An Office in the Making

I've been looking for some key pieces of furniture for an office I'm doing some design work on.  In dealing with a modest budget, it's important to cut costs anyway I can.  Shopping at thrift stores or second hand stores is the perfect way to ensure I stay on budget.

The room I'm tackling is going to pay homage to the mid-century modern era.  Luckily, a few weeks ago I came across this wonderful mid-century modern dresser ~ well maybe wonderful in its former life. 

My plans were to use this as a credenza for the office and although it was a little dingy, to say the least, the lines on this piece were amazing and I knew it was too good to pass up. 

Oftentimes, when I run across a piece like this, the state of disrepair is enough to frighten me or any potential buyer away.  But really, the labor involved is not nearly as daunting as one might think.  You might assume the only option would be to completely strip the piece of furniture.  Fortunately, it only took a few easy steps to transform this soon to be credenza.  *Note above, I did have to scrape off some gooey stuff with a 5-in-1 scraper.  

Then, a good scrub with some warm, soapy water followed by a little Howard's Restor-A-Finish furniture restorer was all this dresser needed to freshen it up.  I applied the restorer with #0000 steel wool.

I think this once dingy and overlooked dresser has transformed quite beautifully into a credenza for this office in the making.  There's lots more to do to complete this office transformation, so I'm off, hoping I can find a few more neglected pieces to breathe a little life into.  Thanks for stopping by Tattered Style!  

Wine Crate Shelf / DIY

Happy New Year!  Why not start 2012 off with an easy DIY'er?

 

Materials required:  A *wooden wine crate ~ a freebie!  I got mine from my niece, Brittney ~ the restaurant where she works was happy to unload some of these.  

*Stain of your choice.  I used Minwax Wood Finish stain and sealer ~ Provincial 211.

*Foam brush and paper towel.  After dusting the wine crate down, I applied light coats of stain with a foam brush then removed any excess stain with a paper towel.

After the stain dried, I sealed the shelf with ~

Minwax^® Polycrylic^® Protective Finish

Almost ready for hanging ~ I couldn't wait!

  

Lastly, I attached "D" rings to the back of the crate, so I could hang it on the wall. 

I hung the wine crate shelf up high ~ just because.  Read more about the Anthropologie inspired dresser here.  I'll soon be helping my son set up his apartment and we've talked about creating several of the wine crate shelves for his place.  Maybe we'll use one in his bath (above the toilet for storage), his living room (stacking several together to form a "bookcase") or in his kitchen (to be used as a spice rack/dish shelf).  So many possibilities ~ it should be fun.  :)  

I'm hoping your 2012 is the happiest and healthiest year ever for you and your loved ones.  I'm off to cook some blackeyed peas! 

Lighten Up

I believe that a home is a living, breathing organism with life happening all throughout it.  That being said, this place I call home is always changing.  Although I'm sentimental about some things, I'm not attached to most and I find it relatively easy to let got of some belongings in order to bring in new additions from time to time.  Especially, when I happen upon a cool find or great sale, or better yet ~ the two combined together.  I made the mistake of going into Anthropologie the other day and spotted this little guy, lurking in the clearance room shadows.  I've had my eye on him for awhile now ~ surprisingly, he's been sitting on a shelf collecting dust for weeks.  I finally decided he needed a new home ~ mine! 

  

Up until now, I've had a smaller, nondescript thrift store lamp on this old dresser and it served the purpose nicely.  But I've been eyeing this oversized gooseneck lamp and I was so happy to still find it available (I think he sort of resembles the Pixar logo lamp ~ do you?).  The mirror was a flea market find for a mere $10.00.

 

Since this is my bedroom, I really prefer to keep this area as uncluttered as possible.  A space that offers up minimal doses of visual stimulation ~ and instead promotes a calm and restful atmosphere.  I did add one pop of interest with this black and white striped rug I found at Ikea.  If I recall correctly, it also only set me back $10.00.

A nice reprieve from the hectic pace of the world within which we live.  

The dresser belonged to Nat's family when he was a young boy ~ I cleaned it up and gave it a couple coats of creamy white paint. 

