Furniture Makeover! From boring, outdated armoire to very hip, modern and oh so tres chic Barmoire!

What is a "Barmoire," you may ask?  It is a fancy name I came up with for an outdated armoire, like so...

...that is repurposed into a new (looking), modern Bar, complete with sliding wine rack drawers, mirrored tile, fancy (and eco-friendly) lights and a wooden glass rack overhead.  As in, like so...

Here's are a few close ups of the components:

the inside

battery operated, eco-friendly L.E.D. lights add nice, soft mood lighting at very little expense to you and the environment

...and the sliding wine rack drawers are a nice place to store your favorite bottles of Chateau Bluh Bluh Bluh, '57 (obviously, I'm very knowledgeable about wine).  

the finished piece complete with glass knobs.

So, before you throw out that hulking or outdated piece of furniture, you might ask yourself, "Hmmm....I wonder if I can use that for something else?"

Antique Dresser -- From Hidden Gem to Swedish Jewel

Before

This antique, solid wood dresser was sitting in a closet (literally) for years when a client showed this to me.  The construction was very well made, the finish still in fairly decent condition for it's age (1930's, most likely) and the original, thick brass hardware, was still nicely secured and worked perfectly.  When I asked her why she had such a nice piece of furniture in the closet, she answered, "I hate the look of it.  The brass hardware is dated and it's too dark.  It doesn't really fit in any part of my home."

While I would always recommend considering refinishing a quality piece of furniture to its original finish first (which this piece really didn't need) or selling it to make room for something you do like, this piece had been in the family for many years and was not something she wanted to part with.

In that case, updating a piece of furniture so that you can actually use it (and not have it hidden) is often the best option.  We talked some more and she told me she needed a dresser for her child's room and thought to use this one but again, she thought it too heavy, dark and severe looking for a young girl.  I agreed.  But how to make it fit?  Painting such a quality piece a bright "kid's" color would be a no-no, but a sophisticated neutral is sometimes the right way to go.  So, we decided on a slightly distressed, dove grey finish, in the Swedish style.

Here's the result:

After

Sometimes, painting over what seems like perfectly good wood is better than hiding an outdated but functional, well made piece of furniture.   And since the original finish was still in good shape (acting as a protective layer underneath the paint), should she change her mind in the future and want to refinish it, stripping this would not be that difficult as the paint will not be going on (and into) the wood itself, but rather, over the finish.

Now this looks like more of what it actually is: a family heirloom that has been around for years but that is so well made it has stood up to the test of time beautifully and with some character to boot.  The paint is applied in layers, distressed carefully, and then waxed by hand, using beeswax and natural pigments to make it look like this was found in the attic rather than hidden in the closet.

More Furniture Makeovers!

From Seventies Party Pooper to Modern Day Life of the Party!

Before

This Sixties Hollywood Regency Credenza goes from a snoozer with tired paint, outdated brass hardware and a dated, early '70's, gold and dull yellow paint combo to... 

After

...an eye catcher!  With a fresh Mermaid Blue/Ocean Metallic paint finish and new (and much smaller) chrome/glass handles that draw the eye to the lovely frame and panel doors, this once obnoxious party pooper has been updated to a modern, functional, life of the party centerpiece that can be used as a bar, buffet, media cabinet or as storage for books, china or collectibles.  This piece says, "Yes, I am still funky but I clean up nice for parties and special occasions!"

Before and After

Mid Century Vintage Danish Dresser -- From Wallflower to Showpiece 

Before

This is an interesting piece a client brought to me that was in need of some TLC: a Danish Mid Century Dresser with teak veneer and solid wood drawers.  The veneer was peeling in places and scratched, the finish had either disappeared in spots or melted into a plasticky puddles.  Instead of this piece taking the spotlight as a show stopper, it meekly whispered, "Oh, no, that's cool...I'll just be right here in the corner."

After

Well, working with my client (who had just moved and wanted to make a statement with her place), we came up with a plan to really make this piece shine.

The construction of the piece was solid but the condition of the veneer on the drawer faces was such that it would have to be replaced (an often difficult and expensive undertaking) and my client wanted to stay within a budget. 

So, we decided to give the front of this piece a new facelift and paint it white.  For this, I used a quality semi-gloss paint that would resist fading, yellowing and stains; I also added a few coats of wax to the finish to give it even more protection.  The top, sides and legs of this piece were then sanded carefully (so as to avoid sanding through the very thin teak veneer), stained with a natural walnut stain and finished with an all natural, oil and beeswax finish (all applied by hand) and then hand buffed.

The result (which we were both very happy with), is a piece that now says "I'm sophisticated, I have great bone structure and I won't be ignored."   Shine on, you beautiful, little Danish diamond.  Shine on.

