Tag Archives: upscale

Mid Century French Roast Media Console – Sold

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Mid Century Dresser turned Gorgeous Media Console

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Here’s the “before” finish. Not very nice at all. I removed the top 3 drawers and completely sanded the entire piece for proper paint adhesion.

photo (19) After sanding, it was time to create a new shelf for the interior spaces at the top. Drawer guides were removed and a new, 3-piece wood “shelf” was installed.

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Everything was primed and painted. Drawers guides were waxed for ease of use. Holes were drilled in back  to allow for electrical cords.

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This console would fit perfectly in both traditional and contemporary spaces.

Lovely, Vintage, Shabby Chic Twin Bed – Sold

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 I wanted to share another pretty, pretty with you.

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 Why are so many of my pieces in turquoise, you ask?
For me, turquoise soothes the eye… I am not alone in my affinity for this special blue/green pigment. It has become a highly sought after color in the design market.

IMG_9425I was immediately drawn to this bed. It had some veneer chipping here and there, but nothing that couldn’t be repaired.

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This is a good wood filler for small areas needing repair.

elmers wood filler

After repairing and painting, I distressed all details of the bed by hand sanding with 80 grit sandpaper. I then added a dark glaze to add character and age.

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I think it is so lovely! A sweet mama bought it for her little princess girl.

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Gorgeous Upscale Shabby Chic Turquoise Mirror, LARGE *Sold to a Fabulous Lady!*

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I have just a few minutes but wanted to share one of my latest “Redo’s”. This beauty is vintage, solid oak, and quite large at 32″ x 55″.

I painted it using my favorite turquoise (I still have 1/2 gallon left so expect to see more of this sweet color). I then distressed the edges and applied a coat of dark glaze to give it character and age.

 LOVE!

(Wood looks really red in the photos but it is actually a nice medium brown oak)


Vintage Turquoise Desk- Shabby Chic Meets Industrial – Sold

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On a recent “shopping for treasures” outing, I came across  this fantastic metal, vintage desk. It grabbed my attention because I adore most vintage, industrial things.

Since I failed to snap a photo, let me just tell you what it looked like before the transformation. This circa 1960′s desk was solid and well made, all drawers glided smoothly and the top was in pristine condition, however, the finish was a problem for me. It had several chipped layers of paint, from the original grayish, green color, to orange and cream. I, myself, have an affinity for orange but I was not going to go back with that color for the entire desk. It would look like a giant tangerine! Soooooo, I decided to paint it my favorite turquoise color and then distress it to allow the other colors to peek through, see? best of everything.

I carefully taped and covered everything that was not to be painted. Sanded, sanded and sanded so the new paint would adhere nicely. Oh, and I used spray paint instead of brushing.

I even painted the inside and outside of the drawers a crisp white. (I like fresh).

See that wonderful orange peeking through?

LOVE IT!

What a hobby, I just love giving old things new life! Go make something extraordinary for yourself.

 

Lovely Shabby Chic Turquoise Lane Cedar Chest- Sold

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I recently found this vintage, solid mahogany, Lane cedar chest and knew I had to bring it home. The exterior needed some love but the interior was like brand new. It still had that wonderful, fresh, cedar aroma and with a little help it would be ready for 50+ more years of protecting clothes from pesky wool eating moths!

The cedar chest needed something. I searched for an overlay (wood applique) and found the most perfect wreath. It needed to be stainable to match the existing wood color, this one was. I ordered two, one for a future project. After applying a red mahogany stain to the wreath, I glued and nailed the overlay in place. This, of course, was after I sanded the entire exterior of the chest.

Next came my current favorite color, turquoise. I applied two coats.When that dried I brushed on a coat of tea glaze for added character. I then used 100 grit sandpaper to distress the chest allowing the mahogany to show through.

I think it is so lovely now.

 

 

 

Bea-U-Ti-Ful Shabby Chic 1940′s Desk and Chair – Sold

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This solid, walnut desk dates to back to WW2. It was made for the military, specifically the Air Force. It is exceptionally well made and very sturdy, however, it really needed to be refinished, but because of some veneer chipping I did not consider it a good candidate. I decided to give it a full “Donna” transformation. (I was remiss in capturing a “before” photo. Actually, I took a photo but it was so dark you couldn’t see any details.)

I painted the desk with my “oops” turquoise, satin paint and then distressed it so the beautiful, rich, oak wood could peek through. When distressing a piece of furniture, I typically don’t use a heavy hand, but this desk, with it’s strong, war era history, I decided to show more of the original finish.  After painting and distressing, I added a coat of glaze to give the paint dimension and character.

I paired the desk with a 1920′s solid oak chair. With a new designer fabric seat cover it was ready for service. :)

I was VERY pleased with the outcome AND it sold within a few hours of my posting it.

 

Bea-u-ti-ful Shabby Chic Headboard – Sold

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Here we are again, just a simple 1970′s headboard waiting for some refurbishing love. With a good cleaning, a happy color and a bit of sandpaper “highlighting” it would be better than new.

