Before & After: French Country Style Dining Table

I've had this table for quite a while...I kept finding handy spots for it in my own home as a sewing table, a desk, and a second dining table before one day a couple of months ago I decided its time had come for the makeover I had been envisaging ever since I spotted it for sale.

I started off by stripping the honey coloured varnish off the tabletop...always a pleasure to get rid of this!

In the above shot you can see the nice wide planks that the tabletop was made out of...I love the character of these.

For this stripping job I used a heat gun and sander to remove the varnish fully.  Sometimes I choose to use paintstripper but I find the heatgun quicker and easier (and cheaper!) for some jobs.  Heatguns are particularly good when the surface you are stripping is flat and has a fairly thick even coating on it.  Obviously paintstripper is better for more detailed pieces...in the last couple of weeks I stripped an ornate sideboard right back to bare timber and that took lots and lots of paintstripper...too fiddly for the heatgun!

I didn't take photos of the middle part of the process, but once the tabletop was stripped, I flipped it upside down and primed and painted the legs, before lightly distressing them.

To get the whitewashed look on the tabletop, I used the process I developed and explained in this post.

Here it is, all done...

The table goes really well with these industrial style stools that I had reupholstered in a taupe gingham oilcloth.

The table legs are the same colour as the sideboard in the background 

(as at 1/11/12 this is still available for sale).

Client Commission: Beachy Bookcase

Last month at the market, I sold this bookcase to a lovely family.

You can see more pictures of it and read about the transformation here.

When she came to pick it up from my workshop (most people don't just happen to bring a trailer with them to weekend markets unfortunately!) she told me that she had a smaller bookcase that she'd like painted to match...this is often the way I get commission jobs, people will buy something off me then want other things they already own done to match, I love that!

Here is what it looked like when she dropped it off to me...

It was a similar style with v-groove backing boards which look great when painted and distressed.

Here is what it looks like now...

I'm sure it will look great in her home!

Upcycled Furniture: French Country Style Sideboard

Yesterday I showed you the mirror that was originally attached to this piece, to make it a duchess/dressing table.  I decided to split these two pieces up and give them new life as a wall mirror and a sideboard/console.  

I did paint them the same, and also gave them the same finish, so if someone wants to keep them together, they can. The two pieces might work quite well together in a large entrance way with the mirror on the wall above the sideboard.

Anyway, on with the pictures!

Again, the before.  Dated, yellow coloured finish.  I didn't get a good picture of the top but it had several patches on it where the original finish had worn off.  It really needed a new paint job!

I always paint the insides of cupboards to freshen them up...one of my pet hates is seeing pictures of  lovely painted furniture with dark grungy cupboard interiors!
My motto is do a job properly or don't do it at all :)

This piece has the most beautiful detail on the door and top drawers.

It is hard to capture a good photo with my little camera, but the finish I have given it has a metallic sheen to it which really helps to highlight the mouldings.

I painted the handles the same colour as the sideboard but didn't put the metallic effect finish on them, so they look a bit lighter.

This piece is loaded on my trailer to come to the Port Macquarie Foreshore Market with me in the morning, if you are local, come on down for a look!

**edited to add, this piece sold at the market 13/10/12**

Before and After: French Country Mirror

I couldn't believe my luck when I stumbled across this beauty a couple of weeks ago.

Excuse the photo, was the best I could do in the narrow shop aisle.

This gorgeous mirror was attached to an equally gorgeous console.

I loved all the scrolly mouldings on these pieces and knew they would come up beautifully with the right treatment.  I sanded, cleaned and primed then brushed on three coats of my favourite off white 

(name of which shall remain top secret ;)

I then lightly distressed, cleaned away all the dust then applied a metallic paint finish as a 'glaze'.

Here is how the mirror looks now...

Oh I also chopped off the finials on top of the mirror.  They really didn't do it for me!

I love how all the details pop now, before they were kind of lost in the yellow toned finish.

This mirror will be coming to The Foreshore Market with me this Saturday.

I'll be back soon to reveal the console part.