New item for sale! Mid Century Modern Metallic Silver Cabinet/Bar/Hutch or what would YOU use it for? -- Sold!

This is a very nice, Mid Century Modern Cabinet with sliding doors that could be used for a bookcase, extra storage, a hutch, a fancy bar or to house a collection of your favorite art, oddities or collectibles.  It has a Metallic Gunmetal Silver finish and the original brushed chrome handles have been polished to perfection!

This is in excellent condition and is ready to be put to use! It is for sale in the Los Angeles area on L.A. Craigslist and Apartment Therapy Los Angeles Classifieds (click the links to see the ads).

Email me through Craigslist, ATLA or right here, via my blog if you have questions or would like to see this in person.  Thanks for visiting my blog!

Trash To Treasure Series! Ugly Duckling Dresser turned into Dove Grey Beauty!

This was a piece of furniture I acquired as a partial trade toward a refinishing job I completed fairly recently.  The dresser had good bones (frame and panel sides and a solid top and drawers) but the finish was badly scratched and there were enough holes (30, in all!) on the drawer fronts to make it look like it had been part of the set for the movie, Scarface.  The one thing it had going for it though (besides the good bones) was the interesting, faceted drawer fronts.  I wasn't sure what I would do with it but I knew it was an ugly duckling just waiting to be turned into a swan.

I planned to refinish this and put it up for sale but I had a client who came to see another dresser I had and she liked this one so much (ugly duckling and all) that she purchased it before it was even completed and had me finish it to her specifications.  I sanded this over a few days (did I mention it was REALLY badly scratched?) and plugged up all the "bullet" holes.  I then mixed the dove grey paint (just enough for this one piece so, it will never be replicated exactly again).  It was then primed, painted a few coats, all by hand, over a few days and then I hand applied different colored pigments to give it an aged, burnished look.  It was then waxed, by hand, using a mixture of wax and pigment to give it another layer of color and then distressed.  The distressing revealed layers of paint below that ranged from mahogany stain to a navy blue to a bright taxi cab yellow underneath.  The resulting finish is multi-layered, giving this a patina that looks like it has been in the family for ages.

But what about hardware?  We thought about Glass handles from Anthropologie but it would probably require two per drawer (ten, total).  The handles could have easily cost as much as the dresser itself so, my client, wanting to stay within her budget, asked me if I could come up with a more economical solution.  So, I did: leather handles.  I had some leftover, metallic silver, leather that I purchased to make some guitar straps a few years ago.  I used that to make five leather handles like you might see on a vintage piece of luggage.  I made loops from the same leather and nailed them in for a secure yet modern solution to expensive, store bought hardware.

Devising a final look for this piece was challenging as I didn't know what it looked like originally but it helps to have a client that's open to suggestions, willing to try something new and trusts in your vision--even if you don't know what that is right away (thanks, Sandra)!

Enjoy your new (vintage) dresser!

Custom Color! Vintage Desk Redux in Siena Sunset!

This is a before and after pic of a desk I just refinished in a custom color that I call "Siena Sunset."  I mixed the color myself, for a recent client who had seen another desk of mine, painted in a lighter shade of orange called, "Marmalade Glaze."  He was looking for something a little darker, like an Hermes Orange and I was more than happy to oblige him.  The desk has six coats of paint, applied by hand and two coats of hand applied wax.  The original brass hardware (which was caked with layers or tarnish) was cleaned and polished carefully, so as not to remove all of the patina, keeping its warmth intact.  I love the color and now am thinking if I could make some room in my place for a desk...

New Item for sale! Vintage Tall boy Dresser with turned knobs -- Sold

Here is a new item I just finished and just posted for sale on Craigslist!
Vintage Shabby Chic Wood Dresser Tall Boy -Free delivery - $175 

This is a Vintage, solid wood Dresser with four drawers and turned wooden knobs. 

The boards that comprise the top and sides of this vintage dresser are made from one solid 15 inch wide board!  Very nice and very hard to find nowadays (as trees are now rarely allowed to grow to the point where you can harvest 15" wide boards from them).  This might have been made by a single furniture maker (perhaps for personal use) as the construction doesn't appear to be factory made.

This is painted with a custom color I mixed myself, which I call Storm Cloud (a combination of dove grey and a creamy almond color).  I then wax this with a homemade wax that has a bit of white liming added to it, to give it a deep, weathered look that is actually very soft to the touch.

 The turned wooden knobs are stained with a Colonial Red stain that I mix myself, allowing the grain to still show through and the piece is lightly distressed.

