Home on Harmony: March 2013

Sunday, March 31, 2013

French Provincial Dresser...SOLD

Well...it was a beast to tackle but I am happy to report that the darling French provincial dresser I had is finally finished. I am not sure what the previous owners had been thinking but apparently they thought "textured" furniture was all the rage because they had some kind of a texturing agent sprayed on it that was not too pleasant to get off! I'll be honest though...it’s pieces like this that make what I do fun. I am completely in love with "Before & After" pictures and this one gives you a good set of those :)

I had a sweet friend wanting this for her toddler daughter’s room which already had a distinct color scheme so she picked "Sea Kiss" by Valspar to tie right in with the darling decor. To finish it I had to strip it more than once. You will see from my pictures that follow just how much "texturing" came off :/ After I had stripped it I still had to sand it quite a bit but it came out very smooth which made it all worth it. Then I applied the paint, sanded it again and applied the wax seal. She had requested pewter hardware to match the existing metals in the room so I painted all of them and voila...a darling solid dresser that is sure to last for years to come!!

Happy Easter, everyone ~Kell

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Recently Finished Headboard, Footboard and Nightstands...CUSTOM

I was getting around to downloading pictures and ran across some of a job I did for a client that I never posted. She came to me with a gorgeous bed and 2 nightstands that did not match that she was planning on using in her master bedroom. Since they were going in the same room we decided to paint them the same color to tie them together. She picked a very taupy {Kellieism, I know} gray which turned out absolutely stunning! Take a gander...

Well, I don't know about you, but I am ready for bed! Nighty-night ~Kell

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

In the works...

I am excited to have a garage full of fun and exciting pieces that I can't wait to get to and thought I would give you a sneak peek!

Hope you're enjoying the beautiful weather as much as I am {AZ is in the 70's right now and my wind chime couldn't be happier} ~Kell

Beautifully ornate tallboy I picked up today...

Super cute and curvy dresser I can't wait to get my hands on...

Darling crib! I have never done a crib before and am so excited at the possibilities here...

Gorgeous french provincial dresser...
{This piece is SOLD! I will add some pictures of it as soon as it is done}

And last but certainly not least...this bad boy...

I've got my work cut out for me :) Toodles!!

Friday, March 1, 2013

3 Drawer Mid Century Modern Dresser...SOLD

This piece is AWESOME! It started out in great shape but lacked a current feel so I decided to paint it an ever trendy shade of gray called Stone Mason Gray by Valspar. It not only brought it to life but is still in keeping with its age.

As with all my pieces...it got a full sanding, 3 coats of paint {most of my pieces get that if not more...nice and durable}, another sanding for that nice smooth finish and a coat of wax to keep it protected.

This piece is so retro and would make an adorable nightstand, side table, dresser, buffet or credenza, entry way table...you name it!

It measures 34 in. long x 18.5 in. deep x 30.5 in. tall with dove tail drawers that are 30.5 in. long x 16.5 in. deep and sink 5.5 in. It is solid wood and sure to last a lifetime!

Happy weekend to you ~Kell

Not your typical girl...

That's right...I said it! I am not your typical girl. My passions include tools...and making things...and painting...and fixing things...and of course my family ♥ I should have listed them first. OoPs. Anyone who knows me knows that you can crack a joke about my OCD tendencies. {I laugh too...incase you were wondering} And well, let's face it, it's true! As it's been said, "I have CDO. That's OCD but in alphabetical order, as it should be!" I like to think that that trait plays out in my furniture re-do's, my most recent hobby! I really enjoy buying unloved furniture and loving it back to life. I hope you will enjoy what you see...because as my hubby and kiddos can atest to, I enjoyed creating it! Have a look...

About my pieces...

Sometimes I feel like a broken record and if you've read more than one of my postings you'd understand why. In order to avoid saying the same thing over and over I would like to address my process of refinishing pieces here...one time...so you don't have to keep reading about it.
Each piece I purchase to refinish has to be amazing quality. Durable and already standing the test of time. Again with the broken record, but I LOVE OLD FURNITURE!! It is typically solid wood with dove tail joints which is a major bonus in my book. I start off by sanding everything...yes, I know it is old school but it works and I believe in it! After that, I rub it down with a de-glossar just to ensure a good bond. I do not prime every piece I do because I use a paint that has a built in primer but I have learned along the way that some pieces need a little extra help in that department so that tends to happen on an individual basis. After all the prep work has happened, I paint!! My favorite part because you finally get to see the life coming back to a piece that has been long forgotten. For the record, I do not use spray paint. While it may produce a nice finish, I believe in my process. I use an industrail paint sprayer {Graco Magnum} which leaves a nice even finish that can't be beat. Once the paint has dried I am on to the distressing. Again, every piece is individual so I go with what speaks to me :) Some get a heavy distressing while others get none. From there, I use a 320 sand paper over the entire piece to smooth out the finish and follow it up with a coat of wax or polyurethane depending on the use I believe the item will get. I know it's a long process...but it works. And I have to say that I am always pleased with how they come out. Somethimes I wish I could keep them all...but my hubby might not know what to do with 200 dressers...hehehe!!
Each item I finish comes with a small jar of touch up paint as well!

Custom work...

Hello peeps, I have had several people contact me regarding custom pieces. To answer your questions...YES!! I would love to help you customize a piece you already own. I charge $30 an hour plus the cost of supplies. I would be happy to give you a rough estimate for your specific pieces but require a picture to do so. That helps me to see exactly what I am working with, how large it is, how many nooks and crannies it has, etc...If you are interested, feel free to reach out to me at homeonharmony@gmail.com. Thanks for your interest in my work!!

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