Kitchen Renovation: Update 2

We installed the Acacia wood floors this week from Lumber Liquidators and promptly covered them up with Ram Board!  But, I managed to sneak a few photos of the floors before they disappeared.

Sadly, we weren’t able to save much of the old fireplace – once we pulled the mantle off, the rest started to crumble right before our eyes. But, our trusty carpenters are busily working on the new fireplace mantle as we speak! The plan is to use subway tile around the fireplace and have an unfinished-edge mantel above.

And we keep marching on!

Kitchen Renovation: Day 1

Oh, you guys, it is happening. Today was demolition day in my kitchen!  You can see in the before pictures, it wasn’t a bad kitchen. But we really wanted the island to be an actual island rather than a peninsula, and I’m dying to have two-tone cabinets. So all of this had to go:

And after demolition today…

Look at those stunning vintage tiles we found beneath the old fireplace hearth!  Not sure if we can salvage them yet, but I’ll keep you posted!

How to Antique a Brass Lamp

I recently acquired an antique brass lamp, and it is in great condition and a beautiful shape. But, I wasn’t really feeling the brass finish. A little too brassy, pun intented (feel free to roll your eyes). But, in only an hour, I was able to give the lamp a great, oil-rubbed bronze look that I LOVE.  Here’s how:

Step 1: Gather your supplies. For this project I used Minwax Color Express in Walnut. This is a great, easy-to-use stain that adheres to all kinds of surfaces. I used a small plate as a palette and applied the stain using a small paintbrush.  I then used a stencil brush to get the faux-antiqued look.

Step 2: Messily apply one coat of the stain with a brush. It doesn’t have to be perfect because we are going to use the stencil brush to get the finish we want.  I did this step and the next step one section at a time so that the stain wouldn’t dry before I had a chance to use the stencil brush.

Step 3:  Using the stiff stencil brush, pat the stain to remove brush strokes and get that antiqued look. This step felt to me like I was a pointillist artist going to town on a canvas. The nice thing about this step is that you can’t really mess it up – if you accidentally rub off some stain or get a thumb print, just dot over that section again with the stencil brush.

Step 4: Let it dry and you’re done! Super easy project. This lamp took less than an hour to complete. You can use the same process for antiquing cabinet hardware or even an old mirror.

I’m selling this lamp on Etsy – Go check it out!

Gatherings Tablescape Sneak Peek

I recently put together a light and simple brunch tablescape for the Gatherings Magazine blog. And, well, I was too excited about the table to NOT share a couple of photos before it gets published over at Gatherings. What do you think?

Before and After: French Provinical Side table

Before…plain side table – gorgeous shape.

Found this great little side table on Craigslist in truly perfect condition…solid wood, sturdy. I love the shape of the piece, but I was not a huge fan of the faux leather top and honey oak color.

Before

 

But, I had some Annie Sloan chalk paint left over from an older project – a can of French Linen and a can of Graphite…

Ta-da! Two tone table.

I kept the two-tone top, used graphite for the center section. Please ignore the pug.

I also used the Graphite to fill in the grooves and highlight the details.

This piece, along with some of my other work is available via my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/encorefurnishings

Kickstarter: Gatherings Magazine

Help my beautiful and inspirational friend Heather launch the print edition of Gatherings Magazine!  It’s a gorgeous publication!  A $20 donation gets you a first edition copy!

Before and After: Roadside Coffee Table

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I were walking down the street to go to a party. We hadn’t even made it a full block when we came across a coffee table on the sidewalk wearing a ‘Take me, I’m free!’ sign. It was in pretty good shape, and my boyfriend was already in position to lift the table when I looked at him to ask if he would mind if we took it home.  Needless to say, we arrived about 15 minutes later to the party than we intended that night.

Here is the table as we got it: solid wood, subtle filigree along the edges. Sort of boring.

I decided the table needed a slight lift, so I opted for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in “Old White.”  I painted the filigree by hand and then painted the entire top of the table and sides. After it was painted, I sanded the edges and spots on the top to give it a rustic look before finishing the table with clear wax. I am very pleased with the results!

Upcoming Projects

Well, a very nice man bought the record console via Craigslist yesterday. Goodbye, beautiful.

That means I am now ready for my next project: the total stripping and re-staining of this mid century desk. It’s in great shape, but the varnish is peeling and the stain needs to be evened out. Project post to follow.

Apartment Therapy Bedroom Retreat contest

My bedroom is featured in Apartment Therapy’s Bedroom Retreat Contest!! How fun! Vote for me?

My bedroom

My favorite interior design blog Apartment Therapy is currently having a “My Bedroom Retreat” contest where folks can upload pictures of their bedrooms and compete for some prizes. Well, this was great motivation for me to get my curtains hung and take some decent pictures of my room.  I love how the room has turned out – I realize it’s extremely girly, but I’m fairly certain that this early-2o’s unmarried time is the only time I will ever be able to get away with such a feminine space. So I just went for it.  I was aiming for feminine without being childishly girly. How’d I do?

Source list @ the bottom.

Source list:

Paint color: Behr Spring Stream

Curtains: Pottery Barn

Curtain rod: Country Curtains

Chandelier: Pottery Barn

Carriage lanterns: Wayfair

Bed: family heirloom

Quilt: Lands End

Pillows: Hand made by me (with much help from my mother)

Queen Anne chair: Junk store find that I painted.

Vanity, Dresser and Desk: Antique store

Vanity stool: Amazon

Desk chair: Antique store

Mirror: TJ Maxx Home Goods

Bench: Antique store

Glass lamps: TJ Maxx Home Goods

Glass bedside lamp: family heirloom

Bedside table: Antique, painted it myself