Furniture Makeovers Archives | Page 33 of 110

Furniture Makeovers

All Things Home

Megan’s office makeover | part 6 | the craig’s list wardrobe

When I met with Megan initially about her space, she was really leaning towards built-ins for storage. Something similar to the ones in our home office, with a desk, lower cabinets and upper cabinets. As I thought through the space and how she uses it, I felt like a large cabinet would be more functional for her. We talked about it and agreed. It was not only more economical, but it would ultimately address her storage needs better. I immediately started scouring Craig’s List and checked out a few local antique stores. I found a perfect wardrobe with a bead board back and everything, just like the one I sketched out in the plan. My dad sent the owners an e-mail to see if it was still available. A couple of weeks passed and we hadn’t heard anything, so I moved on. Bummer! I kept looking and didn’t find anything close.

August 28, 2015 19 Comments

All Things Home

Megan’s office makeover | desk chair slipcover

Remember the “Franken-chair” I made out of two broken desk chairs for Megan’s office makeover? Well, it has a new dress. Here’s what it looked like before… The base is from the chair on the left and the seat is from the chair on right. And the slipcover is made out of Megan’s old cream cotton curtains! We’re replacing them with a pretty green buffalo check that works with the farmhouse style Megan is moving towards, but relates to the traditional style (and other greens) in the rest of the house. I am planning to make a small pillow for the chair, but threw one in there for the pictures. Ha, a little not-so-subtle branding. Actually, a very sweet reader made that pillow for me and it was the only one in the studio that was the right size. The ties in the back are decorative, a little

August 28, 2015 34 Comments

All Things Home

aging terra cotta pots

There are some people who like things shiny and new. They want to be the first person to own something. They like the smell of a car with 32 miles on it. They want their furniture to be delivered, tags still attached. I am just not one of those people. Unless we’re talking about electronics, mattresses or toilets, I want things in my home that have the patina that only comes with time. Or a bit of trickery. I have a few antique terra cotta pots and, while I’d love to fill my whole potting bench with them, that would get too expensive. So, I have some new ones mixed in. Can you tell which one is the new one? Yeah. It’s pretty clear and the new ones were bugging me a bit. While I had the Ironstone (white) MMS Milk Paint out to paint the sides of the potting bench, I decided

August 20, 2015 16 Comments

All Things Home

the antique, hodgepodge potting bench

Don’t you love it when projects come together perfectly? Such is the case with this hodgepodge of a potting bench. We just finished it today and it looks even better than I imagined. It’s especially exciting, because we already had the workbench in the basement (it was free with the house) and I bought the chicken nesting box without a solid plan on turning it into the top-part of the hutch. This morning, Jeff bought about $40 of pressure treated wood for this project, a couple of 2 x 12’s and 2 x 4’s. While he was out, I took care of the red overspray marks on the front of the work bench. It wasn’t a big deal, but they just bugged me. So, I brought out my big-boy sander, the belt sander, and I went to town. I really love how the paint looks distressed, with some of the

August 18, 2015 33 Comments

All Things Home

step-by-step dresser makeover

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful feedback on my very first MMS Milk Paint “commercial”. It was so fun to put together and I was proud of it, but your comments were a confirmation, so thanks! The bar has been set for the second one! Today, I thought I would share more about the dresser makeover and how we made the commercial. I was always planning to paint the dresser in Mustard Seed Yellow, but I only picked out the dress to create the “story” for the commercial the morning we filmed it. I also decided that day to shoot outside instead of in the studio…another decision that ended up being perfect. The feel would’ve been totally different if it was inside. We’re fortunate to have this amazing old mill right across the parking lot from the studio, so we could literally wheel the dresser over

August 17, 2015 21 Comments

Before and Afters

the yellow dress & the dresser

I took a big step today. I’ve been talking about making a “commercial” for the MMS Milk Paint line for a long time. Over a year at least. When I talked about it in my brainstorming sessions, it seemed easy. When it actually came time to make one, it seemed hard. And I kept pushing it down the priority list, waiting for the “perfect time.” I’ve always let my business grow organically and I’ve liked it that way. I don’t push too hard for something. I let things happen naturally. The problem with that is, I never felt the need to set out a plan or specific goals. It’s time to be more strategic. A part of that was moving my idea of making a MMS Milk Paint promotional video to the top of the list. Finally, today, Kriste and I filmed it. My concept for the video was to

August 15, 2015 116 Comments

All Things Home

megan’s office makeover | part 3 | the plan

After a few weeks of marinating on things, sourcing, kicking around ideas, I have come up with a plan for Megan’s office makeover. If you missed the first two posts in this series, you can check them out here… part 1 | the before part 2 | the “franken-chair” And now, I’m finally sharing the plan, letting you know the direction we’re heading. Here’s what the office space looked like the day I made my house call. Please remember that Megan had the door closed and curtains drawn on this room, which was used to dump things in when she cleaned the house for my visit, and I stuck my nose in and then took pictures of it and then posted them on my blog. (Good friend that I am.) So, Megan is not really in love with anything in this space, but it does have great bones…windows that let in pretty

August 11, 2015 35 Comments

All Things Home

how to make a chair cushion | deck chair makeover

I’ve been working on my deck off and on throughout the spring and summer and it’s finally starting to come together. I know I’m not going to break any makeover speed records with this project, but that’s life, right? Spaces take time to come together. So, there is still more to do, but last week I jumped a big hurtle – I made new chair cushions for the vintage iron armchairs my mom passed along to me and I thought I would share a tutorial on how to make a chair cushion. They really, really needed new chair cushions. The old ones were deteriorated, mildewed, faded and ripped. They were beyond cleaning or recovering. I needed to start from scratch. The chairs are comfortable and in great shape, though, so it was worth the time to make new cushions. I actually tried to find pre-made cushions that were the right size,

August 8, 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.

next art sale

May 20th, 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.