Blast from the Past

I can't say that I remember my parents owning a telephone table but back in the day when phones were attached by a cord to the wall, families had a small table to hold their phone.  Most of them had a chair near the table and some even had a table with a chair attached, along with a drawer or shelf to store the phone book.

This telephone table came with a bonus - a pencil sharpener! I guess someone wanted to be able to sharpen their pencil while talking on the phone.

It had been banished to the cellar - where I found it at an estate sale.  It was wobbly and in very sad shape.  Fortunately, the missing chair rungs were in the drawer.

It was reglued & clamped, it was cleaned & lightly sanded, it was painted black (BM's Aura in Twilight Zone) and distressed, then it was reupholstered.  Here's the update:

It's ready for the 21st century - a comfy little seat while chatting on your cordless or cell phone and definitely a conversation piece!

Smoking Stand's New Life

"Smoking stands became popular around the turn of the century and lasted through the Depression.  After World War II they began to lose favor."  I've seen them in a million different styles, including this one:

When I found it several months ago at a yard sale, I knew it could be a great side table.  The storage compartment is lined with tin (most are lined with some type of metal, as I think it cut down on the humidity where tobacco was stored).

So, after some joint tightening, some cleaning, some paint, some stain and let's not forget the elbow grease.... here's the new look!

The color is a little off in the photo - it's actually a couple of shades deeper than it photographed.  It's ready for a new home... and no, it doesn't smell like smoke!

Queen Anne's New Look

I posted the "before" of a Queen Anne style dresser that I was working on last week.  It was rehabbed for a customer to complement the Bonne Nuit chest that I did a couple of months ago.  Here's the update:

Since this the style of this dresser is totally different than the Bonne Nuit chest, it was rehabbed to complement, rather than compete with the chest.  Primed first to prevent any bleed through, the body of the dresser was done in HM chalk paint (Behr, Blue Fox) and the drawers are done in HM chalk paint (Behr Flint Smoke, lightened with Burnished Clay).  Top was sanded to remove the peeling finish and scratches, then stained with Minwax Jacobean and protected with 2 coats of polyurethane.  The body and drawers were waxed with American Decor's Creme Wax first, then aged with APC's Clear Wax, tinted with Graphite Craft Paint. 

The typography on the dresser (Sleep Tight) was chosen to also complement the Bonne Nuit (Good Night) chest.

Queen Anne Upcycled

A customer who purchased the Bonne Nuit chest that I finished a couple of months ago wanted another dresser to complement it.  This Queen Anne style dresser was in my inventory so it was chosen to be upcycled.

I'm just putting the finishing touches on it so once it's complete and delivered to the customer, I'll share the new look!