Makeover of a 80`s something rolled top desk

I love furniture, no doubt about that. But I do have a special crush on hutches and secretary desks. Actually anything that can unfold itself to me, open up and show the inside. There is just something to it.....

This is an 80`s (possibly even 70`s) secretary desk. It was tiered and a little worn down. But nothing I knew I couldnt fix.
When I first saw it, I knew the knobs had to go first thing. Well, that wasnt going to be very easy, because they were plugged in with wooden dowels and glued ALOT! I used every trick in the book to get them off. Finally, they went.

Heres a few before pictures...

See how rough the finish had become?

But the wood was still so beautyfull, so I knew I wanted to keep some of the wood finish. I just had to give its old shine back. Allso, after seeing Jamie over at Andersons & Grant with her amazing two-toned rolled top desk in black, I instantly knew what I wanted the end results to be!

I used Miss Mustard Seeds Typewriter for this job. I just lovet the matt, chalky finish on it. I sanded to top with machine, then I stained it. Everything that wasnt painted in black, got a few layers with hempseed oil. I have allways wanted to try MMS hemseed oil, but I havent gotten my hands on it yet, so I actually dared to try a hempseed oil from a regular health product store. And it worked like a charm! (but still want to try MMS`s...)

I just love the effect on the rolled top! I sanded quite a bit to bring out the gold-like oak. Instead of waxing, I used the hempseed oil on it. 

All the pull handles were replaced with these golden knobs. They are just the perfect crown on this jewel. I sanded quite a bit all around the edges of the desk, to make it look more vintage. 

I can just imagine sitting here, writing hand-written letters on old, yellowed paper with an ink pen. Hopefully someone else will allso se the nostalgic charm in this old, renewed rolled top desk.

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An old, vintage dresser in Miss Mustard Seed milkpaint

T H I S is why I love what I do! And why I strive to know all there is to know about milkpaint. I think it is amazing how you can take a really old piece of furniture, paint it, and still have it looking old. From the info that I got from the previous owner of this dresser, it is about 100 years old. But it was in good condition, considering...

The drawers had been covered with an adhesive lining paper. It was hideous, and quite frankly impossible to get off. Event though it most likely had been there since the 50`s, the glue was incredible strong. I wasnt even a little fond of spending time on that...

My head went through a dozen of color combinations for this dresser. I knew I wanted a two-toned look, and I wanted it to look "old". I had to restrain my self from using Miss Mustard Seeds Boxwood, a lovely green color. And by green I meen GREAN! Really green. In fact, the reason why I didnt use it is that I had to be sure it would sell.... and not everyone likes green, so I have heared.

So I opted for a combination of Curio (MMS`s brown) and a self-mixed color of blueish teal.
I do not regret that choise, because they came out amazing! I just love the selfmade mix. If I am not mistaken, I used Flow Blue and mixed in what I had left over with Marzipan, Shutter Grey, Schloss, and a little Farmhouse White. I think that was it.....

Before

The handles were sort of interesting, except some of the white plastic on them were broken. So I had to remove it.

The drawer linings. Need I say more?....

After

I just love the MMS brown (Curio)! It is a truly brown color, and can allso be used as a stain. And it covers so well. The thing that I was so amazed by with this project, was how the grain and nooks showed through the paint, but still gave a good cover. That makes the whole differens! And it still looks old. 

I lined the drawers with a baroque-themed wallpaper. The suttle blue on creamy white was the perfect addition to the dresser. Plus, it covers up the hidious 50`s paper. The handles got a good scrubbing, and are now shining like gold.

And off course, I have to show you all the amazing details!

Look at these pictures of the blue! Doesnt it look like a starlit sky?

I realise that the colors on the pictures look a little different from eachother, but that is because on some of them I had`nt applied the wax and on others there are both clear and dark wax. 

Well, what do you think? No wonder this is one of my favourits so far! I am allso lucky to have good customers, because a lady who has allredy bought three other pieces of me, allso snatched this one up.  Yeah!

