A Solid Oak Dining Set

In December I met a wonderful husband and wife who had finally had enough of these terrible New England winters, and were moving to Florida. They were getting rid of most of their furniture and starting fresh down South. I purchased quite a few pieces of wonderful solid oak furniture from them including a sideboard, a dry sink, an eight chair two leaf dining set, a coffee table, and a side table. I've already refinished the sideboard, and now here is the dining set, with a whole new look, and ready for a new home. This set was just grand to work on because everything was already in fabulous condition, so I could concentrate on finishes. I sanded the entire dining table top and two leaves, which took about 6 hours total, then stained the top with a mix of dark walnut (to get a rich deep tone), and gunstock(to add a little hit of color and interest). Then I sealed the top with six coats of poly, sanding between each to get a nice smooth surface. The chairs are painted in a black semigloss. I wish the pictures had turned out better, the reflection of the sun off the snow was making my camera do funny things.
Before and Afters below!

My 2013 Wish List

This morning got off to a rough start. Woke up to find the downstairs quite chilly, went down to look at the furnace, yup out of oil. No hot water so I had to wash my hair in the freezing cold (yay!). Luckily we're on automatic delivery and the guy is coming out any minute now to refill the tank and restart the furnace. Good customer service- Thank's Daniel's Energy!
Anyway, after the unpleasant start, I think a little day dreaming is in order. When ever we start a new year I get the itch to re-decorate, change styles and looks, and I have a whole new wish list.
I was looking back at my wish lists from previous years and was pleased to see that I managed to get quite a few of the items I had wished for, mostly at the flea market or tag sales.
Here's what I'm hoping to find in 2013 (in no particular order)
An antique weathervane...or ten.
An antique sunburst mirror
An antique small crystal chandelier
An antique watch trade sign
An antique long narrow table in old paint (green or blue)
A new duvet cover for the master bedroom
A couple more oil paintings by Adam Brown
A pair of night stands for the guest room
A bathroom upstairs, cause right now it's just an empty room full of promise
A tabletop armillary

This is a wonderful Black Hawk Weathervane that was recently sold by, in my humble opinion, one of the best Folk Art and Antiques firms in the country, Olde Hope Antiques. I highly recommend that you check out their website.

I love how over the top ornate this sunburst mirror is.

There's a portion of the guest room under the dormer where the ceilings are 12 feet high. It's right above the headboard of the bed. I'd love to hand a dainty little chandelier up there to catch the light.

There's an antique zinc watch trade sign just like this one coming up at auction next weekend. I desperately want it, but I'm certain it will go for far more than I can afford. 

I adore the rich green color of this antique table. It's as much a piece of art as a piece of furniture.

Potterybarn just featured this new bedding in their early spring catalog. I love how fresh and airy and colorful it is.
I think it would look smashing on our master bed (which I just painted benjamin moor's summer lime).

These are two oil landscapes I purchased over the summer from my favorite local artist, Adam Brown. I've since bought three more. Five is not enough though. His work is outstanding, and I want at least two more of his pieces.

A sweet pair of white night stands would be perfect for the guest room.

Our upstairs bathroom is going to have lovely wood floors just like this one. The vanity is all done and the plumbing is roughed in. All the lights including the chandelier are wired. We need to build the shower enclosure, hook up the fixtures, bead board the ceiling, and sheetrock the walls...and put in doors. I think we'll be done with the bathroom by April or so though.

This table top armillary is spectacular. I have a full size one that my parents gave me for Christmas last year, but I'd really like to get a smaller one for upstairs as well. I think it would look great on a side table at the end of the long upstairs hallway. 

A New Workbench to Kitchen Island Project

Let's start with it's Friday and I already want a margarita like whoa. I'm about to start a fabulous new project but first A little shout out to the people that I purchased this vintage work bench from. I bought a dining set from them back in September, and spotted the work bench in their garage. Love at first sight. I knew I HAD TO HAVE IT so I made them an offer on the piece, and they promised to sell it to me when they sold their house. True to their word, I got an email that I could come and get the workbench, and picked it up last night. I loved it even more when I saw it this time. It's one of those things that I just wish I could find a spot for in my house, but alas, I don't have two kitchens...someday maybe. I love the chunky proportions. It reminds me of the benchwright collection at Pottery Barn. I'll be staining the top dark, replacing the lower shelf, and painting the frame white. I'll do another post with before and afters once it's done. Here are a couple of my other workbench to island projects, and some other work bench to island projects that I've admired.

In the garage where I first saw it

Once we got it unloaded from the truck

I love the cross braces

butcher block top island I finished over the summer

nice antique bench I did a couple years ago

Antique work bench to kitchen island I did last winter

Here's a nice one with two lover shelves. I love the melding of modern and rustic in this space.

A nice chunky island from West Elm. I wonder how those zinc tops hold up...

Gorgeous antique bench in a lovely kitchen. That red stool is fabulous too.

Pottery Barn bench with a marble top and on casters. They've also got the cross bracing on the sides. 

Chic Cottage Style Sideboard

This is a fabulous solid oak sideboard that I picked up last month. It's built like a rock. I've honestly never seen a piece that has oak secondary wood. This must have cost a fortune when it was built. It was such fun to work on because it's just so high quality. I painted the case a bright crisp white, sanded and stained the top in an english chestnut/red chestnut mix, and then polyurethaned it until it was smooth as silk. I replaced the drawer pulls with new burnished copper ones to make it feel vintage yet modern. All in all, I think the result is pretty smashing. This one is available on craigslist, so let me know if you're interested. Before and Afters below!

A Modern Farmhouse Sideboard

I just completed this fun sideboard project. The original piece had been traded in by a client, and though it was dark and dingy, it was in perfect condition. The solid pine was immaculate, and the piece had obviously been extremely well built. I had a vision for this sideboard as soon as I saw it- light and bright and modern rustic. I painted the case a soft creamy white in a semigloss for both durability and a subtle sheen. I replaced all the drawer pulls with super chic polished nickel ones. The top was sanded, stained with a  mixture of cherry, ipswich pine, and gunstock and then sealed. I love the color of the top. So much dimension, so pretty. The piece is clean as a whistle and super cool. I picture it going into a kitchen, but it could just as easily work as a flat screen TV console, dresser, or sideboard. This one is going up on craigslist today, so let me know if you're interested. Before and Afters below!
-and you'll have to excuse the messiness of my workshop. It was far too snowy and cold to take outdoor pictures!-