From Plain to Beautiful

Refinishing and Revamping Plain Furniture

If there's one thing that I totally love, it's creating something out of nothing. Whenever I get a chance to revamp something - whether it be walls, furniture, ceilings, floors etc - it's the creative challenge that leads me to the answer of what something wants to be.

In my kitchen, I knew that I wanted something beautiful for my island. I didn't want an island like everyone else - I wanted it to be French, antique and unusual. I did a beautiful pale metallic and antiqued finish on the demilune that's attached to my island. I also had some inspirational photographs and some napkins with "Chinoiserie" artwork and this is this is what I came up with.

Our kitchen was featured in HOUZZ!

Here is a side view...

It's exactly what I wanted - with my own personal stamp on it. I'm happy every day when I look at it - even though the demilune only houses very mundane things like dog food and extra vases and large pots that we don't use very often - it's functional and beautiful and I love it!!


If you would love to have a kitchen that looks like mine, please call me at 631 793-1315 - I would be very glad to help you!  Linda

I am linking this up to...

Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint

I just started playing with this paint from England - and I think it's really terrific. I have to do a few more pieces (thinking of re-doing my entire dining room furniture - every bit of it!).

But to start with - I just did two small entry tables and a mirror (actually - it's a frame that will become a mirror!).

This is one table with a faded brocade stencil on top.

Here's what it looked like before...chippy, with half of its paint taken off

Here's a table I picked up for $25 from Craig's list...before

 

Here it is after - with Paris Gray and Old White and some Dark Wax

In the future, I plan on putting a mirror on top of it - and I'll antique the mirror. I think it will look incredible. It won't be going in this spot in my entry (colors don't match!!). I will probably use it for staging one of the homes I do in the future.


Now...for the mirror frame. I bought this ornate frame in an antique store in Sag Harbor. The store was going out of business, so I got it for a song - $20. It was dusty - but a nice shade of pale blue - so I just enhanced it a bit. I used some Chateau Gray, Paris Gray and Old White to highlight the carvings. I waxed and buffed - and put some Dark Wax in the crevices.

Here's a closer look...

Then I started playing with some old things in my studio that had great promise - but somehow they didn't turn out all that great. Would Chalk Paint save them? I think so! I took a frame that I had done some quilted texture on - plus an embedded stencil. I had originally painted it an off white - and it looked great. Then - I mucked it up by painting it a coppery metallic and it just didn't work. So - I tried some Chalk Paint on it - then sanded away.

 

If you would love to have some of your old pieces of furniture revived, call me at 631 793-1315. I would be glad to create something beautiful out of an old, forgotten piece.