Constellation Table ||A Star-Crossed Love Story||

This is a love story.  A furniture love story.  The story of one table top and one table base who were destined to be together.  But first they had to figure up how to break up with their original table top and table base... And that's where I come in...

 

Ok guys, I'm no homewrecker.  In fact, I would more likely call myself a homemaker.  But in this case, I did have to break up two perfectly good tables to help them find their soul mates.  You may remember that a while back I scored a deal on this world market table:

My first impression of the table was that this combo was a little too dark and sad for my taste so I offered to give the base a makeover.  He got a full-bodied coat of gold spray paint and rub down with dark wax.  But I think his new look got him thinking he was too good for the ole plain wooden top.  And so he left her for this glamorous round mirrored tray and they made a beautiful bar cart together

But the rejected top took the break-up kinda hard.  She spent the next four months single... and aimless... and hiding underneath my couch.  

I tried to convince her that she didn't need a base.  She was a strong and beautiful wooden top who didn't need a base to feel useful.  I tried to fix her up with a pair of handles and make her into a tray, but she just wasn't into it.  She wanted a new look, a new life - something that would make that campaign bar cart jealous.  I suggested all sorts of makeovers.  But they were either too understated, too out-there, or too over-the-top for her liking. 

 But then one day... we found it...  Her perfect look.  

Source: Fab.com

Source: Fab.com

It was classy and elegant and simple.  Just like her.  

Meanwhile... I just so happened to meet this quirky base while out on a Home Goods run.  He was simple, sleek, three-pronged, and perfect for my wooden top.  Although he was with that crazy guitar-pick top at the time, I knew that wouldn't last.  I mean, she was laminate and a weird shape and (on closer inspection) severely damaged.  There was no way they would ever make it out of the store together.  I just had to intervene.

After getting a quick discount at the register for the damaged pair (always ask at Home Goods for a deal if you find a serious imperfection - you never know if you'll get a little money off!), I convinced them they would be better off seeing other people and the crazy top went on her way (into the trash can).  

I, being the perfect furniture wingman, told the base all about the wooden top.  He agreed to be set up on a blind date but needed a little sprucing of his own first.  So when the two finally met, it was like the stars had aligned:

The base was now a handsome gold.

His simple, clean lines perfectly complimented the top's celestial swirl of elegant constellations.

Her makeover took a combination of black sharpie, gold leaf pen, an orbital sander, and sealing wax.  When applying the wax, I accidentally discovered that it smeared the gold.  In the end, she liked that better because it gave her more of a "cosmic swirl" - don't you think?  

It is definitely NOT accurate so sorry all you sextants out there who were thinking of using this table to navigate the heavens while at sea. 

[My low-budget staging is brought to you by my $0.50 brass candle sticks and some photocopies of stellar maps and moon charts.  Winning!]

I picked out my favorite constellation - not sure what it really is, but I'm calling it Mufasa.  Can you spot it?

A winning combination don't you think?  

And they lived happily ever after...

Photo Mar 27, 10 55 02 AM.jpg

The piece has already sold, but there's no need to make sad puppy-dog eyes - we do custom orders!  Just email me at cate@stylemutthome.com and we can talk about how to get you your own heavenly table.

 
 

And friends, if you like what we are doing over here at StyleMutt Home, please help us reach more readers by voting for Chelsea's space in the #SOdomino contest!  We offer our eternal friendship and gratitude in return ;)

Anthropologie 'Sura' Inspired Dresser

Happy Memorial Day US friends, stateside and overseas! A heartfelt thank you to those men and women and their families who serve or have served this beautiful country we call home.

I cooked up a little Before+After to serve on this special day - one that wasn't even in the works a week ago! It all started mid-week last week when the Anthropologie home catalog landed in our mailbox. I was taken to another world at every flip of a page, but when I got to their 'Sura' collection, it was more than swooning; I was immersed! I snapped this pic of the page:

So vibrant and edgy! I love a good all-over patter and knew this was one to try. I got on Craigslist to see if there were any decent candidates to experiment with. Hello, modern four-drawer dresser! Welcome to The Garage!

Now, what to use for my stencil? I thought about carving my own stencil out of cardboard; a method I've used before and have liked. But I didn't like the idea of painting the design on with a brush. I wanted it much more uneven, worn, and faded looking. Anthro used actual triangular pieces of wood turned all different directions and with a beautiful white washed stain. I wasn't going to cut a zillion wood triangles and fit them together like a Rubik's Cube. I hate those things. Instead, I cut some sponges down until I got the size I liked for the height of the drawers.

