Bonne Nuit Chest

My son recently sent me a text that there was some "old furniture" at a yard sale.  Since "old furniture" is the magic word, I was on my way!

There were two pieces - a matching dresser & chest of drawers.  The finish was a mess on both of them but they were definitely salvageable - and the price was right.  In my haste to get started, I forgot to take a "before" picture of the chest but it was in the same condition as this matching dresser.

Here's the rehabbed chest of drawers.

I wanted to have some fun with this one and bring out all of the great detail and even add a "Good Night" from thegraphicsfairy.com

After sanding I put two coats of Zinsser latex primer on to prevent any bleed through.  It was painted with homemade chalk paint in Behr Flint Smoke and the detail was painted with Behr River Rock and Valspar Transit Pass.  It is lightly distressed and antiqued with glaze tinted with Graphite craft paint.  The finish on the body is waxed and the top is protected with two coats of Wipe-On Poly after a stain of MinWax Dark Walnut.

I kept the original hardware but painted it with Martha Stewart's Pewter Metallic Paint, then dry brushed with MS Silver Metallic Paint.

There's definitely nothing boring about this chest - not even inside the drawers!

 

Burlap & Black

Recently a dear friend gave me a pair of these end tables that she no longer had any use for.  They're nice tables - just needed an updated look and some joints reglued to tighten up the "wobbles."

 

I don't plan to finish them as a matching pair - so here's the updated look for Table No. 1.  I really like the combination of burlap & black but I suspect that the update for Table No. 2 will look totally different.

(Thanks, Carol!)

French End Table

I found this cute little end table at a yard sale.  I think it was a record cabinet in a former life because of the slats on the bottom shelf - there are corresponding slats on the under side of the top shelf but the slats were missing.  I know some really like the chippy look but this table had stains and paint had been spilled on it.  So a rehab was definitely needed.

After some cleaning, sanding, and a couple of coats of homemade chalk paint made from Valspar's "Transit Pass," the finish was antiqued with Minwax "Early American" stain.  The transformation was almost complete.

The top of the cabinet definitely needed something to make it a little more interesting, so I visited thegraphicsfairy.com and found the perfect typography.  Much better!

End tables and night stands seem to be interchangeable now, so this cute little table works for either!

Go Retro!

I found this magazine table at an estate sale.  It was a disgusting color that I'll just call Dijon Mustard.  I thought I had a "before" photo but for now it's MIA.  It's called a magazine table because of the magazine rack on each end and it could easily sit between two chairs as the drawer opens from either side for easy access.

It's a great, solid table most likely from the 50's, so it's gone retro!

I wanted to add to the funky vibe, so I decoupaged the top and bottom of the drawer with ads from a vintage (1942) magazine.  To protect the top, I sprayed it with 2 coats of acrylic sealer and then brushed on 3 coats of Polycrylic.  Sure wish I had that "before" photo!

Out of Rehab

Sadly, four dining room chairs were no longer loved and were discarded by their owners.  Luckily, they were rescued shortly after and entered rehab.

I'm happy to report that following several days of intensive therapy, they have been released!

The first step in therapy was a good cleaning and sanding to remove most of the old varnish, then they were whitewashed and received a good coating of natural wax for protection.  I love the way the wood feels after that coat of wax!  Finally, they're sporting new upholstery (stenciled drop cloth) and are ready to be loved again!

Mystery Table

Found this little table at a yard sale.  Nice size, sturdy little table - nothing odd about it until you look at its profile.  Yep, the top is slanted.

 

My best guess is that it was a child's writing table (wouldn't call it a desk as there's no drawer).  So....  I got rid of the pink, then painted black & distressed, stripped & stained the top with Minwax Dark Walnut.  Added some typography (courtesy of thegraphicsfairy.com) to add some interest to the top.

 

 Anyone have a guess or know what the original use was?

Footstool Redux

I stepped out of my comfort zone when I painted this footstool pink several weeks ago.  I did like it with the vintage barkcloth I used for the upholstery but after looking at it for a few weeks, decided it was a little too "coastal" for this area of New England.

So... it's now black.  What do you think... like the black better?