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Friday, April 24, 2015

Beachy Blue Sideboard

When I posted this sideboard on my Facebook page, it was a big hit...with lots of lovely comments.  I thought maybe you would enjoy reading my process for transforming this one.  

Let's start with the before:


Pretty piece, gorgeous fluted legs and very beat up top.

After some stripping and sanding, the gorgeous mahogany is revealed.  


I moved forward with my vision....stained top, but what color?  Hmmmm..It had been a long, cold winter in Southeast Virginia, so I thought a bit of a bright, springy blue would be perfect.

It's a combination of General Finishes Persian Blue, and Annie Sloan Louis Blue.


We live near the beach in this part of the country, so I thought some clear, updated pulls might be a nice change from the original, oval brass pulls.


Quite a bit of 'shabbying' on the legs and fluted areas....


The top got a custom mix of General Finishes gel stains.  I mix a little Antique Walnut and Java....and use it as a stain.  I apply it and wipe it back.  I'm not looking to cover up the grain, but to bring out its beauty.  I think some folks apply Java on thickly to cover over a very flawed top?  I've not tried that technique yet.  Maybe one day...but for now, I'm looking to see the gorgeous wood grain~


And the picture below is why I don't blog very often.  The camera is NOT my friend.  Look at those legs....Don't they look wonky?  They really aren't crooked, I promise!  I know it must be the angle, or lense....but I took over 100 pictures of this one piece...and could not get a decent straight on shot without the legs looking crazy!  Oh well....


So here she is all done...and from a side view, no wonky legs!


As it turned out, she's going to be living in a beach house at the Outer Banks in North Carolina!  Looks like my color name of Beachy Blue was spot on!

Thanks for stopping by....

Robin

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Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Grandma's Early American Style Gets a Fresh Look

Pictures speak a thousand words:


We've seen this style in thrift stores, Craigslist, yard sales, etc.  They are great for storage, well made, but so dated looking.

I stripped the top and found a gorgeous solid cherry top (no veneer).  Some new knobs, Old White and a custom mix with Duck Egg as the base....



When I replaced the old fashioned, "Bat Wing" styled hardware, I needed to fill in all of the holes of the top drawers so I could center the pulls.  For some reason, it took me about 4 coats of filler to get the holes perfectly smooth, filled in and no evidence of previous pulls.  So I'll ask you, how many 'fills' does it take you to get a hole completely filled and smooth?  Any tips on expediting the process would be greatly appreciated!  I got to the point of thinking "I'm never replacing hardware again!", but that didn't last long!  

I also thought it needed a little 'somethin' somethin'" to sweeten it up, so I added an applique on one drawer.


And one quick shot of the gorgeous refinished top:


I'm not usually a two tone painter, but I love the Old White & Duck Egg combo!


Thanks for stopping by!

Robin

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