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All Things Home

All Things Home

primitive hutch makeover

Last week was a busy one and we got a ton of things accomplished.  I’m a bit whipped from it and I need to pace myself better, but it feels good to be really productive. Here’s one of the pieces I picked up and painted this week… I spotted it on Craig’s List and immediately texted my dad to see if he could get it for me. I have been looking for a great hutch or cabinet that could be a focal point of my booth at Lucketts and I knew this one was perfect for that.  It reminds me a lot of the hutch I use in the studio… I love how that one turned out, so I painted it the same way…MMSMP Mora on the inside and Shutter Gray on the outside.  Here is a video showing how I prepped the piece and applied the first coat of paint…

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All Things Home

design ramblings | the painted furniture trend

Several readers commented on the fact that I didn’t paint the frame of the checked chair and the chair with the toile back.  I was planning to write about that earlier in the week, but I realized that much of what I was going to say (write), I had already said in this episode of Design Ramblings (that we filmed a couple of weeks ago.) The first time Kriste and I had a brain storming session about topics for Design Ramblings, I immediately said “painted furniture.”  As you know, I love paint in general and furniture is my favorite canvas. I’ve always found it interesting how passionate some people can react to a wood piece being painted and how nervous/guilty some people can feel about wanting to paint a wood piece. That’s what we’re rambling about today… So, to answer the questions of the chair frames, I didn’t paint them because the wood had

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All Things Home

French chair makeover

I have a lot on my plate for the next couple of months and my mind has been churning trying to sort and prioritize.  When I hit these busy seasons, it helps me to get things checked off the to-do list, so I decided to get going right away on things this morning.  Before heading to the studio, I worked some more on the wallpaper mural in the upstairs bath.  Hanging wallpaper is tedious work, so I can only take it in doses.  I just have a few more rows to hang and then it will be all done.  I’m loving how it’s looking, though! I was a bit scattered when I arrived at the studio.  I wanted to work on about ten things at a time, so I sort of scurried from one thing to the next.  Kriste is great at helping me settle down.  She organized the furniture

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Before and Afters

French chair makeover

I have a lot on my plate for the next couple of months and my mind has been churning trying to sort and prioritize.  When I hit these busy seasons, it helps me to get things checked off the to-do list, so I decided to get going right away on things this morning.  Before heading to the studio, I worked some more on the wallpaper mural in the upstairs bath.  Hanging wallpaper is tedious work, so I can only take it in doses.  I just have a few more rows to hang and then it will be all done.  I’m loving how it’s looking, though! I was a bit scattered when I arrived at the studio.  I wanted to work on about ten things at a time, so I sort of scurried from one thing to the next.  Kriste is great at helping me settle down.  She organized the furniture

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All Things Home

furniture finds

I’ve been on the hunt for furniture to start working on for the Lucketts Spring Market in May.  Every year, I put pressure on myself to best what I did the year before.  Well, last year was pretty awesome, so I don’t know if I’m going to beat it, but I at least want to match it. I’ve been shopping at some used furniture stores and on Craig’s List and have found some really great things so far… I wanted this pair of French bergere chairs in the worst way!  My dad drove into Virginia to get them for me and, as it turns out, I bought them from a blog reader and Lucketts shopper!  She had even talked to me about these chairs last year.  She decided they were too much for her to tackle and I happened to be the one to pick them up off of Craig’s

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All Things Home

some things just don’t need a makeover…

As I shared a few days ago, I have been on a roll with finding French chairs.  Just last week, I found a pair of French wing backs, a pair of Bergeres, a pair of balloon backs and two single French-style chairs, including this pretty one… When I first saw it on Craig’s list, in a poorly lit, slightly blurry picture, I assumed it would need to be reupholstered.  When it saw it in person, I changed my mind.  It needs to be cleaned up a little, but the fabric is charming.  I wish I could find this fabric pattern, in fact.  So, the chair is staying as is.  Interestingly enough, I found this exact chair last year, but it was upholstered in tapestry.  I reupholstered it with an old grain sack… I pondered the new chair for a while and decided I would try it out in my guest room before

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All Things Home

checked chair

I have been in an upholstery mood lately and I’ve learned I need to take advantage of that sort of mood and get some upholstery done.  Kriste worked on stripping a couple of chairs we had hanging in the stash and I started upholstering this beauty.  One of my regular shoppers at Lucketts sent me pictures of it, asking if I would be interested.  Well, of course!  So, we negotiated a trade.  Jeff’s face was a riot when he saw someone bringing a piece of furniture to our booth instead of away from it.  Especially a chair with grass hanging out of it.  But he didn’t see what I saw.  I saw the gorgeous patina on the wood frame and the old straw and horse hair stuffing.  I knew I could bring this old girl back to life and she would be worth it. I’ve also been really into checks lately.  I’ve added

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All Things Home

design ramblings | selecting creamy white paint

In this week’s Design Ramblings, Kriste and I answered another e-mail from one of our fans, Laura.  She asked how to select the perfect paint color, specifically a creamy white.   Here’s what we had to say on that subject… A few of you suggested showing our bloopers at the end of each video, so we did that in this one.  It is fun to share those candid moments and I feel like you can get a better sense of our personalities. So, I looked up the price of Super Paint after the video and realized I was way off!  It’s about $50/gallon now when it’s not on sale.  I was quoted the price from about 10 years ago, I think.  Sorry about that!  Anyway, I still think quality paint is really worth it.  I usually buy the $80/gallon stuff, because I’ve become a bit of a snob about paint in

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I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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