White And Black Farmhouse Dresser

I'm back with another piece that I worked on in the month of January.  I bought this vintage oak dresser from a person via Craigslist.  Once I brought it home I knew exactly what I wanted to do to it.

  I sanded it, and sealed it inside and out  twice with shellac drawers and everything because it had a cigarette smell.  Now, I didn't notice this when I bought it, otherwise I would have passed.  Then I sanded it again and proceeded to paint it with chalk paint.  

The top section was curved and I wanted to accent that feature, which is why I went with the two tone.  Black on top and white on the bottom.  I purchased small, white knobs for the two top drawers and contrasting black ones on the bottom.  The inside of the drawers had seen better days so I added a modern liner.  I sealed this piece with wax for a soft buttery feel.    

Sofa Makeover For The Home Office Part One

I started a new project for our home office.  I'm giving this big ugly sofa a makeover.  We bought this piece for our home office sometime in the spring last year.  I didn't want to upholster it right away for a couple reasons.

Reasons 

1. I'm super indecisive about things, especially furniture in our home.  If it doesn't work in a few months it's out.  The couch has proven it's usefulness here, so we are keeping it!  
2. I'm equally indecisive about colors, textures and finishes.  I mean with so many fabrics to choose from, someone out there should be able to relate.  
3. Time!  Yes I work on many furniture pieces at a time but not for my own home. It usually takes years for me to complete a furniture project for our home.  I never have or make time for it.  I'm trying to change that!    
4. Money, fabric is freaking expensive and when you need 6 yards for your own use, well that can hurt.  I'm not one splurge so much on myself.  
5. Upholstery is intimidating for me.  I'm all about sanding, painting and staining but sewing is a whole different territory.

We repainted our home office again and it looks completely different than when I shared our first budget makeover here.  We bought a new-used desk, rearranged things, go rid of some pieces and added other key storage pieces and we needed extra seating so we got this couch.  Everything else started to look nice so the couuch just became an eyesore.  Yes an ugly, burgundy, dog hair magnet, eyesore.  We felt it was time to tackle it.  That meant it was time to finally choose a fabric.  I wanted the couch to be neutral because it's a big piece in the room and it's a big job for me so I didn't want a color I would grow tired of in a year or two.  I also wanted it to have a nice print just in case it gets stains which it will because we have children, a dog and wine spills happen, I mean spills, spills happen in many different forms of liquids.  

I narrowed down my fabric to neutrals, some type of pattern and it had to be budget friendly.  I thought about using a checkered, plaid fabric but the office already has a masculine appeal.  I wanted my husband to feel comfortable and this might sound crazy but I like to decorate keeping my husbands masculinity in mind.  He lives with 4 females (even my dog is a female) so I don't want to have rainbows and unicorns everywhere.  Plus I prefer neutrals anyway so it's a win win.  

A few months ago I used a beautiful ikat fabric to upholster some chairs that I sold and ever since I've been wanting to find a place to use the same fabric for our house.  My husband also liked the fabric since it has a lot of black and neutrals.  Perfect!  This fabric was just under $20 at Joanns.  They were having a 50% off sale, then I went online to check for coupons and they had a one day 15% entire purchase, including sales, BINGO!!!!!  I picked up 6 yards which I think is too much, but better to be safe than sorry, right!           

I already started to take the sofa apart.  It's naked!  

It took me a few hours to get every single last staple out.  Next, I have to sand down the frame to stain it, cut sew and staple a million times!  Yay, not so much, but when I'm done it's going to be worth it.  I can't wait to share with ya'll!    

Mid Century Modern Nightstands Makeover

Hi, it's the end of January and I realized I have only done one blog post.  Not because I'm lazy but because I've been busy on my furniture biz, OK!  A couple weeks ago I shared the first makeover of the year it was a turquoise beauty.  I set a goal to work on 4 pieces and I'm happy to announce that I met my goal for the month.  I need to get better about sharing them right away but anyhow, I will share them gradually.  I will also try to share some of last years makeovers that I never got around to posting about.

The second makeover of the year was a set of Mid Century Modern Nightstands.  I wanted to go neutral on them so I chose an ebony stain for the top and dark gray that I custom mixed for the bottom portion.  I also used the ebony stain on the wood pull at the bottom.  These nightstands are very sleek, I debated adding modern, anchor style knobs to them like the ones from Anthropologie but in the end I vetoed the idea or maybe I'm still debating.  I don't know but for now this is the way they look.  

Oh yes, and check this out.  Made by Morganton, in excellent condition, with dovetail drawers and with the original tags still on.  I snatched these babies up fast!  

       
They are available for purchase on my Etsy Shop, Lilly's Home Designs.