriate. 

 I also chose to keep the mirror frame natural and to contrast it by painting the spindles. 

 I painted the drawer fronts Hardware from Sherwin Williams and then painted the body and all the detail in my custom off white. 

 The feet are incredible and I glazed them to help the details pop. 

She is so beautiful.  Nuff said. 

Desk in Gray Matters

I met a very nice couple a few months back.  They were cleaning out a relative's home (always a hard and tedious job) and I ended up with a few great pieces of furniture from them.  Remember I told you about the rule I had for myself (the one where I don't buy it unless I absolutely love it)?  Well, I broke it on this little desk.  I saw it and didn't love it, but it was a solid piece in great condition and the price was very right.  I just couldn't say no to it. 

And, I ended up loving it when it was done so, technically, I didn't break my rule at all! :)

BEFORE

It's pretty run of the mill.  I had to buy it just to rip the hardware off, lol.  It is solid wood with dovetail drawers. 

**You'll have to excuse me a moment.  I'm listening to my neighbor bellow at his dogs.  This happens regularly and it cracks me up.  Obviously, the dogs don't have any idea what he's hollering about and if they do they absolutely don't care. :)

 AFTER

I chose Gray Matters from SW.  It's a medium, true gray.  Very neutral and I think it's suitable for any age, any gender. 

  I've had these library pulls hanging around for a while and I thought they fit this piece very well.

So cute! :)

I changed out the knobs on the middle drawer.  I decided to leave it wood because I had to paint the top.  It's so hard for me to paint a piece of furniture all one color.  I'm not sure why.  I just like the contrast of something natural or organic against the paint. 

 Pretty simple redo but I really like how it turned out. 

Antique Chest of Drawers in Scandanavian Pink

I found this piece on my local classifieds page and the woman selling it happened to be my husband's neighbor when he was a child!  She was very sweet and said her husband had already started refinishing it, but they were moving and she was getting rid of things.  Lucky me!  

It seriously is the cutest little chest of drawers.  When I went to look at it I just fell in love with its size and that's what made up my mind.  She told me it had a mirror that went with it, but it was lying on the floor, missing the mirror, and in pieces, so I didn't have a very good idea of what it looked like.  I was so happy when I got it home and put the mirror together and got it on the dresser.  

People always ask me how I find such great pieces.  I have no idea. It just kind of happens.  What I can tell you is that I have become very particular (with the exception of a rare mistake) on what I bring home.  I made a rule for myself that I will not buy it unless I absolutely love it.  I didn't use to be that way. lol

When I started working on this piece I realized the stripper had been left on and dried in places, so I had to sand all of that off.  I'm so glad this piece isn't any bigger than it is! :)

It's all oak and when oak gets old it can dry out which really opens up the grain.  I hate that. :)

I used it to my advantage though, and decided to go "old world" with it.  I could just see it in a frenchy pink with a really worn look.  That's where chalk paint comes in!

I don't use it very often but I love how it layers and that's exactly what I was going for.  I had a lot of fun playing with it and broke every rule I've ever made for myself about painting.  It was very liberating. lol

I'ma very Type A personality (as my whole family will attest to).  I'm somewhat of a perfectionist and I like things just so-so.  I'm no different when it comes to painting.   BUT, sometimes it's good just to throw all of that out the window and to just have fun with it.  You should have seen me with that brush! ;)

I actually learned a lot about chalk paint doing this piece.  I learned what it likes to do and what it's good at doing.  With all that being said, I am still a latex gal. :)

BEFORE

This has to be the worst before pic ever, but it's all I have.  The mirror was in pieces when I bought it so I had to re-assemble it.  I had already started sanding it down when I remembered I hadn't taken a pic yet!  Sorry about that. 

 AFTER

I just want to pinch it's little drawers. 

I used lots of layers of Scandanavian Pink and Old White. 

