Saving a Kitchen Island

Saved from the trash! This piece had certainly seen it's better days. After sitting outside through various types of weather conditions wearing down on it, it really needed some TLC (or a lot!). I of all people know how important a little extra space is but, in some rare cases .. smaller can be better. I wanted to add extra storage but still keeping size in mind. Once I had the vision I was ready to begin and started taking this rescued treasure apart piece by piece.

I'm not a big fan of the whole drop leaf thing, what could I say... it was ugly! When not in use it's left just hanging there so ... this HAD to go!

It needed a vigorous sanding with all the stains and obvious wear marks. Then I did a coat of primer.













After It was taken apart and sanded down it had a lot of holes that needed to be filled. With some Spackle and wood glue and hours later it was dry and ready for another session of sanding!



I went through my scrap pile and pulled out two pieces of wood that would serve as shelving for the island. I didn't want to put a big shelf in the center since I believed it would jeopardize the space that could be used for storing larger kitchen items.

 

I decided that I wanted to completely remove the knife holding station that contained a cubby, which in my opinion was good at storing mostly dust! My reasoning, safety hazard! I was pretty uncomfortable with knives left out in the middle of the kitchen. The customer that purchased this piece has a couple young children so this ended up being a very wise choice! I did replace the towel rack since there is always good use for one of those!





I also made the decision (after already priming) to sand the top down smooth to show the beautiful butcher block wood. I was originally going to paint it another color (again I was trying to add MORE color... I just can't stop) BUT it just makes sense to leave the top original and the end result was pretty stunning! I did give myself more work since I sanded the top, primed it, and then had to sand it again but it was well worth the extra time. I used two coats of stain and always wanting superior durability I went for the third and final coat.



After all was said and done this was the final result which I was thrilled with.. (Oh and this is minus the wheels which will be added tomorrow)...

 

Chevron Bench

 

This piece is proof that one man's trash is another man's treasure! Thanks to my ex-neighbors who got rid of so many great pieces! The bones of this bench were in such great shape, minus the marker stains and carvings. I loved that this project was on such a smaller scale than the last few I have done so I was excited to start! In need a of a good sanding I removed the stains and any imperfections (I love the smell of cedar!). After sanding I used some wood glue on the crack in the top and sealed it up well. After letting that dry I wiped the bench down and gave it a few coats of some black paint ( I went more neutral than I usually do). I was originally going to sew a square cushion to fit the top but then decided I wanted to completely wrap the top in fabric. Using foam, batting and then the chevron fabric this bench ended up being pretty cozy! It measures in at 31"W x 17 3/4"H x 20 1/2D. It has plenty of space underneath to slide in some big baskets for storage. 

 

Spining Fabric Display

Extending a special Thank you to Kens Carpetland (in Springfield, MA) for this sweet addition to my studio.  For those of you who have a collection of fabric like I do, well this spinning beauty is such a great way to organize any upholstery room. I am now able to just spin this display around and choose what fabric inspires me versus digging through tote after tote! When organizing this display I found fabric I had no idea that I even had! Check with business that are remodeling or going out of business for great finds such as this!

Going Vintage

 

 

 

So after weeks and weeks of work this 1930's Secretary Desk is finally done and available for purchase! Jumping into this project it never dawned on me how much work this was going to be. Not that it would have changed my mind or anything ...! I am so glad to finally see the finished product and I am thrilled with how it came out. It was exactly as I had envisioned it in my head. I love to see how my projects come out compared to my first vision. The best part about this piece is that it can be used in so many rooms for so many different uses! Of course my first though was a kitchen or dining room for items such as ... well, wine of course! But it would also work wonders for a bedroom as a wardrobe closet. I can honestly see this piece in a baby's room. It has a plethora of shelving for diapers, wipes, pacifiers, clothes, and all the other items you need to store. But it would be the perfect fairly tale piece. in any room.