Furniture Makeovers Archives | Page 25 of 110

Furniture Makeovers

All Things Home

the cleaning cart turned kitchen cart…

So, I was trolling craigslist one night and ran a search for “industrial” in the general “for sale” category and I spotted two of these industrial cleaning carts for sale… I closed the listing, dismissing it, and kept clicking around, but those carts stuck in my mind. There was something about the shape of them… AND they were dirt cheap. Cheap enough that it was worth the gamble, even if it seemed a little nutty. I sent the listing along to my dad and he delivered them a couple of weeks ago to my studio. When he drove up with them in the back of the truck, I realized they were much larger than I anticipated. Carts that I thought would be about waist high were almost up to my shoulder! The gigantic wheels were cool in their own way, but not right for what I had in mind and

March 24, 2016 91 Comments

All Things Home

oak buffet reveal & new matte Tough Coat

Unless you follow me on Instagram, you last saw this piece with the top stripped and one coat of paint. It’s in the “ugly stage” – the stage when you want to drop it on the curb and let someone else look at it. But, that would be a mistake. It may not look like it at this point, but this buffet is almost there. The graining on the top was so beautiful and I didn’t want to hide it with paint or stain, so I just stripped it down (see the in-the-works post for details on that) and applied two coats of Hemp Oil to bring out the natural beauty. As it was drying, I could tell the piece was crazing and cracking, but I didn’t know the extent until I ran a sanding sponge over the surface and the paint just flaked off! My mom, who does not

March 23, 2016 115 Comments

All Things Home

oak buffet in-the-works

Last week, a reader left a comment asking for me to show more behind-the-scenes pictures. It was a simple, polite request and it made me realize I don’t do that as much as I used to. I think I always feel like the pictures have to be pretty, “Pin-worthy” images that will be liked and shared. Pinterest, Instagram and the infamous Facebook algorithm really changed what bloggers (on the whole) share and how they share it and I am not an exception. But, that comment got me thinking. As a DIYer myself, I love looking at the before and afters and inspirational pictures, but I also want to know the HOW behind it. While I’ve written hundreds of how-oriented, tutorial posts, it doesn’t mean I can’t share the latest “hows” behind what I’m working on. For those who are new, it might be new information and, for those who have been

March 22, 2016 36 Comments

All Things Home

the chair that didn’t need a makeover…

…but ended up getting one anyway. It took me months to get the nerve to rip the beautiful Pierre Deux fabric off of this chair… I loved the colors, the pattern and the upholstery was done very well. There were a couple problems with it – it didn’t work with my Farmhouse White theme for the Lucketts Spring Market and the fabric was faded at the back and a little dingy. You don’t really notice it in the pictures, but it looked tired. It was still hard for me to rip it off, so I had Kriste start on it while I worked on something else. When I started putting the chair back together again, with pieces cut from an antique hemp sheet and ticking, I was at peace with the decision. The chair is still its pretty, Frenchy self, but it feels fresher; less fussy. I finished it off

March 19, 2016 51 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

the studio is full of possibilities

I was down to just a few things in my to-do stash and that lasted for about two minutes. Kriste and I went shopping on Monday and brought home some great pieces AND my dad scored a few things on craigslist AND I received a few shipments. You know when you get home from the grocery store and dump all of your bags on the kitchen floor? Now, imagine that with furniture and boxes and bags of antiques and home decor. That’s what the studio was like today – stuff all over the floor and in no particular order. It was a little chaotic, but it was exciting, too. And, oh, the possibilities! From our shopping trip, we brought home this pretty oak buffet… It’s almost exactly like one I bought and painted for Lucketts last year… We also got this sweet highboy. It has such a pretty and

March 17, 2016 85 Comments

All Things Home

a curvy chair gets a makeover…

It’s really hard to turn down free stuff, especially when it’s a curvy chair that just needs a little cosmetic work to make it special. So, when my friend Traer brought this to my studio, asking if I’d take it off her hands, I couldn’t say no. In the flurry of activity, I didn’t get a proper picture before we stripped off the upholstery that it was wearing. It was black tapestry with some purples, creams and green in it. Not my thing. So, we stripped off the old upholstery (Katie and I took turns working on it) and then I sanded the glossy frame and painted it in two coats of Farmhouse White. The paint adhered really well, even without the bonding agent, so I didn’t get a lot of chipping, which I was glad for. There is such a large contrast between the dark wood and the

March 16, 2016 31 Comments

All Things Home

milk paint 101 | topcoats

I realized I totally dropped the ball on our Milk Paint 101 series! I left you at the first coat and promptly forgot about you. So, you’ve applied the number of coats needed in order to get the finish as opaque as desired. In most cases, two coats do it. Sometimes more are required if there is a high contrast between the color you chose and the surface you’re painting. Once everything is dry, this is when I like to distress. Some people like to apply wax or oil finishes first, then distress, then apply the finish again, while others like to dive right into the distressing. I fall in the latter camp. It’s one less step and it uses less product. The advantage to waxing or oiling first is that it cuts down dramatically on the amount of dust that is produced. If you’re interested in my distressing tips and

March 15, 2016 32 Comments

Before and Afters

the hutch wearing an unfortunate shade of brown…

Does this cabinet look familiar? In case you don’t, let me refresh your memory. Here is how the hutch looked when I found it on craigslist… It had a lot going for it. A pretty and simple shape, interesting details and I liked the wire in the upper cabinet doors. It was painted a most unfortunate shade of brown, though, and the interior was a mess. The contact paper and a smattering of cream paint wasn’t working for me. As I was working on upholstery, Kriste asked what she should do with it. I suggested painting the outside first and then we’ll deal with the inside. It was just a delay tactic and we eventually had to deal with it. It involved scoring the contact paper, ample amounts of Goo Gone, and scraping with a scraper and then a razor. It was not a fun job. I know it looks like I

March 14, 2016 39 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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