Furniture Update

When I got married, not only did I get a wonderful husband, but he came with furniture.

Luckily for me, while he isn't ok with getting rid of it, he is ok with refinishing it...

I have only tackled a couple of furniture re-vamps so far (remember my stool?!?), though I have plenty more waiting in the wings. This before number has a whole matching set that I hope to get my hands on. Part of the hold up is space. Apartment dwelling makes big, dirty, smelly projects a challenge! 

This original set, though its nice and sturdy, looks like it belongs in an uncle's bachelor pad in the 70s. While I love a good throwback, and a nod to the past is fine- even welcomed by me, this is not my taste. The almost orange, shiny stain, wood paneling, overall bulky, heaviness, garnished with clunky, goldish hardware is all just too much.

My hubs helped me strip the thing, then we did some experimenting with the drawers. Which is why the top three are no longer there. Thankfully, plan B became favored to plan A anyway; I love that it looks more hutch-like than (whatever it was) first intended.

Upon close inspection, you can tell that strips of moulding were shaved off the drawer faces, and cavities where the original pulls sat, as well as the spaces between the panels on the sides were filled in. After all that came the best part: the gray paint! I have a Pin Board devoted to gray furniture because I just love it so much, and I drew inspiration from some pieces I'd seen. The inside shelves got a creamy ivory coat, and I chose clear glass pulls for the remaining three drawers. Voila!

Well, not exactly voila- this project took us, like, 2 years to complete. No joke. Between using a family member's garage, the experimenting, re-planning, wood filling, etc, etc, this project dragged on and on! I don't think I'm patient enough to do it again under these circumstances, but I am happy with the outcome!