Before and Afters Archives | Page 23 of 51

Before and Afters

the china cabinet on my doorstep

Usually I have to hunt for my furniture, but lately a few pieces have been finding me. That was the case with this china cabinet… An antique store owner who I’ve shopped from a few times stopped by my studio a few weeks ago. He knocked on the door. “I have something in the truck that I think you might like.” He showed me the china cabinet, quoted a price. I nodded and he carried it in for me. How easy was that?! Now, I have to do something with this china cabinet… After painting several of them over the years, I’ve sworn that I would never buy another one to paint. They are a royal pain in the rear to work on. The tight interiors, the fretwork up against the glass…all, a royal pain in the rear. So, I put it out of the way against a wall and

April 20, 2015 59 Comments

All Things Home

swapping chairs

Sooo…I’ve been know to rearrange, trade and swap furniture in my house. I’ve always done that, but it’s so much more tempting (and easier) when I have a steady stream of awesome furniture coming into my possession as I’m getting ready for an upcoming antique market. Sometimes I need to love a piece for a while before I send it off into the world. There are other times when I trip across something I’ve been looking for and I know right away that it’s coming to my house. That was the case with these chairs… I have been looking for end chairs for my dining room for a while…over a year, I think. The current end chairs are almost exactly like the side chairs and it looked a little “one-note.” I felt like some really great end chairs would add a lot more interest to the space. It’s the kind of

April 12, 2015 46 Comments

Before and Afters

workbench turned kitchen island

I went to a local antique store a few weeks ago and bought a few pieces, including this workbench… Jeff was surprised at my choice. It doesn’t have the curvy lines I usually go for and the top is some kind of wood composite. I just had a gut feeling about it. It had a nice shape to it and, with the right additions and changes, I felt like it could be a really special piece. And here’s how it looks now… Kriste can’t even look at it. She is so sad she doesn’t have a spot for it! I feel the same way, although I could make an excuse to keep it in the studio, but there are only so many tables and workbenches someone needs…at least that’s what Jeff thinks. Everything just came together serendipitously for this piece. I was thinking about what to do with the top

April 9, 2015 48 Comments

All Things Home

upholstered ottoman & painted cabinet

Sometimes when I have a huge stash of furniture to work on, I’m overwhelmed and find it hard to even know where to start. That is definitely not the case as I’m getting ready for Lucketts this year. ALL I want to do in the studio is work on furniture. My e-mail inbox was being so woefully neglected because of it, so I had to pin myself down and get it cleaned out last night. I’m really enjoying painting, upholstering and seeing the pieces transformed. I hope you’re enjoying it, too! There are a lot more furniture makeovers to come. I bought this stool at an antique store a couple of months ago and it’s been hanging out in the stash since then. I was planning to make a slipcover for it, one that laced down the legs and had a short, ruffled skirt. The day was winding down last

April 8, 2015 29 Comments

Before and Afters

two chair makeovers

I had another BYOF workshop last weekend. (BYOF stands for Bring Your Own Furniture, for those who didn’t figure that out!) I always love those classes, because I get to help people work on one of their own pieces as they learn how to use milk paint and the finishes. Not only do they learn, but they get something done in the process. This workshop was just two ladies, me and my mom, so it was really low key. I even had the chance to do some painting. Both of the ladies brought chairs. The first one was an interesting child’s size chair that doubles as a stool. It was clearly something that was homemade for a specific purpose, so it’s really unique. The owner chose to paint it in Shutter Gray, distressed and finished with Antiquing Wax… The other chair was a farm-style, plank-bottom chair, except it’s not old.

April 6, 2015 16 Comments

Before and Afters

layla’s mint dresser

I bought this dresser off of Craig’s List a few months ago when I was having a run on empire dressers. I think I found 5-6 of them, all for under $100, within a few weeks. It was crazy. This is one of the roughest dressers I’ve worked on, but it was the cheapest one of the bunch and I figured we could do something with it. It has a pretty wicked shimmy at the moment and the drawers are a little wonky, but I think Jeff will be able to fix it to at least make it functional. It’s a chunky piece, but has a bowed top drawer and some turned details on the sides that add some femininity to it. I decided to paint it in Layla’s Mint, one of our new MMSMP European colors, to make it even more soft and feminine. I did not add Bonding

April 5, 2015 24 Comments

Before and Afters

boxwood empire dresser

Sooo…there is a dresser that’s been hanging around in the studio for months. It’s a beautiful empire piece with some amazing graining on the drawers and I just wasn’t ready to paint it. I pushed it against the wall and waited until inspiration struck. I was thinking about the dresser one evening and it hit me… Boxwood. It would look stately and fitting for the lines and size of the piece. I’ve had some extra help in the studio the last couple of weeks. Cari, aka “The Machine” is back to help with stripping chairs. And, we’ve had a new helper, Megan from Mercy in the Middle. She attended one of my painting workshops and later reached out and asked if she could come help us get ready for Lucketts. We clicked at the workshop, so I said yes. Anyone who volunteers to be covered in dust and splattered with paint is a friend in

April 2, 2015 33 Comments

All Things Home

installing a stair runner

I shared several weeks ago that I wanted to add a carpet runner to our steps. We have 1940’s stairs that are shallow, by today’s standards, and entirely wood. That combination has led to more than one topple down the steps by pretty much everyone in our family. Adding a runner wouldn’t help with how shallow the steps are, but it will at least cushion any future falls. It also makes the pokey stairwell look more like an intentionally decorated space. I started with three Stockholm Dash & Albert 2.5 x 8 woven cotton runners. They have so many beautiful patterns to choose from, but the colors in this design worked best in my space. I received the runners a while ago, but wanted to wait until the upstairs bathroom tile was completed before I installed them. The weather was not being very wet-tile-saw-friendly, so the tile had to wait.

March 31, 2015 26 Comments

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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