70's Hutch Updated for Today

Have you ever spotted a really ugly duckling at a flea market or garage sale and thought, good luck selling that thing!?! That's just what happened when I found this old, run down and flat-out ugly hutch at a garage sale last year. It wasn't the best quality and it certainly wasn't in the best shape. When I asked how much, the lady replied $5 - I knew I had to give it a try. It was to heavy to handle myself so I coaxed my husband to run over to the sale and help me with it. I will never forget the look on his face when he first spotted it. He said, "you bought that piece of crap?! WHY?" I guess he didn't have the vision, I did. He he.

I brought it home and got busy. First of all, it isn't a solid wood piece. It is one of those pressed board pieces. I knew once it was done it wouldn't be worth a fortune but after all it was just $5. Because of the somewhat shiny surface I had to prime this baby. I also knew I wanted to paint it an antique white color and priming would help me not use so much paint. 

Once primed, I painted the inside in a pretty Caribbean blue color from Old Town Paints. I love Old Town Paints chalk paint. It's the perfect consistency. Then I paired it with their Antique White on the outside of the hutch. It looked great but still fairly flat. It needed something to help bring out all of the details. I decided to try my hand at glazing, I got a nice mocha glaze at the local home improvement store and started it. 

The glaze really helped bring out the details and add life to the hutch. Once the glaze was dry I finished it with a clear matte sealer from Old Town Paints. {I love that stuff!!} Next, I needed to tackle the doors, when I found the hutch it only had 1 glass that wasn't broken. I didn't want to get new glass cut so I decided to try something different. I've used lots of chicken wire, but I really wanted something a little more upscale. I went to the farm supply store down the street and found "weld mesh." It's a square  wire pattern and adds a little sophistication! 

It was a fun project. Don't be afraid to tackle those ugly ducklings! You can certainly bring a piece from the 1970's up-to-date.

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!