Dressers Painted- check!

Last week I posted about a Tobi Fairley for Hickory Chair dresser that I have been swooning over for many months and I showed you the candidate dresser that was going to get "the look". 

Yep, here it is in all at's glory. Hardware has been removed and it's had a good sanding.

Add a little dose of inspiration...

The inspiration photo.
Tobi Fairley for Hickory Chair

... and decide on a new hardware color.

Gold option on top, original on bottom.

Gold or...

Silver on top, original on the bottom.

Silver

When I put the question out to my readers, most of the input was in favor of the gold finish and ultimately that is what I chose. Here's why:  First, I really wanted to use the original hardware. Painted furniture with no patina or special finish sometimes can appear, um, how can I say it...cheap. Especially if it is void of detail. I think that by keeping the original hardware it not only maintains some of the integrity of the piece but it also gives it more of a quality look. After all, it's a well built, old dresser and I didn't want it to look like something that was just picked up at a big box store. 

The second factor that sealed the deal with the gold vs. silver debate were the lamps that I found at TJ Maxx this past weekend. I'm saving them until the big reveal but let me just say I was pretty excited and so was my client. Here's the room before:

 

Room painted- check

Dressers painted- check

Bedding- (use existing)

Lighting- check

Artwork- check

We just need to put it all together. Hopefully I'll have pics by the end of the week.

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 Primitive and Proper Piece of Work Wednesday

Since You're Probably Going Shopping...

Yes, since you're probably doing some shopping I wanted to introduce you to I.Design Marketplace. 

Look familiar? I.Design Marketplace is my Etsy shop. I have shared my Home and Pet Portraits with you in the past and on my sidebar but I've been working on some home decor items and I just added them to my Etsy shop yesterday. This has been a process. My instinct is to want to have everything perfect before I share and there are so many more variations that I want to make and so much more that I want to offer, namely refurbished furniture and one of a kind vintage finds but I just had to take the leap and get what I have out there.

I tried a new art form that I had only ever heard of and I was intrigued by it. It's called Verre Églomisé or reverse painted glass. The challenge is that since you are painting on the back side and viewing from the front...

...highlights and details must be painted first- completely the opposite of typical painting. I've always loved monograms and silhouettes and was eager to come up with a design for these reverse painted glass plates.

{The monogram designs are not up on the shop yet but can be custom ordered}

I have lots of ideas for border designs and colors and I'm happy to work with customers to come up with a unique design and a silhouette that depicts a particular dog breed (or other pet!).

Now here is the kicker...I'm sending these off to Ballard Designs! 

What do you think? Do I have a chance? Wish me luck!!!

Many, many years ago a friend from Florida stayed with us, then sent a thank you gift similar to this single bloom cachepot shown above. I've always loved it and moved it around from my powder room to my bedside table to my desk, the bookcase and mantle. It always seems to be the perfect piece to complete which ever tabletop vignette I happen to be working on. 

I made my own variations.

I think they are a perfect hostess or thank you gift- 

especially when delivered in a coordinating gold gift box with gold tissue paper. 

{The gift boxes are not up on the shop yet but are available.}

Well, I bet you all remember my Lazy Susan makeover. 

I loved it so much I decided to sell them on Etsy. 

This distressed orange finished Lazy Susan was my first sell on Etsy. The customer wanted it to corral office supplies on her desk.

This wood tray is another, very simple, example of reverse glass painting. The glass is inset over cork for a fun twist on the theme. 

The classic Napoleonic Bee design is reverse painted on glass then inset over natural canvas.

If you know me at all, you know I'm a freak over anything neoclassic and /or black and white. Black and white fish scale pattern ranks right up there with the Greek key pattern in my book. 

The black and gold portion of the design is reverse painted onto the glass and the white wood tray is visible in the unpainted portion of the design. It gives it a very cool 3D effect.

Last but not least, a pair of gold embellished candle rings. Again, I received something very similar and because I know I've always loved them- I wanted to make some to sell. I can't wait to make more variations- I use them all of the time!

That's it for now.  I would love to have your input! I'm no hot house flower, you can be honest- tell me what you really think. If you follow the link to check out my shop I would like to hear what you think about my prices as well. 

I'm pretty much tapped out for pet portraits that can be done before Christmas but I do have gift certificates. 

It's been such an amazing year. Almost a year for the blog.

All of you have really helped to keep me focused as I ease back into working  after being a stay at home mommy for so many years. 

Thank you so, so much!


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Painted Furniture Update

Let me introduce you to a little design job that I'm working on. It started as a color consult and has turned into  a bit of a redesign. My client has a daughter in college and a boy that's a  high school senior. 

This is his bedroom.

Her and her husband are very close to becoming empty-nesters and they want to update a few areas in their home. They are starting with the boy's bedroom, keeping in mind that this is probably going to be used as a guest bedroom in the very near future.

Here is the scope of the job:

The bed and bedding stay. The two small shelves stay (but can be re-located). A desk area would be nice. 

The stained doors and moldings stay...and the dressers stay. 

