Flip-Off: Cate's MCM Restoration

I'm driving down a country road and I'm hopelessly lost.  Typical.  But after reviewing google maps at quaint old-fashioned gas station, I'm on my way again practically chomping at the bit to see this craigslist find in person.  My GPS tells me to turn down a street that's not even paved - just gravel.  This is the moment where the banjo's from Deliverance start playing in my head.  Could some savvy psycho be luring me to my death with mid-century-modern furniture?  I'd have to hand it to them if so - MCM at a steal is the perfect bait.  I should really fear for my life more... but pieces are solid walnut...   By now I'm turning off the gravel road onto a gravel driveway.  It swoops around a shed and up a hill only to dead-end at the most adorable cottage with a charming garden.  I am greeted by kind smiles from the homeowners who have lined the chest quadruplets on their garden wall just for me - it feels like a homecoming parade.  

Quadruplets.jpg

Clearly I didn't need to have my husband on speed-dial in my pocket for this craigslist interaction.  Turns out Donna and her husband couldn't have been more welcoming or accommodating.  We start talking while they helped me load up all four beauties and it became obvious that we were kindred spirits.  Not only do they have a Younglife background like Caleb's family but they have a daughter who's a fellow home decor enthusiast and is also married to a Special Ed teacher/ coach.  Uncanny.  

 
 

I'm convinced that stumbling across this ad was a divine arrangement.  And as Chelsea explained in yesterday's post, we had big joint plans for these babies.  So what do you get when two sisters-in-law take identical pairs of furniture pieces to flip in total secrecy from each other?

Furniture-In-Laws!

[Or just two creative sets of furniture relatives]

So let's take a closer look at my restorative approach to the flip-off:

Driving over to pick them up, I had every drastic transformation idea rolling through my head.  But once I saw them in person at Donna's house, I fell in love.  I just wanted them to see them returned to their former glory.

For starters, they need gold double-breasted-button-like hardware.  It just so happened that I had some I could harvest from the "white monster" and all I had to do was deepen the original yellowy/brassy finish with our favorite faux gold technique.  I also debated doing an angled tapered leg like Chelsea did but had four straight mounting brackets already lying around.  So convenience won out all around.

And of course I couldn't wait to grab Chelsea's Axel Co. reclaimed wood hexagon shelf to style with.  

Other than the hardware and legs, all I really needed to do was restore the glassy finish [I applied a coat of minwax polyshades in pecan with a foam brush].  Ugh look at that juicy wood grain shine!!

As we are in the throws of moving, and I'm scrambling to furbish our new 800 sq.ft. apartment with functional pieces, these dapper gentlemen are now flanking our bed for some much needed extra storage.  I'm still unpacking so more photos will be coming soon once the sea of cardboard subsides.  

And don't forget to stop by tomorrow to get more deets from Chelsea on her show-stopping two-tone flip!

 

Flip-Off Reveal!

This is a story of two friends and four identical 3-drawer chests, (one of those must-have Craigslist finds). Each friend took two and flipped them - all while keeping their plan a secret from the other!

After weeks of planning, scheming, ordering supplies, and working at all hours, the friends and their once identical pieces were reunited for their big reveal!

And the two friends were delighted by each others cleverness!

Not identical anymore! We'll be revealing the full details of each makeover in depth this week, but we couldn't believe how different we had flipped these, (aside from the fact that we happened to choose the exact same leg size)!

Naturally, we had to get in a photo shoot with our muses before sending them their separate ways once again, (Cate is using hers as nightstands, and Chelsea's have already sold).

Thank you so much for stopping by! We'll be back tomorrow and Wednesday to share the low-down on each makeover, the materials we used, and how we styled our finished product!

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.