Monthly Archives: May 2010

Furniture Refinishing Project: Paint and Gloss

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I bought this sofa table on craigslist awhile back. It’s found a spot in the front bay window, and it also acts as a stylish room for my sweet dog Ruby who loves to spend hours gazing out. A doggie bed fits nicely beneath.

I felt like the wood finish was dated but liked the line detail that gives it an Asian, parquet feel. I used dark grey oops paint and black Gem Glo gloss to achieve the new finish. It’s nothing Earth-shattering, but I like it much better than before. Mission accomplished!

After:

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Before:

Recent Acquisitions

Lots of craigslist furniture activity recently.

Bought: Ethan Allen love seat, from a guy who liked it but said his wife wanted to sell it. Paid a lot, and the guy wasn’t into negotiating, which always irritates me.

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I like how it fits into such a tight spot. It completes the tiny conversation area in the old dining space:

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Which brings me to the next item – Baker Furniture black tiered end table. This is not its final resting spot, I just brought it home from Denton yesterday. I think it may go in the far corner. Paid $75 which I think is a good deal. A guy was selling it on behalf of his older lady neighbor.

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Flat woven wool rug. I like this but don’t love it. As they say at the dog pound, mine may not be it’s furever home. Fortunately I feel certain I can flip it!

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Thomasville sideboard, from a super nice storage unit in Fort Worth. I was really excited about this piece but it seems sort of lonely on the large back wall. I’ve been hunting for a big buffet and thought this could fit the bill. We’ll see. That’s the beauty of craigslist. As long as the price is right, if you don’t like it, you can always sell.

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Sold:

Kitchen Design Dilemmas

When I started thinking about my ultimate kitchen remodel, I imagined wide open spaces, a huge bar with cool pendant lights that overlooked a den with huge TV, stuff like that.  You always hear about people who move into an old house like mine, take a wall out of the kitchen, and voila — open kitchen, cool bar, easy fix.

Unfortunately, not here.  The den’s too shallow, the dining room’s too deep, etc., etc.  Michael’s dad Gary is an architect, and he is helping me with plans.  He’s reworked sketches several different ways, and short of removing/reconfiguring all walls, the open plan just isn’t doable.

So a galley it shall remain.

The most recent time Gary was here he came up with this sketch:

sketch as pic

Here is my crude drawing of how it is now:

kitchen as is

The trouble I’m having with the new idea relates to the round counter/island deal. I didn’t want a dinette table, and I was trying to figure a way to extend the counter into the bay. Gary suggested ending the counter at the edge of the bay and extending it on the other side.

Sometimes I like this and sometimes I think I may not. I remember seeing a really nifty rolling island in a magazine and have wondered if a counter-height bar could be built to fit at the one end. Anyways, that’s where I’m at. I am going to post this dilemma on Gardenweb and see if anyone responds.

Kitchen Before

The day has finally arrived that I have the financial means to bust out my kitchen without busting out my bank account. I have decided that Texas/OU weekend in mid-October is the deadline for completion.

Here are some (obviously!) before shots:

Kitchen side

Kitchen corridor

Sink side

Nook with aluminum bay window

Sink view

Stovetop