I can’t seem to get enough of this wonderful turquoise color. Yes, I know, I seem to be using it on everything BUT I know something you may not know. Did you know turquoise and eggplant (the color, not the vegetable) are a perfect combination? How about orange, yellow, chocolaty brown, pale blue, silvery grey, pink, or red?  This green/blue splash really adds a pop of fresh color to any room.

I highlighted all the edges with sandpaper and finished up with a tea stain glaze to give it depth and age.I adore bringing fresh, new life to a soon-to-be-forgotten piece of furniture.

 

Shabby Chic Turquoise Headboard – Sold

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Just a plain ole out-dated headboard ready for new life.

I knew I wanted to give this headboard a shabby chic feel so I added an onlay (wooden applique) that I purchased from Lowes. After finding the center of the board, I used wood glue and small nails to attach it to the headboard.

This onlay comes unfinished so I used a wood stain marker to give it some color.

After a light sanding to dull the existing finish, I painted the headboard this gorgeous turquoise color. I let it dry then distressed all edges.

I then gave the whole headboard a quick coat of this silvery metallic glaze to add a bit of glamour, (see my Turquoise Armoire post to see how glazes are applied).

I think it’s lovely.

Vintage Shabby Chic Headboard and Footboard -Sold

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So, here’s the before. It’s a terrible picture I know. I really liked everything about this headboard and footboard, well, except for the color. Now, don’t get me wrong, I really adore wooden pieces but I wanted to try a new metallic glaze I found and this set was going to be perfect!

Before I begin divulging all my woodworking secrets, I have to show you what got me so excited. It’s Martha Stewart’s Metallic Mercury Glaze from Lowes!

I really didn’t know what to expect. Figured I’d just have to try it and see for myself.

 The old finish was rather dull. I like dull finishes. Makes for less sanding. However, it has to be done, so, using 220 grit sandpaper (I buy this in bulk), I sanded only enough for a good paint adhesion. After all prep work (and an iced tea refill) I started painting. It took two coats of a soft, creamy white paint for complete coverage. Oh, and I like to use eggshell instead of flat, satin or semi-gloss. After the paint dried, I opened the jar of metallic mercury glaze.

Working in small sections, maybe a foot square, I used a paint brush to apply the glaze. I then took another DRY brush and lightly swept over the wet glaze to remove any excess glaze and the brush marks. I swept up, down, across and horizontally, until it became one with the base paint. Keep your dry brush DRY. If you need to, take paper towels and wipe off any buildup. Move to the next section and continue applying and then dry brushing the glaze. It takes a while to get the feel for glazes but it is worth all the trial and error. Using the dry brush gives it an aged look and lots of character.

After the glaze dried, the edges were lightly distressed to accentuate the curves and add subtle definition.

An unexpected bonus for me was the light-catching sheen from the silvery glaze. I really liked the outcome and am anxious to try the other metallic colors that are available.

Yep, that’s just a box-spring, I snapped the photo before the mattress was in place.

Shabby Chic Polka Dot Chest -Sold

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Well, here’s the before picture. What a sad little chest. There were actually four drawers, but only three really nice ones. It was time to experiment. I decided to move the top drawer, (the decorative one) down one level. Now I had a very nice top cubby hole. Hmmm, I see potential here.

With solid wood construction and dove-tailed drawers, it would be worth the work needed to make it extraordinary. I envisioned something whimsical.

I was itching to get started, BUT, before I could do anything creative, I had to make a couple of repairs.

The sides of the chest near the bottom had some wood damage. With glue, new trim and clamps it was as good a new.

Next I prepared my cubby to receive a shelf. Existing side-drawer-guides were already in place, but I still needed a support at the back of the chest. This piece of wood was measured, cut, and screwed into place. I then used half inch plywood cut to size for my new shelf. I used an iron to apply real wood veneer to finish the raw outside edge of the shelf before painting and installing (see my Turquoise Wardrobe post for further details)

I gave the entire chest 2 coats of Gliddens, Satin, Sea Spray paint. Woo Hoo! NOW for the fun part.

With a ruler I marked the center of the drawer as well as the center of my polka dot stencil.  I aligned these two marks and taped the stencil to keep it from shifting. Shifty dots are not nice dots. :) I used a mixture of my sea spray paint and some pale yellow paint to stencil the dots. It is best to keep the brush on the dry side when stenciling. When the center section was completed, I moved the stencil over, aligning with the existing dots and continued stenciling until I ran out of drawers. (I like stenciling)

Next came the gentle art of distressing. I took my trusty 100 grit sandpaper and defined each and every edge on the chest to give it that time-worn look.

 The final step involved brushing a coat of Ralph Lauren’s Tea Glaze all over the chest. I love how it transforms the piece, giving it depth and character.

My finished Shabby Chic Polka Dot Chest. I really like it a lot. :)