When I picked up the Retro Dining Chairs today,

I dropped off some fabric for recovering the Retro Office Chair.  I had wanted it to be reupholstered in black polka dot oilcloth but because of the curved back, my upholstery man said it wouldn't work (and he gave it a good try!).  So I went right off the black and white vision, and have gone for a much more Shabby Chic look in White, Pink and Red.  She should be ready for her big reveal in a week or so!

A reminder of what she looks like now...

I think that I'll leave the metal pedestal part all chipped and shabby...I'll see what I think when the upholstery job is completed.

Retro Dining Suite in Caramel & Red

I bought this at an auction a few weeks ago.  For the price I paid for it, I had hoped that the chairs just needed a good scrub to tidy them up.  After a bidding war was won and I got them home, I discovered that they needed far more than elbow grease - they needed an upholsterer and new fabric.

Here they are in their before state.  They don't look that bad, but believe me, the colour on the chairs wasn't really that colour, it was years of grime.  I didn't take a close up but they were pretty rough around the edges.

This is what they look like now.  The table still needs a clean and I have to put little feet on the chair legs (I bought some today but they are the wrong size!) but I was so excited with how it all came together that I just wanted to show it off!

And please excuse the fact that I took the photos in my garage, I usually like to make sure I have a nice backdrop for my photos but again, I just wanted to show them off as soon as I could!

 If you'd like this gorgeous cutie of a suite in your home, it should be ready for sale on my Trademe listings in the next few days.

I am sharing this with blogland on
 

and

Here is what is next in line...

I bought these a few months ago and planned on painting them to sell.  But yesterday I decided they would work perfectly in my daughter's room....once they are painted white of course!

 I think that the mirror looks too big and heavy for the duchess, and besides, I want to have the option of placing the duchess under the window (I love moving furniture around, as well as painting it.  I never sit still for long.)  So I think I'll paint the mirror to match, and hang it on the wall in Sophie's room.  What (almost) 6 yr old wouldn't love a mirror that large, hung at shorty height, to admire herself in?

I am really looking forward to seeing this in white...I have done lots and lots of furniture in cream, but this will be my first in white!  Wish it wasn't 10pm and dark right now...

This week's projects...

are complete, and it feels great!  I was really out of the painting groove for two weeks over the school holidays, and am so happy to be back in it this week.

I finally got finished a lovely french-style duchess that I had started on quite some time ago.  It has a matching bedside cabinet as well.  I purchased them off an elderly lady who had bought them around 40 years ago from McKenzie and Willis, an upmarket furniture store in Christchurch.  They were still in lovely condition, and she wasn't happy with me when I said I was going to paint them...but I had to...they just weren't my colour.  Here they are:

Yes that is a 'French Country Furniture' swing tag hanging off the bedside...this changing name lark is hard work to get everything sorted!  That will teach me, argh!

My other project this week was a really speedy one, mainly because it was to keep, and it was much needed in our bedroom to store hubby's clothes.  We got a lovely new super king bed a couple of weeks ago and that has spurred me on to get the rest of our bedroom just how I have imagined it for so long...still lots to get finished, but at least these drawers are done.  Here they are:

There were straightener burns on the top of these, along with various other dings.  After using all the mouse sander papers that I had on hand, I gave up and used builders fill instead.  Much easier!  Check out the autumn sky I was working under yesterday...just stunning.

Smooth surface sealer coat...done!

How come kids and dogs can't help themselves but jump in the way when you are trying to photograph furniture!?  LOL

The drawers post-painting, distressing and waxing.

 All finished and in place.  The rimu tray underneath has the DVD player in it...thought it looked better there than on top of the drawers!

Nice legs! ;)

Well, that is me for now.  But I do have another burning project for my daughter's room, and a fresh tin of white paint I bought yesterday...now I am back in the groove, it won't be long before my next reveal!

xx Karen

ps. I am posting this on Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage
 

This is a work in progress,

so please forgive me if you stumble across it!  I am in the process of transferring my blog and facebook pages titled 'French Country Furniture' to a name that fits better - 'Restyled Vintage'.  But, so much to do, and I am not an expert in these matters, in the slightest! 

Some chair revamps

are what is on my mind at the moment...no painting this last week due to school holidays.  So I dragged the kids to an auction house on Thursday and came home with an oak tea trolley, a retro formica and chrome dining suite, a standard lamp base, a coffee table, some little bud vases and a china jug.  Sorry, I haven't taken photos yet, but I will, I promise!

The retro dining suite is gorgeous, the table is caramel and red and the four chairs match, although they are a bit tired and would benefit from reupholstering.  After thinking it over, and talking to my upholsterer man, I have decided that is what I'll do....these suites are quite sought after here at the moment, but it is still hard to know whether spending the extra money on reupholstering them will equate to a higher sales margin...I'll soon find out, I suppose!

Today I picked up a 1960's swivel office chair that is currently mustard vinyl.  Here she is here:

As soon as I saw her I thought how gorgeous she'd look in black and white polka dot oilcloth.  My upholsterer man told me that oilcloth probably wouldn't stretch around the back but bless him, he said he'll try!  I hope it works :)  Will keep you posted....

The True Blue Hutch has arrived in its new home

and the lovely lady who commissioned it has kindly sent me a photo of it all set up with her treasures on it:

She is very pleased with the way it turned out, yay!

This week

I am hoping to finish the cream duchess with the carved rope edges....it seems to have kept getting pushed aside as I go off on yet another tangent!  I picked up another trademe find on Thursday, a duchess that I am planning on upcycling into a sideboard.  It had a beautfiul mirror with it, but I don't think it matched the dresser well at all, so I am going to paint it off white and put a hanger on the back of it, and call it a large wall mirror.  As for the duchess/sideboard, I am enjoying dreaming up colour combinations for it...and will let you know once I have decided.  Will try and post some 'before' shots on here tomorrow.