Reviving an Heirloom Rocker

Hi friends!

I recently had a classmate from high school contact me. She was expecting her first baby, and had a rocking chair she wanted refinished.  This is what it looked like when I got it.  It looked like someone had previously stripped it. So it needed a good sanding before I could get started.

 It has this beautiful carved detail on the back, but the carvings are not in wood.  It looked like plaster, or something similar, and had cracks throughout.  I didn't worry too much about the cracks.  I think it added to the charm of this piece.

 I think there have been a lot of babies rocked in this chair.  It was passed down through my client's husband's family.

My client/classmate was not finding out the baby's gender, and wanted a bright, bold color that would work for either a boy or a girl.
We decided to go for a color like Annie Sloan's Emperor's Silk. It's been a long time since I painted anything red.  In fact, it had been long enough that I had somewhat forgotten (OK, really completely forgotten) how HARD red can be!  I wanted to give my local Sherwin Williams a shot. So I chose SW Positive Red in their All Surface Enamel (Acrylic Latex in Satin finish).
Here's what it looked like at first. Uh Oh. Someone forgot to get a tinted primer.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to the paint counter I go.
One can of pink primer later (they tinted it as dark as they could - thank you to my trusty old Home Depot paint folks) things were looking better. You can see where I added the primer, on the right side. On the left, you can see how transparent the red went on.  Yikes.

In order to achieve the deep, rich red in this paint, the base has to be translucent. Which means the paint is not opaque.  Which means you have to keep adding coats, and adding coats, and adding coats.

Which is exactly what I did.
So... 17 coats of red paint later.....

Positive Red was actually looking positively great.
I wish I could tell you there was some other way.  I can't speak to other kinds of paint (AS Chalk Paint, etc.) but for regular old latex, that is what you can expect.
LOTS of coats.

I added a coat of wax when I felt the color was even enough.  And here we are.
Now, for the glamour shots.
:-)

 I foresee many, many snuggles happening in this chair.

There is something special about the things passed down.
Thank you to my client Jessica for trusting me with this piece.
And best wishes for that little one!

XO,
Anne

What I'd Buy on Craigslist this Week

Hi Friends!

Are you in the Polar Vortex, too?

This is ridiculous.  It's been so cold for so long, I think I've actually given up hope that Spring will ever come.  So, let's think about things that are more fun.  Like furniture.  And paint.  And painting furniture. :-)

Off we go.

1. Lingerie dresser.  $75

Love what Tami from Curb Alert did for a super girly, French look.

Oui, oui! So cute.
But what if you need it for a boy's room?  Swap out the hardware for something less frilly and go dark and numbered like this one.

2. Midcentury stuff isn't for everyone.  But in small doses, it can really wake up a room and make it look contemporary...the stuff is wildly popular right now.  (Because of things like Exhibit A, this gorgeously staged black number from Natty by Design)

For those not sure they love it, here's about the smallest furniture investment you can make and still get the look...a $20 desk.

I love a $20 desk, people.
This one is small enough that it will never overwhelm a space and its clean lines make it great for kids or grown ups, boys or girls.
As it turns out, Natty by Design has a knack for making awesome midcentury desks over.
Exhibit B.

Nuff said.

3. This is a great set of furniture for $150! Classic lines, and "good construction."  can't ask for much more than that.  (And it must be the week of the lingerie dressers)

I love a hutch. It makes great use of vertical space without the need to install shelves.  If this set looks as good in person as it does here, I'd go for it in a second.  Don't just think you have to leave it in the bedroom, either.  I LOVE the woman who put a set, almost identical to this, in her craft room. Here's a peek.

Ack!! Look at how awesome that is!
And check out the rest of the board for more pics of the room, including a black and white settee.  Be still, my heart...

4. It's not often I can show you a virtual before and after with two identical items (found separately - the internet is an amazing thing sometimes.)

You know I love gossip benches, phone stands, whatever you want to call them.

I especially love the curved wood on the phone stand part and the wavy slats on the chair back. This one is $60.
If someone is interested in trying their hand at a furniture project, I think this is a great place to start. You can easily recover the seat and wa-la... have something like this!

How cool is that?!

5. Find artists and people who love furniture as much as I do. I'm seeing more and more pieces that have already been transformed, listed on CL.
Since I do very few pieces that don't already have an owner or buyer, I think you should check them out.
People are getting out there, getting their hands dirty and saving pieces of furniture and they should be supported!  Just my two cents. :-)
Here are a few pretty finds I love.

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/fuo/4294520646.html

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/fuo/4291170973.html

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/fuo/4264313106.html

If you're interested in finding a piece already done, search for things like, "painted" "upcycled" "restored" "vintage" "distressed" "waxed" or "refinished".  And remember, if you have a smartphone, use it to set up a search for those words, both in the Furniture and Antique categories, on a Craigslist app.
It will alert you when there's a match.  I find the app to be a great tool to help navigate a sometimes not-so-user-friendly, or organized, website.

That's all for this week. I hope you are staying warm and safe.

Have a great week!

XO,
Anne

PS - I'd love it if you shared this post wherever you are active online. Thanks!

