Furniture Makeovers Archives | Page 17 of 111

Furniture Makeovers

step-back cupboard in progress

I have learned to trust my gut when I see a piece that is underpriced, underestimated and, perhaps, overlooked by others. Such was the case with this step-back cupboard. It had, shall we say… issues? It was originally a built-in, so it was missing a back, top and trim, it lost its bottom somewhere along the way and it was filthy. I didn’t even realize until I got it home that even the top was on upside-down. I was initially puzzled as to why someone would put contact paper on the bottom of shelves. Duh! Here’s how the top piece looked (with the new back resting against it)… …and the bottom… Once the cleaning and repairs were completed, I fixed the drawers. I couldn’t even fit them in their recesses, much less pull them back out again. You can read how I fixed them HERE. I liked the color of the bottom cabinet,

January 26, 2017 14 Comments

Before and Afters

say “hello” to Outback Petticoat

Last year, we retired two colors from the Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint line, Apron Strings and Dried Lavender. I’d like to keep our line at 25 colors, so we are replacing them with two new colors. And one of those colors is launching today – Outback Petticoat. It’s orange, in case that wasn’t apparent. Let me tell you, orange was really tough for me! First of all, I needed to convince myself to create an orange. Since I don’t use a lot of orange, I couldn’t easily envision it on a piece of furniture. But, I searched for inspiration and found loads of beautiful rooms, pieces, and color palettes featuring orange. I decided I could get on board with it. Once I was at peace with orange, the second difficulty was finding the right shade. Orange can go bad very easily. While developing the color, I ended up with all

January 17, 2017 75 Comments

All Things Home

baker’s table & hutch top

And so it begins…the shopping marathon for the Lucketts Spring Market was officially kicked off with a late-night scouring of craigslist that yielded four pieces already with a few more that we’re scheduled to pick up. It feels good to have furniture coming into the studio again and to see a queue start to form. Two of the pieces that were just rolled in on a dolly are these primitive beauties… A baking table and a hutch top. The owner sold them as a pair, but they actually weren’t made to go together and I plan to sell them separately. I reserve the right to change my mind mid-project, but that’s the plan. Both pieces need a good cleaning, since they’ve been sitting out on a porch, but otherwise I like the white paint with the alligator crazing. I will repaint the sage green hutch interior, though, seal both pieces with Tough

January 11, 2017 38 Comments

All Things Home

double-welting tutorial

Well, it only took six months, but I finally finished the “deconstructed chair“! If you think I always plow through my to-do list and nothing languishes, well, the fact this took me six months should make you feel better. There are times when I drag my feet, lack motivation, or I’m simply not in the mood. And upholstery is something I really need to be in the mood for. So, for those who haven’t seen this chair along the way, here is how it looked shortly after I acquired it. It was upholstered in a tattered, threadbare pink silk fabric that was stripped off pretty quickly. I really liked how it looked with just the muslin and burlap, but it was just a little too far gone. It was shedding horse hair stuffing and burlap fibers like crazy and just wasn’t going be functional at all. Despite what my husband thinks,

January 4, 2017 36 Comments

All Things Home

a grain bin turned coffee table

When I shared the industrial-style coffee table a few months ago, some of you called it. It just didn’t work with my style. While I like the table a lot and it was very functional, it was too large for the space and the longer I lived with it, the more it felt off with everything else in the room. Great piece, wrong space. Since I realized that, I’ve been looking around at antique stores and craigslist for something to replace it, but pieces were either the wrong size, wrong style, etc. I finally came across an old grain bin on craigslist. It was a little longer than what I was looking for, but otherwise the dimensions were perfect. It wasn’t blue, either, but it was really old, had a lot of character, and, at $105, the price was right. After thinking if over for a few days (and seeing that

December 9, 2016 81 Comments

All Things Home

my new creative workspace

Yesterday, I was a determined woman. Despite the gloomy weather, I was in the mood to organize, purge, and get my creative space put together. We have organized and cleaned out the studio here and there, but we haven’t picked through each bin and each drawer, keeping only the things that are really used. It was time. It was long past time. Kriste and I worked together, emptying out the contents of bins, drawers, cabinets, and cubbies, and grouped like things together, so we could actually see everything and make more informed decisions about what to get rid of and where a group of items should be stored. We found all sorts of fun and useful stuff that I entirely forgot I had and we also found eight trash bags full of completely superfluous stuff that I gleefully hauled to the dumpster. (We also found some things that other people might want that we’ll list

December 8, 2016 42 Comments

Furniture Makeovers

there is a time & place for spray paint

I am just going to admit it. I am a bit of a paint snob. That is probably not a huge surprise to anyone, since I am an unabashed paint enthusiast and, therefore, I am a bit picky about my paints. That being said, even though milk paint has my heart, I do use other paints on occasion, like latex for walls and trim, acrylic for some hand painting, and I even have a few cans of spray paint on my shelf. I cringe at the idea of using a can of spray paint on an entire piece of furniture (yes, dad, like your desk), but there is a time and a place for spray paint. When I was looking for casters for the art cabinet, I was really hoping to find some vintage or antique cast iron wheels…some that would work with the hardware I selected and would be sturdy

December 1, 2016 9 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

The art cabinet makeover

The art cabinet is finished! In case you forgot (or missed it), here is how it looked when I bought it… It was charming as is, but it was a bit orange for me and I had a “vision” for it. You can see more details on the before HERE and the pieces that inspired me HERE. Finding really cool hardware was a key part of executing my vision. I sourced these cast iron pulls from England on … They were the perfect hardware to dress up the drawers. It was a little tricky installing them, though! The drawer dimensions were irregular and several were broken, so I had to eyeball a lot of the pulls, hoping they were lined up and level. I painted the cabinet in MMS Milk Paint Grain Sack. I didn’t sand or prep the piece and I ended up with a lot more chipping than I wanted! I paint a

November 22, 2016 40 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.

next art sale

August 13th, 2026 at 1pm EST

Now Available for Preorder

Move Slow & Make Things

A book about creativity, intention, and making things with care. Sign up to receive updates, preorder details, and exclusive bonus content.

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From original paintings and art prints to Pup Club releases and curated goods, each piece is created or chosen to bring warmth, creativity, and character into your home.

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

A handpicked collection of items styled and shared throughout posts, projects, and social feeds. Every product is thoughtfully chosen to reflect a timeless, collected aesthetic.