Just a few…

Here are a few projects that I have worked on over the past year.  I’ve refinished lots and lots of tables, a few chairs and more to come!

First off, I kept this one.  Simple redo with Casement Fusion Mineral Paint and just sanded the top, kept it as is.  Beautiful!

Side table refreshed with Heirloom Fusion Mineral Paint and Dark walnut stain.

End table refreshed with Mountain Haze Fat Paint and ebony stain.

Coffee table refreshed with Natural Grey Behr paint.

Coffee table refreshed with Inglenook Fusion Mineral Paint.

Old school side table refreshed and painted with Paris Grey ASCP and Heirlook interior.

End table painted with French Linen ASCP and white wax on top. Love this look!

End table painted with Paris Grey.

Half moon side table painted with a grey mix with Ash & Casement Fusion Mineral Paint.

Coffee table painted with a grey custom mix, and white wax on the top.

Coffee table turned bench, painted with Casement and a striped fabric.

Coffee table, refreshed with Little Lamb Fusion Mineral Paint.

Small Bench Makeover

I recently bought a few items from a guy emptying out his grandmother’s house.  He had a lot of stuff and he told me ‘Feel free to take what you want!’  I negotiated a good price and took home 2 dining chairs, nesting tables, a side table and a small bench.   My Corolla was packed…it’s amazing what I can get into that car!

I love seeing the potential in a piece of furniture. The small bench was well made and real wood.  It had a few scratches on it, an uncomfortable, ugly seat and it had ‘old house smell.’  At first I was going to paint it….but then I changed my mind. That happens a lot throughout the planning stages of  furniture refinishing!!  I had a cute floral fabric that would look great with a natural, wood base.

I sanded down the base and stained it in Special Walnut, sealing with hemp oil.   For the seat I added new foam and recovered it in the floral fabric.

Here’s the before:

And the after :

I just love the wood with the colourful fabric.  I’m happy I chose not to paint. Sometimes paint enhances a piece, especially if there are details and carvings in the wood.  But other times when the piece is made of good wood, simple is better.

Thanks for stopping by!  Til next time!
Laurena

English country to Paris chic.

Every now and then, I vow to stay away from Kijiji and avoid buying more furniture.  I keep telling myself, “You have enough furniture to work on!”  or “You should save money for some new clothes!” But it happens every time, I last a day or two…then I get bored.  I go on Kijiji, “just to look” and I see something that’s calling for a redo!

That’s what happened the day I found this bench.  The bench had a few things going for it, great legs, a flip top with storage and was sturdy.  But the wood was scratched up and looked tired.  It also had an English country motif on top.  Not my style, for sure….but look at those legs!

I love a nice, curvy leg. 😉

At first I wasn’t sure if I should paint it or sand the wood and restain it.  After I started sanding, I noticed the base of the bench was made out of poor quality wood.  It wouldn’t take the stain the same as the legs and it would look odd.  I decided to paint it black and distress it, to hide any imperfections.  I used my go-to black, Lamp Black from General Finishes and sealed with polycrylic (this one from Varathane).

For fabric, I used this french script print.  I had removed the heavy chain, and replaced it with a piece of gimp trim to keep the top from flipping over.

Here she is!  Less country, more chic.

And another shot of those legs!

I just love the finished bench.  It amazes me how paint can change a piece of furniture.  Within an hour of posting this on my Facebook page, it sold!   A good friend (and repeat customer!) will soon have this charmer in their home!

I can’t say it enough, I love my friends and family!  They have supported me through this furniture adventure and keep me going with their kind words.

Thanks for stopping in!

Until next time,

Laurena

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Rags to Riches: Bench redo

Hey there!  Its been awhile since my last post.  The past month has been a tough one after a loss of a family member.   Needless to say, I didn’t have a chance to work on furniture or the blog.  But, the past week I was able to finish some projects.  A few of you probably would agree…working on furniture is very therapeutic!  Nothing beats picking up a paint brush (or staple gun) and changing something ugly into something pretty!

One of the projects I finished was a bench.  It was a nice piece, neat X-shaped legs.  But it didn’t scream “Sit on me!”  I didn’t want to just paint it and call it finished.  So I refinished the wood and upholstered the seat.  I love how it turned out.  The fabric is from Fabric.com.

Before:

After:

My Mom loved the finished bench…so she bought it!  My favorite customer!

After dropping my old laptop I was scared I lost all my pictures…but luckily I have a tech savvy friend!  She was able to recover everything!  She also had a good laugh at how smashed up the laptop was. (I told her…”it went boom!”)  So once I load the pictures onto my new laptop I will share some other finished pieces! 🙂

‘Til next time!

Laurena