Third Time's A Charm

Sometimes silence speaks loud and clear.

I refinished this Anthropologie 'Sura' inspired dresser, (who's first life landed it in a dusty thrift store) ,last August and it slept through two Sweet Clover Barn sales, and months on Craigslist. Despite lowering the price, in all this time it has only received ONE serious inquiry, (but then the person asked us to not only take a chunk off the price, but deliver it 30 miles for free. What's going on in this world???). I had a better idea. The lack of inquires on this piece was screaming loud and clear.

I get it. Triangles aren't for everyone. And since the real estate in our single car garage packed with kids toys and lawn equipment is precious, precious, precious, I really can't afford to have a piece sitting for so long. So, I gave this piece another try with no looking back!

This time, a little toned down, but dapper none the less. :)

I used French Linen by Annie Sloan Chalk paint because I have always loved it layered over Old White. Since the frame was already painted Old White from my first makeover, I knew it would be fun to distress the French Linen enough to allow the Old White to peek through. And the contrast on the dark espresso stained drawers is just so rich. Gentle distressing just along the edges and corners instantly highlights the unique shape of the drawers, without being too much.

The best part of getting to do this piece again? Styling it again!!! I had a blast styling this piece this time around. French Linen is really fun to work with because it plays so well with a variety of colors! I've seen it work beautifully with vibrant blues and even chartreuse! Since I'm trying to sell this one fast, I kept the styling relatively neutral but still fresh and modern.

What triangles??

Available once again in the DC metro area!
40.25"H x 35"W x 19"D
$325
Contact chelsea@stylemutthome.com if interested!

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have yourselves a wonderful weekend.

Modern or Coastal ||Flip List Item No.2||

So I'm trolling craigslist [like I've been known to do] and I found a modern dresser in need of some TLC.  Now normally, I would pass right by a laminate dresser but this piece was... special.

It's hard to tell in this pic, but this "white monster" as I've affectionately nicknamed it, had a weird cream/white two tone thing going on.  But it was still a modern dresser with glossy-fronted drawers that slide like butter.  It the perfect candidate for Furniture Flip Bucket List item No.2: wrap a piece in a wood shim treatment.  

wood shims taper off to one end so that you can wedge them in to help level something.  I could have used flat wood and gotten more of a butcher-block look, but I wanted to use shims to recreate this uneven affect in my inspiration photo:

Source:  The Rycotewood Furniture Centre at OCVC

So I went about covering the bright-white yucky laminate portions of the dresser with the wood shims: the top, sides, and toe-kick.  I started out with the intention of creating a polished modern look like the photo above but as I worked on it, it began to steer me in a different direction.

I liked how raw and rustic the cedar shims looked untreated (and not to mention the cedar smelled AH-MAH-ZING).  So I just went with it and ended up with a piece that's both modern and coastal:

To play off the unfinished wood's beachy vibes, I styled it with some tropical leaves [that I may or may not have harvested from a decorative potted plant in a parking lot.  I kinda felt like Chelsea did when "smuggling" home some paint sticks for this DIY project].

I then added a couple seaside touches like this piece of coral.

To play up the dresser's more modern side, I added vintage candle sticks with clean lines.  Despite the uneven surface, the shims are narrow enough that items large and small can find a flat surface to rest on anywhere across the top.

And modern satin nickel knobs on the glossy drawer fronts make a nice modern finishing touch.

All together the piece sings a modern-coastal song:

Modern Coastal Dresser
$600
SOLD

As for the progress on my 2015 flip bucket list, that means I've got 6 down and 1 to go before the end of the year.  Woot Woot!

Want to catch up?  Since January, I've crossed off items:
No.6
No.5
No.7
No.4
No.3
and now No.2: wood shim treatment

Here's to hoping that I can squeeze in item No.1: Build my Own Bakers Rack before 2016!

Featured Project: Kaitlin's Evolved MCM Cabinet

By show of hands, how many of you fancy a solid before and after? Keep your hands up if your heart skips a beat when you find a gem for a steal on Craigslist. Alright, you're all in the right place then. :) It's such a treat to get to share the work of a friend from the great world of Instagram today who just refinished a disheveled MCM china cabinet. She sent me this photo of the piece which she had just scored off of Craigslist and totally made my day when she invited my thoughts on refinishing it.

Well let me tell ya, this gal didn't need any help, that's for sure! After hearing her gorgeous two-tone plan for it, all I had to offer was, 'Keep an open mind - you never know what surprises a piece has in store for ya!' Hah! Some help. Geeesh!

It turns out this piece did have a few up it's sleeve, but Kaitlin rolled with it and cranked out this stunning transformation!

From Kaitlin:

My initial plan was to leave the doors, drawer, very top shelf, and base (legs) the original wood stain and paint everything else white. I removed the drawer and cabinet doors and taped off the top and bottom. After several good wipe downs (this piece came from a smoking home, which I didn't discover until I had already traveled 45min to go pick it up), I sanded it down, wiped clean again, then started applying my white paint. I used Behr hi-gloss enamel. I went with the enamel because I wanted a glass-like durable finish and had heard that applying poly over white can cause it to yellow.

Truth. Oil based sealers over white paint result in a lovely pee-yellow discoloration. This can be avoided by just going for a protective enamel paint as Kaitlin did, (another brand is Rustoleum's High gloss protective enamel which you can spray or brush on ), or use a Polycrylic WATER BASED sealer over your paint, rather than oil based.

After two coats there was still a dingy yellow color coming through the white. I decided I definitely needed a primer (which I should have used in the first place!). I went with Kilz 2 Latex primer. Two coats of that, and then I could apply my finishing coat of the enamel paint. When removing my tape, I realized some of the paint had gone through and gotten on the top shelf. I just decided to go with the flow and paint the top white as well.

The yellowing that Kaitlin experienced is a chronic furniture condition called 'bleed through'. It's very common with old pieces like this, but don't be alarmed! If you're going to refinish an old piece, it's better to expect it to 'bleed through' and take the precautions before you start painting to seal that jank in with either an oil based sealer or latex primer. Seems backwards to seal your piece BEFORE you paint it, but trust us; it's worth the time you'll save from not having to stop a bleeder!

The original wood stain parts were in very good condition, so I just applied some Restor-a-finish and they looked brand new!

When I got the piece it was missing one of the original wood cabinet pulls. It had a very unique shape, and I didn't think it could be easily duplicated. I decided to remove both and replace them with a recessed pull. The only pull I could find to fit was stainless steel, but I simply sprayed it with Krylon Gold Leaf to give it the brass look I wanted.

In. Love. with these recessed pulls, Kaitlin - what a match made in heaven!

I really love how versatile this piece is! Maybe one day I'll use it as an actual China cabinet, but for now I'm enjoying it in my living room as a display cabinet.

Doesn't this just make you want to pour over Craigslist and see what you can negotiate for with $20 and then restore it to 10 status?! Well, go get em'!

A HUGE thank you to Kaitlin for sharing this most stunning transformation! Your hard work has more than paid off, lady. Enjoy it for years to come!

And thank you all for stopping by and making Style Mutt Home a part of your day! We sure appreciate you.