This vintage dresser would look great in a rustic, shabby, paris chic or beach cottage home and will last for years to come.  It is ready to be put to use today!  If you live within 15 miles of Los Feliz, I offer free delivery for this piece.  Thanks for looking and if you'd like to check out the Craigslist ad, you can view the link here:

Vintage Shabby Chic Wood Dresser Tall Boy -Free delivery - $175

and if you're interested in this piece, or in refurbishing a piece you already have, you can email me through here or Craigslist.  Thanks for visiting my blog!

Vintage Shabby Swedish Table for sale now! SOLD!

Vintage solid wood table for sale on Craigslist today.  Painted a Swedish blue and ready to be put to use!  Check it out here:

Vintage Shabby Swedish Table desk console paris chic -Free delivery - $175

Here are some more pics:

Vintage Orange Desk on Apartment Therapy's L.A. Scavenger!!

Apartment Therapy's  Los Angeles Scavenger is featuring some items for sale today in the L.A. area that feature the colors of the citrus rainbow.  My Vintage Orange Desk is one of them!  Thanks to the editors at ATLA for featuring the desk, along with some other really interesting pieces, like this one:

 

and this'n:

 

It looks like I'm not the only who is feeling kinda' fruity!...um...you know what I mean.

Sold! Vintage Citrus Orange wood Desk with Anthropologie hardware!

Okay, I never thought I'd say this after last year's "Africa hot" summer here in Los Angeles, but I think I'm ready for beach weather.  Maybe it's all the wet weather we've been having this winter that's been giving me the blues, or blahs--or maybe it has nothing to do with the weather at all.  Maybe I'm just missing the colors of summer!

That must be why all the pieces I've been working on lately have been bursting with color!  Like this Citrus Orange Vintage, Solid wood desk!   This a nice sized beauty that's not only gorgeous to look at but very well made and very functional.  Solid wood and panel construction, a solid top with solid drawers (and the drawers are dovetailed).

Oh, and did I mention the color?  So nice to look at!  See for yourself here:
Just posted this on Craigslist, here in Los Angeles, for all you local folk (and I also offer delivery) and this is also up for sale in my Etsy shop!

To see the craigslist ad, go here:
Vintage Retro Chic Orange Solid Wood Writing Desk Anthropologie Hdwel

To see more pics of this and some of my other past pieces I've sold, visit my new Flickr photo page:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/abodewell/

Lots more vintage pieces to come and a few new items to be added to my Etsy shop!

SOLD!! New Craigslist Treasure! Vintage Apple RED wood Dresser with Anthropologie hardware!

I'm crazy for Red lately, what can I say?  Just posted this Vintage Apple Red, solid wood dresser, on Craigslist, here in Los Angeles!  This is a very nice, very solid piece that I think would look great in a retro chic home.  To see the craigslist ad, go here:

Vintage Apple Red Wood Dresser w Anthropologie Hardware Retro Chic !

 

More delicious finds to come in the next few days!  Stay tuned...

 

 

Don't you love RED? Red Campaign Desk in Etsy Treasury!

Been busy as a bee lately, working on new projects and hunting for vintage furniture in need of a new lease on life, so, I have LOTS to catch up on here in the upcoming weeks.  Just wanted to mention, though, that my Red Campaign Desk was included in a great new Treasury by a very interesting Etsy Seller out of Pennsylvania, Melissa Mitchell, whose Etsy shop,  Green Home Road, takes recycled materials and furniture pieces and gives them a much needed and bright new hairdid!

Her Treasury is called, "Red Hot Home!" (which is an awesome title, methinks), and includes some of my favorite pieces on Etsy, like the hand painted Sherpa stool (below), by Etsy seller Fauxkiss 

and the Block Printed Lamp Shade by Etsy seller, HomeSweet

Melissa has some very cool, very recycled and tres chic pieces of furniture, in her Etsy shop, Green Home Road, that are (as my dad would say, in his Brooklyn accent) "bee-yootiful!"

Check out her Rustic Recycled Old Door Coffee Table made out of an antique, solid wood, frame and panel door!  Very creative and muy sustainable!

And then, there is the piece of resistance (or should I say, least resistance), her "Little Red Table That Could," a nice little, vintage, demi-lune number with turned legs and a red lacquer finish (nice job on the finish Melissa!--it's very challenging to get such a nice, smooth finish with lacquer and Melissa did a great job).  Love that red!  And I love saying "RED Lacquer!"  Just saying it makes you smile like a loon! (that and the vanilla latte I just drank).  I think the "Little Red Table That Could," could (as the Dude would say) really tie a room together.

Check out more great RED pieces and the rest of her Etsy Treasury here: Red Hot Home!

Thanks for the include Melissa and for such a nice treasury!
Frank @
abodewell.etsy.com