Barrister Bookcase ||a subtle makeover||

Why don't I talk about bookshelves more often?  They add height to a room and critical vertical storage.  I guess because I don't have a HUGE book collection, I don't think about just how awesome these pieces of furniture are.  Bookshelves are like the Jan of the Brady bunch and dressers the Marsha, Marsha, Marsha.  In fact, with the exception of the white triplets from my own home, this is the first time I've refinished shelves to sell!

It's hard to tell, but this piece was originally as glossy as a 90's kitchen cabinet.  And the base painted (not stained!!) a fake brown.  Womp womp.  So first order of business was stripping off the polyurethane and the stain and sealing it with a Danish oil instead.

Barrister bookcases (also known as lawyer's bookshelves) are handy because they have glass doors to protect from dust.  Which makes them perfect for protecting your books or other precious collections.  When staging this piece, my first thought wasn't actually to use books.  This is partly because I don't have a big juicy book collection, but mostly because of a photo my dear friend Amanda from Our Storied Home recently posted on Instagram:

Genius way to display the all-precious shoe collection no?  I mean, WOW-ZA!  (And who wants dibs on those red satin peep-toes?!?!)  But alas, I actually have less shoes than I have books - so I styled with books after all and filled in any spaces with my plant children.

The Danish oil is a nice contrast from the original "plasticky" finish.  It gives it something a little softer and (as I like to call it) buttery.

I also completely stripped the paint finish off the base and custom-mixed a new stain to match.

And switched out the original yellowy brass knobs to splurge for more modern pulls from anthropologie.

What's $7 for a knob when you only need three lol?!?

This Barrister Boy is an original Hale bookcase - which means he was made in the USA and is built for versatility: the top, the three units, and the base are all stackable so you can add, subtract, and rearrange them however you please!

Each glass pane slides up and stiows away for easy access to your displayed goodies.

And in my case (pun so intended), I'm showing off Big Jade, Tuscon the Succulent Garden, Melvin the awkward leafy thing, Penelope the String of Pearls, Little Jade, and the Jades' cousin Jasper.

And for the record, all my plant kiddos are still alive and (mostly) well. 

Black Thumb out. 

3 Shelf Barrister Bookcase (Barrister Boy)
34"W X 14"D x 60"H
Price: $425 SOLD

If you are interested in this piece or a custom order like it, please contact cate@stylemutthome.com.

From Drab to Dapper

Dapper is the first word that came to mind when I finished flipping this dresser found last week:

First - I found this piece the same day that Cate shared her Hairpin Legged Map Chest. I was so inspired by her flip that I snatched this one right up, (although mine is not a map chest; the drawers are deep wannabees)! I really wanted to do this in a rich tone which is not an inclination I typically have, (maybe I was channeling my inner Cate in more ways than one!) But there is something so suave about this hunter green ('Secluded Woods' by Behr), paired with brass; it makes me think of my husband when he's lookin' sharp! (Always) 

But this flip was anything but snappy! By first look I figured it would be easy enough to remove the scalloped piece at the bottom of this thing. And it was:

Okay, so this photo shamefully portrays how horribly out of order I do some things. I did remove the scalloped trim first, but then I painted away and added the hardware before I solved my biggest problem: What next?

I shared this photo with Cate telling her my latest flip and I had some major unfinished business to tackle together. And boy, did we! This shot doesn't show the magnitude of what was underneath but it took me several days and sleepless nights to finally figure out how to deconstruct the underpart of this dresser without ruining it. After solving the puzzle we gave our friend here a new base:

Now I could add the sleek legs I'd imagined when I saw this piece in the thrift store!

Oh - and a chair lying in a heap outside a thrift store found me. But that's a story for another day.

While 'dapper' is how I would describe this piece I wanted to style it with a more feminine presence and contrast that green with something sweet - peach! Hunter green and peach are a favorite combination at any time of the year, but seem especially fresh in the Spring. If a pastel palette doesn't work for you, try mixing deep rich tones with softer colors at the opposite side of the color spectrum. I found just the colors I was looking for during an early excursion to Trader Joes where I had the first pick of the days' stock:

My jolly green pal here is now available for sale to DC area locals!
45.75"L x 32"H x 17.5"D
$350
Please contact me at chelsea@stylemutthome.com if interested in this piece or a similar custom order!

Thank you guys for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

A Vvvvery Interesting Piece, Indeed

Hi friends! I posted this stack of pieces the other day that we collected after a particularly lucky weekend on Craigslist a few weeks ago. I've already shared how the mid-century cabinet in the middle turned out, and how Shire flipped those accent tables on top. If you're an Instagram pal you may have seen a teaser of that bottom piece already. Well here it is, done and ready for a new home!

I really wanted this piece to be something unique when it was finished. It didn't need hardware as there is a deep lip underneath each drawer for easy opening and closing, but even before I began painting it just seemed to fall a little flat. As soon as I saw it I wanted to add some visual interest here. I sketched a few things out on paper, and while my drawings are at the artistic skill level of a 1st grader, seeing them side by side made the decision easy!

There was just something about these 'V' pulls that was so unique, but not in a 'what in the world are those' kind of way, (unless I'm missing something). So I measured out some 3/8" wood trim and cut all the pieces I'd need. Each individual pull is made up of two pieces, which you can see below. My '1' marked pieces were 4", and my '2' marked pieces were 3.6". I made 9 pairs in total, one for each drawer.

I used a very small nail to tap the pieces together as shown. It didn't really matter that they be attached well at this point, since I would ultimately attach both pieces to the drawers. At first I thought I would attach the pieces to the drawers facing down, as shown below. I didn't hate it but wanted to see both ways. I really loved the pieces opening upward; I can't explain why, but it just looked better!

Gentle distressing, (with my go-to tool, a medium grit sanding sponge), along all the edges and corners of the piece brings out the shape and lines without being too distracting.

Now available for sale!
66"L x 29.5"H x 18"D
$625
Contact chelsea@stylemutthome.com if interested in this piece of a custom order like it!

Thank you so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!