Sadly, about 5 sponges were harmed in the making of this transformation. But when I got the size I wanted, this makeover was a breeze! I brushed the paint, (Old White by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint), onto the sponges, and just pressed them onto the drawer fronts at random. Then I painted the body in Old White and called it Done!

By not overloading the sponges with paint, the pattern went on exactly how I had hoped, (which doesn't always happen)! A little crackly, uneven,  and true to the faded finish of my inspired Anthro pieces.

Here's a little behind the scenes action of StyleMutt Home at my house; whenever I'm staging and shooting photos, there are usually at least 20 children behind me in the bodies of 3, that need one thing or another. They'll be happily content until the camera comes out. This one was tired of waiting for (more) snack behind the camera, so he put himself front and center. Well played, young one. Well played.

It's a bold pattern, yes, but the right piece fell into my hands following a heaping dose of inspiration. One can't just ignore circumstances as perfect as that, right?!

4-drawer dresser now available for sale
$295
40.25"H x 35"W x 19"D
Contact me with questions or interest!

Thank you all for stopping by and have a fun and safe holiday!




Before + After ||Warning: Graphic transformation details ahead||

Guys. (well, mostly gals). When I saw this piece on Craigslist recently I tried to do a handspring and almost twisted my ankle. No joke. That's how much I loved it, had to have it, wanted it yesterday.

Please note that is NOT my garage, it's the seller's pic. Not that I have any right to pass judgement on a messy garage... Anywho, pretty epic piece, right?!

And after some TLC and socialization with the world outside of a garage, here's our beauty after!

This makeover had it's highs and lows and I'm not going to spare you any graphic details. Consider that fair warning!

To start, I texted my go-to-gal, Cate, and shared an up close pic of this piece's freckled veneer. That is, indeed, veneer - but it's in SUCH amazing condition that I knew it could stand its own. However, it had freckles! It looked like my arms and legs in July - COVERED in freckles! Fine on people, not furniture. Cate suggested dulling the freckles by rubbing the piece down with a gel stain, and it worked!! 

That Cate; she's one brilliant chick! Love running things by her for her opinion and advice. She never fails. Seriously, I think she's batting 1,000 - every pitch I throw she swings a home run idea!

After I stained the body, I was ready to tackle the shelves and cabinet door. I wanted glossy white but was really not interested in using my highly praised Glidden Trim Door Furniture paint. I love that stuff but it's seriously thick, and trying to get it inside every corner and crevice was going to take a lot longer than I have patience or time for. So I tried this:

Gave all drawers and door a coat of Rust-Oleum Paint & Primer In One. Worked beautifully as a solid first coat.

Here comes my favorite part - I tried for the first time Rust-Oleum's Gloss Protective Enamel, (in white), and it's like the SPRAY FORM of my beloved Glidden paint! It's oil based, sprays even and lays thick. When all pieces were dry, they were so smooth and solid - you couldn't scratch if you tried.

Luckilly, I had an opportunity to test this most amazing paint after this happened:

Some bird out there is patting the feathers on his back for this near bullseye. Don't set pieces out to dry under a large tree, folks. Lesson SO learned! To clean, I ran a high pressure hose over this while simultaneously scrubbing with a thick bristle brush. I figured I would have to start from scratch and re-spray this piece. What a pleasant surprise when the water just beaded up and trickled right off and the bristles made absolutely no damage to the finish at all! I am so pleased to say it is now squeaky clean and Rust-Oleum has made me a die-hard fan for life! Amazing product, Rust-Oleum; bravo!

Last to tackle was the awesome custom hardware. This piece would have no other hardware. There are wooden 'notches' made just for these pulls to fit around, so it's already a perfect marriage. They were pretty dirty and dingy, so I cleaned them up and gave them all a coat of Rust-Oleum metallic gold spray paint. They looked a little plastic-y afterwards, though. So, I grabbed a can of dark wax, (by Annie Sloan, but you can find dark wax in most hardware stores now), dragged a thick artists brush around in the wax, and dabbed it into the crevices on the hardware. I covered each piece thoroughly, then took a paper towel and just 'blotted' to remove any excess wax. I let the wax cure for a day before adding the hardware back on the piece

Love the authentic look that the wax adds! Beautiful, isn't it!

Cleaned up nice didn't it. ;)

twotone13.jpg

So excited with how this piece turned out - it made a marvelous journey with a little crap along the way, but all the best journeys have their fair share now don't they.

This pieces is now available for sale in the DC metro area!
$675
69"L x 30"H x 17.75"D
You can email me at chelsea@stylemutthome.com if you have any questions or want to snag it!

Thank you all for stopping by!