I mentioned the mirror was missing when I bought it (I did find remnants of it in a drawer).  I already had a little more $ into this piece than I was comfortable with so I opted to do a chalkboard for the mirror instead of replacing it.  I'm so glad I did.  It gives this piece a whole different look and what little (or big!) girl wouldn't love to write on it?!

I used 1/4 inch luan and had my hubby cut it to fit the frame.  I primed it, sanded it, did a coat of chalkboard paint, sanded it, and did one more coat of chalkboard paint.  

 I almost used white, ceramic rosettes for the hardware, but decided I liked the rusty pulls better.  I like that it grounds all that pink. 

 Same with the top.  If I had painted this whole piece pink it would have been too much.  I love that that the natural wood breaks it up and gives the eye a place to rest. 

 The drawers had been painted brown previously, so I sanded them, painted them, and lined the bottom with paper.  You can see the MP is still wet in this pic (No, t's not because I am so impatient!  Wait, yes, yest it is.) ;)

 I love the depth layering gives.  

I'm not really a fan of pink, generally, but I am tickled pink by this chest of drawers.

  Pun intended. :)

Vintage Lane Cedar Chest

Someone tagged this Lane cedar chest on FB for me.  Now, if I'm being honest with you, I don't really like mid century or 70's furniture.  I don't really get into the clean lines and I absolutely do not like the original hardware on almost any of these kinds of pieces.  With that being said, when I saw this piece I knew it was a one-of-a-kind and it was in mint condition.  Perfect candidate for a make-over.  

I think I've already mentioned, a few times, that I am usually mindful of the feel of a piece before I decide what to do with it.  There is no changing the fact that this piece of furniture is what it is and came from the 70's (the original tags are still inside).  BUT, I know it is possible to meld vintage with modern to come up with something I think is workable with what people are looking for today.  I also love Reeves', from The Weathered Door, style and she has helped me look at this style of furniture in a different way.  So, I came up with a plan to do something that I thought was fitting for this piece but still was "me".  

 BEFORE

 AFTER

The color is Thermal Springs from SW with dark wax.  I love how it is an updated color but still has a little bit of vintage vibe.  I also wanted to do something a little different with the bottom drawer.   I didn't want to do it in dark wood because I didn't want it to look too heavy.   I opted to do stripes but stayed within a shade on the color card so they weren't too over bearing and slanted them to mimic inlays in many of these pieces. 

 You know hardware can instantly update a piece and that's why I have a stash of these cup pulls. I actually wanted to do them in library style, but could only find one. Boo!  It's ok, because I never get tired of these. :)

 Waxing leaves such a soft sheen and I love that. 

 The top was cherry so I sanded it down, gave it one coat of Jave Gel, and 3 coats of Varathane. 

 The drawer still had the original green felt and it was pretty worn, so I lined it with this leftover fabric I had.  Yep, still am gaga over it. :)

Vintage Buffet in Iron Ore

A friend contacted me about buying this buffet from her.  I knew right away I couldn't pass it up.  I love that it's smaller and it's simple lines.  I didn't like the pulls on the drawers and the doors, but I knew that was an easy fix.  I also am not in love with waterfall style furniture but I wanted to give this one a modern twist. 

 I had my original idea for this one and then, all the sudden, I was unsure.  I went back and forth in my head about what to do and the more I thought about the less sure I was.  So, I asked my hubby what he thought and he said, "Slate gray."  Well, he doesn't offer up his opinion very often and I was thrilled he spoke up (and it was one of the colors I was already considering) so I decided to run with it (for him ya know). ;)

 BEFORE

She had refinished it once so the finish was in excellent condition.  Thank you Julie! :)

AFTER

I love the moody feel of this piece now.  It's not too feminine and not too masculine.  And, I'm thinking this graphite color is one of my new faves!

It had a gorgeous cherry top.  Tweet twoo!

 The drawer bottoms were a little iffy so I lined them with paper.  

*Tip: Seal them with Modge Podge for easy cleaning!

 I. Absolutely. Love. These. Knobs.!!

 These too!  I used gild creme to highlight them. 

He said he really likes it so I'm a very happy girl!