These are the same dressers that I posted about on Friday. I suggested painting  the dressers to give them a fresh and updated look.

I started out by removing the hardware and giving it a good sanding and by me I mean my very wonderful husband who is always willing to do some of the grunt work when I get too busy. I did prime it and then...

I painted the body a chocolate brown  and the drawer fronts a creamy white.

It now has an updated look inspired by designer Tobi Fairley and Hickory Chair.

Next, I have to decide on hardware. The bottom pull is the original pull with the original finish, the top pull is the original pull with some Grecian Gold Rub-n-Buff.

Now, here I'm showing the original on the bottom but the top one with Pewter Rub-N-Buff. 

What do you think? Which do you like better?

I want to exhaust several options using the original pulls before I rule them out and opt for new ones. Twenty are needed and that will add up!

So what do you think:

A.) Pewter

B.) Gold

C.) Original Finish or

D.) Something new

Here's my inspiration photo:

Painted Furniture: New Life For An Old Piece

We had some unseasonably warm weather this week and the weatherman warned that the warm weather would not be sticking around and this time he was right! That forecast earlier in the week left me feeling a little anxious - like it's now or never for spray painting outside. I think I single-handily burned a whole in the ozone with all of the spraying that I did today- I'm just kidding of course, but I did go through five cans! 

I re-painted the settee and chair for the music room. It was black- it is now cream and there will be a post about my change of heart soon. I've put the music room on the back burner while I finish up my office. Speaking of that, I painted the rug yesterday- as bizarre as that sounds! I can't wait to show it to you in an upcoming post.

Isn't this an amazing piece. It's dramatic yet simple in it's styling. 
The wall covering is the perfect backdrop. 
Tobi Fairley

I currently have a couple of design jobs that require me to paint some furniture and that's mostly what I've been working on. {On a side note, I got the blueprints to the client for the addition that has been consuming sooo much of my time. IT FEELS GREAT to have that job behind me! Woo hoo!}

One of the items that I'm painting for a clients redesign is a dresser, well actually there is a matching pair. They are for a teenage boys room. I don't know about you but I love Tobi Fairley's clean, fresh style and I have been waiting for the perfect job to interject a little of that style into. 

via Home Decor

I think that what is behind these dressers, in this case, the stripes, 

is the key to making the dresser really work.

Red Hen Home

Well isn't this pretty?

Horchow.com

Before I decided on the design for the dressers I'm painting, I considered doing stripes. The above vintage dresser looks upbeat and whimsical but not very masculine.

madebyhickorychair.com

Here's a stripe that is masculine and classic. I'll have to keep this one filed away- I really like it.

saragilbaneinteriors.com, House Beautiful

Not for this job, but hopefully a job in the future. Maybe my future lakeside home that I dream about.

I'll get pics up on Monday of the dressers that I'm working on.

What a great way to give new life to an old piece of furniture!

Don't you agree? 

Purple: Not Just For A Girls Bedroom

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Happy Monday! Are you ready for a blast of purple. It's funny how colors emerge in popularity. You start hearing that a color is popular, you start seeing a picture here and there and then Boom- you spec the color purple for two different clients over the course of two weeks. Well, at least that's how it happened for me.

via

To be honest- I'm not a huge fan and I think I'm probably doing the color a disservice by posting so many purple rooms one after another. I do like a little bit of purple. I have an image of a purple powder room in my mind that must have really left an impression. I searched all over for it but couldn't find it. It was a small powder room with a Venetian mirror accompanied by two sconces with black shades. Sound familiar to anyone?

via Julianne Moore

I do remember that is was the foggy, purple color that Julianne Moore used in her own living room (above). It's subtle and when paired with gray and hits of black (or a Venetian mirror!) it is so very sophisticated.

via

Pair purple with other shades of purple like the photo above and wow- that's really making a statement. 

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Purple shrouds the room above - almost like a purple haze. The little bit of black and cream upholstery take the sweetness out of the space. 

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Here's another space with the same color scheme. It works!

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I said take the sweetness out of the space and this is what I mean by that. For me, seeing a really purple room is like eating a brownie- I need  a glass of milk. Colors like white, gray and black serve the purpose of a big glass of milk. Another color that plays well with purple is a mossy green.

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I've shown this image before. I just love it!

Yellow is the complementary color of purple so this, of course, creates drama.

via

Look at that wall color! It's probably called Gorgeous Eggplant or Ridiculously Beautiful Plum!  

Again- paired with silver, white, gray and hits of black - practically mandatory, make it chic, chic, chic.

via

I thought this was fun! Do you like it?

Here are a couple more rooms accessorized with purple elements:

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...purple chairs

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...graphic purple rug

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Of course purple is probably most commonly used in girl's bedrooms but I hope I gave you some inspiration for using it in the more public rooms of your home. 

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I would love to hear what you think about this color. Passing trend? Design is so accessible these days that I think we are all looking for something a little different. I think using purple will be thought of as different for quite a while and when paired with classic elements- it has a timeless appeal.


Update: I just found this pic and I have to include it in this post- it's too perfectly purple not too!

HDF