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Drop-leaf table with grainsack stripes

I want to say that one can never ever get enough tables. Just like one can not get enough chairs. But then I would be lying. Because when one does not have enough space for all those tables and chairs,
then one might have a problem. Like I did.... or do.... When it comes to furniture, I hoard. I will gladly admit it. Theres no shame to it! I think....Okey, maybe just a little....?

I found this lovely drop leaf table online, and the price was not so bad. I actually bought it with the intent to use it in our dining room as a side table. But like any other project I have, they get held up, because, well, I am not an octopus. And before I even got to start on painting the table, I found a vintage cabinet online that I allso wanted for our dining room. Because, again, I am a hoarder....
So I decided that when I was finished with the table, I would sell it. And within a few days after it was done, a nice lady came by and picked it up. She wanted to use it as a stand for her newly bought vintage singer sewing machine, An insanely heavy, but beautyfull machine, that deserved just as beautyfull a table for it to stand on.

I used Miss Mustard Seeds Ironstone and Shutter Grey for this one. I allso painted the inside of the drawer with a little leftover from the color Mora, wich I used on the new cabinet. Its not easy to see, but its there. And isnt that rose knob just lovely?? (note to self; get new one for the closet door...)

I got the inspiration for the grainsack stripes on Pinterest. There are so many lovely tables with grainsack stripes! I have been wanting to make them for a while now, and I instantly knew that this table was perfect for just that.

I really enjoyed the distressing job on this piece. It brings so much history and character to a piece of furniture when it is rugged and toughened up.

The whole table got a very good amount of clear wax, before I used a little antique wax on the legs.

This project was a lot of work, but allso a lot of fun. Just to bad I couldt keep it.....

Hope you enjoyed reading! Have a great day! 

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New Years resolution; do pilates and a dining room make-over

Hello everyone!
Wow, its been over a month since my last post! I`ll just tell it like it is, I have been in a rut, blogging-wise, But I did make some changes to our home, I just didnt document it so very well.
So here comes a little update.

Ever since we moved in a year ago, our dining room has been my main focus. AND the main foot up in my %!"@&. Have you ever been troubled by restless leg syndrom ? I have, and THAT is the relationship I`ve had with this room. I never got the sence of being comfortable in there, and I really needed it to bee since we love having people over for dinner, and we spend quite a lot of time in there. So... my mind was set up allready in early december. I was going to paint the room as soon as the christmas ornaments had been packed away. It was the only room left on the main floor that had`nt been through a makeover with paint. And it needed it so bad!
I knew I wanted it to stay related to the other rooms that we had painted in a grey scale, but in a warm color. Our tv room has a more cold grey, and I needed the dining room to go with both white, grey and elements of wood and nature. So, as any nuts person wood do, I spent days and days looking for inspiration on...? You guessed it, Pinterest! Hahaha...
At last I went for a color named Kalk, or "chalk" in english. It has a little red in it for that grey warmthness I was after. So, I went home, prepped the walls, and hit it with my roller.
Wait, WHAT?!?! Its the SAME color???  I literally could not se ANY difference in the old and the new color! Did I spend all this time looking for the perfect shade, only to find out it was the one allready on there? The very same that I hated? Youre kidding me!

Yep, that was the sound in my head...
But thank goodness, the color changed quite alot when it dryed up. My husband couldnt do anything else than laugh at me. I totally understand. I would to, if I was`nt so upset.

But any way, It worked out great, and I am very happy with it.

A little re-furnishing was in its place to.

Yep, thats right... we have a green vinyl floor in our diningroom. 

The chair in the corner there is waiting for a slipcover to drop down from the skyes.

And this corner, by the way, is like a black whole sucking up all the attention. My plan is to but up a couple of white shelfes there and display the ironstone collection, that I am planning on getting as well.

In case you didnt notice, I am going for a relaxed cottage style meets nordic kind of feel. Am I there yet?  No?... thought so.... 

This Ikea cabinet was in desperat need of something on the top.

