Another Desk...

Maybe this blog should really be called Blue Desk Bliss...I mean if I could just do desks I would.  This one was actually for a client.  She wanted a dark top, with lots of distressing.  LOTS of distressing - like so much I felt like I was sanding it all back to square one again!  But I made it work, I think.  Although if I were doing it to sell on my own I probably wouldn't have gone as far...but she was happy, so I'm happy.  She is a fellow Washingtonian transplant so how could I say no?
Here is what we started with:

Then I got to stripping/staining the top. I always do this part first in case I find there is too much damage or water stains that would show through.  Worst case then I will just paint it like the rest of the body.  We were lucky this top was in great shape though!

After the painting and initial distressing was done, I played around with hardware options for her...this part is so much fun!  It's like playing dress-up, if you are a kooky furniture person....ahem.

She chose the Oval shaped ones in the end. What do you think?  Agree?  I kinda liked the glass ones for some glam but the oval definitely matched well with the existing pulls. 

Then it was time to take my trusty sanding block and distress it some more, and some more, and some more...until my client was satisfied.   Whenever I'd ask her if it was enough, her comment was "it still looks too polished" which was a really nice way of saying - No.

I am pleased to say this went home today.  After 2 wks of working on it. Man are my arms tired!  I am ready for a massage, some champagne and ....puhleez-yeah right!  In my world that equals a glass of wine, and a magazine while I give my kids a bath.  But that's ok :)  I'll take it-Have a great weekend!

Desks

I love to redo old desks, it's my favorite type of furniture to give a make-over to. I particularly like them in a good french blue or robin egg blue, as do many in the Austin area I'm grateful to say ;) A unique desk is a guaranteed show stopper in any room, and they can be finished in any number of ways (glazing, distressing, new hardware, etc) so that it's virtually impossible to replicate one from the next.

This one was found on Craigslist, beautiful in it's own right already....

But there was some damage on the left top corner, as you can see in the above pic.  So I got to stripping/staining first - I love this task almost more than the painting...hmmm, an affinity for stripping...maybe that's over-sharing....uh, that didn't come out right...anyways...










So then I got to painting with my favorite shade of blue, some distressing, glazing and I finished it with a paste wax to protect it.

VOILA!

I think the hardware really POPS now 

She went to a lovely new home within 24 hrs of listing.  But I really wanted to keep her :(  Oh well, there is always another, and many are still in my garage.  Stay tuned for more (mom)!
Linking up to these parties:

Here We Go....

As I type this first post, I am FILLED with anxiety, trepidation....and a little wine.  I'm gonna be honest. This is a scary endeavor.  I've been thinking about doing a blog for some time, and it seems now IS the time with quite a few projects/remodels under my belt.   Kids are heading back to school soon, there will be some extra time on my hands for this.  But it is always unsettling to expose yourself so publicly.  But then again, who am I kidding!  I may not have any followers at all, except my Mom of course ;)  And that would be just fine too. 

So here is where it all began.....




Four chairs in bad shape (the two on left I've already primed) from a basement in South Austin that had horrible 'seat cushions' nailed onto them. Being a novice blogger, I didn't think to take a pic before I removed them but lets just say it was one heck of an initiation into furniture renovation!

 Add a basic old round Pedestal Table from a lovely older couple in North Austin...

Some washing, sanding, priming and lots of paint =
AAAAAHHH...(angels singing)

Don't they make a charming set :)

Some subtle distressing on the edges and legs gave it a nice shabby chic touch as well as removed any notion of a new 'factory bought' dining set. This sold in 48 hrs I am proud to say.-and set me on my way.

More to come!  :)