Furniture Makeovers Archives | Page 25 of 111

Furniture Makeovers

All Things Home

the wood wardrobe with the painted interior

I know that some of you probably think I paint everything. I will paint my mother, if she will just hold still long enough! Well, that’s not at all true. While paint is “my thing”, I really appreciate beautiful wood, too. When I acquired this old wardrobe off of craigslist, I wasn’t sure if I would paint it or not, but when I saw it in person, I decided against it. The wood just has a pretty grain pattern, warmth and it was in good condition. Most wood pieces I purchase have issues with the finish, so painting is the best route. This one just needed a little bit of help. I felt like it would benefit from installing shelves and painting the interior. I painted it in two coats of MMSMP Mora… (Here it is after the first coat.) My dad installed the shelves, similar to the way he installed

March 27, 2016 42 Comments

Artistic Endeavors

building a mobile shop counter

A few of you noticed the counter in the background of the cleaning cart turned kitchen cart post. It is actually a mobile shop counter I designed and Jeff built for me! I wanted a counter that had a vintage look and feel, but would be mobile and reasonably lightweight to take to the Lucketts Spring Market and any other future events. While I would love another large, antique counter, they are usually not mobile and definitely not lightweight. Building a new one was really a much better option. So, Jeff and I went shopping for materials, discussing the design elements I wanted to incorporate as well as the practical aspect of how this mobile shop counter needs to function. I wanted beadboard and a wood top. Jeff had the idea to put it up on feet, in case the ground is wet. We also needed a shelf on the

March 25, 2016 30 Comments

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

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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