The space between the cabinet and the ceiling was way to big. I think I nailed it with this lovey string basket filled with my white table cloths and linens. The paperbook wreath I made for christmas is in the back and then I topped it of wih a couple lanterns.

Well, there you have it. My humble dining room tour. No I am off to do pilates. At least thats something I know how to do! 

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Little wood table in gray suit; MMS`s Shutter Grey and Trophy Grey

Its no secret, I love grey. For me, grey is one of the prettiest colors there is. It has so many lovely shades, can be paired up with a lot of other colors, and gived me just the right mix of cottage and shabby chic.

I`ve had this little wood table standing in my living room for a year now. It was rescued from a barn, where my mother in law put it, probably many years ago. It had been stripped from several layers of old paint ( I saw hints of red, blue and white!) and had been standing "naked" in its natural wood, ever since I took it home. Dont get me wrong, I really love the old, chippy look, but it was time to change it up a bit, and make it match the rest of my (grey) interior.

(exuse the lighting, its terrible!...)

Heres the table, naked and raw, with lots of old "scares". You can very easely see signs of old paint.

Heres the results after the first layer of milkpaint. I am so lucky to have a retailer of Miss Mustard Seed Milkpaint "near by" in Sweden where I buy my paint. I used Shutter grey for the base. Originally, I bought the colors with the intent to use this color for the top coat, but after reading a little more about the color, it turns out that it is a lot more blue than grey. So I switched it for the bottom color.

I read somewhere that candle wax can be used as a tool for easier chipping. You simply rub it on the places where you want the paint to chip easier, and then you paint over it, and watch the magic happen. Well, obviously I am not a magician, because I didnt see any sign of chipping at all. Unfortunately..... 

Starting with the second coate, I used Trophy grey. A lovely rustic grey. I wanted to make sure that the shutter grey color showed through the top color, so I deliberately did not cover everything with the Trophy, leaving small areas open for the bottom color to come trough.

Look at that! Perfection! The trick is to know when to stop layering the paint, and that sounds quite easy, but I assure you, its not! 

Finnished with second, and last coat of paint. Now comes the sanding and distressing. My favorite part!  Because: (everybody know! ) THATS WHEN THE MAGIC HAPPENS!

I know, I have said it sooooo many times before.....

I got to use MMS antique wax. So soft, it was like handeling butter! So after giving the table a layer of clear wax, some areas of the table got a taste of the dark antique wax. I really think that gave it the proper look. 

Would you look at that! So many different layers of color. You can even se the wood peeking out from under the milkpaint, and the chipping from the red, blue and white old paint that had been stripped away. Is it possible to be even more in love with this piece?... 

It makes for a great statement piece in my living room, and really gives the right pointer as to what is my interior style. Old, vintage and reused! Just the way I like it!

Thanks for reading! Hope it was interesting:)

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Vintage media stand with sliding doors. Once again with the chalk paint!

This is an old project. In fact, it was #2 in my refurbishing carrier. I was very intrigued by the sliding doors on this one. And the drawers were just lovely. Unfortunately, the top had a big stain that looked like something fluid had extracted into the wood, as well as inside the cabinet. So something had to be done. I didnd mind!

Look at those legs!

I mixed up the same batch of color that I used on this cabinet. Allso, the edges got a different shade, very similar to the main color, but a little greener. 

The inside of the cabinet is what I would call a result of my inpatience and lack of more paint.

But I think that combo worked, in this perticular situation.

Now, the sliding doors were quite a challenge, because what do you think happens when you get lots of thick paint in between the sliding door- thingies?  Thats right! They get stuck when the paint dryes!

So I had to use some force to loosen it up, and get the paint to release from the door panel. Once I had run them back and forth a few times, it went much smoother. 

To finish it of, I used clear wax, mainly on the top and on the front of the drawers. Allso, I put a little on the sliding doors, hoping that it would give them a smoother slide. And I guess it did, because I have not had any problems with them since. 

A little dark wax on and around the handles and drawers gives the whole piece a little more authentic look, vintage-vise. 

And there you have it! a perfectly good, vintage, chalkpainted tv stand!