I opted to use only a 40 watt bulb in the lamp ~ it casts a nice soft glow to the room in the evening.  I realize this isn't the most expensive or opulent room, but for me ~ it's certainly peaceful and relaxing.  Just what the doctor ordered after a busy week like this one.  Here's hoping you have an enjoyable and restful weekend as well. :)

P.S.  Some exciting news!  Here's your chance to meet and greet Rachel Ashwell at a Blogger's Luncheon during the upcoming Round Top Antiques Fair.  My friend, Kelley, of The Hidden List along with Bud Royer of Royers Round Top Cafe, is helping host this event ~ please go here for all of the details.  It is limited to the first 35 people who register.  It's not to late to secure your spot ~ I hope to see you there!

 

Additionally, thank you to my sweet friend and graphic designer, Lindsey Sobolik, for designing the lovely invitation! 

Dresser Makeover

Design Challenge: An extremely conservative budget for a conference room redo. No worries ~ my friend Rachael and I love a challenge and are up for tackling this decorating assignment (it doesn't hurt that this is one of our favorite things to do). So, we have been on the hunt for unique items to repurpose and outfit the room with. We have unearthed all sorts of wonderful discoveries and I'm anxious to share them with you. Future posts will unveil the progress of this space.

One of the furniture requirements for the space is for a buffet/credenza that will serve as a food/drink station for lengthy staff meetings.

We spotted this old bow front chest of drawers at a garage sale for $20.00 (a steal!). It is solid wood, structurally sound and in decent condition. With a little elbow grease and some paint this piece will fit the bill perfectly.

The first step in the process was to remove the hardware and give the entire piece a good scrub with soap and water.

Next, it was given a light sanding with an orbital sander using 120 grit sandpaper to rough up the old finish. Hand sanding was required for some of the more detailed areas. Prep work is essential and will give you a finished product you will be pleased with.

Then, a coat of primer was painted on (we used Kilz water based primer) allowing adequate time to dry thoroughly.

A light sanding between coats will provide a nice smooth finish as well (remember to wipe down with a tack cloth to remove any loose particles).

Lastly, two coats of creamy white paint were applied.

After allowing the paint to dry overnight, the original hardware was screwed back on to the drawers. I love the detail of the drawer pulls and the way the dark hardware really pops against the fresh white paint.

A sneak peak at the finished product...

I love giving cast-offs a second chance and this old chest of drawers will certainly add a unique flavor to our room makeover. It's amazing how a little TLC and some paint completely transformed this garage sale find. I can't wait for you to see this piece when it is installed in the finished room. Be watching for future updates and be sure to keep an eye out as this wonderful dresser makeover finds its new home in our conference room redo.

"That Old Chest in the Garage"

Shortly after Papa & Nana passed away last spring, aside from the grief everyone was experiencing, the family had to go through the painstaking process of sorting through things at their home. We came upon an old chest that sat next to the freezer in the garage, that to the best of my knowledge had been in the exact location since the early 1970's. It was dirty and dingy, covered with paint spills, grit and grime. Nana and Papa had used it as a catchall for all sorts of things. It's drawers held a peculiar selection of items, everything from old brass candlesticks and glassware to garden tools and oil cans. Nat recalled that the chest had resided in all of their family's previous garages as well. Although the dresser had no real earthly value, it appealed to Nat and myself, I think because of the staying power it had sustained down through the years. Thankfully, the others in the family seemed happy to pass it on to us. It has now been coaxed back to life with a little elbow grease and some stencils. I was inspired by a similar piece of furniture I had seen at Anthropologie.

Due to the amount of dirt and oil on the dresser, a good cleaning did not suffice, so we (Nat was such a trooper and helped me out with this step of the project) had to strip it down to the bare wood. I'm sorry to say I did not take a photo of this for you to appreciate it's "before" condition.

I then positioned and taped stencils of numbers and letters on each drawer. Next, I painted over each stencil with acrylic black paint.

After the paint dried, I distressed the stenciling by lightly sanding over the numbers and letters. To complete the project, I brushed on two coats of clear satin varnish (allowing the first coat to dry completely before applying the final coat).

I'm quite pleased with the finished product and think Nana and Papa would be proud. It now resides happily in our home...thankful that someone saw it's potential. And just maybe someday, one of our sons will see the beauty in the not so perfect and desire to have "that old chest that was once in the garage" for their home.