Aged to perfection

Hi! It was my sincere pleasure this week to work on such a fine piece. A thoughtful friend brought this beautiful sideboard over recently that she's had for 15 years! It served its purpose in her home and she was ready to part with it, so I became the lucky beneficiary of this beauty set on original wooden casters. Do you believe in love at first site? I do.:)

For me the highlights of this piece lie in the stunning original hardware, the delicate curves of the legs, the size, and the old casters. I have been searching high and low for old wooden casters so when this piece rolled in I was pretty smitten, to say the least

~After~

{such sweet little casters}

 {beautiful, unique, original hardware can act as an exclamation point to a piece}

 {use a small platter or tray to collect smaller non-like objects to create a cohesive grouping. Thank you to my dear Grandma Livi who entrusted me with this original photograph of her grandfather -my great-great grandfather!}

{I used two colors for this piece. The first: Duck Egg blue by ASCP. The second: A thin layer of French Linen gray, also by ASCP. I used a sanding block to rub down the French Linen so that the Duck Egg could really peek through. I find when I am working with chalk paint that sanding blocks work the best to give me a professionally smooth finish and just the right amount of control when I want to distress certain areas. The last step was sealing it in clear wax which not only protects the piece from staining or scratching, but also highlights the distressed areas making them polished and pop. I adore this piece and every little nick and chip that tell its story.

Soon it will begin a fresh chapter in a new home}

I hope you are having a fantastic weekend out there!

~Chelsea



Happy (belated) Father's Day!

~My Dad and me, Summer of 1986~

My Dad is just awesome. I have nothing but fond memories from my childhood and in honor of Father's Day I thought I would share just one involving my Dad. We were living in New Hampshire and my talented Momma was out getting ready for a big play that she was directing, (I think). It was cold and raining and my Dad was alone with the 3 kids, (ages 10, 7 and 4) for several hours. He copied a chart on 3 pieces of paper and labeled the columns Heat, Width, Length, Taste, and the rows McDonalds, Wendy's, Burger King, and KFC. The title: French Fries. He gave us each a chart and a pencil and loaded us up into the van. We drove all over town, splitting a small fry at each restaurant and rating each category on a scale of 1-10. Burger King won, for anyone interested :) But seriously. Who does that with their kids?!? It was such a fun memory and such an example of how my Dad just loves to play. He is SO much fun, always has been. But, he also listens. He loves to call and just check in and catch up with us. I love that. I am so grateful for him and for the way he loves and cares for us. And he is so encouraging of my little furniture refinishing business. In fact, he is a regular follower of my blog, so I know he'll be reading this - Hi Dad! :) I love you!

~Chelsea

~Dresser no more~

Hi! Well, I am so excited to show you our most awesome transformation yet to come out of Chelsea's Garage, but first I must give credit where credit is due. A long time ago I came across this post from Sausha at Sweet Pickins Furniture. I kept coming back to this ridiculous transformation she did of an average 8 drawer dresser turned TV console. I had to try it! But, I also needed the right client to come along who wanted this. After nearly a year, finally one did:) I showed this sweet person the post of the TV console I had my eye on and they gave me two thumbs up, (four if you count her husbands)! So, I scored this perfect 8 drawer dresser on craigslist - almost identical to the dresser Sausha had redone.

~Before~

For the most part I followed every step-by-step instruction that Sausha explains in her post about the same transformation, so I'm going to refer to her instructions if you'd like to know exactly how this transformation was done. Thanks, Sausha!

~After~

 *Notice something missing? My clients have had a challenging time finding hardware that they like and is in stock, so this piece may be naked for a bit longer. I just couldn't wait to show you the almost finished product anyhow:) I'll update again with a couple pics once the hardware is on!

 *Shelves in the upper corners are the perfect size to store the media boxes, while the cubby in the middle is great for holding a basket of remotes/cords/controllers, blankets, pillows, or whatever else their heart desires!

 *I love the color combo this client chose! Charcoal gray, (Valspar Semi-Sweet in semi gloss) with black undertones, (sealed in Minwax Polyurethane Clear Semi Gloss). Not something I would have thought of trying myself but now that I see it in person I am in love!

*Of course, staging is always my favorite part. This is where I see refinished pieces come to life.:) {Creative tip} - turn your books with the binds facing in for a striking visual effect. The books are all different heights, widths, and best of all, different shades of white/off-white. Now the books look like a textural piece of art!

The best part of this transformation was having the opportunity to work in the Garage with my main man, Matt. I cannot thank him enough for the work he did with all the cutting and attaching of the shelves, trim, etc. Isn't he a stud?! His handiness has opened quite a few doors for more transformations like this - it's a whole new level beyond just slapping a coat of paint on a piece! Good thing he enjoyed this; I will definitely be hiring him again.:) Thank you, Matt!

If you have any questions that were not answered by Sausha or myself, please don't hesitate to contact me!

~Chelsea

P.S. To find out what happened to the deep drawer that was in the middle of this dresser, look here.:) Now it's a functional, (and adorable), storage shelf in our guest bathroom.