Vintage Dresser in Black

A friend asked me if I would be interested in this dresser.  When I first went to look at it I was hemming and hawing (only on the inside) and couldn't make up my mind.  But, the man who was selling it looked so hopeful for a buyer that I had a hard time saying no and it came home with me.  I had a little bit of buyer's remorse on the way home.  Even after all the experience I've had buying furniture that still happens to me. :P

The lines of this piece look very masculine to me, and I don't do masculine very often, so I decided to go for it. My hubby likes black on furniture.  Every man I've met doing this likes black on furniture.  So, black it is.  I didn't want it to be one big black hole though so I decided to do a little something different with the drawers while still keeping them simple. 

 BEFORE

It just looked so tired and so bOrInG! Like something you'd find tucked in the corner of a not-used-very-often lake house. 

 AFTER

I can't help but smile when I see the before and after.  Who doesn't like a good transformation?  It just looks sharp now. 

 The stripe helps tie the top in with the body and doesn't leave the top drawers hanging there like they don't belong. I love that the eye is drawn to the natural wood and then the stripe just adds a little something special. 

I love antique brass against black.  I had to use cup pulls on the top two drawers to help hide the holes I had to fill.  I like the brass with the wood.  I considered adding two knobs to each drawers but like the simplicity of one in the middle. 

This is my personal opinion, but a good finish can really do a lot for 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.  

Antique buffet in black

This gorgeous antique buffet belonged to the same set of the Depression Era hutch I just refinished.  Two beautiful pieces of furniture.  This piece had quite a bit of veneer damage and the previous owner had tried to fix it but didn't do a very good job.  I didn't want to peel all that lovely veneer off for a few icky spots so I smoothed it out the best I could and then went ahead and painted it. I always say--these are not new pieces of furniture.  It's normal for them to show their love. ;)

 BEFORE

 AFTER

 There are so many beautiful details on this piece,  It gave  me a good workout when I distressed them all! :)

 Someone recently asked me if sanding between every coat was really necessary.  You already know my answer. Lol.  If you want an outstanding finish I believe sanding between every coat is necessary.  I know it's a lot more work, but I promise you it is worth it.

 Detailing on the back piece. 

 I just love these legs.  Chunky, turned, fluted....what more could a girl ask for???

 Another gorgeous mahogany top.  I sanded it down to the bare wood, gave it 1 coat of Java Gel from General Finishes and finished it with 3 coats of Varathane in Satin. 

Color= All Surface Enamel in stock black from Sherwin Williams

Have a great weekend!

Depression Era Hutch in black

I was so excited when my client opened up the back of the trailer and this and a matching buffet were sitting there!  I absolutely love these Depression Era hutches.  This one has birds eye maple for the trim work (some of you might be cursing  me for painting over it), but there was a lot of veneer damage and someone had already refinished it previously, so.... ;)

After discussing colors in the room where it would be we decided black was her best option.  I've done a lot of black in the last few years, and at times I think, "Not black AGAIN...", but it really is timeless and so beautiful when finished. 

 BEFORE

I took these pictures in a hurry because we seemed to be having a windstorm at the time and all kinds of garbage was flying in my clean garage! :)

 AFTER

There is so much detailing on these two pieces and I love how the distressing makes them pop.

 This is my favorite part of the whole piece! Lol  

Great legs!  I used these knobs because she isn't sure what she wants yet and I happened to have two of them in my stash.  I still love them though.

I will be gone for the next two days so the buffet should be finished by the end of the week! 

Oak Headboard/Footboard

I came across this headboard and footboard by accident. Hubby was considering throwing it out.  I said, "Um, no." Lol

It is solid oak and in beautiful condition, but it was filthy.  I mean stuff dried on, hanging off, sticky, please, God, don't let any of that actually touch my hands kind of filthy. Nothing a little cleaning and some sanding couldn't fix and it was worth it. 

 BEFORE

I would say I was sorry for the ugly garage picture, but those bags of pellets are what allow me to work during our sub zero, mind numbing, arctic Wisconsin winter. Did I ever mention how awesome my better half is?

 AFTER

This week has been the week from hell and I was so glad this was a fairly quick and easy redo (besides the fact I thought my arm was going to fall of sanding all those slats 4 times!).  

 She's got lovely details. 

My hydrangeas still make me happy! 

I'm taking the weekend off!  Hope you have a fabulous one! 

Vintage French Provincial Vanity

I see a lot of French Provincial furniture that looks like this, but I don't think I've ever seen a little vanity before.  My client said it belonged to her husband's grandmother, so it's another piece that gets to stay in the family.  You know I love that. 

It was very outdated but an upgrade with black paint, new hardware, and these awesome vintage looking maps fixed that. :)

 Before

 After

Before it was a little blah (no offense) but now it has presence!  

 I still get a lot of questions about my finish.  I promise you it doesn't matter if you brush, spray, or roll a good finish comes from sanding!  It's more work, but the results are so worth it!  220 between coats, every coat. 

I like to use script on drawer fronts, but these maps were just something a little different.  I adhered them, sealed them, and then stained over them to darken them up a bit.  I finished with a coat of poly. If you use stain you need to top coat it with something as it can remain tacky if you don't.