Before and Afters Archives | Page 7 of 51

Before and Afters

painting the living room built-ins

I knew it was going to happen. Jeff knew it was going to happen. YOU knew it was going to happen… And, it happened. Yep, buckets and buckets of paint happened in this room. So, let’s back up and chat about how I got from point A to point B. First, I painted the walls in Benajmin Moore’s Wickham Gray. Yes, poor Mr. Wickham, that rake, has a delicious color named after him. In my Jane-Austen-loving-world, anyway. I used Benjamin Moore’s Aura paint in Matte, which is pretty much the only thing I will use for walls. The coverage is great, it’s durable, and the finish is beautiful. For the cabinetry, I wanted a bright white and went for a custom-mixed, slightly off-white. It still reads as bright white, but it’s not quite as stark as bright white out of the can, if that makes sense. I used Benjamin Moore’s

August 28, 2017 132 Comments

All Things Home

oak studio hutch

I have so much to share… all of the work that was accomplished when my brother and parents were here, the goodies I found while shopping the Gold Rush Days in Oronoco and Rochester, a tour of the rest of the rooms in our house, tutorials & details, more of my plans, etc. Lots to share. But, today, I’m just going to share one piece. We’ll pace ourselves. (And, if you just can’t wait, check out my Instagram Stories. I did learn that there is an extension for Google Chrome, so you can view them on your computer. You can get it HERE.) Sooo…when I set out for the antique market this weekend (I’ll share more on Gold Rush in a later post), the piece that was at the top of my list to find was a storage piece for my studio. I sold most of my counters and hutches

August 21, 2017 52 Comments

All Things Home

card room green front door

Well, it’s been a whirlwind few days! My brother came into town to work on my new house along with my parents. I love that my family is all about hard work and we can accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. We’ve been working at such a rapid pace that I haven’t even had a chance to post about all of the projects, but once things quiet down, I will take pictures and share. It’s exciting stuff, though, and the house is already looking more like our home. When I last shared the front door, it looked like this… It just needed some color. After holding many paint chips up to the pinkish-beige siding, I settled on Card Room Green by Farrow & Ball… …and I had it mixed by Benjamin Moore in Rust Scat Semi-gloss Enamel. My dad and I took the door off the

August 16, 2017 71 Comments

All Things Home

when I just can’t…

I think you will agree that a before and after is more enjoyable than a before and quit-in-the-middle. But that is the truth of furniture rehab or DIY in general. Sometimes projects are abandoned. Several months ago, I bought two upholstery projects. I was on the furniture-makeover-victory high from finishing the tufted sofa, so I felt like I could tackle anything. The “deconstructed chair” that turned out not being deconstructed was one of them… It took me a few months, but I did finally finish that piece. With a happy ending, I might add. This settee was the other one… Before I even started working on it, I received an e-mail from a regular customer asking to buy the settee once it was finished. She loved the style and the size was perfect for her space. Oh, a buyer already! That will be great motivation to get this piece completed and sold.

June 8, 2017 40 Comments

Before and Afters

the last-minute hutch

Going on a shopping trip for “just smalls” is a dangerous thing for me. I just can’t help turning over the tags of pieces of furniture calling my name! There were several pieces that I was able to walk away from and I almost made it out the door without this piece, but I couldn’t resist. I had actually checked out and loaded my purchases and then pulled the checkbook out again and I bought it. This is the piece I couldn’t leave… Well, that’s half of it. I couldn’t put the hutch top on it, but you get the general idea. The gold was a little intense for me, but the piece was in great shape and had good bones. The interior was even nice and clean, which was important given what I went through with the primitive gray cupboard! The original paint could still be seen under the

May 16, 2017 40 Comments

All Things Home

finished “French twins”

Now is the time when everything I started gets finished. Well, it’s also the time I buy new things that need to be finished, because it’s my biggest event of the year and I have to give it everything I’ve got, but that’s another post. One thing I finished this week was the sibling to my French twins of 2017… I finished one of them a few weeks ago, but then I shelved upholstery work for a while and opted to work on painted furniture. While upholstery is something I can do, it’s not something I enjoy. I like the end result of the transformation and, unfortunately, the process has to happen in order to get to the finish line. So, I give myself a pep talk and make it happen. They turned out great. The second one, that I had been avoiding for weeks, ended up being a piece

May 13, 2017 27 Comments

Before and Afters

grain sack wash stand

Lucketts 2017 is definitely “the year of the hutch”. I have more hutches and large pieces in general than I have in previous years, but I am trying to round that out with smaller pieces that will be easier on-the-spot purchases. This is one of those small pieces that I picked up a few weeks ago… It really wasn’t bad as it was. It could’ve used a coat of Hemp Oil to freshen it up, but I’ve learned that wood pieces don’t sell all that well for me, so I painted it out in Grain Sack from the MMSMP line…a grayish white that would work nicely with the marble top. The painting was a tag-team effort between Debbie and I. Debbie, by the way, has been amazing. She is filling in, since Kriste is on maternity leave, and I don’t know what I would do without her! She hasn’t done much

May 12, 2017 56 Comments

Before and Afters

antique crib-turned-daybed

Remember this antique Jenny Lind-style crib I found on craigslist a couple of months ago? Well, I finally got around to sprucing it up and made it into a sweet daybed… The wood was so pretty that I decided not to paint it. Well, and spindles are a complete nightmare to paint as well, so that was an added deterrent. I just removed the hardware the piece wouldn’t need as a daybed, added a piece of memory foam and some batting to the existing crib mattress, and then I made a custom cover for it out of an antique coverlet and a linen duvet cover. I’ve had the white coverlet in my stash for a while. It had a ton of holes in it, so it was definitely a “cutter”. I had just enough fabric to work with to make a cover and then I added some pleated trim from a

May 11, 2017 30 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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