A Beautiful New Bath

It took 6 weeks, a couple hundred man or woman hours of labor, and about $2,000 in materials to get this job done.  And I am SO proud to finally be able to show you this!! Step right in!
(Here is the complete background on this room. In short, a family friend's house caught fire last year. Insurance paid for everything except her only bathroom, which dated to the prehistoric era. She desperately needed a complete gut job and reno, so my Dad, his good friend, and I set out to give it to her, pro bono.)

 The light, you might recall, came from National Builder Supply. It is a Seagull Lighting fixture from their Sussex line and Dad chose to hang it with the bulbs facing up.  The light gets bounced around on the ceiling and diffused nicely in the space. Bathrooms must have enough light! This fixture is like the crown in this room.

 The vanity came from Lowe's and included the granite countertop.

 The faucets are Moen, the Caldwell line.

 We really wanted to be able to get rid of a storage tower over the toilet.  Really.

It was taking up way too much space in this tiny bath.  Here was the inspiration photo we worked from.

Traditional Bathroom by Mercer Island Architects & Designers knowles ps

And here's the design I sketched out once we found out that we wouldn't be able to do one wide set of shelves because there is a pipe that runs vertically right behind the toilet.  

The thick white arrow represents where the pipe runs.

I had to either abandon the built-in idea, which I did not want to do, or work around it.  So I worked around it. I'm very pleased with how this turned out!  It adds architecture and storage and I think makes the room feel much more well thought-out.

We went with a mirrored medicine cabinet with storage behind it, to maximize the amount of storage Ms. H gets overall.  This is a small bathroom, and the only one in her house.  Storage is important!

Moving on... The shower curtain, I will confess, I chose myself and surprised Ms. H.  When I saw it on the JCPenney website, I knew it would be perfect for this space. It lends a great pattern and color to the room and the brown in it ties in with the oil rubbed bronze fixtures beautifully. A HUGE thank you to JCPenney for supplying this curtain to Ms. H.  It totally makes the room, if you ask me!  I'm impressed with the newer offerings in JCPenney's home department.  This ain't your grandma's JCP!

Dad also added a privacy film to the window - you can get them at the home improvement store.  It was a necessity as this bathroom is on the first floor. 

When we began, Ms. H needed a space that was brought into the current decade.  But it also needed to withstand the test of time.  We wanted this room to look current and lovely 30 years from now, and if all goes as planned, this space should last at least that long!  It was built to last!

That guided our design choices - white subway tile, beadboard wainscoting, neutral floors and counter.  Timeless and versatile, clean and classic.  

Last, I wanted to give you my best accounting of time and money that was spent on this room. 

Labor was free for this project - but please remember if you are hiring someone to do this kind of job for you, that labor costs are at least half the total budget.  This is hard work and if you want it done right, expect to pay someone for their time.  We had the ability to volunteer our time for this project, and we wanted to… even then, the cost for materials was about $2000.

That includes everything - new subfloor and waterproof backer board around the shower. Tile, mortar, grout, and sealer for the floor and shower walls. Beadboard sheets, chair rail, baseboard, lumber for the built-ins, and trim around them. Mirrored medicine cabinet. Vanity, countertop, shower and tub fixtures, and some new copper pipe, as well as some plumbing supplies to install the vanity faucet. Primer, ceiling paint, and trim paint. Safety handles for the shower. Caulk and spackle. Privacy film for the window. Shower curtain rod and towel bars.

The light fixture and shower curtain were generously donated, as was the incredible RIDGID tile saw from the great folks at The Home Depot, which all would have increased our costs.  Not that you have to buy a tile saw to do a project like this - you can certainly rent one, but that too has a cost.

As for time, my Dad was at Ms. H's house 5 days a week, almost without exception.  I was there an average of 3-4 days as was Keith.  I worked about 5 hours per day when I was there.  Dad and Keith probably worked closer to 7 hours per day.  And from demo to completion, it took us the better part of 6 weeks to complete this project.  We did everything ourselves - demo, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, tiling, and painting. 

I won't lie.  It was a TON of work. 

 

 That said, I think there is enormous value in choosing to do this kind of work...
 

 
 learning new skills...

 

 

 becoming more self-sufficient... 

 and going beyond your comfort zone when it comes to getting your hands dirty and getting to know how a home functions, from the inside out.

 I encourage you to educate yourself...

 do your homework..

 look around at the other phenomenal projects that people are taking on... 

 roll up your sleeves...

 and take a risk.

 

Try something new. 

Learn. 

 Work.

 Ask for help.

And reach out and give help to someone if you see that they need it.

 (that's my cute mom, with Ms. H.  Decades-long friends.)

 I especially encourage you to find those around you who know how to do things that you do not.  If you are fortunate enough to find them, take full advantage of it.  People like my Dad and our friend Keith, pictured in many of the photos above, are wealths of information - and kindness.  They are do-ers.  Take a page from their playbook.  Use your own two hands, your intelligence, and the unprecedented amount of information that exists in the world, and do something good.  
This has been such a valuable experience for me personally.  Spending this time with my Dad is an experience for which I'll always be grateful. 
It's my hope that this room will give Ms. H much joy in the years to come. It has given us much joy to see it through to completion.

Thank you so much for coming along with me on this journey.  I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts.  I'd love to read about your projects.  Why? Simple.  Because Home Should Be GREAT.

XO,
Anne