Transforming an Art Deco Waterfall Vanity

I was thrilled when my sisters good friend had an estate sale and was selling vanity a vanity that'd been in her family for decades. It was a beautiful 1940's/50's waterfall vanity with a great round mirror, typical of this era.  It needed a little work but I knew it'd clean up to be a great piece.

Here she is before:

I love the flat, all one level surface of this vanity. So many of the vanities I've seen in this era have two levels. I also fell in love with the faux wood grain scrolly details and the large gold drawer pulls. Not to mention the curved edge of the top! Love, love that!

What to do with this piece? That's always the hardest part. I knew I was going to have to strip the top of all of the old varnish, it was chipping away. (Which made for the easiest stripping job ever.)

Once I had it all cleaned up I decided to go with a neutral creamy color. I used American Paint Company's Homeplate with some Amber Waves of Grain mixed in. This resulted in a creamy white with just a hint of gold.

Amber Waves of Grain

Homeplate

 The custom color was just perfect for this beauty!

I decided to leave the faux wood detailing on the mirror base and the drawers and I'm so glad I did. It really adds a touch of character.

I sealed it up with a terrific product I absolutely love from Old Town Paints, Clear Matte Finish. This is the perfect alternative to waxing and it's more durable but it still leaves the same sheen as wax without being too shiny. I just love this stuff!

I also picked up a little vanity bench, unfortunately not from the same era, but painted the same custom cream color and upholstered with a fabulous patterned fabric it looks terrific.

Not only does the art deco vanity look great, it's super functional with deep drawers for storage. I just love doing transformations like this!